In the early years, I thought that the swords in the world were similar, but the sword stem was too thin to be cut vigorously, so it was eliminated by the big knife, as long as you found someone to build a thick sword handle, the problem was solved, until a mountain village blacksmith smiled and said to me: "If you want to talk about the sword, it is more exquisite, don't say it clearly, you can't use it." ”
There are always adventures on the go
I forgot what year it was, I had the pleasure of meeting a blacksmith shop in the mountains, and went in to chat with the only blacksmith in the neighborhood for an afternoon, which subverted many of my views, but unfortunately there were no digital cameras and video cameras at that time, and now I can only summarize the general chat content based on vague memories.
After the release of the movie Shaolin Temple, the boys' interest in martial arts increased greatly, the video hall played Hong Kong martial arts films overnight, a few dollars can watch all night, several martial arts films played in a loop, the storyline is not remembered, probably just looking for a reason, a group of people will hum haha fight, the audience is mostly young boys, anyway, do not care about the plot, just concentrate on watching people sword fight, thinking that they can learn a few tricks.
Moonlit nights are most likely to have stories
At that time, the popular swords on the street were also common sword styles in the movie, electroplated iron blade sword strips and fixtures, ten pieces of twenty pieces can buy one, I bought three before and after that year, when I bought the first one, I didn't understand it at all, bought it back to play for a few days, the wooden sword handle was loosened and twisted, the screws behind it were taken apart, and the sword stem was very thin, not much thicker than the chopsticks, which is now called the mouse tail!
Mouse tail sword handle
When I bought the second one, I paid attention, twisted it hard, found that the handle of the sword was still relatively strong, took it back to compare with my friends, and found that the center of gravity was not quite right, and it was very heavy and stupid to swing.
The third one is more experienced, and after a few years to encounter a suitable, and is a stainless steel sword strip, the processing is very simple, that is, the blade is not open on all sides, the handle of the sword is plastic plating, pure handicrafts, it looks gorgeous, but the center of gravity is very comfortable, the swing is very brisk, can issue a whistle that splits the air, and immediately feels that there is zorro's momentum, and it will not hesitate to spend dozens of yuan for this!
Many boys have a natural love for swords, and I am no exception, so I was particularly interested in meeting a blacksmith shop in the depths of the Taishan Mountains.
Shoddily crafted rotten swords
The blacksmith shop was a single-room hut far away from the village, standing alone on the side of the road, three big words were written crookedly on the wall: "Blacksmith Shop", the old and sturdy solid wood door was hidden, the door panel had long been devoid of paint, we knocked on the door, the inside squeaked, and it was quiet for a while, there were footsteps slowly walking towards the door, the door opened, a middle-aged man in his 40s leaned out, his hair was a little disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked at us with a little doubt, as if he had not yet woken up.
"Hello Master, let's come in and have a look." We were politely greeted.
"Oh, oh, well, come in." He blinked his eyes vigorously, as if to sober himself up a bit, trying to put on a polite smile.
The humble room has three anvils of different sizes, a stove, a traditional wooden tie rod bellows, an electric grinding wheel, an angle grinder, a sink for quenching, a few hammers, two iron tongs, a single bed and a small cabinet on the wall, some iron rods and iron plates of different lengths under the bed, and a pile of semi-finished products such as sickle hoes and kitchen knives and axes in the corner, which are probably all household possessions.
A few brief talk, I know that now the blacksmith's livelihood is not easy to do, many farmers have gone to the city to work, the grain production in the mountains is relatively low, they are scattered a few terraces, most of them still rely on the sky to eat, the consumption of agricultural tools is relatively small, a year is to hit a few hoes and shovels, and the people in the mountains are poor, often ding-dong busy for half a day, and can not earn a few dollars, these ten miles and eight villages, he is a blacksmith, even the assistant can not afford to raise, no one is willing to learn this, now they are mechanized, even his own son does not learn, he said, He was the last generation of blacksmiths in the family, if it were not for the sake of keeping this ancestral business, he would also go to the city to work, working as a blacksmith was bitter and tired and did not earn money, learning a chef hairdressing outside, or going to the construction site to do a small job, all earned more than the blacksmith.
People who love weapons, the blacksmiths are very admired, seeing the blacksmiths in the mountain villages fall to this point, I really can't bear it, so I enthusiastically suggested him: You try to make some weapons, now martial arts are so hot, many people can't buy good weapons when practicing martial arts, you have ancestral craftsmanship, playing some exquisite handmade swords, you can definitely make money.
