04-04-2003, 09:41 PM
Tempered steel. Spring steel. Stainless steel. In the end, its all buzzwords.
"Tempered" steel is, simply put, steel put through a controlled heat treat proccess in order to control just how hard or soft it is going to be. Too soft, and she won't hold an edge. Too hard, it'll chip, spall, and crack like glass.
Basically, we're trying to playt against carbon steel or stainless steelâand the only key difference between them is the amount of chromium alloyed into it to smooth out the grain structure. Stainless steel has a large amount of chromium, used to give it thatâwellâchromelike finish to the metal. Trouble is, chromium also tends to cause heat to redistribute evenly through a blade, making such tricks as differential heat-treating (and attempt to get a relatively soft blade core while the blade edges are harder) rather difficult. Grains in stainless are different, too.
That is not to say that chromium is the work of the devil. Angus "Gus" Trim, a rather reputable name in the production sword business, opts for a carbon steel with a rather noticeable chromium content (though not enough to actually be called "stainless", a Gus Trim blade will still stain and patina) to smooth out the grain structure in a finished blade.
As to "floppy" swords, it's either a trick of the camera, or the tacit understanding that some (most) blades do have a springlike quality. "Flopping" around keeps the stress of a hit from cracking a blade, and many sword forms of European heritage are essentially sharpened, straight springs.
"Tempered" steel is, simply put, steel put through a controlled heat treat proccess in order to control just how hard or soft it is going to be. Too soft, and she won't hold an edge. Too hard, it'll chip, spall, and crack like glass.
Basically, we're trying to playt against carbon steel or stainless steelâand the only key difference between them is the amount of chromium alloyed into it to smooth out the grain structure. Stainless steel has a large amount of chromium, used to give it thatâwellâchromelike finish to the metal. Trouble is, chromium also tends to cause heat to redistribute evenly through a blade, making such tricks as differential heat-treating (and attempt to get a relatively soft blade core while the blade edges are harder) rather difficult. Grains in stainless are different, too.
That is not to say that chromium is the work of the devil. Angus "Gus" Trim, a rather reputable name in the production sword business, opts for a carbon steel with a rather noticeable chromium content (though not enough to actually be called "stainless", a Gus Trim blade will still stain and patina) to smooth out the grain structure in a finished blade.
As to "floppy" swords, it's either a trick of the camera, or the tacit understanding that some (most) blades do have a springlike quality. "Flopping" around keeps the stress of a hit from cracking a blade, and many sword forms of European heritage are essentially sharpened, straight springs.
Political Correctness is the idea that you can foster tolerance in a diverse world through the intolerance of anything that strays from a clinical standard.