Q&A for How to Make a Samurai Sword

You need a steel with high carbon content. The most common ones used in swords are 1045, 1065, and 1095 carbon steels.

You can check Home Depot, Lowe's, and other lumber and metal supply places.

The good thing about modern technology is, you don't have to! You can just go to Home Depot and buy furnace cement or furnace clay. You can get a small container of it for around $8. If you can't find furnace clay/cement, use a mixture of 2 parts Plaster of Paris, 2 parts sand, and 1 part water. When you mix it up, it makes a great insulation. You might have to wait a few minutes for it to partially dry, but it works perfectly.

You can make one easily enough. The handle itself needs to be a good, hard wood. If you want an authentic style, order some ray skin and watch an instructible on how to perform the wrap. You can also order kits that come with the adornments such as the brass pommel and hand guard.

If you're just going to use it as an ornament then you can just use a file to shape the metal, but don't strike the sword with anything because it will not be very sturdy.

Unfortunately, no. But I would highly recommend it anyway. I've found that spring steel makes a much more ductile sword, meaning that it can bend significantly (70°+) and spring back to true. It won't hold it's edge as long, but the difference is pretty insignificant. I personally use 5160, and that works great. Keep in mind that even if you use spring steel, it can still be quite brittle if you don't temper it enough. You could achieve pretty much the same effect using 1095 or another high carbon steel, as long as you temper it properly. Another thing to know is that the higher the carbon content, the more likely it is to crack during heat treatment.

Hammer an axe or hatchet you don't care about into the center of the steel when it's heated up to about orange/red, until there's only about 1/16" left, then pour on some flux (borax powder) and hammer it on the edge of the anvil until it's at a 90° degree angle. Then hammer the rest down on the flat of the anvil. Hammer this out until it's the desired length, frequently pouring on more flux, and repeat.

You do not use sulfur to prevent slag. Sulfur and other impurities in the steel are removed by the heating process. The impurities come out as slag, which will increase the steels strength.

Yes, but it will not be as strong or keep a good sharp edge longer. It also depends on what your need for the sword is.

Yes, but it's not strong, and will not give a clean cut and will easily break.

You can, but steel is more durable and stays sharper longer.

Take a piece of wood long as your leg and soak it in the water for four days untouched. Then, use a knife that is sharp and make the shape of the blade, then you make the handle any way you like.

No. You can't quench the blade with water, but if you want to quench the blade, you must choose either oil or water.

If you want it to be functional, no. It must be either bronze, iron or steel.

Follow the instructions listed in the article above.

Yes. It's perfectly fine, as other katanas are made out of that, but it might be expensive.

Yes, but it would be expensive, and the tungsten would make it very heavy. On top of that, titanium and tungsten would be difficult to keep sharp, and they're not very durable. Overall, I wouldn't recommend using these materials.

You can take a whetstone or an oilstone (both can be found online) and use the lower grits to achieve a relatively even/sharp edge and then use a higher grit to hone the blade razor sharp. (Always make sure to sharpen/hone AWAY from your body and fingers.)

No, you cannot use carbon fiber. It is too brittle and might not hold a good edge.

Make a forge. It is fairly simple to do, although it won't be the hottest or the best one out there. Make an enclosure with bricks (garden ones do fine), add charcoal, and have a constant air supply going to it. A hair dryer will do fine. Although you might want to have aluminum foil wrapped around the end to protect it from a bit of the heat and make it last longer. It can also help concentrate the air more. But one of these furnaces is not the best design and it is always best to have help making it.

You can get it in factories which manufacture steel. You can also get in a junkyard. To test if it is high-carbon steel, just grind it a few times on an angle grinder. The more the carbon there is,the more sparks will appear.

Yes, there are many right ways to make katanas. One main way was to make the katana sword to make a V shape. But also a U shape is possible and still works. In fact, the V shape will not be as durable as the U shape if you are not heating it up. So yes, it it fine to make a sword with a V shape.

You need a steel with high carbon content. The most common ones used in swords are 1045, 1065, and 1095 carbon steels.

As a display piece, yes, you can. However, aluminum would make an extremely low quality sword if you were actually planning on using it.

You can make one yourself if you have space. Use clay bricks. Do not use cinder blocks or cement blocks, as those will explode. Follow a reputable tutorial to build the furnace safely.