Swordsmithing

...Need I say more? lol Forged W2 blade differentially hardened with clay to form a hamon. Blade is 29.5", handle is 12". Cast bronze fittings with brass menuki (sporting my maker's mark). Tsuba was designed and cast by fellow Brooklynite and metalworker Kirsten Cosgrove. Tsuka (handle) and saya are solid black G10 as per customer's request. This sword was commissioned by a big fella for use in tatami cutting... so it's going to really be put to the test! Only slightly nerve wracking. The customer had a limited budget, so the blade only has a satin finish. The G10 saya weighs so much and is so dense you could stop a sword then pommel your opponent to death with…

Because why not I read several of the threads here directed toward sword newbs, but they're directed toward newbs in general. I've not done a sword, but I've made knives for nearly 10 years and have the right equipment for the grind work. Forged this out at a friend's house the other day, because he has a power hammer. It's like when you have a friend with a bulldozer, you dig a new tank. Started with a leaf spring off a wrecked Dodge truck. Hammered a while, till it looked like this. Spent some time grinding today. Blade is 20 3/8. Finish ground and ready for heat treat.

Hello everyone....I am getting going with everything I need and I think I'm ready. I wanna do everything as traditional as i can. I'm going to start with the search for iron ore. I am going to smelt the ore in a Bloomery furnace (with an electric blower) using homemade charcoal. I think I am going to run 3 smelts and consolidate each bloom into a billet and then forge weld each billet to each other and work those up to about 36 layers do an alternating twist and a hard bend. This will make the core. I want to run a separate smelt run and try to turn it into crucible steel (but no guarantees here). And this bar will make up the edge billet. I want it to be ligh…

I'm researching steel to make a Tai Chi sword. I recently did a black smith work shop and he suggested looking into nice spring steel or to see what they are made of . The sword will probably only be used for Tai Chi demonstrion. It likely won't be slicing tatomy mats, but the forged in fire fan in me kind of wants to do a heat treatment. I don't have a forge of my own so i would be shaping it with either a file or a grinder. The blade will probably be approximately 3 feet long plus a handle. Do you have any recommendations on sizes and steel types? I thake Tai Chi in Toronto, and there is a Tai Chi sword element in the next level when i grade. I…

Hey guys, I am planning on forging King Arthur's armor and Excalibur shown in the tv series Merlin for a halloween costume. However, I don't know where to start, or how to build a forge. If someone in the Boise area has a forge and is willing to take the time to teach me the craft, I would be very willing to compensate in any way I can. I may not be able to compensate entirely in the financial aspect, but would be very happy with compensating with labor. Keep in mind that I wish to perform these tasks with era correct equipment and techniques. Also, this Excalibur will be an exact replica of the sword seen in the series, down to the inlay and runes. Both attached images s…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIY4fnfUXM4 Old School sword making. Starting with a visit to the Deutsches Klingen Museum and moving on to teeming the steel; forging under steam and water powered hammers, ground on stone grindstones Narration in German Thought I'd surface this from the depths...

Hello there, this is my first post to the I forge iron forums. Thank you for any help you can give me in advance. I'm working on forging some rapiers and I have run into an issue. I cannot find for the life of me a website that I can buy some thick sheets or plates of steel for forging out these large clam shell guards. I'm really bad at finding anything on the internet and up until recently I've only ever used salvaged steel in my work. If there are any of you out there that could point me in the right direction of where I could find something like quarter inch thick steel plate I would be very happy. Also, any recommendations on what steel I should use for this gua…

Sorry I am 13 and I am gonna disagree with you guys so please don't kick me out. But I just started last year and I only really make knifes so I am probably the most inept blacksmith ever but I also made a sword it is just a wall hanger and I learned a lot. I think that you can make as many knifes and swords as you want as long as you dont want to do more than cut paper.

He forged the modified type XVIIIb blade in 80CrV2, and the guard & pommel from mild steel. The handle is leather wrapped walnut, then everything was blackened. Did I mention he's only 15?! I am thinking a fun Forged In Fire episode would be just my four best students going head to head because they are getting daaaarn good.

Luke and Eli finished these AMAZING swords a couple days ago!! These kids are 13 and 15 and doing better blades than folks twice their age. Remarkable! Luke (left) forged a damascus blade from 15n20 and 1095, and forged mild steel fittings with caribou. Eli (right) forged an 80CrV2 blade with copper and walnut. So proud of em! Stupid me forgot to get close ups... haha

Hello!!! Well we have landed..we pour the footings/foundation and slab Friday on my new studio now that the trees are cleared and everything has been inspected.. so....two weeks or so after that I can get the building put up... Here is one of the last "Nevada" blades that I finished before the "Great Shutdown of 2017"... this one is one of my "Hugs and Kisses" pattern welded long/bastardswords... 1070 and L-6 for the blade materials...One of my infamous one piece baskets and a nice Chevron patterned bronze wire wrapped grip... 37" blade length with hammered in fuller too!! Turned out OK if ya ask me... This will be posted for sale this evening along with…

Got a note from a lady that would like to hire me as a smith. Her son is a High School senior this year and needs to make a sword for his senior project for English class, I must say that English classes have changed a lot since I was in school. Here school ends in early June and its near the end of February already thats about 2 months to start a noob and get him to make a sword, talk about waiting until last minute, She must think Forged in Fire is real life. Could I do it? > maybe< will I? LOL I sent a reply asking how long has he been making swords, how many has be made so far, and does she realise few people make a sword in their first few ye…

So I'm not forging the blade, in the future I might heat treat it, but my goal is just to have a wall hanger that I can wear to ren fairs. The blade is 1/4 inch 1080 and the cross is 3/4 inch a36. I made the handle from some cheap wood, the spacer is stainless washers, and the pins are bronze brazing rods. I have been reluctant to post about this because honestly it isn't very good, but I've got tough skin, plus this is just a rough draft to get use to my tooling and the techniques. I'm already on my second draft of the cross and it's not complete, I plan on doing rubics twists on either side and then filling the cuts with bronze braze. My first attempt at the…

I am making a viking sword but now I am stuck on how you're supposed to make a straight fuller with a traditional tool (like the one below). Is there a special guide for keeping it straight?

