sword blade started/FINISHED

[brennivs - tony drake]

I have just started a new blade ( D D D D

[brennivs - tony drake]

These are more photos

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Salve Tony!!

Beautiful Bella Bella blade!! Is this going to be a spatha or cavalry style or Pompeii sword?? Still don't have a proper forge set up here so for now am confined to stock removal ,hardening and temper.

How will she be finished are you going to stone, sand or machine polish??

FANTASTIC job mate!!

Keep up the excellent work.

You have an awesome day in your neck of the global woods!!

VIRES ET HONO!!
ROMA VICTRIX!!

and while we are at it

PAX ET BONUM!!

Always,

Uncle Titus

[brennivs - tony drake]

Titvs both swords will be cavalry sparthas ,one from the vimose finds and the other ,Sarmation from Wehringen.I also use stock removal method my forge won`t take 30 odd inch blades,Ive even used my open fire in the living room as a forge :lol: :lol: and ran up to the work shop.I use a mixture of polishing methods stone,grit and hand buffing and this is what takes the most time in just finishing the blade.Looking forward to seeing your Mainz finished ) D

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Great stuff Tony.

I was looking at a link for coal forges earlier, and they all seem small for doing sword blades. I suppose a person would have to fabricate one to their own specs, unless they wanted to pay a fortune? The prices i saw were steep enough! :roll:

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Brennivs

I just love em love em LOVE em!!

You have just made me a sword junky ALLLlll over again after ALL these years! Pretty cruel of you actually

Boy they are quite lovely! I tried to just jimmie through the screen and grab one but that didn't work so hot.

OOk so now the burning question even though I know I cannot afford them but must excercise my vicarious pleasures from time to time.

HOW much?? :lol:

Yes you are absoluetely right. It's that bloody finishing sequence that is a real drainer. I trained in Kenma for 10 years but I have long since lost all of my stones/tools etc and good no oxide uchugamori and komanagura stones ain't cheap. Also make Japanese steel but it's been years since I had a place to do it and now the ole hands fail at times.

What do you use for your stock reduction? I have an old Frejoth belt sander but it's really had it trying to find a good used single phase motor to replace other than that I have to use hand removal methods which you know are AWWW!

So tell me HOW da heck do you get away with having the forge in your living room?? Cool idea really that way you'll never miss those important episodes of the young and the breastless.

Thank you so much for again showing your exqusite gems mate we must exchange notes sometime.

Have the finest of evenings!

Best ALways,

Titvs

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Byron why not a small gas forge?? Heaps more easy, clean and MUCH less hassel since the coal that must be used MUST have NO impurities so usually you cannot just dump a bag a barbque coal in there. I tried it with small cut up willow bits it took forever and 12 days.

We use LPG gas down here it lasts for yonks, burns hot and steady.
I'll be back with a few links that may help.

Have a splendid night mate??

Richard

TITVS

[brennivs - tony drake]

Gaivs my forge is brick built and is lined with a mixture of 1 part cement 1 part sharp sand & 1 part garden lime ,mixed fairly thick and smoothed on the inside like fire clay but much cheaper.If you have enough room in your work shop you can build it any size hock: My work shop is only 12 ft by 8 ft wide hence the small size of the forge but it does for I want it for.The bellow is approx 3ft long and made of ash and the tuyere is made from a piece of stainless tubing from selafield :lol: Most of the anvil ect came from my late friend John Anstee (look up pattern welded swords) who I still miss lol: great fun
Titvs I use a 4 inch grinder to take the bulk of then a belt sander to flat out,years ago I would use file, stone and grit ,but it took weeks just for the blade alone,so I had to speed thing up once people were asking me to make them.But even now the blade alone can take from 15-25 hours depending on complexity.The cost depends on the job and materials but the Vimose sword around £350 in spring steel with scabbared.The Ring Pommel sword are a one off comission for a friend, and have 10 in all to make and will not be makeing any more D D lol:

[brennivs - tony drake]

Here is the 2 blades togther I have only this weekend to make a good start before I go back to work PS Titvs I only use the living room fire as a quick fix ,saves lighting forge for little jobs :lol: :lol:

[Firmus4474]

Outstanding work. These are some beautiful swords. Have you done any fifth century swords?
I'm working on a copy of the spatha from Krefeld-Gellep grave 43 using stock removal. I just hope mine turns out half as well.

