Gunfighter

Behr · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Htown

http://cgi.ebay.com/Avatar-Damascus-Katana-AV113-395-Originally-6000_W0QQitemZ320283449631QQihZ011QQcategoryZ43325QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Found the above link on ebay.

Anyone who has a passion for swords --this is one of the toughest ever forged. It is one of Daniel Watsons "AVATAR" line. I dont have the money right now, but this sword was $6000 new, so $3500 starting bid is not bad if you have the money and a passion for blades.

the person selling it has NO feedback, so some research is in order for those interested.

Here is some of the info listed about the sword for sale:

Angel Sword's Avatar line features Techno-Wootz Damascus steel, which has the best performance characteristics of any of the steels they use at Angel Sword.

Avatar blades are all one-of-a-kind creations. Long esteemed as the ultimate sword steel, true wootz Damascus has superior qualities that provide exceptional toughness, edge retention and flexibility. Today, most true Damascus steel swords are located in museums. The making of these wootz Damascus blades was long considered a lost art...Our Avatar blades also undergo Therma-Cycle™ cryogenic processing to make them even tougher. This advanced technology takes our Techno-Wootz Damascus one step further to create blades that offer extreme performance.

Independent verification of the properties of Techno-Wootz™ Damascus steel has been performed by Dr. Eric Taleff, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

Weight: 2 pounds, 1 ounces
POB: 6 1/4 inches
LOA: 38 1/2 inches
LOB: 25 1/2 inches
Steel: Techno-wootz™ Damascus
Finish: Damascus

Blade Width - Hilt: 1 1/4 inches
Blade Width at Tip: 3/4 inch
Blade Thickness: 3/16 inches
Handle: Ray skin, triple cord wrap, dragon minuki
Guard: Traditional tsuba, kashira and fuchi
Scabbard: Cocobolo

M.W. · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 130 Location: inside the loop

What a beautiful sword and what power they have too.

On the History Channel was a series about comparing the various strengths and weaknesses of the ancient martial arts and the sword was also discussed.
In tests against other types the Roman short sword,the Rapier,the American Sabre,Arabian Scimitar and even the Chinese Broadsword the Katana was proven to be far superior to the others as far as pure killing ability and durability.

It was literally the "One cut,one kill" weapon of its day and why it was the Samurai Warrior class's weapon of choice.

Behr · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Htown

Check this out:

Angel Sword Heavy Cutting
Tameshigiri Tournament: Highlights, including world record 23 mat cut by Bruce Baldwin.

http://www.angelsword.com/videos/videos.php

These guys used bamboo mats soaked in water for their cutting tests, called "Tameshigiri". A bamboo mat saoked in water has about the same consistency as the human neck.

As you will see in the videos an Angelsword katana holds the record of 23 mats in ONE CUT!

There is a mythbusters video aout there where an Angelsword katana cuts through the barrel of a browning 30cal. machinegun barrel. This is not a whimpy barrel...it looks to be 1.5inches in diamater or so.

These are truly amazing blades.

here is a link to the science behind these blades.

http://www.angelswordstore.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=70

FYI....they will thermacycle any metal you send them....gun barrels...your favorite fighting knife...ect....here is the link to that service:

http://www.metalscience.com/services.php

Semper_Fi · Joined: 08 Jul 2007 Posts: 397 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

We see the highly prized, highly respected Angel Swords here in Asia yet the technology and history are known to few outside of the martial arts, weapons metallurgists, historian and collector community.

Excellent information and links Behr as this Forum is assembling a wealth of information.

Semper_Fi · Joined: 08 Jul 2007 Posts: 397 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Had no idea that Angel Swords are manufactured in Driftwood, Texas.

Take a guess where we're visiting next time home on leave...