hello again. I'm forging a blade out of a spring railroad clip, not sure if this is a dagger or short sword yet so I was just curious how long does something have to be for it to be considered a sword?

Brobdignagian or Hobbit sword/knife?

What I'm saying is it depends on a number of variables, some physical, some cultural, some traditional, some time period, some just personal taste.

Frosty the Lucky.

speaking in a general sense western european short sword. right now it is a little more than 19 inches. alas I ran out of coal and my fire died so i'll be doing some more next week

speaking in a general sense western european short sword. right now it is a little more than 19 inches. alas I ran out of coal and my fire died so i'll be doing some more next week

At 19" I'd say it depends on the blade width, hilt shape and edge(s). It'd probably be on the large size for a knife but not out of the question depending on who's using it and for what, say a butcher or upholsterer. Certainly not too small for a short sword, good size in fact.

Just remember, I'm no bladesmith so my opinions are almost completely unpolluted by real knowledge.

Frosty the Lucky.

there really isn't a clear cut boundary between a short sword and a sword or a dagger. it really depends on what you want to call it to an extent, although a blade that is 32 inches probably couldn't be called a shortsword and a 7 inch blade is no longsword, but in the case of a 19 inch blade it goes to whichever side you like. personally consider a shortsword as being 20 inches or less, but that is just my personal opinion.
P.S. post pics

good luck with your project

Ed Steinkirchner

alright well these are cell phone pics but it's all i got for right now hope ya enjoy

You may want to look at the Naval Dirks of the British Navy for something that was intermediate between a large dagger and a short sword.

I found a record of a 16" gladius (short sword) and a 20" main gauche (dagger).

I suggest simply calling it "Bob" to avoid confusion.

:P

im no sword smith shoot im no any smith yet. But in my opinion call what it tells you to call it when its done. it will speak to you, your heart will know hey i made a dagger or hey this is a decent short sword.

Some people say if it is under 24'' it is still a knife. Spartan and Roman short swords were under that but were wider, usually 2'' or so at the ricasso. Tough call I guess it depends on the shape of the blade and the width. I have a couple of spring clips that I am turning swords. I am still drawing them out, so I am unsure of what the final length will be.

Hey Aaron, looks like you are off to a good start. You started this off with a rail spring clip? I have several of those. So, is the carbon content a respectable level? Maybe so since they are called "spring clips". I didn't realize that they could be drawn out so long. Nice work! Also, I see that you are using a track plate, or whatever it's called, supported by a stump. How well does that set-up work? How is the rebound?

I ask because I am still assembling my own equipment and hacked out an anvil from a piece of R.R. track given to me by a friend. I thought of adding the plate elsewhere, and maybe also using one of the square holes as a hardie hole. In such case, I would be using the round hole to mount the spikes. I just worry about the shaft getting stuck.

Anyhow, at 19+ inches I would call it a short sword.

Robert

alright well these are cell phone pics but it's all i got for right now hope ya enjoy

Nice!! What cell phone do you have. The reason I ask is I have the old IPhone 3G and I can't post pictures through the web browser or the IPB app.

I likes the look of it so far. That took a lot of pounding to get it that far. keep at it and show the pics as it comes along, I am really interested to see how it turns out. Also post some pics of the spring clips before you started. a true before and after.

Hey im going to reiterate what robayako (sorry if i spelled that wrong as i didnt write it down ) how is the carbon content? Does it hold a good edge? Also, could someone post a pic of what a rail road spring clip looks like? I'm a fan of sharp pointy objects as well and I must say this is very very nice!