Work Knife
Would using a general knife sharpener work on a cheap katana?
hi, i have a cheap katana replica [musta cost maybe 75 quid, i bought it for looks] and i was wondering if using a normal knife sharpener like this one: http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/jo/john-lewis-knife-sharpener.jpg would work to sharpen it up?
Thanks, Lewis.
Never never use anything like an Accusharp on a Katana, real or fake. If it’s fake, it’ll take off the nice finish on the blade, and may even reveal some impurities or other soft metals under the surface. If it’s real it WILL scratch the shit out of the blade and may even ruin the Hamon if its a large enough sharpener.
Secondly, common kitchen sharpeners add a secondary bevel. This is not wanted for a real katana! Whetstone sharpening is the best and should be the only way to sharpen a real katana.
Sharpening a katana non traditionalls can also create a wave in the blade. Cheap sharpeners tend to do this mostly. It’s slight, but its there.
My question to you is this. You know its a cheap katana replica bought only for looks and as a wallhanger.. Why sharpen it? Even if it were used in a home invasion defense or whatever reason you might want a sharp sword, it most likely would do very little damage to the opponent before breaking. Most katana replica’s have Half push rat Tangs.. meaning that there’s a tiny rod of metal welded onto the sword which is what goes down the Tsuka. These things I can break with my hand pretty easily, so even swinging them in the air is dangerous. The steels is probably just tempered 420J steel. Not very strong stuff.
Wallhangers are designed to be only that, you’re far more likely to hurt yourself or some innocent bystander than any threat. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been training for years in Iaido or Kendo, a wallhanger is most dangerous to the user.
making a general purpose work knife