Sword Construction - iron tangs.

Richard Furrer · 11th April 2013, 01:59 PM

I have seen scarf welded tangs on many blades from many cultures...Indian,Persian,Chinese,some Japanese knives and tools,and various european blades.
One can argue it is conservation of some materials or some requirement of function.
To determine if it is a functional mechanical requirement we would have to sample the two bits and see if there is indeed a difference...chemically as well as metallurgically.

To my knowledge none have done this type of study.

As far as needing iron in the tang vs steel...one could always just not harden the steel tang and thus have very similar pearlitic properties in the steel as one would find in ferritic iron.
I think a point could be made that the steel in the tang could make another small knife..so why not make another small knife? A forge weld is not a difficult thing to do...takes only minutes once you have the tools and skills.

Ric

CutlassCollector · 11th April 2013, 07:40 PM

Thanks Alan for taking the time for such a comprehensive answer.
I understand better now. So there are a lot more welded joins but most are invisible and the lower part of the blade and the tang are often iron. I guess that makes it easier to stamp makers and inspection marks on the ricasso as well.
Is there any way to tell iron from steel without a lab?

And thanks Ric for widening it out beyond europe.

It would follow that Japanese swordsmiths are an example of following the other route by mastering more complex tempering of the steel.
Many thanks. CC

11th April 2013, 01:59 PM	#1
Richard Furrer Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Posts: 163	I have seen scarf welded tangs on many blades from many cultures...Indian,Persian,Chinese,some Japanese knives and tools,and various european blades. One can argue it is conservation of some materials or some requirement of function. To determine if it is a functional mechanical requirement we would have to sample the two bits and see if there is indeed a difference...chemically as well as metallurgically. To my knowledge none have done this type of study. As far as needing iron in the tang vs steel...one could always just not harden the steel tang and thus have very similar pearlitic properties in the steel as one would find in ferritic iron. I think a point could be made that the steel in the tang could make another small knife..so why not make another small knife? A forge weld is not a difficult thing to do...takes only minutes once you have the tools and skills. Ric

11th April 2013, 07:40 PM	#2
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 366	Thanks Alan for taking the time for such a comprehensive answer. I understand better now. So there are a lot more welded joins but most are invisible and the lower part of the blade and the tang are often iron. I guess that makes it easier to stamp makers and inspection marks on the ricasso as well. Is there any way to tell iron from steel without a lab? And thanks Ric for widening it out beyond europe. It would follow that Japanese swordsmiths are an example of following the other route by mastering more complex tempering of the steel. Many thanks. CC