Sword-making

The reality of it is:
Everything worth Anything takes time.

Remember how a sharp and solid sword is made:

A swordsmith’s goal was to produce a sturdy... blade to have a far sharper edge and to withstand much greater stress without breaking or staying bent.

A swordsmith had to base it all on his experience of what, as best he could tell, had worked well enough before. A swordsmith needed to carefully forge a blade... so that the blade could flex under sudden impact but resist deformation.

He would shape his metal while red-hot by slowly and repeatedly hammering and re-heating until it was the length, width, and thickness he wanted.

A swordsmith had to skillfully create these shapes, perhaps in some small way improving his design each time by refining his techniques and incorporating new ideas.

When satisfied with the initial shape the swordsmith was far from finished.

A finely crafted sword had to have just the right mix of good steel as well as just the right temper. Heat treatment was the final crucial step that gave the blade its strength and toughness.

To ensure toughness and flexibility the blade would be quickly quenched in either oil or water.