"That's not okay, the sword is a murder weapon, you can't fight it for much money, and if you don't get it right, you will cause trouble." He's pretty bottom-line.
"Didn't your family ever hit any knives?" Wood knife sickle kitchen knife to kill pig knife? I looked around the corner and asked with a smile.
"I used to fight, but now it's all machines, and I can buy one for a few dollars, which is not enough kung fu money." He said helplessly.
However, knowing that he could strike a knife, there was hope in his heart:
"Then can you hit a wood knife?" You see we go up the mountain, there are so many thorns on the road, always want to have a wood knife to open the mountain, walking will be more convenient, this is not illegal, right? ”
"This is possible, but from preparation to completion, it will take a few days, not something you can take away in a while, and the price is not low." He thought about it and said.
"How much is that?" I asked.
"Then it depends on what kind of you want, how big the size?" Hearing him say this, I simply pushed the boat along the water: "I want the style of the sword, there are sharp points, and there are blades on both sides..."
Hearing me say this, he couldn't help but laugh: "The chai knife is the chai knife, if you beat it like you say, you can't cut the firewood, if you want to talk about the sword, it is more exquisite, don't say it clearly, you can't use it when you hit it." ”
At that time, I always thought that the swords in the world were similar. Playing a sword look, taking it to practice, and then I knew that I couldn't take advantage of the hand, the sword stem was too thin to do it, and more didn't know, his words naturally aroused my curiosity.
For example, the wood knife is a single blade, unilaterally add a little steel on the line, the back of the knife should be thick, the center of gravity should go forward, the front and back are light, the inertia of cutting up is large, and the light downward cut can be split very deeply, the same as the axe feeling, the sword will add steel core, both sides have steel to do it, the center of gravity should also be behind, dance faster, more dexterous, quenching is also different, the wood knife is unilateral with steel, quenching is also simple, the sword is exposed steel on both sides, the quenching is not good on the deformation and cracking, kung fu is wasted.
Besides, the size of the sword used by each person is different, the style is not the same, a good sword is best tailor-made, in case it is not easy to do, it is a game of fate.
As soon as the topic unfolds, the more you talk... Here are just the main points!
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > about the size of the sword</h1>
Many people think that in the past, the heroes were all fighting swords to go to the end of the world, hanging three feet from the waist of the dragon spring, sweeping away the world's unevenness! In fact, it is just a literary and artistic work, a real folk, no one will take a long sword out of the door, that is too eye-catching, it will only die faster!
Because of the real battle, the long sword of about one meter is heavy and stupid, and the close-range fighting cannot be unfolded, for example, when Qin Shi Huang encountered an emergency, he did not even have the opportunity to draw the sword!
Large-scale weapon fighting, if it is not a perennial martial arts practice, the average person uses a long sword, but also can not do the hoe shovel and wooden stick, not to mention from ancient times, the official ban on the use of swords by the people, "Water Margin", the folk military generals, but the axe, Zen staff, sticks and the like.
Have you seen "The Legend of a Child Hero"? Thirteen sisters, riding a donkey to the end of the world, no one saw her with a knife, just carrying a slingshot, that thing can not shoot arrows, the lethality is limited, should not be controlled by the government.
But when it comes to a real fight: "Two hands under the short jacket... Suddenly hearing a click, from under the placket, a thick back, a thin blade, a long tip, a short target, a silent iron cut, a blowing hair over the blade, and a bloodless slashing copper folding iron goose feathered knife came out of his mind. ”
Probably the short knife of these thirteen sisters is hidden in the coat with the handle of the knife facing down, and when needed, it can be pulled out by lifting the placket.
Notice a few words: "The back is thick, the blade is thin, the tip is long, the target is short..." The shape of the knife is there, and the folding iron and the knife on the back are probably folded and forged like Japanese swords, which is a short, light and dexterous short knife.
It can be seen that at that time, the folk were not popular with long swords, walking in the rivers and lakes, more daggers and short knives and short swords, which were easy to hide and carry, and the shots were more hidden.
Double Knife Hero
However, the long sword is also needed, generally it is used by the practitioners themselves in the courtyard to practice martial arts, there are also some gangs or Taoists who use it in the pomp and circumstance, and there are also the ones who sell art, that is, to make a momentum.
Regarding the length of the sword, according to the elders, the sword is hanging in the hand, the long sword is eyebrow-raising, the short sword is over the elbow, the elbow is the dagger, the folk use the dagger short knife the most, go out pinned in the waist, no one knows, it is convenient to take it out when it is used, and it can usually be used as a tool.
