Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

josh stout · 14th February 2020, 01:14 PM

I think Kai was making the point, that if the blade had three layers in a sandwich form (san mai), then it is possible that the blade was reshaped. Any configuration would show different steel at the edge. On the other hand, an inserted edge that runs to the tip implies that the blade is in its original form. A thin inserted edge would be lost on a reshaped tip.

To me, this looks like an inserted edge rather than sandwich construction because of the very distinct line. San mai tends to have a smoother transition between the body and the edge. Another way to tell is to look at the spine. A true sandwich construction should show a line there.

14th February 2020, 01:14 PM	#7
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	I think Kai was making the point, that if the blade had three layers in a sandwich form (san mai), then it is possible that the blade was reshaped. Any configuration would show different steel at the edge. On the other hand, an inserted edge that runs to the tip implies that the blade is in its original form. A thin inserted edge would be lost on a reshaped tip. To me, this looks like an inserted edge rather than sandwich construction because of the very distinct line. San mai tends to have a smoother transition between the body and the edge. Another way to tell is to look at the spine. A true sandwich construction should show a line there.