Which Sword?

[Langenschwert]

fittings were done by Christian Fletcher.

Christian Fletcher is an excellent craftsman. I can personally vouch for him as he made the scabbards for my two Albion longswords, which are on his site as well.

Best regards,

-Mark

 

[Flying Crane]

I was getting out of sword collecting and was looking to thin my collection. The only European stuff I have left is that bastard sword and an Albion viking, they both feel way too good in the hand to get rid of. All the other sharp and pointy stuff is Filipino now.

Lamont

Gotcha. It's funny, but it's easy to start feeling like you can never have too many swords...

 

[Xue Sheng]

Gotcha. It's funny, but it's easy to start feeling like you can never have too many swords...

By this are you suggesting that it is possible to actually feel that you DO have too many swords?

If so BLASPHEMER:enguard:

If not never mind…:yinyang:

 

[Blindside]

Gotcha. It's funny, but it's easy to start feeling like you can never have too many swords...

Yeah, but the thinning was also funding a "things that go bang" collection, in which you get that exact same feeling.

Lamont

 

[Blindside]

By this are you suggesting that it is possible to actually feel that you DO have too many swords?

I take it you haven't run out of wall space yet (wall space, mantle space, leaning-in-corner space).

 

[Flying Crane]

By this are you suggesting that it is possible to actually feel that you DO have too many swords?

I suppose some people might think so, but they are clearly mental cases and ought to get psychiatric treatment.

My wife has been thankfully accomodating with my interest in sharp pointy things, which also includes spears and archery equipment. I picked up a few books on making bows and arrows by hand, the old fashioned way. Hopefully I'll get some time to try my hand at that before long. I'm slowly turning my home into a One Stop Midievalist Supply Center...

 

[Flying Crane]

Yeah, but the thinning was also funding a "things that go bang" collection, in which you get that exact same feeling.

Lamont

I understand the sentiment.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I take it you haven't run out of wall space yet (wall space, mantle space, leaning-in-corner space).

Ahh that's easy... buy a bigger house

Actually I do not really have that many swords all I have is what I use to train, but it is something I have always wanted to collect.

Found a nice antique Dao in Beijing but I decided not to buy it due to weight and trying to get it on a plane but I have regreted it ever since.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I suppose some people might think so, but they are clearly mental cases and ought to get psychiatric treatment.

OK, I was worried there for a minute

My wife has been thankfully accomodating with my interest in sharp pointy things, which also includes spears and archery equipment. I picked up a few books on making bows and arrows by hand, the old fashioned way. Hopefully I'll get some time to try my hand at that before long. I'm slowly turning my home into a One Stop Midievalist Supply Center...

My wife has not been what I would call accommodating about my NEED for more swords... Actually I would say she is the exact opposite of accommodating when it comes to me buying more swords. But on our next trip to Beijing I am going to see what I can find but then that means shipping and that can be a problem with getting things back to the US undamaged.

 

[Blindside]

My wife has not been what I would call accommodating about my NEED for more swords... Actually I would say she is the exact opposite of accommodating when it comes to me buying more swords. But on our next trip to Beijing I am going to see what I can find but then that means shipping and that can be a problem with getting things back to the US undamaged.

I am lucky enought to have married a woman who likes sharp and pointy things, the second birthday present I bought her was a sword. Unfortunately she is not nearly as much as a fan of the gun habit... I mean collection.

Lamont

 

[Flying Crane]

My wife has not been what I would call accommodating about my NEED for more swords... Actually I would say she is the exact opposite of accommodating when it comes to me buying more swords. But on our next trip to Beijing I am going to see what I can find but then that means shipping and that can be a problem with getting things back to the US undamaged.

Well you see, I'll let you in on a little secret: when you are actually MAKING these things, and there is the business element attached where it is understood that you intend to sell them and making a little money from doing so, it works in your favor. Of course as you develop your skill in making them, you need to have swords to practice your manufacturing techniques and perfect your art. Maybe some of these will be sold, maybe some will be kept. Maybe some are for sale, but in the mean time you still have them around...and they start to accumulate, but you still sell some once in a while so you can justify it all...

 

[Xue Sheng]

I am lucky enought to have married a woman who likes sharp and pointy things, the second birthday present I bought her was a sword. Unfortunately she is not nearly as much as a fan of the gun habit... I mean collection.

