Sharing my excitement for my first sword

[Krisxylove]

It's the Ryujin 65MN Spring steel Willow Leaf Dao. And my very first sword! It's cheap I know but I have never been so excited to get something in the mail! Which is taking forever. I'm just sharing my excitement with you all. I learned Meihua Dao with a stick and getting a real sword is a really big deal for me. Because swords are dangerous, I'm considering either wrapping the scabbard to the pommel with athletic tape (which may be too heavy IDK yet), or buying a cheap training one that is firm and close to equal weight. I'm looking at the standard Broad Sword from AWMA. Monday can't come fast enough.

 

[Gyakuto]

Be very careful! You’ll need your fingers in later life for picking your nose etc. Do they make polypropylene practise versions?

I generally enjoy the wait for delivery…(unless bas*ard Border Force are involved ) it’s all in the anticipation but sometimes I’m reminded of the words that Mr Spock uttered to Stonn in ‘Amok Time’ after relinquishing his betrothed, T’Pring.

In the mean time, I assume you have sword oil, facial tissues (without aloe vera impregnation) and a small oily cloth to smear a thin layer of protective oil over the blade? Japanese sword care kits are a great and cheap christmas present to oneself!

 

[Krisxylove]

You’ll need your fingers in later life for picking your nose etc. Do they make polypropylene practise versions?

I'll look into the Poly ones before I make a decision. If it's closer to actual weight I'd prefer that. But I guess that would mean getting a stainless steel one. The one I'm looking at now from AWMA is aluminum so, and I heard people say that it actually has weight in the handle and has balance IDK we'll see.

Mr Spock uttered to Stonn in ‘Amok Time’ after relinquishing his betrothed, T’Pring.

Nerd

In the mean time, I assume you have sword oil, facial tissues (without aloe vera impregnation) and a small oily cloth to smear a thin layer of protective oil over the blade? Japanese sword care kits are a great and cheap christmas present to oneself!

I didn't think of that Thank you. That reminds me that I have to learn about the general care and maintenance. What are the facial tissues for? And don't say for blowing your nose

I did get some wet stones. I'm not going to cut with it but it makes sense to me that a sword should be sharp. I followed this guy for guidance, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uApm1R7JNrA. It has a factory edge so he said I have to start by making a new bevel I think it's called, then followed by sharpening. He starts with 300, then 1000 and 3000.

 

[Gyakuto]

I'll look into the Poly ones before I make a decision. If it's closer to actual weight I'd prefer that. But I guess that would mean getting a stainless steel one. The one I'm looking at now from AWMA is aluminum so, and I heard people say that it actually has weight in the handle and has balance IDK we'll see.

A polypropylene version is all about getting used to the overall blade length, the tip length etc. I don’t think being of the same weight is important.

Nerd

It has been suggested before…

I didn't think of that Thank you. That reminds me that I have to learn about the general care and maintenance. What are the facial tissues for? And don't say for blowing your nose

You wipe away the old oil with the tissues, you can use that thing that looks like a lollipop in the sword care kit, to tap it’s internal powder onto both sides of the blade and the back edge and then, wipe it off with fresh tissues, use the little oily cloth to smear fresh oil onto the blade. You can use those very thick car detailing microfibre cloths instead of tissues if you like, ensuring you wash them after each use. It’s very simple.

I did get some wet stones. I'm not going to cut with it but it makes sense to me that a sword should be sharp. I followed this guy for guidance, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uApm1R7JNrA. It has a factory edge so he said I have to start by making a new bevel I think it's called, then followed by sharpening. He starts with 300, then 1000 and 3000.

If you’re not cutting anything, you won’t need to sharpen it or indeed have it razor-blade sharp at all! Unless you’re confident with whetstones I wouldn’t bother; you’ll end up with a weird edge geometry or even scratch up the blade. If you do want it really sharp, take it to a professional knife sharpener as they’ll do a much better job.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I did get some wet stones. I'm not going to cut with it but it makes sense to me that a sword should be sharp. I followed this guy for guidance, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uApm1R7JNrA. It has a factory edge so he said I have to start by making a new bevel I think it's called, then followed by sharpening. He starts with 300, then 1000 and 3000.

How experienced are you with blades and stones? Sharpening requires a fair bit of practice. The longer the blade, the more difficult it is. If you're inexperienced, the most likely result is a ruined sword.

 

[Gyakuto]

I’ve just watched the youtube video, you posted.

Do NOT use a whetstone like he suggests, on you nice sword. Do NOT

 

[Krisxylove]

A polypropylene version is all about getting used to the overall blade length, the tip length etc. I don’t think being of the same weight is important.

It has been suggested before…

You wipe away the old oil with the tissues, you can use that thing that looks like a lollipop in the sword care kit, to tap it’s internal powder onto both sides of the blade and the back edge and then, wipe it off with fresh tissues, use the little oily cloth to smear fresh oil onto the blade. You can use those very thick car detailing microfibre cloths instead of tissues if you like, ensuring you wash them after each use. It’s very simple.

If you’re not cutting anything, you won’t need to sharpen it or indeed have it razor-blade sharp at all! Unless you’re confident with whetstones I wouldn’t bother; you’ll end up with a weird edge geometry or even scratch up the blade. If you do want it really sharp, take it to a professional knife sharpener as they’ll do a much better job.

