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How to Straighten a Bent Sword Blade

After repeated use and wear, a sword can bend along its length. Sometimes, a brand new sword will arrive from the factory with a significant bend due to flaws in its forging process. In the past, warriors would straighten the sword themselves by hand upon their knee, rather than take it to a blacksmith. This, however, is a dangerous practice. A much safer alternative is to make wooden braces or vices with which to hold the blade, giving you more leverage to reverse the bend.

Things You'll Need

2-by-4 Lumber
Hand or Power Saw
Pencil
Ruler
Sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Cut two 14-inch lengths of 2-by-four.
- 2
  Cut a slot just wide enough to hold the blade of your sword, about two inches from one end of each board along its length, and about two inches deep. If the bend in the sword is especially severe, cut these slots at opposing angles to allow you more room to reverse it.
- 3
  Make a pencil mark two inches behind the blade slot along the length of each block. Cut two inches into the boards' widths.
- 4
  At the opposite end of each block, make a mark at the midpoint of each board's width (two inches in from each side). Cut in until you reach the previous cuts you made to make handles. Discard the wood sections that are cut out.
- 5
  Sand the cut surfaces to prevent splinters or other injury while using the sword vices.
- 6
  Place the sword's blade into the slots in the vices, with the bend situated between them.
- 7
  Apply steady but firm pressure using your handmade vices for leverage and safe handling to straighten the sword blade.

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