Lamont

sharp and pointy things to my wife means acupuncture needles and since she is very well trained in all the points I tend to agree...IF I know whats good for me :uhyeah:

Well you see, I'll let you in on a little secret: when you are actually MAKING these things, and there is the business element attached where it is understood that you intend to sell them and making a little money from doing so, it works in your favor. Of course as you develop your skill in making them, you need to have swords to practice your manufacturing techniques and perfect your art. Maybe some of these will be sold, maybe some will be kept. Maybe some are for sale, but in the mean time you still have them around...and they start to accumulate, but you still sell some once in a while so you can justify it all...

You may have just given me an idea, I need to think about this, thanks

 

[thardey]

Well you see, I'll let you in on a little secret: when you are actually MAKING these things, and there is the business element attached where it is understood that you intend to sell them and making a little money from doing so, it works in your favor. Of course as you develop your skill in making them, you need to have swords to practice your manufacturing techniques and perfect your art. Maybe some of these will be sold, maybe some will be kept. Maybe some are for sale, but in the mean time you still have them around...and they start to accumulate, but you still sell some once in a while so you can justify it all...

Echo that!

I make swords and other pointy things for gifts. Of course, that also means I need to practice, and try the swords out, and learn new tricks . . . It's easier to justify the 100+ hours in the garage making a horrible din, that to justify the 500+ dollars for a mostly functional sword.

(Of course, the various tools and such for basic bladesmithing are a good range for Christmas presents, too!)

My handles and furnishings still leave a lot of detail work to be had, but the blade tempers and handling have been good, and getting better.

Besides, my wife turned over most of the decorating of the house to me -- so I have a few conversation-pieces hanging on the wall.

 

[Flying Crane]

Echo that!

I make swords and other pointy things for gifts. Of course, that also means I need to practice, and try the swords out, and learn new tricks . . . It's easier to justify the 100+ hours in the garage making a horrible din, that to justify the 500+ dollars for a mostly functional sword.

(Of course, the various tools and such for basic bladesmithing are a good range for Christmas presents, too!)

My handles and furnishings still leave a lot of detail work to be had, but the blade tempers and handling have been good, and getting better.

Besides, my wife turned over most of the decorating of the house to me -- so I have a few conversation-pieces hanging on the wall.

Birds of a feather sir, birds of a feather.

 

[Grenadier]

Hmmm, as pointed out, the swords aren't going to be of good quality.

However, those are some pretty good prices on Dit Dat Jow, as well as Zheng Gu Shui and a few others items. Looks like I'll be ordering some in January!

 

[Zero]

Echo that!

I make swords and other pointy things for gifts. Of course, that also means I need to practice, and try the swords out, and learn new tricks . . . It's easier to justify the 100+ hours in the garage making a horrible din, that to justify the 500+ dollars for a mostly functional sword.

I agree fully!!
There is hardly anything (a few, but not many) more satisfying than making or being involved in making a good sword or blade - be it purely functional or beautiful and decorative.

I was lucky to work as an apprentice blacksmith for about 4 years to put myself through university and while the boss mainly did industrial work (ie train/truck components etc) to pay the bills, he had a sideline in weapons and iron work. I still have my first damascus blade from that forge, many knives and a couple of swords.

My katana is purchased but it would be great sometime to experiment with traditional Japanese tempering techniques if possible; we used to mainly temper and harden blades with baths of industrial oil in varying temperatures.

I don't have access to or room for a forge set-up now but do miss those times immensley. With that background it really makes you appreciate all the more a well crafted weapon - I recently got back from Japan and going through the Tokyo sword museum and other displays through the country was mouth-watering and an incredible humbling, almost 'spiritual' experience at times.

Of interest, what kind of set-up do you have at home (in the garage I'm assuming?? - no wife could be as accomodating as having that in the house??). Do you have a mini furnace or forge and an anvil and how do you cool/quench the blades - cold/warm water - or do you use oil or clay? And then for tempering do you just use the home oven or again, something in the garage?
Apologies for the q's but my mind is ticking over now on maybe another use for our own garage...

 

[thardey]

Echo that!

I make swords and other pointy things for gifts. Of course, that also means I need to practice, and try the swords out, and learn new tricks . . . It's easier to justify the 100+ hours in the garage making a horrible din, that to justify the 500+ dollars for a mostly functional sword.

I agree fully!!
There is hardly anything (a few, but not many) more satisfying than making or being involved in making a good sword or blade - be it purely functional or beautiful and decorative.

I was lucky to work as an apprentice blacksmith for about 4 years to put myself through university and while the boss mainly did industrial work (ie train/truck components etc) to pay the bills, he had a sideline in weapons and iron work. I still have my first damascus blade from that forge, many knives and a couple of swords.

