Sword sharpening

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Creating and maintaining a razor edge on a sword by mechanical means is an art that has been practiced through the millennia by craftsmen and artisans. As in many endeavours, war and strife have fostered this art.

A sword's long edges, excluding the pommel and hilt used for grasping the device, comprises the cutting component of the weapon. Swords such as a katana or a sabre have a strong false edge designed to provide strength to the actual cutting edge of the sword.

The sharpness of a sword, and ability to keep that edge, is a balance between the volume of material supporting the edge and the thinness of the cutting edge while taking into account the chemical composition of the metal, generally steel, of which the blade is composed.

An ideal sharpness involves metal that tapers to a thickness measured in molecular widths with chemical bonds that provides strength without brittleness; as brittleness might cause the edge to chip on contact with resultant dulling of the edge.

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