Jarn Hond (Iron Hand) This single handed Norse sword is patternwelded from 4 bars of steel, 3 twisted bars of 7 layers twisted clockwise, anticlockwise and then clockwise again. The 700 layer edge shows subtle patterning in contrast to the twists. My favorite patternwelding has elements that can be seen from a distance and then subtle patterning in the steel that draw you in, bling bling , wait a minute whats going on there! Material for blade and fittings is 15n20 and EN42J (1080ish) The guard is made from patternwelded steel, forged and heavily etched to emulate striped inlay, and is the bit I'm super stoked about .I have tried this a few times over the ye…

My son volunteered me to make a sword (or up to 5) for the high school play. I've completed a SSO from leaf spring and am more or less ready to deliver it to the theater department. I took the good time and trouble to draw up a "Hold Harmless Agreement," but then I got to wondering if I give it as a gift and relinquish ownership of the property, does that transfer all liability to the new owners (the school) for its use or misuse? I'm not horribly worried about it, but with the lawsuit happy world we live in I'd hate to find myself on the wrong end of a suit after trying to help the school. Does anyone know how that works one way or the other? I kind of hate to req…

Twisted low layer 1095 and 15n20 blade, forged to shape with integral guard and pommel. I had to forge weld on a little more from another billet so the guard has some funky stuff going on. Cyprian olive wood stabilized with blue resin in cracks. This is the wood I brought back from Cyprus a LOOOOOONG time ago in this post https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/41849-cyprian-kopis/?tab=comments#comment-428465 hoping to use it on a Kopis... ended up going on this short sword instead. Medallions are 3D printed cast brass and have the Nazz logo in the center. Leather sheath by Justin Kirck. Let me know what yall think! Theo

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t50.2886-16/19052610_1738596303098383_470424666964492288_n.mp4 Folding sword prototype. AEB-L steel for flexibility, phosphor bronze liners/bushings. This has been a pet project I've been playing with for quite some time, it's so nice to have it functioning so I can really dive into making it a smooth action. The concept is a sword that folds to a concealable enough size to fit tucked against the lower back. Let me know what you think - this is the ideal time for feedback!

Im rather new to Titanium work but I wish to create a black Titanium sword. Now mind you it is mostly for aesthetic reasons but I still want it to be functional. What I ask of you, is this feasible and how I might go about it?

I bought some leaf springs and i am drawing out a piece to make a sword but i was done forging for the night and i was doing a normalizing cycle when i noticed a bunch of cracks in my steel. How did this happen and how do i fix this

This Way Comes.... Ohh K...wicked pretty much describes this bugger...on several different levels.. The blade is a three core Twist/Counter twist two (2) outer two cores with a interrupted twist centre core.. All three cores are welded SS HT foil and 1045 (and this wasn't "welded in a can" either.).. It was just forge welded as "the usual" around these here parts... The edges are 1070 HC Now getting the tip to "work" took some serious.. and I mean a good hour or so seriopus T&E but I finally got it to the right shape and curve. The curved fullers (one on each side) were a real PITA to do but,.... I managed to get it done by using a shorter fullering…

So before I started actually forging I was making wall hanger swords and daggers and stuff. Fast forward years and I learned so much. Thank you all. Here is one that came back for rust issues from fingers touching it. Where I was and what I learned are way apart now. one of my favorites tho before learning more, thought I'd share the delusion of pre knowledge sword smithing. Yeah, it's mild steel One day I'll make a real deal.

Howdy ya'all!! OK IK have been doing a good bit of of scrounging here and there and I have, after doping a good bit of chasing around.. some bowling ball material that "acquired" and that I decided to try to use for a grip on some stuff... I tell yas.. did I learn a bunch as far as working, finishing and polishing this.. Yet Geeze Louise.this stuff was totally and completely different from I have been using for the last 40 plus years...but... So be that as it may.. I went ahead hammered out one of my quick and dirty Ladder Pattern shortsword blades and put this stuff on it.. All I can say is WOW...this stuff looks like a cross hybrid between gold Tige…

Hey I was wondering what would be the best steels for making an English broad sword. It would be a one handed sword. I want to have a very sharp edge while staying quite strong as so it will not just snap in half on a thrust. Also what grind will give maximum sharpness and durablility to the swords edge. One more thing is the suggested Rockwell hardness of the steel to make it quite powerful. And also to the people helping me out on the other form about the crucible I did not mean to offend anyone I was considering the dangers but my post did not indicate that. I was mostly asking for future reference and sorry to not indacate that either. I was also having a…

I am curious if the blade I am thinking of can be made. I would like to know if anyone knows if it is possible to forge a sword from meteoric iron? If it is possible do I have any takers on a commission?