The Metal Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I want to do swordsmithing for my high school graduation project, i have a little while to do it but i already have it o.k'd with my school (provided i dont have a sharp edge on my product) so im in need of ideas, best ways to do it, things i need, how much money i need, what kinds of metal are better to be used, ect. anything you guys can possibly think of would be much appreciated, i have like the coolest project out of anyone. ive always been interested in swords so i think this will be a great experience. i want to make something like a broad sword from the feudal era. thanks for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 (edited) Just a little fair warning. Choose another project. Swordsmithing is a Long and involved project with a learning curve that runs years not months. With that said: Please post your location. It will be easier to get you some local help. We have a lot of folks here from something like 50 different countries so it would help if you edited your info under User CP top left of the page. What experience do you have with forge and anvil? What equipment do you have. Many of us here have been doing Smith work of various forms for years. Many of the experinced knife makers would be reluctant to tackle anything bigger than a Roman Short Sword. The difficulties of making something like a broad sword a like four times as great as making something half as long. Please think very carefully before you commit your self to making a broadsword. There are literally thousands of projects to investige and complete on the road to making a sword. Learning to make the furniture for a sword is a speciality in itself. Edited May 5, 2009 by Charlotte finish sentence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 (edited) IF you are asking these questions, then its not a good sign of a person that is ready to make one yet. But first let me ask What metal work have you done? Do you have tools? How will this be heat treated? hardening isn't so bad, but tempering can be a problem with large items. Read the information in this forum and you may see you took a big bite for yourself. Maybe trying a small dagger is better for a start. Edited May 5, 2009 by steve sells typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Amazing your school is allowing you to make a weapon of this size when a pair of finger nail clippers are outlawed in most schools.... Not to discourage you from learning to become a bladesmith, that can come later after you have learned to forge metal. Just as a suggestion, look at some of the tools, candle holders, trivets, fire tools, and/or other items that a blacksmith would have made during that era, feudal era. Eating utinsils would be a good challenge and once made you could make the leather pouch that they were carried in, covering 2 skills/trades. What you are attempting to do is like climbing into the cockpit of the space shuttle without learning how to fly a kite.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Not to toss a wet blanket on your project but you would've needed to start asking these questions and learning the numerous specialty metal working techniques in jr. high school to have a reasonable chance of producing a successful sword for your high school grad. project. If you'll click "User CP" at the top of the page and edit your profile it can really help. IFI is represented by members from more than 50 countries and a lot of info is location specific. Also, if local folk know you're there they can invite you to get togethers, tip you to tool deals and offer hands on help. Frosty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Well here goes. Go ahead and try it, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Yes you are way behind on the learning curve and you have had some words of wisdom from some of the best here and these are good folk. They have had years, actually a life time of working with metal but don't let that stop you from trying. I can almost state as a fact that you will not produce a sword that will function or look like much but you will learn a lot of valuable lessons that can be learned no other way but by trying and failing. If you give up now all of your life you will regret it and think, what if, and that is not good to harbor in your heart. So don't let us stop you, go for it and have fun in the trying. Good luck in your attempt and in the future.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 If you do go ahead start by making a few MUCH smaller knives and daggers before trying a broad sword. The techniques are the same, including the handle and guards, just smaller and less likely to fail. Build it up steadily and, if you don't get to the sword for your project then you have a variety of projects to choose from for grading. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnptc Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I want to do swordsmithing for my high school graduation project, i have a little while to do it but i already have it o.k'd with my school (provided i dont have a sharp edge on my product) so im in need of ideas, best ways to do it, things i need, how much money i need, what kinds of metal are better to be used, ect. anything you guys can possibly think of would be much appreciated, i have like the coolest project out of anyone. ive always been interested in swords so i think this will be a great experience. i want to make something like a broad sword from the feudal era. thanks for your help what tools you you have access to ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Thanks Bentiron, wise words indeed. If it weren't for folk who went ahead in spite of the advice of the more experienced we'd still be picking nits off each other on some grass covered savanna and watching for lions. Frosty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnptc Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 what tools do you have to work with ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 find a mentor... you might actually make sumthing worth keeping if you do ... and be real nice to him and help around the shop as much as you can .if you go it alone figure a lot of money for tools . you will need forgeing tools (forge anvil vice hammers tongs ect.)and finishing tools (belt sander buffer ect.) you can spend thousands on ether set of tools . ide get wayne goddards 50 dollar knife book and jim hersulasis starting book and read them from cover to cover before you even buy your first tool. this is possable but verry time consumeing and to get a good product (a real sword not a sword like object)will take a lot of learning ... read everything you can get on the subject and really FIND A MENTOR . