Making an $8000 Damascus Katana

This build was a ton of fun! There were so many things that I made for the first time, and I poured my soul into every aspect of this build. I hope you enjoyed the video, and I hope I brought a smile to your face :)

Check out my links below:
My Instagram: @jhublades
Joey's Instagram: @photosby_hu

Shop Equipment I Recommend:

Music: Epidemic Sound

My Shop Equipment:
Forging Press: 25 Ton Press from Coal Iron Works
Forge: 2-Burner Habanero from Chile Forge
Grinder: KMG-TX from Beaumont Metalworks
Anvil: 365lb Sichelschmidt und Schlasse
Heat Treating Oven: Paragon KM36T

CHAPTERS:
---------------------------------------------------------
0:00 - Intro
0:21 - Forging the Damascus
8:34 - Forging out the Blade
12:46 - Grinding and Normalizing
16:30 - Factor 75
17:39 - Quenching and Straightening
19:48 - Pain
20:03 - Forging and Straightening the Second Blade
22:43 - Final Grinding and Polishing
28:42 - Habaki
33:40 - Seppa and Tsuba (Spacer and Guard)
37:13 - Tsuka (Handle)
41:56 - Fuchi and Kashira (Handle Caps)
46:39 - Shaping Fittings
48:09 - Saya (Sheath)
56:08 - Rayskin Wrap
58:51 - Koiguchi
1:00:38 - Saya Base Coat
1:01:45 - Polishing the Tsuba
1:03:02 - Menuki (Handle Ornaments)
1:04:29 - Ito-Wrap and Mekugi Pin
1:08:46 - Etching my Maker's Mark
1:09:37 - Etching the Damascus Pattern
1:12:46 - Painting the Saya/Finishing Touches
1:13:45 - Final Reveal
1:15:15 - Sharpening and Testing

#blacksmith #damascus #knife #forging

[nuparu]

AN HOUR LONG??? Bro actually blessed us today

[Lach]

dude you don't understand how long I have been waiting for another one of your videos. You're undoubtedly the best at this, even watched your episodes of Forged in Fire. Please keep making these, you're highly talented.

[Snowghost]

I don't know how old you are but the fact that you understand what it takes to make such a beautiful blade and to actually make it is unreal. I'm very impressed!

[ronwyndemink]

Words cannot explain the multitude of emotions I went through for the finished product. Thank you.

[chrometraume]

Now take it to an actual Japanese Katana Blacksmith and get it reviewed

[davidsouthy]

Just a quick pointer. Never sand across the grain. It breaks the consistency of the wood (sanding with the grain smooths the fibres, sanding across the grain cuts the fibres). The process takes longer because you then have to sand with the grain to remove the cross grain scratches and fibre damage. This means you sanded twice for nothing. That said awesome result on the Katana 👌

[hracekk]

This never happened to me. I literally watched the whole thing without a pause, like I was frozen in time. The amount of skill, dedication and precision is insane, my mouth got super dry because I had it open the whole time 🤣Really insane job man. Much respect!

[DerUnglaublicheAlk]

What I like about your video is that you show the whole process. Even the setbacks and difficulties you had. This gives you a much deeper insight into the process and a much better feeling for the work you put into this katana. That's what I hate about most of the others, it seems too easy! Keep it up, you're going to be great!

[jurgenbouwmeester]

It would be awesome if a real Katana master could evaluate your creation.

[beckerforge]

Do a differential temper with a torch after you temper in your kiln. You'll never break another blade in your jig again, it will bend 90 degrees back with only a 10 degree offset, and you can temper at lower temperatures for a harder edge which mimics a clay quench but with more spring.

Would look something like this:

- Temper 325 degrees
- Torch back of spine while keeping edge in water
- Heat 1/4 of spine to red hot, should result in the blade width in 3 colors, from black near the spine to blueish in middle and no color on the edge.

This will produce the ultimate katana. Stay sharp!

[bianca-icyw]

This looks awesome!! I'd recommend a black stain instead of a paint for the wood, it brings out the grain and looks super sleek

[Kratos_God_of__BMG]

I think it’s great that you even recorded a failure and worked because nobody else would have done that, they would have just skipped over that. So mad props!

[rockerbuck]

A beautiful blade! You should be honored, and I appreciate that you're continuing the craft. I have a 3 piece set (Katana, Wakizashi, and Tanto) and while nice - is cheaply made. It's just a decoration, and none of the blades could cut warm butter. So in the end, I just enjoy it for what it is - a memory of my trip to Kentucky.

[enriquepalomino]

Honestly, I have always been intimidated by making a hidden tang, but after watching several of your videos, it inspires me to do a change up from handle scales to a hidden tang! Hands down, best videos!

[DrumSmithRich]

Great work, really came out beautiful! You can use a couple of straight boards like a 2x4 to straighten your sword after quench. Burn the blade shape into the wood during your normalization phase. Then after quench immediately clamp the blade in the wood and let it cool to room temp. Much less warping this way. When using your 3 prong straightening jig you can use a map gas or propane torch to heat the back of the blade and relieve stress as you gradually put tension on your jig. Almost like blue backing but I try not to let it get past straw color. You can use the jaws of the vice to protect the blade edge from the torch. I’ve used leather or wet rags clay etc to protect the Temper on the edge if needed.

[thedarktortoise]

this is definitely a hobby I can see myself failing abysmally in my 40s, love watching the process

[stegles]

48:26 You might want to consider your placement of your band saw controls here, you're reaching across the table, past the cutting edge of the blade to reach them with probably the softest part of your arm. You do you ultimately, but do protect yourself from the "ah it'll never happen" happening.
Great video though, glad you left in the first attempt, and great to see you learn from it. Very cool to see what can be done in such a small space.

[iRapplexD]

When people say what is talent and hardworking, I show them this vid

[chrixMiller]

This deserves 70, 000 likes. Come on team, we're almost there.

[richardkelly]

Looks amazing! One criticism, the painting doesn’t look bad; however, it’s not on par with the rest of the work. In the future you may consider outsourcing that aspect to a professional. I bet you could find a tattoo artist nearby that also paints and would do it for $2-300.