Cold Steel swords questionv

[The Bandit]

Ok this may sound stupid but I have always wanted a sword to play with. Iv been specifically looking at the Cold Steel line as I like alot of their products and they actually have some good looking ones in my price range. Specifically looking at the 1917 Cutlass and the 1796 light cavalry swords. I know the metal on both is 1055 Carbon and wanted to know if these were good options for something to play with. I want something that will last and that I can play with for years to come. Just curious as I know nothing about knives, metal, and all that jazz but dont want to was my money if these blades or the metal is just ****ty.

 

[Aikibiker65]

Ok this may sound stupid but I have always wanted a sword to play with. Iv been specifically looking at the Cold Steel line as I like alot of their products and they actually have some good looking ones in my price range. Specifically looking at the 1917 Cutlass and the 1796 light cavalry swords. I know the metal on both is 1055 Carbon and wanted to know if these were good options for something to play with. I want something that will last and that I can play with for years to come. Just curious as I know nothing about knives, metal, and all that jazz but dont want to was my money if these blades or the metal is just ****ty.

Define play....

I know that Bypass has purchased Cold Steel Swords in the past and was pleased.

 

[Ravager95]

OK well my numbers my be off, but they won't be by much. High carbon steel such as the 1055 that you are asking about is one of the most popular choices for higher end knives because of the hardness of the steel once it has been deferentially heated. 1055 will certainly be a harder/stronger steel then some of the swords you see in 440 stainless variety, but only if its been heat treated, you can get some swords off ebay in 1055 variety for 30 bucks, however they won't be heat treated and are likely just cut from steel plate, and will bend the first time you try to cut anything other then a piece of paper.

To explain better
1055 is a classification,
1 means carbon steel if it were a 3 that is Nickel-chromium steel, 7 Tungsten, etc
0 is the alloying agents used in the steel, in this case none
55 at the end is the carbon rating, in this case .55% by weight
This means that accounting for a small amount of impurities you will likely have a blade with 98-99% Iron, .55% carbon and 1% or less of impurities (depends what you pay)

If you compare 1055 to say 440 stainless steel, which is what most of my kitchen knives are made from, they have an entirely different chemical makeup and as such the different classification. Stainless steel uses at least 10% Chromium as an alloying agent with the steel, and in the case of 440 its somewhere between 15 and 18%, combine that with generally 3-4% impurities and you are looking at a knife with only about 77-80% Iron in it. Now the more Iron you have in the blade the stronger the blade will be and the sharper the edge it will hold. The main reason that Stainless steel is so popular is the chromium that is alloyed into the metal acts as a natural anti-rust and erosion, while at the same time making the steel softer. Because of the Chromium however you are able to throw your knife in the dishwasher and not worry. If you did that to a 1055 steel blade.....Well I'd smack you, and you'd have certainly weakened the blade(at the atomic level) and likely damaged if not destroyed your blade.

Now to your question, Since 1055 has no chromium as an alloying agent, (sometimes it has impurities of chromium in it but not enough to matter) it will require you to take extra care of the blade, oil it down, keep it out of moist areas etc. Some knife makers use an artificial coating on 1055 blades to increase life, but its not necessary. I have a Katana that my grandfather brought back from WW2, by the Japanese writing on the blade i know that it was forged over 100 years ago, it is a high carbon steel sword, though i am not sure of the exact number, i refuse to test something that old and awesome. But with the proper care, you too can keep that sword from any rust like my grandfather and i have for years and years to come.

Now with all that said i haven't personally owned a Cold Steel Sword, so i can not make any recommendations about the abilities of their products. But from the description of their product on their website, make sure you get a blade that is heat treated, that vastly alters the life and strength of the blade. Also i am placing a disclaimer here, I take no responsibility for what you do with that sword once you've bought it. I had a guy i fenced with who bought a 500 dollar cold steel sword and then got all pissy when he couldn't cut down a tree in his back yard with it and ruined the damn thing. I didn't realize it required stating that playing with a sword does not mean cutting down a tree, so i am stating that now. As Aiki stated above, your definition of "play" would go a long way, but the information above should help you understand what you are looking at when you are buying.