From Steel Billet to Final Assembly

Shen Guang Long's existing process images record 13 steps: collecting iron sand, smelting iron, steelmaking, steel cladding, hot forging, cold forging, shoveling, filing, carving, quenching, grinding, engraving, and assembly. These can be divided into four stages: raw material preparation, forging and forming, heat treatment and surface processing, and assembly.

 

Raw materials are first transformed into forgeable steel.

Collecting iron sand is raw material preparation. Iron smelting and steelmaking process the materials, while steel cladding involves combining different steel materials. These tasks are performed before the sword's shape appears. The origin of the materials and their processing determine the starting point for subsequent forging.

Specific recipes, number of cladding layers, and applicable products should be explained by the workshop. A traditional process diagram cannot prove that all products on sale use exactly the same material route.

 

Hot forging shapes the general form; cold forging, shoveling, and filing refine the details.

Hot forging utilizes the malleability of heated material to gradually shape the sword blank. Subsequent cold forging, shoveling, and filing continue to refine the lines, thickness, width, and surface.

This stage is not just about elongating the material. Whether the sword body is symmetrical, and whether the lines are straight, gradually approaches the final form through repeated refinement.

 

Carving and quenching are two types of processes.

Carving handles patterns and surface details, while quenching is a heat treatment. Both are conspicuous in the images, but their functions differ. Without workshop records, one should not independently write down temperature, medium, holding time, or hardness values.

 

Only after grinding and engraving is assembly performed.

Grinding and engraving continue to process the sword body surface and details. Assembly combines the sword body, guard, hilt, scabbard, and other components into a complete product. Consumers ultimately use the entire sword; the feel comes from the complete structure, not just a single section of the blade.