Sword Making - Transcript
Japan is a country famous for swords. People there have been making them for thousands of years, and they are still popular today. Times have changed, but the process of making a traditional Japanese sword has remained the same for centuries.
The process begins by heating large amounts of sand in a huge clay oven. For three days the oven is stoked with charcoal. As the heat increases, carbon from the charcoal mixes with iron from the sand to make steel. The process creates two types of steel, one which is hard and another which is slightly softer. Both types are used to make the sword.
To make the blade of the sword, the steel is heated, folded and hammered flat. The process is repeated many times. This makes the steel incredibly pure and strong. It also makes it possible to combine soft and hard steels to make a sword that is flexible but strong.
Dipping the hot blade into water makes the steel even stronger. It also causes the curved shape that Japanese swords are known for. The blade must be dipped into the water at just the right moment. If the steel is too hot or too cool, the sword could break. In fact, one in every three swords made in the traditional way break at this point. If the sword maker is successful, the result of his work will be a beautiful blade, strong and sharp, that will last for many generations.