I bought the Japanese sword care kit you mentioned (with tissues ). I learned that the carbon content of my blade does makes it prone to rust so I'm happy you brought this to my attention.

I thought a lot about what both you and dirty dog said and yes, I should really leave it alone. I have 0 experience in sharpening anything so I would very likely mess up the geometry like you said. If the factory edge turns out to be completely unacceptable for zombie survival then I'll send it to someone who knows what they're doing. If I really do want to learn sharpening, it makes more sense to practice on a piece of junk rather than something that is symbolic and special to me. Thank you so much for the advice. Nerds are effing cool. Lord of the rings is my jam

 

[Krisxylove]

How experienced are you with blades and stones? Sharpening requires a fair bit of practice. The longer the blade, the more difficult it is. If you're inexperienced, the most likely result is a ruined sword.

No experience with blades or stones hahaha!! It's a 26 inch blade and I did see that a lot of people struggle with sharpening swords in general. In my head I was like, Oh I can do that! Yes I would end up ruining my beautiful sword lol. I'm very happy for posting because I bought the stones and was ready to start grinding away. I don't even know the sword will be dull. I got overexcited lol. Thank you for pointing this out and saving me a hard earned mistake.

 

[ap Oweyn]

If I could recommend a training version, I've been very happy with Purpleheart Armory. They do a dao that resembles this design, though I haven't used it specifically. I do have their ginunting and barong practice swords though, and I'm a big fan.

 

[Krisxylove]

If I could recommend a training version, I've been very happy with Purpleheart Armory. They do a dao that resembles this design, though I haven't used it specifically. I do have their ginunting and barong practice swords though, and I'm a big fan.

OMG they look fantastic! And a lot cheaper than the other one I'm looking at! It just looks like an outstanding company overall. This is great, thank you

 

[mograph]

Regarding wooden dao, these are nice.

Raven Studios | Wooden Sabers (Dao) | Broadswords

Handcrafted hardwood practice sabers (Dao) and Taiji sabers for practitioners of Taijiquan, Baguazhang, and many other Chinese martial arts styles.

little-raven.com

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

It's the Ryujin 65MN Spring steel Willow Leaf Dao.

You should go to the woods, use your Dao and chop down 1,000 branches with your Dao skill. After 1,000 cuts, you will get the correct feeling how to handle your Dao. Your Dao will then become part of your arm.

 

[ap Oweyn]

OMG they look fantastic! And a lot cheaper than the other one I'm looking at! It just looks like an outstanding company overall. This is great, thank you

You're very welcome.

 

[Stuarto]

Congratulations on your first sword, it's lovely

 

[Dirty Dog]

No experience with blades or stones hahaha!! It's a 26 inch blade and I did see that a lot of people struggle with sharpening swords in general. In my head I was like, Oh I can do that! Yes I would end up ruining my beautiful sword lol. I'm very happy for posting because I bought the stones and was ready to start grinding away. I don't even know the sword will be dull. I got overexcited lol. Thank you for pointing this out and saving me a hard earned mistake.

I would encourage you to learn to sharpen. Just not on a sword. It's a useful skill to have. Even if all you ever sharpen are kitchen knives.

 

[J. Pickard]

No experience with blades or stones hahaha!! It's a 26 inch blade and I did see that a lot of people struggle with sharpening swords in general. In my head I was like, Oh I can do that! Yes I would end up ruining my beautiful sword lol. I'm very happy for posting because I bought the stones and was ready to start grinding away. I don't even know the sword will be dull. I got overexcited lol. Thank you for pointing this out and saving me a hard earned mistake.

I regularly sharpen my shaving razor with stones. after about 14 years of experience I can consistently sharpen a straight razor to a perfect shaving edge. Despite this I wouldn't touch a sword with a whet stone that wasn't just a practice sword that I was okay with ruining. Swords are so damn hard to sharpen with a whet stone or diamond stone because of the length of the blade. It is super difficult to get the same angle the entire length and not accidentally roll the edge. If you want to get good at sharpening a sword with a stone then you might want to invest in a few more swords to practice on first.

Have fun with your new dao! Train hard!

 

[Gyakuto]

I would encourage you to learn to sharpen. Just not on a sword. It's a useful skill to have. Even if all you ever sharpen are kitchen knives.

I have so many sharpening gadgets for my kitchen knives as I just can’t use a whetstone very efficiently. Keeping that angle as you glide on the stone’s surface is really hard (for me).

 

[Gyakuto]

I regularly sharpen my shaving razor with stones. after about 14 years of experience I can consistently sharpen a straight razor to a perfect shaving edge.

Wow! That’s amazing.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I have so many sharpening gadgets for my kitchen knives as I just can’t use a whetstone very efficiently. Keeping that angle as you glide on the stone’s surface is really hard (for me).

I make blades. So I often sharpen on a belt grinder with a worn, loose belt. You get a lovely convex edge, but it's impossible to touch it up except with the same setup. For more conventional sharpening, I have a water-cooled stone about 12"in diameter, mounted on what is essentially a low-RPM grinder.

 

[Krisxylove]

You should go to the woods, use your Dao and chop down 1,000 branches with your Dao skill. After 1,000 cuts, you will get the correct feeling how to handle your Dao. Your Dao will then become part of your arm.

I only planned on form practice. But it does make sense that in order to foster a deeper connection with your blade and better understand your blade, you have to actually cut things with it. I'd consider doing something like this further down the road