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Hi Dave the spatha sounds quite sssssSSTUNNING! Have you worked out your mounts yet? Would love to see it up here. I searched like crazy on here for an existing template but couldn't find one save the popular four already there. As I go along with these projects I actually find that using sword templates is not so cool at least for me and suppose they work more so as representative guidelines to go by.

Brennivs I could sit here until the 12th of never giving your work much high praise it's just exquisite. Yep I get the idea of the jury use of your indoor fireplace. Makes perfect sense.

Had a most blessed day today. Was cutting out another blade from spring steel stock and my bloody dipshyte angle grinder caught of fire! Then I figured bugger it will start the finer polishing stages of the other one and yep that machine blew up too.

Sitting here vacillating over what terrible thing I must have done in a past life and maybe this one two.

Anyhow Thank you both so much for sharing your sage.

Have a truly fine weekend comrades,

Rick

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Brennivs ,
Getting back to your earlier comment on cost plus labour per sword. I figure I am using on an average of about $50- in abrasives alone between spent grinding wheels, cut off wheels, belts etc and this is only for the foundation work. Then again this isn't exactly a bar of margerine I am trying to work with here.

Cheers Mate!

Rick

[Firmus4474]

Hi Dave the spatha sounds quite sssssSSTUNNING! Have you worked out your mounts yet? Would love to see it up here. I searched like crazy on here for an existing template but couldn't find one save the popular four already there. As I go along with these projects I actually find that using sword templates is not so cool at least for me and suppose they work more so as representative guidelines to go by.

I hope it turns out, I haven't ground many blades of this size but, the Krefeld has a simple lens shaped cross section. I've found it very difficult to find many fifth century swords with much of the hilt preserved ( or, covered in gold far beyond my means to reproduce) however the grip and, part of the guards still remain on this one.

It has an ivory grip of oval cross section with three ridges evenly spaced. The guards are wood not enough left to be sure of there exact shape but, they are flat not round like earlier Roman hilts.
Basicaly a transition from the classic spatha to the capital "I" shaped hilts of the later Migration era.
Of course, it will be awhile before this project is underway, I amputated part of my left thumb two days ago. It has been reattatched but, the doctor says no work with it for awhile.
So, for now here is a rather bad picture of a copy of the Feltwell sword I made. It is a rather sad looking thing compared to the other swords in this thread but, it is of the same type of construction as the Krefeld spatha except for the grip and, this has a (probably incorrect) fullered blade.

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Dear Dave,
Good Lord man at first I thought your were joking when you mentioned amputation!! On what EVIL device hath thou done that thing there!!???And don't you DARE dis the doc and try to go back in the shop and do what we all think we can get away with when injury strikes. MUSt heal now and I pray in good speed. How's the pain factor did he give you something for that??

And secondly you are FARRRR too modest about your own work I think the sword in the pic is incredible!! To be honest I have never ever tried to cut fullers before how the heck did you do it?? Just beautiful sword Dave and it's the REAL thing and sure looks the part!!!

Please take care of you for now and get back to work when the time is RIGHT!

Be Well Mate!

Rick

[Firmus4474]

Hello Rick,

It was the table saw that bit me :twisted: . I was making wooden swords for my nephews and, no one to blame but myself. I knew better and, should have had the saw off before my hand was anywhere near the blade.
The pain is not as bad as hearing about my foolishness from my wife for many years to come :roll: .
I use the tablesaw to cut fullers in real swords as well with a metal cutting blade. It's a fairly simple technique that is used to cut cove molding. Here is a link that will explain it better than I can. It is just the first two steps.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi_tools/ ... 78,00.html

DON"T STICK YOUR HAND IN THE BLADE!
It's not as fun as it sounds :twisted: .

Thanks for the complement on the sword. True it's not bad, I do think an unfullered blade would be more accurate. Looking at these lovley swords is a great motivation though.
Can't put my finger (or, thumb) on it but, they have such a "real" look to them.

Very impressive work!