swordandshield

Hey guys! Well i know this is going to a bit foolish (like those that ask "teach me to make a sword") but i have been wondering about this for a while..... Iron manufacture is at its most basic state taking iron ore, and heating it high enough to drive the impurities off, and in modern cases liquifing it, producing a usable state of iron..... Anyone who is fond of chemistry should recognize this equation.... Fe2O3 + 3CO = 2Fe + 3CO2 This is the equation for a thermite reaction. Iron oxide is combined with aluminum powder and burned at an intense heat enough to melt the iron(and anything around it) and drive off the oxygen molecules that are bound to it. Theoretically, what you should be left with is a chunk of pretty pure iron, i would think similar in ductility to wrought, minus the silicon slag..... I understand that it wouldn't be practical to try and make enough iron to do anything substantial with, but could you on a small scale produce enough iron to make some S hooks or something of the like? this information is false

This is a war hammer that i have forged..... The main body is a rail spike, slit drifted and with the spike drawn out and curved down. The hammer head started out as a piece of 2 inch round stock, that was then forged square and had the face shaped with various tools to form 4 "peaks" and an x shaped recess...... The idea being that not having the hammer face on one geometric plane (flat) and having the ridges is more likely to crumple and rip multiple holes in plate armor, and more likely to split chainmail links....... The two pieces were then v out, and multipass welded with some 7018 running about 180 amps........ Looking at it you couldn't tell they were two separate pieces and functions perfectly...... It is hafted to a 30 inch hickory handle (a broken shovel handle)....... What do yall think?

Its really not as bad as you might think.... I started with 1/4 inch stock, but after all the forging, and grinding, the finished sword only weighs between 5 and 6 lbs on my bathroom scale. That is historically within the weight range of claymores.... It is long, but not overly heavy to handle. When i am outside, it is easy to swing and control the blade without being pulled off balance...... But there are a few knicks in my ceiling from where i forgot how long the blade was :/

Thanks guys!!!!

This is a mace I made just for fun. Its center is about a 3/4 inch round bar with a spike on the end. The mace head is pieces of angle iron that were cut thin, heated and bend slightly out of shape. They were then MIG welded to the shaft (yeah i know its cheating but it works). Its fun to smash cinder blocks with :)

This is a sword that i forged last fall. Its blade is a piece of a specialty steel produced by a local steel company. It is about a .6% carbon content and a high manganese content. The sword is 52 inches overall, with a 40 inch blade. The guard and pommel are plain mild steel. On one side of the pommel is stamped a 4, and on the other is a 12. Its name is Evraious, a variation of the Greek word for "hebrews".... The name and the two numbers are a reference to one of my favorite scripture verses.... Hebrews 4:12......... I loosely based its design on a Scottish claymore. Cuts through jugs of water like they are not there :)

This is my first damascus blade........ I have done 3-4 runs of damascus before, but only as decoration, never as a functional blade....... It has 120 layers, forged from a billet of bandsaw blade and strapping steel. Etched in sufluric acid....... Im rather proud, this was the result of 4 years of smithing and research :)................ The only thing that i have made that I like more, is my Scottish claymore with a 40 inch blade; probably gonna post pictures of that soon :)