Walking the rivers and lakes, whether it is a practitioner or a bandit, in addition to the dagger is the first choice, there are also short swords, covered with a long coat, no one can see it, encounter danger, the short sword is much more powerful than the dagger, but the long sword is cumbersome, but also easy to attract attention, maybe it will be targeted by the government or bandits.
In the past, there were many bandits in the mountains, and the ancestors often played some swords, Grandpa's generation, the world was chaotic, there were many bandits in the mountains, and then the Japanese came over, more chaotic, there were bandits, there were eight roads, there were national troops, there were devils, back and forth, the days were unstable, in fact, the bandits had already begun to make muskets, long swords were even less useful, but the people in the village would practice and would prepare a few self-defense guys, at that time they often played some swords and daggers and the like, after liberation to my father's generation, it was stable, sometimes the schools in the villages in the townships, Organize children to march on the streets to engage in propaganda, but also give the children a red gun gun head, do not clip steel, do not quench and do not open the blade, is an iron piece of meaning on the line, the sword basically does not touch, and then, the big steel, the iron tools at home are handed over, whether it is martial arts training or parade performance, are wooden swords and wooden swords and wooden guns. ”
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > about the thickness of the hilt and stem</h1>
I think the use of pure steel, even the handle with the sword to make a body of the sword should be the best, the blacksmith also thinks so, but in fact it is not easy to use, the steel handle is cold, wet and slippery in the water, when it is really used, there is sweat on the hand or blood, it is slippery and can't be grasped, so in fact, it is necessary to wrap some things around the outside, but the cloth with hemp rope and the like, wet is not easy to dry, so it is best to use the wooden handle, but the sword handle is too thick to hold, which must consider the total thickness, to be suitable for the comfort of the hand, and the wood is too thin, not only easy to crack and damage, The shock resistance is also poor, so that the sword stem can only be thin.
Such a hilt is very comfortable
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > will the sword stem that is too thin be broken? </h1>
It is often seen in film and television works where two opponents use swords to fight each other, in fact, the sword is not used in this way.
The blacksmith listened to the ancestors and said that the person who will make the sword will not use stupid strength to fight with others, and the practitioner who understands the sword, one is a thorn, the sword takes the gun road, one is a slash (pull), one is a slash, and the other is a block, on this key few moves, see who comes fast, comes accurately!
The master of sword training, the speed of chopping will be very fast, requiring the center of gravity of the sword to be in front of the handguard a palm or so, and then far away to sink, use up unfavorable rope, too close although the rope, but the fight is not strong, at this time rely on the width of the sword bar to adjust the center of gravity, such as the front thin point, narrow point, the center of gravity will go backwards, until the adjustment to the appropriate prevail.
The sword with the best center of gravity is to chop up fast and vigorous, not too heavy, not too light, at this time the sword handle will not be forced, so the sword stem does not have to be too thick, just like the household kitchen knife, the handle is very thin, wearing a wooden stick is the handle, the iron handle through the wood, has been fine like a thick wire, make a bend, smash into the tail of the wooden handle is fixed.
Don't look at the iron handle of the kitchen knife is very thin, to ensure that you chop the ribs hard, will not be broken, because when you chop the bones, the knife head is down, the knife handle is just leading the direction, and when the knife is chopped to the bone, the hands are loose, do not have to work hard, the knife handle will naturally not be too shaken, and the same is true for the sword.
The use of the sword is more of a forward stab, or the first half of the sword is slashed (la), at this time the handle of the sword will not be more vigorously affected laterally, and all inertia and ingenuity are used.
Block will not be like in the movie, wait for the other person's blade to smash over, you go to the horizontal hard block, then maybe your sword flew, the hand is also shocked, the person who will make the sword go obliquely, let the other party's blade slide past the outside of the sword body, or bounce away, on the one hand, easily vent the strength of the other party, but also can follow the trend into a move, there is also a sword in the middle door, wait for the other side's blade to split over, slightly retreat, wait for the other side's blade to walk through the middle door, follow the trend out of the sword, that basically a move to win, but to see the fast body and quick hand, pinch the opportunity, In the past, I had a classmate in elementary school who passed on martial arts from home, and watched him practice swords with his family, that is, to collect swords and collect swords, to collect swords, and to practice for half a day or those few actions.
I was a little strange and asked the blacksmith: According to what you said, just these few moves, people's martial arts routines for practicing swords are useless? Do you not understand martial arts, just practice strength and speed?
