Let’s see how long you talk. Stone Age: The material was rock, which was sharpened into swords by filing and other methods. Bronze Age: The material is copper {Cu}. Melt the copper, pour it on the mold, and cool it to make a copper sword. Bronze Age: The material is bronze (copper plus tin) {Cu Sn}. Copper and tin are melted, mixed, poured on the mold, and cooled to make a bronze sword. [The amount of copper and tin is different to change the softness and hardness. The mixture of 90% copper + 10% tin is the hardest. ] Iron Age: The material is iron {Fe}, and there are three methods of making swords... 1. Carburizing: Melt the iron, mix it with a trace amount of carbon, pour it on the mold, and cool it to make a steel sword. [However, it is difficult to control the portion. If not, a bronze sword is better than it. So it only existed in the late Middle Ages] 2. Beat the iron: Beat the iron continuously to remove impurities and beat it into an iron sword. [But not as good as the other two] 3. Quenching: First do the tempering, but use liquid to cool it. The liquid can be water or blood, which is decided by the caster [Japanese caster Muramasa is a master in this area]< /p>
Traditional Chinese Sword Casting Technology 1. Art Inheritance Three Dragons Sword Casting 1. Choice of time: Sword casting must match the weather
Spring and autumn are the best seasons of the year
Too hot in summer and too cold in winter will affect the material
Especially the fifth month of the lunar calendar
Commonly known as the "Poison Moon"
It accumulates various poisonous gases; The seventh month is the "ghost month", which represents the most evil spirit
and is not suitable for the sword that symbolizes the embodiment of justice
. In addition to the taboos of solar terms
The sky also has its own best time
Because the zodiac sign is dragon
and the dragon’s land branch is Chen
Therefore, I chose to forge the sword at Chenri and Chenshi
Under the "Three Dragons Blending"
Only then can I actually forge a flawless famous sword mentally and physically. 2. Selection of steel: Ancient Chinese swordsmiths
Since metal is not easy to obtain
it is more difficult to develop joints or flexibility; it is even necessary to chop off the calves of dead people on the battlefield. Bones and iron charcoal are burned together to obtain calcium, phosphonium and other chemical components. Today, with the advancement of science and technology, there is more room for experimentation in material selection, and there are many breakthroughs in sword-making methods. In the early days, the master taught Tianyang to smelt swords using traditional materials such as Fuan iron and spring steel. However, more than ten years ago, he and his nephew, Mr. Chen Kechang, who has a doctorate in steel materials, experimented with Swedish steel and West German steel, which have superior hardness and flexibility. Both are far superior to other steel materials
Therefore, since then, these two steel materials have been used as the parent steel, combined with other additional steel materials, to cast various ancient swords with different requirements. 3. Fusion of steel and creation of rough embryo: First, different proportions of steel must be selected according to the type of sword required, and then melted, mixed and forged. In the past, there were no thermometers, so they had to be built at night to determine whether the temperature was sufficient by the color of the fire. Nowadays, there are scientific instruments that can accurately measure the furnace temperature. The temperature can be controlled appropriately at any time. After the fire is sufficient, the steel is beaten back and forth sixteen times like kneading dough to forge it into a rough embryo. 4. The first heat treatment (1) (stewing steel): The rough embryo is completed
While the sword body is still in a red-hot state, the first heat treatment is carried out, also known as "stewing steel". First prepare a stone sink about three feet long and fill it with water, then gently put the red rough embryo into the water starting from the tip of the sword, and then lift it up by lifting it up. "Stewing steel" is the first test of the sword. If the temperature is not enough during forging, or the texture of the steel is not tightly fused
or the movements when stewing the steel are not skilled enough
Coarse The embryo will bend or crack immediately. 5. Second heat treatment (2): After the first heat treatment and cooling, the defective products are filtered out. In order to ensure the precision of the sword body, the rough embryo of the sword is placed outdoors to accept the erosion and corrosion of the sun and rain. Thermal expansion and contraction are tempered by nature. After five years of this, after the "internal stress" has been gently eliminated, it can be taken out again and beaten again; if it cannot withstand another test, it will be discarded and used, and those who pass will be deemed to have initially passed the test. In the early stages of sword making, there was no proper storage space for the steel and it was prone to rust. Therefore, we followed the ancient method and immersed it in an ancient well on the mountain to quickly "passivate" the surface to block the air. Therefore, steel or rough steel must be stored for many years without deterioration.
