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Sam Arwas




Location: Australia
Joined: 02 Dec 2015

Posts: 92

PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2015 2:49 pm    Post subject: Putting a set in very springy steel         Reply with quote

I have a sword that came with a warped tip which is bent slightly off to one side. I'm trying to upload the photo but it is too large. My current plan to fix it is to clamp it to a flat and smooth piece of steel and pound it straight with a plastic hammer. But i have heard some horror stories about people doing this to repair tips that are bent because of damage and having them snap clean off. The steel in this section of the blade is very springy. Is it worth the risk? This defect does not affect the function of the blade but i still find it quite annyoing and want it fixed.
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William D. Stuber




Location: Ohio
Joined: 19 Sep 2015

Posts: 11

PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2015 3:13 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I have a similar situation with a sword. Its made of 5160 steel, tempered to around 52 Rockwell. Not sure if yours is similar, but I would leave it alone. I've talked to a metallurgist and a heat treating company about my sword, and I came to the conclusion that it's better off left alone as long as its functional.
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Jeffrey Faulk




Location: Georgia
Joined: 01 Jan 2011

Posts: 578

PostPosted: Thu 31 Dec, 2015 1:07 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

How big is the bent portion? If it's not much bigger than 1-2cm (up to approx 1/2 inch) I would just go ahead and attempt bending it back, if it broke I would just file a new point on it. If it's bigger than that (doubt it), contact the maker and find a professional metal working shop. Fire may be required.
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Daniel Wallace




Location: Pennsylvania USA
Joined: 07 Aug 2011

Posts: 580

PostPosted: Fri 01 Jan, 2016 7:17 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

attempting to bend spring steel is - a god awful attempt if its already heat treated. you can bend the tip almost back on itself and it will probably spring right back. even if the tip was not heat treated, it takes a lot of effort to move this kind of tool steel. you can attempt to heat the tip and bend it back, but I wouldn't attempt it, although there are smiths that have straighten swords this way without taking out the temper, I think it's pretty hard to do.

the safest thing may be to make up a 3 point application to put in your vise and attempt to straighten it that way.

contact the manufacture and see if they can help you with a possible replacement if it's that bad.
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Harry Marinakis




PostPosted: Fri 01 Jan, 2016 7:41 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If you snap off the tip of your sword banging on it with a rubber mallet then it belongs in the trash

If you can remove the hilt then you've got a better chance of fixing it. Do you have the capabilities to harden and temper the blade?
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Sam Arwas




Location: Australia
Joined: 02 Dec 2015

Posts: 92

PostPosted: Fri 01 Jan, 2016 8:54 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Daniel Wallace wrote:
attempting to bend spring steel is - a god awful attempt if its already heat treated. you can bend the tip almost back on itself and it will probably spring right back. even if the tip was not heat treated, it takes a lot of effort to move this kind of tool steel. you can attempt to heat the tip and bend it back, but I wouldn't attempt it, although there are smiths that have straighten swords this way without taking out the temper, I think it's pretty hard to do.

the safest thing may be to make up a 3 point application to put in your vise and attempt to straighten it that way.

contact the manufacture and see if they can help you with a possible replacement if it's that bad.

Manufacturer said these kinds of minor defects and to be expected on hand forged item like these. It doesn't actually have any affect I just find it annoying so i will fix it if I can.
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Sam Arwas




Location: Australia
Joined: 02 Dec 2015

Posts: 92

PostPosted: Fri 01 Jan, 2016 8:56 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Harry Marinakis wrote:
If you snap off the tip of your sword banging on it with a rubber mallet then it belongs in the trash

If you can remove the hilt then you've got a better chance of fixing it. Do you have the capabilities to harden and temper the blade?
I am aware of a metal treatment facility in my city and a few small blacksmithing clubs.
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Luka Borscak




Location: Croatia
Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Likes: 7 pages

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PostPosted: Sat 02 Jan, 2016 8:18 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

At what point of the blade the bend actually is?
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Sam Arwas




Location: Australia
Joined: 02 Dec 2015

Posts: 92

PostPosted: Sat 02 Jan, 2016 1:56 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Luka Borscak wrote:
At what point of the blade the bend actually is?
I'd say about the last 15mm
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Timo Nieminen




Location: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 08 May 2009
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PostPosted: Sat 02 Jan, 2016 2:13 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If the bend is small enough, you might be able to fix it by grinding. Even if it's large, you can fix it by grinding, but you'll lose more blade length, up to 15mm in your case. But you might be able to make a slightly bent tip symmetric and only lose a few mm.
"In addition to being efficient, all pole arms were quite nice to look at." - Cherney Berg, A hideous history of weapons, Collier 1963.
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Doug Lester




Location: Decatur, IL
Joined: 12 Dec 2007

Posts: 167

PostPosted: Sun 03 Jan, 2016 1:33 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I would recommend that you not try to hammer the warp out with a mallet. The sudden shock could break the steel. Trying to cold counter bend the tip over that short a length would be nerve racking and could still result in a broken tip. I've done it with success but it's not fun-you keep expecting to hear a "ting" at any second. Heating the tip to about 400° first may give a better chance of success without damage to the sword.

I do take exception with the maker's comment that defects of this type are more or less expected in a forged blade. I forge knives and I would never send one out with a warped tip. It should have been corrected before leaving the shop or consigned to the scrap pile..

Doug
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Daniel Wallace




Location: Pennsylvania USA
Joined: 07 Aug 2011

Posts: 580

PostPosted: Mon 04 Jan, 2016 8:02 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

last 15 mm, minor, but just like Doug states here, if it's a one off custom - then the quality control the guy has in place should maybe be tightened up a bit.

if it's a manufactured piece - I can see the flaw getting past by quality making (x) copies of anything produces flaws over time if not corrected - but in the end, if you're not happy with it, the company should do something to help you with it. either by replacing or reworking to correct the error themselves.
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G Ezell
Industry Professional



Location: North Alabama
Joined: 22 Dec 2003

Posts: 235

PostPosted: Mon 04 Jan, 2016 9:56 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Quote:
Heating the tip to about 400° first may give a better chance of success without damage to the sword.

Yes, this is what I'd try. Heating a blade too large to fit on your kitchen oven to a precise temperature will be the tricky part. Luckily, only the section that is warped will need to be heated, but if you go too hot you could ruin the temper of the steel, so don't.

If you have a toaster oven your not particularly fond of, you could cut a slot in each end just wide enough to slide the warped section of the blade in, heat it to 400 and let it hold for maybe 30 minutes, then bend it to straight while it is hot.

" I have found that it is very often the case that if you state some absolute rule of history, there will be an example, however extremely unusual, to break it."
Gabriel Lebec

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Sam Arwas




Location: Australia
Joined: 02 Dec 2015

Posts: 92

PostPosted: Tue 05 Jan, 2016 1:30 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Daniel Wallace wrote:
last 15 mm, minor, but just like Doug states here, if it's a one off custom - then the quality control the guy has in place should maybe be tightened up a bit.

if it's a manufactured piece - I can see the flaw getting past by quality making (x) copies of anything produces flaws over time if not corrected - but in the end, if you're not happy with it, the company should do something to help you with it. either by replacing or reworking to correct the error themselves.
They (Kult) said they'd replace it only if I paid the shipping cost (to Australia) because defect is so minor. I've had other swords with little defects but this is the first one that is not simple to fix. For this reason I consider it a major defect despite it's minor nature. I'm annoyed that neither Kult or Darksword share this view. I have swords from Legacy Arms, Darksword Amoury and Cold steel but only my Hanwei swords have not required repair out of the box and they're usually the cheapest.
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