Has anyone else out there seen the PBS Nova show “Secrets of the Samurai”?? Given how much discussion goes on here about plane blades, quality, holding an edge, etc., I found it fascinating to learn how the metals behave as they’re being heated, folded, all that. And to watch the steel being produced in hand-tended, clay furnace. The way hard steel is formed in a U, and the tough steel inserted, combining the best qualities of both.
If you’ve not seen it, watch for it, it’s intriguing.
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Replies
That was excellent, wasn't it?! I've always been fascinated by Japanese culture and history. I lived in Japan for 3 years when I was a toddler -- in fact, I spoke Japanese before I spoke English (couldn't tell that now since I've forgotten most of it). To me, feudal Japan was one of the most sophisticated, complex and advanced cultures the world has ever produced.
Here's something you might also find interesting. He's a high school classmate of mine. Yeah he's old like me. :-)
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Shipwrights and sword-smiths
always represent the finest in a cultures artisans.
Your friend is very impressive!
Any one know if it's possible to watch it online?
I have broad ban but Zero TV.
Doesn't look like it's one of the programs they can provide online, but you can buy the DVD on Amazon. There's a "slide show" at the Nova web site but it only has 8 pictures in it, lots of text.
At first glance, I though "Zero TV" was some kind of new computer thing, LOL!
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 6/28/2008 11:23 pm by forestgirl
Thanks
I guess that is a funny way to say it.
That was a fascinating program. It came on way late on my local PBS station and I stayed up until nearly one in the morning watching it. Sleep-deprived the next day, but well worth the price paid.
What really got me was the role of the "sword polisher" in the process of completing a sword. The narrator said it takes ten days to polish one sword, and some of the stones he used were the size of a grain of rice. Talk about taking something to the utmost degree...It was interesting watching him push a tiny piece of stone around on the side of the blade with his thumb, water lubricating everything.
It was an intimate, inside look at a craft that has evolved over hundreds of years. Well done..
Zolton
If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
Yes, the polishing was incredible. Can't remember, how many different stones did he use? Another thing I was impressed by was the swordsmith's ability to discern the very, very best chunks of raw metal to use, and his statement to the effect that they needed to be very careful in their use of it, given how little of that quality they were able to obtain.
The skill it takes to run that furnace (not the right term, I know) is astounding.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Yeah, excellent program. Last Tuesday was the second time I'd seen it. I was dissappointed in the number and repitition of the clips of guys slicing bamboo in half, I'd have preferred more content from the scientist (the white-haired guy, not the younger one) showing and discussing the electromicrographs of the cross-sections of the swords. It'd also have been fascinating to have 5-10 minutes devoted to showing the antiques in the museums. Some of the artwork that goes into the pommell and grip of these swords is astounding, particularly when you consider that it was done without modern materials and tools.
Overall, a first rate program and one of the first that I might consider purchasing on DVD (personally, I think the $20 that the History channel wants for its shows is a bit much).
I caught most of that show. The terra-cotta design was very neat. After seeing that, what level of quality do you rank Japanese chisels now as opposed to before watching the show?
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Ha ha. Very good.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Thanks Wine. If you go to Wood Central there is some more detailed discussion- it seems that Japanese sword making , steels etc are not quite what they appear to be according to some folk....
Here's the WoodCentral thread:http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/handtools.pl?read=125469
Edited 6/28/2008 10:29 am ET by PRAppd212Tb
Thanks for posting the Wood Central link. It had been quite some time since I visited over there and the thread made for a good read.
-nazard
I did see that a few weeks ago, very fun show, also very amazing craftsmanship.
Troy
What I found interesting and didn't know, was that the metallurgy and process of combining the steels and the subsequent cooling creates the curvature in the blade.Webby
I guess I was the one who started the fire storm with this post on WoodCentral:
http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/handtools.pl?read=125478
I think there are many folks who simply don't know even basic history who are susceptible to folks making stuff up. Simply put, the Japanese have never been great steel producers. They went to war because of it. The methods used by Japanese swords smiths were more or less common place in Medieval Europe. The steel produced by traditional Japanese smiths (called shear steel) really isn't that great.
I make no secret of the fact that this subject irks me. But I pulled myself together long enough to type out this post, which includes a couple references to FWW articles which should be mandatory reading.
http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/handtools.pl?read=125621
If you are looking for a reason to renew your subscription, these articles, the likes of which are still being published in FWW, provide information useful to generations of woodworkers.
If you want to skip this lengthy post, here's the spoiler- there's no scientific correlation between Rockwell hardness, grain size, carbon content and performance of a chisel or plane blade. If a manufacturer knows what he's doing, just about any steel can made to work.
I guess the take away message is that the tool review articles you all hate really are the best guide of what to buy.
Adam
"I guess the take away message is that the tool review articles you all hate really are the best guide of what to buy. "
I suppose this is stoking the fire, but it's not that I hate tool reviews - it's just that they have no place in Fine WoodWorking. In my opinion, such things belong on the website or the annual tools and shops issue. They are filler material for the most part (as are jig-building articles), and the 8-10 other woodworking magazines on the local newstand are rife with these (as well as articles on those ridiculous "Make a Victorian Scroll Saw Shelf!").
Fine Woodworking has been heading in that direction, and some of us long time subscribers think we don't need another low-quality clone.
No, you get to keep all that. And don't forget the geta. Nothing like using pull planes while wearing geta.
Adam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geta_(footwear)
The way hard steel is formed in a U,
Sort of like finding a woman and you bend her over for a kiss. Some resist and you drop her to the floor for reheating.. The 'real' one just folds with you!
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