Cutlasses

[FieryFurnaceForge]

My favorite type of sword is a cutass. I was wondering what type of steel I would need to get to mae one. Something I could get at a junkyard or something. Also, anyone that has pictures of cutlasses they have made please post them.
I was thinking a large basket handle that would bring the hilt/blade balnce up close or right on the hilt.
One thing I noticed and thought would be an easy way to finish the blade is; I was cutting hay with a rusty mower, and when I got done the rust was gone and I was left with a shiny but still scratched mower. I thought I could drag the blade behind mower around the field, giving it that original look.
Thoughts?

[steve sells]

hehe Hay polishing

cool idea. try it/. but not with one of my blades..

[coltpax]

i would try the hay polishing on a scrap piece of metal b4 a finished cutlass. But i have no idea what type of steel would be best for a cutlass. Maybe a leafspring from a car? Take a decent amount of forge work, but it could probably be done.

[FieryFurnaceForge]

I have a leaf spring but it looks like it came off a tractor trailor. It's about 3/4x3 inches. It'd take me a year just to heat it and another 7-8 to shape it.

[FieryFurnaceForge]

Well, I finally quit talking and started forging. I had an old screw from a car that I forged the blade out of. It's not a cutlass but more like a backup weapon. The blade is 27 inches in length by 3/4 wide and just shy of 1/4 thick. It's a strait blade. I started on the profile after I annealed it. Still have a good bit to go there. I also forged a mild steel shell that will support a basket style guard. I think it must be a pretty high carbon blade. I forged a handle stub, quenched it, turned it around, heated the other side up, hit it, and the handle broke off. No crack, it just broke at the first hit. Anyway I'll weld a bolt on for the handle.

[ThomasPowers]

Remember the rules for welding to high carbon steels or you will just have it crack in the HAZ!

Cutlass' were choppers and so usually were blade heavy.

Interesting way of developing a patina, much like clean the rust off a chain by dragging it around a quarry behind your truck...

However I'd suggest making a clean blade and then mottling it with mustard to give an aged patina.

[FieryFurnaceForge]

And what were the rules for welding to high carbon? Yea, I'm really that clueless!

[ThomasPowers]

You know how when you quench high carbon steel it becomes *VERY* brittle and can shatter like glass if not tempered to make it tougher? (IF you don't perhaps it would be better to learn the basics before trying to do advanced work! Safer too.)

Well when you weld on HC steel it heats up the area next to the weld hot enough that the cold steel around it can "quench" it leving a very brittle zone in the "Heat Affected Zone, HAZ) that is why you usualy lget failure *next* to the weld instead of at the weld.

So you need to preheat the piece so it doean't quench it---and have a post heat/slow cool down so if it does it auto tempers it.

Temperatures are based on alloys and should be in good welding texts. Welding stores sell templ sticks that show you when the proper preheat has been reached.