| The bamboo stick sword is one of the more | | | | steel for the core, and using two pieces of high |
| common inexpensive katana swords available | | | | carbon steel, one each side of the outer edge. |
| today. This type of sword is not something new. | | | | The steel was then heated and pounded into |
| During the Viet Nam conflict, these swords were | | | | shape which happened over a period of days. |
| found on many of the enemy soldiers. They used | | | | Each day the sword was reheated and re-beaten |
| them for close combat conditions, and the enemy | | | | to remove any impurities from the sword. The |
| was highly trained with these weapons. | | | | sword was usually not folded more than 16 times |
| The bamboo stick sword has an overall length of | | | | however, a few have been made with 20 folds, |
| 41 inches, and the blade is 27 ¼ inches in | | | | any more than 16 may cause deformities to form |
| length, with the exception of the metal part of | | | | in the metal. |
| the handle which is set from four to six inches | | | | The way the smith put the curve in the katana |
| inside the wooden handle. The blade is made with | | | | was quite a unique process. They would put a |
| carbon steel, and is not considered as a true | | | | mixture of mud, or clay and water along with |
| fighting katana. The handle and the scabbard are | | | | grinding stone powder and other items together |
| made from bamboo and can be carried either on | | | | to form the mud; then they would coat the thick |
| the soldier's back or in the traditional side way. | | | | edge of the blade with the mud using a thinner |
| However, many times the soldier could also use | | | | coat than the side and the spine of the sword. |
| his bamboo stick sword for a cane while traveling | | | | The sword was then heated again and cooled |
| through the jungle. These swords were not real | | | | with water; however, some swordsmiths used oil |
| katana swords, but were only the blades which | | | | such as olive oil to cool the sword. This process |
| allowed each soldier to make their own type of | | | | acted as an insulator to help hold the heat in the |
| handle. They normally did not have a hand guard | | | | metal, and as it is slowly cooled the blade began |
| of any kind. However, the soldiers used them with | | | | to curve, it also created the hamon, or the |
| great skill in close combat. | | | | swerving line down the center of the blade. The |
| With a normal or true katana sword the sword | | | | hamon can only be seen after the sword has |
| makers took pride in their work. They used a | | | | been polished and serves as the forger's personal |
| method called folding to create a good sword. | | | | signature for each katana. |
| This was done by taking a piece of low carbon | | | | |