Mikael Andersson

If the spine of the sword is Rc 40-45 then the edge can be Rc 60-65 without much problem and the steel in question is 9260H and not 9260... I just wanted to make that clear.

With 5160 it's possible to reach a maximum hardness of Rc 63 but with 9260H it's possible to reach a maximum hardness of Rc 65. What are your thoughts and maybe this little difference really doesn't matter all that much?

Ah, I see.

I'm sorry, the small scraps of information that I have gathered comes from the internet as I have no real experience with this sort of thing.

Aha, I see and how much could a really good bladesmith raise the HRC degree on the edge of a sword forged from 1075 carbon steel?

Yes, using 5160 steel was a bad idea... I replace that with 1050 carbon steel.

Ah, I see but if we replace the 5160 steel with 1050 carbon steel... the same family of steels as for the edge (1075 carbon steel) but with a lower carbon content for the center of the sword.

So no one has tried this when forging European Longswords? And the idea is the same as to why the Japanese does it but with steel made from ancient methods.

I'm talking about swords with a blade length of thirty inches or more... you make 1075 carbon steel into an U shape and place 1045 carbon steel inside it. I would be happy if anyone out there would try this and share the results because I'm not a swordsmith myself... just an enthusiast of good forged swords. Thank you for hearing me out.