Hi There!

I am looking for a swordsmith, who takes commissions, to make a sword for me. I am a fan of Jake Powning's and have a beautiful sword he made for me, but unfortunately he doesn't take commissions anymore. The swordsmith I'm looking for has to be on the same level as Jake (in terms of the work he does) and should preferably be a person who replies to emails relatively quickly (a smith I've been dealing with for the past few months hasn't written back to me in at least four weeks!).

Can anyone recommend a swordsmith who meets the above criteria?

How about Arms and Armor? Here is a link to their custom page - http://www.arms-n-armor.com/custom.html - I have an unfinished custom commission going with them right now, and things are progressing well. They might not be quite at the level of Jake Powning, but still do fine work. Otherwise, you will have to find someone like Kevin Cashen or Vince Evans, who probably have really long waiting lists.

It depends on what you want made. What are you going to do with it? Are you a collector? Are you going to use it for sparring? Do you do living history? What period of interest is your focus? Are you into historical accuracy or fantasy/contemporary designs? What is your budget. There are many other questions that will help us answer your questions, but this is a good start.

If you're just looking for a list of custom makers, you can look at our list of links, read our reviews, and read through the forums, of course. But if you want a specific suggestion, we need to know what it is you're wanting.

Now having said that, the desire to have a maker who is responsive and professional in terms of business: well, your mileage will vary with that. I think that's the Holy Grail, personally. :)

Have you considered J. Arthur Loose? He seems to be something of a kindred spirit to Jake Powning, albeit a bit more contemporary and somewhat less ornate. The others I'd name have already been named.

Happy hunting.

I think you would do quite well with Michael Pikula, a member of this site. I do not believe his waiting list is too long. He is capable of very good work and I think he will soon be one of the greats in the sword making industry. Of all the makers work I have seen, his is top notch.

The second I would suggest would be a finnish smith named JT Palikko I know a few people with blades by him and they all have had great things to say. However his waiting list is quite long last I heard, and his style is a bit different from Powning's.

If you are looking for something without too long a wait, and good quality. I would definitely try Michael Pikula.

Of course there's always OlliN Sword Design.

They have an extensive custom page with examples of their work.

There's also a thread on Jean Thibodeau's Raven Wolf if you want an example of the process.

I've played with most of their line of swords and have to say that Mark really understands the shape and proportions of a sword.

[/.02]

Don't forget John Lundemo and Michael Tinker Pierce. :)

All of the qouted makers would be good choices but each has a style and depending on the project one might want to match the style to what one wants to have made or choose the maker whoes style one likes best in general or likes best for the specific project.

Some makers do adapt more to the wants of the specific project/customer while other's swords makers will all have the same family resemblance to whatever the maker makes or his usual way of finishing or decorating a sword. ( This is a plus when you want the style of a maker reflected in your custom project because you really liike his work ).