The blacksmith thought about it and said: Practice routines, that is to exercise, I have also seen, most of them are playing tricks, really fighting, I don't know those who stretch their arms and legs, turn over swords and flowers, in addition to looking good, what use can they have.
When I was seven years old, I was still my father's head, I was still young, once, a school in the city came to the township to party, to see the children in the city practicing sword training routines, the head of the flip is high and beautiful, you can also flip, rural children, there are many people practicing martial arts at home, they also learn to turn over their heads on stage, but a side hand flip is sticky, a little unfavorable rope, the legs are not straight, causing the children in the city to laugh, because rural children usually have not practiced this, and their faces are red on the spot.
But rural children also have a lot of sword and stick training, such as my classmates, is what I said the kind of family heirloom, there is no routine, just say want to compare with the children in the city with branches, the branches in the village are many short sticks, casually find two more straight, the length and length of the sword are also similar, began to compare, the result of the children in the city with the branches danced a few beautiful sword flowers, rural children will hold the stick, vertical in front of the eyes, half squat T-step, will not other actions, look a little silly, wait for the city children a sword split over, I heard a snap, the branches of the children in the city had gone astray, and the branches of the children in the countryside were right on the shoulders of the children in the city.
The children in the city rubbed their shoulders, and then waved the branches, or very fancy, a few fake actions around, the rural children still did not move, they stood up the branch in front of them, and when the other branch came, the body was lower, the branch was obliquely erected on the brain door, the other branch fell up and slid away, the branch on this side of the trend split on the shoulder of the other party, three games and two wins, and then it was no longer interesting, the children in the city also made a big red face, so the audience also laughed, which is called the big party.
Worthy of being a family blacksmith, there is a story, probably for a long time to live there alone, is lonely and boring, rare to have someone to relieve boredom, or interested in the sword, the words can not be stopped, enough to chat for an afternoon, do not know whether it is true or false, how many bragging components, but he said some things, or subverted my imagination, in which a variety of anecdotes, written out a little rendering, may be a legendary movie ...
The chat content is too much and too chaotic, the coverage is very wide, sometimes it will be off topic, here is only the creation and use of the sword, according to the blacksmith's point of view, briefly summarize it, so as not to lose patience.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > is there a fixed style for folk swords? </h1>
Of course, the blacksmith is interested in swords, and has also gone to the museum, knowing what bronze swords, Han swords, and Qing swords are like, but it is still said that there is no fixed style in the folk, how to fight how to fight, how to use conveniently, such as the simplest, is an iron bar flattened, the front blade is opened, the back is added to the iron plate sword grid, and then two wooden boards are added to make the sword handle, the heart nail is fixed, the sword head part, or the iron bar out of a peach or heart shape, can also be added after the sword grid, the sword handle part is thin, set with a log handle, like a kitchen knife The tail sword stem is made into a right angle or inverted hook, directly into the wooden handle, more simply the iron bar flattened the blade, and the back is wrapped with wire or hemp rope as a handle.
Folk swords are still mainly practical, wide, narrow and short, according to the user's requirements, many people like to use the elongated pig-killing knife or watermelon knife such a style as a weapon, usually can also work, when needed can also defend themselves.
The handles of folk swords are relatively short and do not look very good, but it is convenient to transfer swords, and too long the handle will be entangled with the arm, which will hinder things.
The stem of the Han sword and the tip of the ring-headed sword
The tip of the Han sword and the handle part of the ring head knife
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" what steel > use to build a sword? </h1>
About steel, used to be blacksmiths themselves to play iron, pig iron to be repeatedly forged to use, play a good sword, sometimes it takes a month or even longer, now directly use the rebar of the construction site, waste saw blades, car tractors on the discarded spring steel plate, etc., the material itself is very good, playing naturally is much easier, many times knock out a shape, plus a hacksaw blade, you can cope with daily labor, performance is better than the previous hand iron.
It is said that a single steel is not as good as pattern steel, pattern steel is not as good as sandwich steel, because a single steel can only choose hard steel, the material is expensive, it is also brittle to use, easy to collapse, so it must be hard steel and soft iron added up, constantly folding and forging, in order to be rigid and soft, just like kneading dough, the more kneading the more ribs, such steel has a pattern, it is called pattern steel, also called folding steel, more durable than single steel, but the construction time is too long, the price is generally unbearable, so the simple points are made of sandwich steel, that is, ordinary No. 45 steel or rebar to create a shape, The edge part of the clip of a steel saw blade like hard steel, the same rigid and soft, and very durable, the key is simple to produce, the price is also low, the performance is sometimes more than the pattern steel, because the pattern steel is only a process, the specific also depends on what kind of steel folding forging, and after the pattern steel is opened, the blade is soft and hard, even if the quenching can not be consistent, bumping into hard goods, there will also be rolls and cracks.
