Category Archives: Project X Updates

Forge Direct Update 1: yay! the old koshirae sets are available again!

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It has been about 6 months or so since the Chinese government, in an effort to improve air quality, took the drastic action of shutting down tens of thousands of non compliant factories, foundries and workshops across the country.

Including, as we know, all the major suppliers of koshirae (sword for fittings for Katana) who got caught up in the crackdown, severely limiting the selections available for Japanese styled swords across the board, and specifically for our Forge Direct Elite Katana series..

Well, I am pleased to say that the fittings are back, cleaner and greener than ever before!

So the silver lining caused by the previous (polluted) dark cloud over the industry means that now,the Forge Direct Katana series has more choices than EVER before, as we added a ton of solid iron tsuba made by the forge itself to make up for the loss of the work hardened copper sets.. And with the return of the original sets, it brings the number of tsuba and fuchigashira set options to over 82 different sets!

So now there is surely something to suit everyone’s taste.

Available on both the Elite Custom Katana and for the Elite Custom O-Katana – and still at no extra cost!

For Quick Sale: Forge Direct Scratch and Dent King of Chu Sword

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This one is priced for quick sale..

For the first time there was a mix up with one of our Forge Direct Chinese Sword orders – instead of the King of Qin Sword, our good customer was sent a King of Chu Sword – and to make matters worse, there was a discrepancy with how the hilt was finished.

Instead of this:

The hilt ended up looking like this:

Otherwise though, it is a great example of a Forge Direct 1095 carbon steel folded blade – and priced to sell as the normal price on this sword is $749.99 but this one, which is available for immediate shipping, is on offer for less than half price at just $299.99 with FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING.

A crazy deal for someone who is fast – if it is still available you will find it at the top of the HOT SPECIALS page.

Forge Direct: The Spring Collection

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Forge Direct goes from strength to strength with the release of 18 new exciting and original Master Smith forged swords in the Spring Collection 2018.

And as you can see, all the new models are available with a whopping 20% introductory special pricing offer from now until the 30th of April.

Here’s a little taste of what is in store:

THE MURAMASA MK II

This is actually a limited edition offer – ONLY available from now until April 30 – and it is for a fully customizable version of the original Muramasa prototype I had made that kicked off the Forge Direct Japanese project..

You can leave it as is, and get the exact same sword I tested in my review here – or tweak it however you like. The customization options are NEARLY as many as for the full $899.99 Custom Katana, so if you are in the market for an elite level cutting Katana, made to YOUR taste and style – you only have about 10 days to get in on this one..

Traditional Chinese Swords

There are some real standouts in the selection for Chinese swords – too many models to go over quickly here, but here are a few that I think deserve more than a cursory look..

SPINSTEEL JIAN

One of the most unique is the so called Spinsteel Jian – which is made using a special revolving pattern welding technique to produce a blade, well, a blade like THIS..

CLASSIC PEONY JIAN

Bargain lovers in the market for a nice handling Jian should love the Classic Peony – stylish traditional fittings, but the master smith folded 1095 carbon steel blade flashes like lightning with a point of balance just 3.93 inches from the hand guard, and is one of the most affordable at just $439.99 (and remember, this includes FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!).

And then Fantasy Swords, blades with unique patterns like the Sword of Hannonlle…

Or the ultra affordable Sword of the Ages – eagle themed brass fittings with Jian scabbard and 1095 folded carbon steel blade is a nice surprise with an introductory price of not $699.99 but just $539.99 shipped worldwide…

There really are too many exciting designs to be able to cover here. So check them all out below – and be sure to grab these bargains while you still can. The special pricing is only valid until the end of the month…

Coming Soon – the Forge Direct Spring Collection!

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What do you get the sword collector who has everything? Something from the coming release of the Spring Collection by Forge Direct may just be what the doctor ordered..

Forge Direct already has a solid reputation for bringing to the table rare, high quality traditional Chinese sword designs almost never seen outside of China. But with the Spring Collection, not only do we offer a wide range of Jian – from the practical to the ornate – but with this release, also some very unique Fantasy Sword designs with a distinct Asian flavor.

Take for example one of my favorites from the series, BRIGHT CLAW – a Tiger and Dragon themed blade that is a real ‘East Meets West’ style design with strong fantasy elements.

Or how about the Nattbakka Vampire Sword – a sinister bat themed blade fit for, well, fit for the sophisticated undead about town..

And for those who prefer more traditional designs, it doesn’t get much better than the ‘Longevity Feathersteel Sword’ – with its amazing and rare feathersteel/windsteel blade..

I mean, just take a close up look at that amazing feathersteel patterning..

Naturally a rare design like this is one of our most exclusive and expensive blades in the selection – but we even have some budget options, such as some long daggers/short shortswords like the Red Ebony Shortsword below – available for well under $500..

It is all very exciting and I cannot wait until the official release.

But until then, I hope this sneak preview whet your appetite a little – stay tuned for the official release and introductory sale – we are just preparing all the listings and double checking the details with the forge, so not long to go before this new selection hits..

Forge Direct – Work in Progress Update

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Just something a little different with today’s post – some progress pics from the master smiths at Forge Direct who have been back from Chinese New Year holidays for a couple of weeks now and are well and truly making good progress on the orders received from the recent mega sale.

First off, a picture of the forge itself – all fired up and making blades around the clock.

Next up, a picture of one of the raw billets of steel, this particular billet to be folded to produce one of the Chinese Jians we offer in the series.

And after folding, the blade is skillfully drawn out to full length by one of the Master Smiths.

And finally, once the Master has finished his work – it is sent over to a certified Master Polisher, who cleans it all up, hones the edge and brings it to life..

The polishing alone is very labor intensive, each sword is hand polished for up to 10 hours starting with coarse and ending with refined grits – which adds considerably to the cost of the sword, but is worth every penny paid..

So anyway, just thought you might be interested in a sneak peak behind the scenes at what is going on.

It is full steam ahead – and very good to see after 2017 which was a very difficult year for the sword industry, and traditional Chinese swords in particular.

Talk to you all again soon!

  • Paul