[SixTGunr]

I have had this thought for some time now, So here it is, In the old sword making traditions of the Japanese(sp) they would hammer and fold the steel many and many hundreds of times. This would make the steel both hard and flexable at the same time. Now take a 12.5lbs block and carve it up into a receiver and have it heat treated and the look that I`m guessing would be a Damaskis type of marbleing that would be very striking to the eye, be as hammer forged as you can get so grain structure/strenth is a non-issue. Any and all thoughts welcome I hope more for the good than the bad this is a no-cost food for thought thinking and I know that Caspian has done this with a 1911 slides/frames but I have not seen this done to a m1a/M-14 type weapon. TIA

 

[dighawaii]

Aloha Phil:

That is really a thought!!! I am sure that something like that could achieve the hardness that would be appropriate for the M14 type receivers!

The only thought that I have on this would be that this process would be expensive! Damascus type steel blades are usually highly prized but expensive... I wonder how it would play out on a receiver... Even Caspian charges much more for their Damascus syle receivers...

Hmmm... just a thought!

Aloha and Happy Holidays!

Tom O.

 

[Hawk]

knowing what I do about Japanese Katana (sword) making....the metal is pounded so well that you really wouldn't see a marbling effect at all. Also the process is done with a combination of steel and iron as well as straw (yes straw) The many layers of metal, after pounding are microthin. The Katana gets it's flexibility from the iron content, which is softer than steel. Only the cutting edge of the blade is heat treated. Due to it's thinness it is also brittle if used to chop rather than slice as it was designed to do. So anyway, the idea might be a good one but the process would have to be changed a bit. JMHO

by the way....just for info.... sometimes the blood of an iron rod used to quarterize a wound of a Samurai Warrior would be pounded into either the Katana or Tsuba (hilt) and presented to him by the sword smith :mrgreen: