Christmas spatha?

[Nobody Special]

Home alone for Christmas, and not much going on, so I decided to give a whirl at what I first started about four years ago. I might, might just be able to put out an honest to goodness sword. Not one of the masterworks by any means, but something that will somewhat balance, won't break easily or shake your hand apart upon use, and has a decent distal taper. A swordlike object.
 
Of course now that I've made enough pointy objects to maybe complete one, why suffer the masochistic trials needed to produce a basically useless object? (oh lord, I fear the filing and polishing far, far more than the forging......) Well, cool factor alone isn't worth it, but there's the challenge of it, the fact that I tried it once and failed, and plus, it would be nice to have one just to point at when people say...."so, can you make a sword?" "yup, it's over there. I caaaan make a sword. Don't know that I want to."
 
Haven't decided the absolute final outcome for it, but I'm thinking about a spatha-ish or viking-ish sword. Fortunately there's some overlap and similarity, and lord knows at the pace that I forge, I've got awhile to think about it. Thinking about 1.75" wide and .2" thick at the base, going down to around 1/8" at the tip. Diamondish cross-section and I think a spade tip. Fuller down the middle. Length.....hmmmm. dunno, blade about 30", and the tang's at 7" right now.
 
Started with a bit of annealed, almost new-ish leaf spring. It's a far cry from finished, but straightened it, the tang is about the length that I want it, and I started working on the body. The big thing slowing me down was upsetting the width back in. Keeps wanting to fishmouth. I thought I was past that through better technique and a harder hammer stroke, but I guess between the hardness of the steel, and the width of it......anyways got it fixed, just have to keep watching it/correcting it as I go.
 
Started upsetting the width inwards along the main part, so I can have the width thinner, and enough stock in the cross section to draw the blade out
to the right length. Got tired and stopped when I started getting sloppy. You can see it some in that last picture. Win or lose, more pics to follow as I go.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/38613-sword1/

 

http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/38614-sword2/

 

http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/38615-sword3/

 

http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/38616-sword4/

[Nobody Special]

I know it looks like the tangs a mile long, but it's just the angle. about 7" and the body's about 18" right now.

[Nobody Special]

Update post. It ain't big, and it ain't giant, but it also ain't fabricated. So...point to me. On the other hand, I can't get these to turn right side up on explorer. So, point to him for production values. Sigh......

 

My little leaf spring is growing. Cut off the excess (with added tang for later playtime), now down to about 2.5 lbs. Fix cross section, draw length, clean up. Repeat. Up to around 28 inches, so about another six and the point to go (plus fullers, bevels, etc ad nauseum.) Thought the taper would be the nasty bit, but now I'm more worried about whether I've figured the proportions right to allow for the adjustments that'll widen it. (again, fullering, bevels, etc.)

 

Had one very, very bad moment when I thought I'd cracked it just above the tang, but ground a bit and found it was just a surface flaw (Thank God!). Hence the shiny bit from the flap disc. More pics etc to follow, whether victorious, or if glorious defeat ensues.

 

http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/38656-sword5/

http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/38657-sword6/