My katana is purchased but it would be great sometime to experiment with traditional Japanese tempering techniques if possible; we used to mainly temper and harden blades with baths of industrial oil in varying temperatures.

I don't have access to or room for a forge set-up now but do miss those times immensley. With that background it really makes you appreciate all the more a well crafted weapon - I recently got back from Japan and going through the Tokyo sword museum and other displays through the country was mouth-watering and an incredible humbling, almost 'spiritual' experience at times.

Of interest, what kind of set-up do you have at home (in the garage I'm assuming?? - no wife could be as accomodating as having that in the house??). Do you have a mini furnace or forge and an anvil and how do you cool/quench the blades - cold/warm water - or do you use oil or clay? And then for tempering do you just use the home oven or again, something in the garage?
Apologies for the q's but my mind is ticking over now on maybe another use for our own garage...

I use a propane forge in the backyard, and I started out with an A.S.O (Anvil-shaped object) from Harbor freight. I get leaf-springs for free from a friend who has a trailer repair place. He lets me dig through his scrap every once in a while. When I lived in the country I had a coal forge, and I miss that a lot. Other than that, my main tools are a cutting torch and 4.5" angle grinder with sanding wheels.

I don't have enough heat to forge-weld, so I'm not going to try any damascus work anytime soon, but I am getting one of those car-port thingies for Christmas, and I got a nice 150 lb anvil last summer. After the new year, that's going to be my new "shop." I'm really fortunate that my neighbors right next to the shop are big fans of my work, and they don't mind the noise at all, as long as I'm respectful about it. The husband is deaf, and just turns off his hearing aids (he's a DIY'er, too), and the wife actually likes the sound of the forge. Go figure.

I usually cut the shape with the torch, forge the curves and straighten the blade, then grind into the final shape. Polishing usually takes as long as the forging/shaping process.

I usually work in the winter, so I "air quench" the blades. Then I temper them by careful timing of the grinder. I usually grind until the metal gets to that nice purple, then back off, and let that area air quench as well. It gives the blades a springier temper, which I like, since I usually don't go for razor sharp/"stupid sharp" for the swords. For the smaller stuff, like knives, I get a few gallons of old airplane motor oil every once in a while, and that gives a nice, slow quench with a high flash point.


The furniture is a whole different story.

 

[Flying Crane]

The furniture is a whole different story.

aye, that's where I step in.

I've been doing all the casting work at the local community college, but I'm looking at getting my own equipment so I don't have to be dependent on being enrolled at the college.

I am a renter, it's impossible for any normal person to own a home in San Francisco, so my space is limited. But my building is a converted Sears building, now it's live/work lofts, so I have some open space and a concrete floor. It's fairly rustic, but comfortable. We also have a loading dock where I can drag my tools and do the messy work, like sanding and grinding. It's not a perfect situation, but I think I can get it to work, so long as the building management is OK with the idea of me setting up a torch to the gas line, and bringing in a kiln. There are some bugs to work out of the plan, but I have hopes.

 

[Zero]

Thardey and FlyingCrane - thanks very much for that info on your set-up and 'production line' for making the blades. All the best for the New Year!!

 

[Flying Crane]

Thardey and FlyingCrane - thanks very much for that info on your set-up and 'production line' for making the blades. All the best for the New Year!!

You're welcome, and happy new year.

Yesterday I got to test drive my new toy: a combo belt/disc sander. I've been doing all the wood work for my grips and scabbards by hand. this means I saw them out, carve them out (altho I have a router for carving the blade grooves in the scabbard halves, but I still have to do a lot with mallet and chisel for a good fit), and I've been shaping the scabbards by hand using a planer and shaving away. Yesterday I took a scabbard that I had started, but hadn't shaped yet. It took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to shape the scabbard, whereas doing it by hand might have taken somewhere between 4-6 hours. What a difference!

We picked up a table saw a while back and are looking at getting a band saw as well. This will make cutting out the scabbard blanks a lot faster too. I've been splitting the blanks by hand, clamping it into my work table and sawing a few inches, then flipping it around and sawing a few more inches, then over and over again. It usually takes an hour or so to do that, for a scabbard blank that might be 36 inches long or so. Once I get my band saw, it should take just a couple minutes.

I'm glad I spent the time doing several by hand. I think I really learned a lot by doing so, but I'm really psyched about speeding up the work with my new tools!