Patterned steel sword strips
Pattern steel in the early years is very cattle, but cut the current hard steel, but in the past, pattern steel is better than general steel, but now particularly hard steel, but also too brittle, easy to collapse, sometimes bad operation, will break, not suitable for long knives and long swords.
Of course, it is best to clamp the steel again, it is perfect, but it is not much better than the ordinary sandwich steel, because the final hardness is still determined by the steel core, and the outside is the pattern steel or the general steel, which is similar, but the time wasted by the pattern steel and the money spent are more than several times better!
Digression: Today's pattern steel, can be selected a variety of different steel forging, there are new processes and quenching technology, the performance is different from the traditional pattern steel!
However, at that time, if you want to pay attention to the process, the cost performance is good, that is, the sandwich steel, the most practical is to find a spring steel plate directly forging molding, and there is elasticity and hardness, which is much better than the performance of the previous hand-forged pattern steel.
In the evening, we and the knifemaker have become friends without talking, out of trust, the knife smith is willing to build a short sword with a steel clip for us, according to my idea, or a steel handle of the integrated sword, this is my heart knot, but I also followed the advice of the knife maker, gave up the long sword, that thing really can not be carried out, let alone easy to carry!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > finally the blacksmith said, from my work, to ensure durability, the blade is blunt, grinding is good, wear more, and then come back to quench, and then a new sword, sandwich steel sword is this good, grinding to the end there is steel, as long as I am still there, you can come to me at any time, sharpening the knife quenching free ...</h1>
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > clip steel sword is this good, grinding to the end there is steel... This is the most satisfying sentence I have ever heard! </h1>
After about two weeks, the short sword was completed, but it did not open the blade, because the later grinding would be very time-consuming, I really couldn't wait, thinking that I would slowly grind it later!
As for the price, it is not expensive for the people in the city, and in the eyes of the blacksmith, it should be very satisfied, not to mention, friendship first!
Finally look at my short sword, sandwich steel integrated sword, less than 50 cm, said to be built according to my figure, although carrying a little weight, but the center of gravity is just right, take a swing in the hand, sure enough, very smooth, do what action can be easy and fast, feel like a dagger!
Note that the hilt of the sword is polished to the head and grid of the sword, which can be anti-slip to a certain extent.
One-piece short sword, solid hilt, non-slip design
When I first took it, there was a clear two-millimeter clamp steel wire in the middle, which should be a sharp saw blade of the clip, and after many years have passed, the bright steel in the middle has also darkened, and it has really become one.
The front part of the sword was not narrowed, and the blacksmith said that it was for the convenience of going up the mountain to cut firewood, and it was quite thoughtful.
The edge is straight and has a noticeable elasticity.
Especially looking at the thick solid steel handle, I feel particularly down-to-earth in my heart, if I cross to the past to break through the rivers and lakes, add a leather holster, put a belt in, and cover a coat on the outside, the average person can't see it... By the way, Qiu Jin, who claims to buy a treasure sword at all costs, also uses a short knife!
I have seen a photo of a folk contest at the end of the Qing Dynasty, both sides are using swords, the length is indeed not as long as in the movie, probably similar to their own arms, but not as majestic as the long sword, and even look a little funny, but too long sword, for the folk weapon fight, really may not be practical, one-handed sword, or shorter and more flexible!
Not too long sword
Probably a few years ago, he went to a blacksmith shop again, people have long gone to the house empty, the whole mountain village has been relocated by poverty alleviation, he should also find a better job, no longer have to work as a bitter, tired and unprofitable blacksmith, so this short sword has become out of print!
Earthy folk shortsword
Originally wanted to grind it into four sides, but after quenching, polishing is really laborious, simply just like this, not ready to open the blade, a mountain village blacksmith in the eyes of the sword, full of earthy hometown made, looks more flavorful, anyway, I am also a layman, neither understand martial arts, nor understand the sword, there are knowledgeable knife friends, welcome to leave a message to guide, thank you first.
Time passes, and only good works can stay.
About the Author:
I had the privilege of participating in the code design of the multi-window writing software Kuaishou Master, and thus came into contact with many well-known writers and media authors, only to find that there were hidden dragons and crouching tigers, elite gathering, music, cycling, self-driving, outdoor... Endless funny things, follow me, not lonely!