"Seprent" pattern composite blade

[JPH]

Hello!!

Here is a close up of a composite sword blade I recently finished. Materials are 1010/1018/L-6 and 1050 for the centre cores and shear steel for the edging. Single fuller down the centre. This is a three core blade using a classic pattern called the "serpent"..

Just wanted to share...

JPH

[sandpile]

JIM-- That is the type of pattern welding I am interested in. It has a central theme to focus on with a definte steel for a cutting edge. Beautiful work.

Thanks

chuck

[oakwoodforge]

Oh MYThat is Pretty ! Any chance of seeing the whole blade JPH ?

Jens

[JPH]

Chuck:

This is a very old way to make a sword...so old that no one can say for certain when it actually started being used. My own theory is pre-Migrationary Period..by the Migrationary Period, the Danes, Franks, Merogovians, Finns, just about everyone in Europe was using this method of construction..The variety of patterns one can get doing it this was is almost endless....

Jens: As soon as I get the battery charged in my camera I will take afew more pics....

JPH

[SWE_Karl]

just want to say that it´s a beutifull pice you´ve made

want to share how you made it

swe_karl

[JPH]

Karl:

As I said it is a three core blade with a shear steel edge...I am currently doing an article on making one of these for my website and I will make sure that Glenn gets a copy for inclusion here. I am in the middle of wleding the blade cores presently and I am doing this in "real time" walking through the process...

JPH

[Ten Hammers]

JPH that is impeccable work. Thanks for the pic.

[Nolano]

Impeccable indeed. I will be quite proud if I am ever even half as good as you are, JPH.

[JPH]

Thank you for the compliments...but really this isn't all that hard to do...like I have said many times it is simply "Dark Age Tech"..now it can get complicated but all that means is it takes a bit more time. If I can do this stuff anyone can, believe me..If you know how to weld and have the patience and understanding of the materials and how they respond under the hammer you can do this..Just takes a bit of practice and time...

The really sad thing is that 99% of the folks "out there" simply do not know that the Europeans ever made blades in the fashion, and frankly, these leave to Japanese blades in the dust when it comes to complexity of construction...For some reason the Japanese smiths get all the "glory" and the European smiths are ignored. Sigh....The real rub is the fact that the European smiths were doing this at least 700 years before the Japanese were...

Anyway....Will post more pics of this once I get them taken..

JPH

[HWooldridge]

Truly beautiful work, JPH.

It's just the lure of exotic, far-away places that makes them think that the Japanese sword is better...LOL...actually, it did have three things going for it - design, construction and techniques of use. This is not to denigrate the European blades but they weren't still being used in WW2 so the "aura" is more recent. They also treated the sword in a religious manner so a multitude of signed blades exist from the 15th century and beyond. How many European swordsmiths are still recognized by name even among collectors? I'm sure some are known but their Japanese counterparts are treated as saints.

I agree that the European blades were easily the equal of the Japanese - and the Persians - although methods of manufacture and fighting styles were so much different.