cfm15

Thanks Brian

Thanks Jean Is it worth anything?

Was it at least made in Japan ? If so about what time?

Looks like core steel showing through to me? Chris

I've forged a lot of blades and it doesn't look like it ,especially the ones on the tip where the hamon almost disappears.

How do you explain the grain openings?

enlarged pic of the nakago

Gunto I was thinking that also, did they make some of those in the traditional way , soft core outer hard layer? The grain openings are like i've seen on blades that I know were nihonto.

My dad found this in a thrift store in AZ a few years ago and I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about it. I took the best pics I could,the hamon goes all the way to the tip but is very thin for the last 10 mm or so and there looks like a grain opening close to the hamon towards the last third of the blade that I tried to show in the close ups. Also there seems to be one very near the tip on both sides. Is this a real nihonto?

If I ran across something like this I would reforge it into a nice little tanto and call it good as a use for a unique piece of historical steel .I think the original maker would be alright with that. Chris

i would pay $19 for the steel also,I would fold it a few times and forge a smaller blade .I always wanted to try some tamahagane. Chris

Even after wiping the blade there will still be a protective coating,you don't want to have any excess oil hanging out in the saya. Chris

Thank you for the sword porn. It gives me motivation to go out to the shop and do the yaki-ire on the tanto I finished forging last week.

number 5 for sure Chris

"Listening -- is not waiting to talk" Exactly Thank you Christopher Makin