Time Warp: Samurai Sword

Nearly 4 feet long, the curved Katana sword is made of steel folded 5,000 times. Its blade soars through this tatami mat, as dense as a human torso. Check out this clip from Discovery's "Time Warp" series to learn more.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Katana.samurai
• sword
• cuting

[FatGuyWithAKatana]

folded 5,000 times? it would take years to do that. it's been folded about 10 times or so to make around 4,000 layers.

[THEBOJANMILJIC]

@FatGuyWithAKatana i just copy/paste it from discovery channel.

[countnickoli]

@FatGuyWithAKatana ah u got me there i was just saying that it wouldnt take years anymore thats all i ment

o and i like ur name its comical and deadly lol

[FatGuyWithAKatana]

@countnickoli there'd be no point to folding it 5,000 times, steel is folded nowadays for looks and if it was folded 5,000 times the layers of the steel would be microscopic.

[countnickoli]

@FatGuyWithAKatana but u gotta think now days its auto hammers making about 2 tons per hit so not years more like months

[SystemOfStrategy]

The comment about 5,000 times is just a mistake by the voice over guy here.

[Xerothe0th]

@FatGuyWithAKatana folded 1000 times usually

[LemmeLieHere]

Folding a blade in half 12 times (2 to the 12th power) creates 4096 layers - and this was about the maximum number of folds used by Japanese smiths. This process aligns the iron in a crystalline matrix, between micro-thin carbon layers, making it much stronger (and less brittle) than pure iron. Then they treat the edge with a special mix of ingredients (secret to each swordsmith) to make it hold a razor-sharp edge.

Truly a work of art. But a few other cultures had excellent steel too.

[AsAnAtheistFilms]

Pardon I thought traditionally most katana's usually were folding between 6-10 times. It was very rare to hit anything higher. Depending on how the steel reacts to the folding, the smith would either stop at 6, or require going up until he sees fit. Remember the goal of folding was to homogenize the steel, not to create the most folds. As soon as the steel was "pure" enough, the smith should have stopped.

[ZentetsukenVII]

the reason old tamahagane katanas were folded were to distibute the even among the iron evenly, and remove impurities. you dold steel 10 times it has alot of layers. if you really folded it thousands of times the steel would literally just fall apart.

[wparoo]

@THBOJANMILJIC that is copyright

[Supercucu123]

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