swords

[Tartar Horde]

Higlander is right when he talks of some British swords being less than safe, during the Napoleonic and peninsula wars swords were churned out by the thousands to very inferior specifications. The British government brought in the sword proofing act to remedy this, and consequently developed one of the best cutting swords ever designed the 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre. Regards the handling characteristics of swords this is entirely down to the cutting style the sword is designed to perform best at. For example the 1796 LCS although considered to be a fine example of a sabre could be said to be rather unwieldy and point heavy, making it slower to recover from cuts, but this sword is designed as a full on chopper and is not a gracefull weapon, a well made sword from 300 years earlier would make the 1796LCS feel like a bludgeon.
If your Katana was made during WW2 it will be known as a SHOWA (new blade and will have a cherry blossom stamp on the Tang) and again they were made by the thousand by pressing not forging, BUT!! you never know you just might have an old family blade as the officer class of Japan were drawn from the old Samurai, and any old Samurai family would have family blades.
To remove the handle (TKSA) you need to tap out the MEKUGI (one or two bamboo pins that you can see in the gaps on the binding) these are all that holds your blade. After tapping out the handle will come off in one unit. Do not take apart the binding as it is a specialised job to re-wrap the TKSA. If you have an old blade not only will the blade itself be valuable, but all the fittings will probably have some "provenance" as only the blade was made by the Smith, the TSUBA(handguard) MENUKI(handle decorations)SAYA(scabbard) would all be made by seperate craftsmen, and if the blade was made by a "recognised" Smith, so too would be all the fittings. For example Tsuba made by a notified maker sell for hundreds if not thousands. So get that handle off Highlander you never know!!!
With a viewpoint to using this discussion from a preppers point of view, I am well aware of the negative connotations with regards to swords, but it is not for this reason that I think a sword should not be a priority on our list unless you are willing to train to use it correctly. If you need a good bladed tool/weapon that you can rely on with the absolute minimum of care get a good Machete, oil the blade occasionally and it will last you for years, and will cut all day long. I'm a medieval weapon GEEK and I love the Faffin around cleaning and sharpening my swords, because it has to be done it could become a chore to have to clean your blade every time you use it, if you want to chop n go get a Machete.
If any of you folks are really considering buying a sword I would be only too happy to try and advise. I don't expect anyone to take my advice on blind faith, but I have read on this subject to Honours Degree level and so will not bullshit you.