May 31, 200917 yr well dmike...mild=mild you need to play with real steel before you spout off.-steel of different alloys is.....different but mild is mild (maybe a-36) but for the life of me.... Damascus mike-and ain't even forged steel Edited May 31, 200917 yr by mod07 typo
June 11, 200916 yr I'd answer what makes you think there's a specific amount of time? That's an artificial constraint and is meaningless in reality since we all learn and progress at different rates- it exists for larger groups since individual attention and evaluation is often impractical in such cases. Myself I moved on to long blades quite quickly and had little trouble- my only mistake on the first try was to forge the piece too thinly so I couldn't properly grind it. Prior to that I'd made two spearheads, that's it. What I used for how-tos was a series of videos of Japanese swordsmiths at work (all from YouTube) that I watched again and again to really see just how they held the metal, the hammer, etc. and then I tried it- but then I've always been relatively good at working things out by trying. So you have to ask yourself how you learn best- and go with that. If it's trial-and-error, maybe you can start right off- but if you need lots of practice, maybe small scale is better...
June 11, 200916 yr I also found that making a small sword about 100mm in length helps alot more that you think when practicing to make swords
June 11, 200916 yr 100mm is not a sword, that is a knife. It has been said over and over again, start small and work up to larger projects.
June 11, 200916 yr Hello: 100mm???....that is like 4 inches Imperial Measurment..roughly. I have made a few swords over the years and they are not the same as making a knife..HT is different, materials are different, working techniques are different but there are enough similarities that you can muddle through the first dozen or so and then maybe you will catch on and finally make something usable... Where most folks mess up is the weight and cross sections...made way too heavy... 100 MM is a small knife (at least to me it is)....not a sword...I smell troll... JPH
June 11, 200916 yr No, wait: I want to see a 100mm sword! Seriously. Post a pic, Mike. When I was ten or so I would've killed for a tiny sword to arm my GI Joes with. (In fact I occasionally cold forged/filed tiny weapons out of coat hangers and the like.)
July 23, 200916 yr Best explanation for sword doodling newbies,what I've EVER read is there:anvilfire Armoury - The Swords and Helm page
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