6. Filing and grinding: After completing the rough roughening of the sword body, the process of filing first and then grinding is carried out. Usually, only about 30% to 50% of people can pass this test. Then comes the second "stewing" heat treatment; break open the bamboo, fill the bamboo tube with mud
then insert the rough embryo into it
and heat it with a warm fire. In this way, on the one hand, the remaining internal stress can be further eliminated, so that the crystals can be "micronized" and reorganized, and on the other hand, the elasticity of the sword body can be enhanced. 7. Detailed filing: Immediately after the stewing is completed, perform complicated detail filing. First, the sword body is smoothed, and then the blade is finely ground. The filing of sword blades is divided into two steps: rough grinding and fine grinding. 8. Making the scabbard and assembling the components: A purely hand-made sword body cannot be made in one piece; therefore, its kit must also be "tailor-made." The research and creation of the shape of the sword, the development and polishing of models and molds for the equipment and accessories, the processing and production of the material of the scabbard, the selection and braiding of the sword tassel, the assembly of the entire sword, etc., must all be completed by hand. Therefore, just the production of accessories requires about thirty days of work. 9. Edge sharpening: Edge sharpening is the last and most important step in making a sword; the quality of a sword is determined by its edge sharpening skills, which account for one-third of it
The final finishing touch for the sword. There are two types of Tianyang sharpening methods: one is the "silver sword-style sharpening method" patented by both sides of the Taiwan Strait, which is suitable for bold chopping movements; the other is the "clam-mouth sharpening method" which is suitable for cutting, whittling, and slashing. , wipe and other actions. The good sword created through this process
naturally looks shiny and rustic
solemn and noble
has a sharp edge
is light and smooth, except for The beauty of "form"
has more "meaning" connotation. 2. Assembling accessories Accessories are the most conspicuous part of the entire sword (knife) and are also the first focus of attention of sword appreciators; whether each individual accessory is exquisite and beautiful in shape, whether the overall matching is smooth and precise, and whether the weighting of each area is appropriate. This affects the artistic value of the work. Therefore, without mature component production and assembly technology, the entire sword (knife) art work will be lackluster. First, cut the appropriate wood according to the shape and length of the sword (for swords, you can choose wood with more texture changes, smaller pores, and solid wood; for knives, you must choose softer wood to reduce the friction of the blade. wear rate). Then cut the stem and sheath into proportions, cut and grind them into the required rough shapes respectively; then cut them lengthwise, dig out a groove that matches the size of the blade body, and then re-glue them together to complete the main part of the accessory. Then, according to the selected sword (knife) shape, accessories such as the sword head, hand guard, jaw, sheath mouth, guard ring, name plate, sword dart, etc. are made and installed respectively. Each piece must be carefully crafted; the installation project requires a lot of work. Interlocking and smooth sealing. Then the wood parts are painted and finely polished time and time again to make them radiant, moist and smooth. Or wrap it in real leather, and then sew it carefully with needles and needles to make it flat and stretched, strong and difficult to use. Finally, copper flower nails or silver dragon decorations can be added to the stems. Firstly, they are beautiful, and secondly, they can increase resistance and prevent them from slipping when waving. Then add the belt and sword spikes, and you're done. Thus, for a skilled swordsmith, it would take almost forty-five to ninety working days from start to finish, which shows how delicate and difficult the project is. 3. Strength test After the assembled sword is assembled, its grip and balance must first be tested. This naturally includes whether the back and spine of the entire sword are straight, whether the blade is even, whether the blade body is elastic, and whether the grip and blade are straight. Whether the weight of the body is correct, whether the stem components are smooth and easy to hold, whether each assembly kit is stable and reliable, etc., and finally, and most importantly, the strength test of the blade body. The traditional testing method is of course the most direct and practical, that is, placing a copper or steel bar with a diameter of 0.5 cm flat on a stone (I mostly use the granite plinths used in large temples as stepping stones), and test the completeness of the freshly baked For sword work, directly cut copper or steel bars; general swords will be chipped if they hit iron nails or steel bars. If they hit stones, the damage will be more serious, either curling, twisting, or even breaking; If the copper or steel bars fly off one after another in response to the sound, and the stone is cut and the stone chips are scattered in all directions, but the sword is unscathed, then it is officially passed. 4. Sword handling test: Although the hardware part of the sword work has been tested, whether it is truly usable can only be judged by a fencing (swordsmanship) master after actual performance. I studied under the masters of the Lingnan and Northern Shaolin sects, and have practiced swordsmanship for decades. Although I do not dare to call myself a top master, I still know a little bit about the offensive and defensive techniques of each set of swords.
Therefore, each sword work is personally handled by me for a long time to confirm that it feels correct, and then all tests are completed, oiled and sealed. 5. Document Certification: Any completed sword work will be accompanied by a fine leather-covered "Quality Guarantee" to show absolute responsibility for its quality. The name of the work written in handwriting, affixed to a physical photo (this photo is made in two copies, and the other one is stored in my "Work Album" as a certificate), the year, month, and day of completion, the material of the work, and the serial number and author's signature. If a sword lover has any damage to the sword during the period of keeping it, he can send it home from time to time, and he will repair it himself and then return it. This move is the first of its kind among ancient and modern swordsmen, and is also an expression of my absolute confidence and cherishment of my work. However, only my own guarantee does not mean that those who love swords can freely own and collect swords. Under current national laws, it still needs to be approved by the relevant authorities to be considered complete. All of my sword art works are formally sent to the Taiwan Provincial Police Department for review and have been expressly approved (each work has a photocopied seal certificate with the approval document). In this way, the collector can safely enjoy tea, play the harp, and play with the sword.
Reference: Xingda Knife Shop