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Metal Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 my grandpa has an entire shop with various metals and tools that i need, i know i will have to buy more. and yes i do need a mentor so i wont be completely left in the dust... my location is North Carolina, Rockingham, Richmond county. sorry it took so long to reply, i had work all day yesterday. i have a little over a year to do this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnptc Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 you have two choices you could forge the blade or you can grind it from a piece of flat stock. does gp have a forge ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Metal Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 found out yesterday that my grandpa's friend has a forge right down the rode. so i got lucky, ive seen some of this guy's products as a kid (cant believe in didnt think about this before) and he has made some pretty amazing things. he mostly works with saw steel (very durable to my understanding, and 440 stainless steel too) so thanks for the input, i dont really need much more advice since this guy (tommy) is supposed to be really good. i'll post pictures of some of his works, he makes some HUGE swords (from what i remember when i was younger). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triw Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Keep us posted and take pictures of your progress and when you are finished be honest and tell us if it was worth while to make this as a project. What class is this for by the way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 (edited) ... he mostly works with saw steel (very durable to my understanding, and 440 stainless steel too) so thanks for the input, i dont really need much more advice since this guy (tommy) is supposed to be really good. i'll post pictures of some of his works, he makes some HUGE swords (from what i remember when i was younger). Don't need advice anymore ? I hope you didn't mean that the way it sounds. Edited May 7, 2009 by steve sells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unkle spike Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 (edited) "i dont really need much more advice since this guy is supposed to be real goodi'll post pictures of some of his works Better yet post some of yours, your first ones, so we can see how adept you become on your first broad sword, then maybe we can ask you questions seeing as you have it all figured out..... There are some people who are on here who are not "supposed" to be real good, truth is they ARE real good. A statement like that will not win friends. Google "burning bridges behind you" you will understand......best of luck to you. Edited May 7, 2009 by unkle spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Well having a guy on-hand to work with you is worth a ton of reading either on or off line. I know what he's saying... I tell folks that 1 saturday afternoon with a real smith is worth 6 months to a year trying to do it from a book or "remote" instruction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Agreed, an instructor is a very valuable asset to beginning in the craft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPH Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Hello! I say let the kid try..it will be a learning experience for everyone involved..Yeah, he should start on something smaller, but who knows what will happen..it's called an experiment..let him give it a go..I only hope that this serves as a catalyst and not a discourgagement for the kid... Surely, making a sword is not all that easy, but it's not all that hard either IF you know what to do and know your steels and processes..I do it every day..I made a whole lot of mistakes and I learned from them... Let the young man learn, sometimes the "hard way" is the best way... JPH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 ya we all have to pound on walls with our head sometimes.... ive done my share ! we do wish you luck ! and post pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Metal Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 im not quite sure some of you understood what i meant, especially the one who said something about "not making friends" i simply stated that i have someone who has been doing this for many years now and that he will be able to tell me anything and everything i need to know. i never once implied that i knew everything, let alone that i knew anything. those of you who actually read and understand my posts and are nice thank you, the project is actually for my senior year. if i dont pass the project, i fail. and i have to present it in front of several judges, who grade me on my presentation and several other things. i already know that this was a great choice for a project because everyone else chose stupid stuff like global warming and sports. i have always admired swords, and look at them as a weapon in one hand, the other hand a great representation of art. i will not give up or be dissapointed because i am too interested in it for me to give up, im sticking with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPH Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 (edited) TM: Boy you ARE really rolling the dice on this...putting everything on the line and if you blow it..you loose the whole magilla..Can't say you don't have guts..if it were me..I'd do a nice knife..forget the sword for now..now that you explained the repercussions for failing..too many ways you can fubar it..I guess the SAS Motto applies here "Who Dares, Wins"...well the die has been cast and I do hope you pass. I know I am just a lowly hammerhead..and I know my limits and when I first started out a little while back I sure didn't have the kutzpa to do what you are...Not that I wouldn't do it later, I just wouldn't be putting it all on the line in doing something I had no clue as to what I was getting into.... Being pretty much self taught, I know first hand it is a long process..as the venerable Mr. Powers said one afternoon of actually working with an experienced smith translates into months of trying it on your own.. Good luck JPH Edited May 8, 2009 by JPH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 (edited) I wonder if the school knows of your project and that it is a sord? In some areas that would not be allowed on school grounds. BE wise the check first if you have not. Edited May 8, 2009 by Rich Hale ........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 i simply stated that i have someone who has been doing this for many years now and that he will be able to tell me anything and everything i need to know. I wasn't aware there was anyone that could do this. He must be quite a wizard. Good luck in your endeavors. Please share pics in your progress. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts