Finally in the last couple months getting settled into my shop and have recently been finishing a few things. First has been a Gundlingen bronze sword by Neil Burridge for a customer. The hilt is holly and based on a wooden sword from Ireland.

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In the last couple days also finished my first British La Tene period sword. The inspiration for this sword is the Owslebury find which represents a Belgic influenced southern British sword. This blade type is typically over 2" wide and a very flat lenticular cross section. These blades may not be the longest, but are certainly the biggest British swords from the La Tene period. While researching hilts for this sword and extremely large crown guard stood out that would fit a blade around 2 1/2" wide. The only blade type that seems to fit this guard would be one of these Belgic influenced blades. So for this sword I slightly down scaled the crown guard to fit the Owslebury blade. The hilt is then cherry and holly. This is a big sword that is 40" long with a blade that is 33" long and 2 1/4" wide and weights a couple ounces over three pounds.

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I am now starting on hilting the famous Irish Lisnacrogher. Also I have been forging on a couple of falcata blades. Mark and I got started on the lower pictured one back at my recent gathering and I just started the top one yesterday. Both still have a good bit of forging that needs to be done, then it will be off to Mark for him to grind and scrap in the fullers. I have wanted to do a falcata for years now, and we are both finally in a position where we can do these correctly.

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http://www.ironagearmoury.com/

Shane

Its amazing (to me) to see how these things can start in such a rough form and end up being so very nice in the end. :cool:

Shane, Beautiful swords really well done; how do they handle?

Joe Fults wrote:

Its amazing (to me) to see how these things can start in such a rough form and end up being so very nice in the end. :cool:

It certainly is. :cool:

When you see the WIP images of a sword you really begin to understand how, to our ancient ancestors the swordsmith was revered as someone possessing almost magical knowledge and skills. To take a material which looks almost like stone and draw out of it a gleaming sword is something which still has the power to impress us today, to people living back then it must have been truly astounding.

Beautiful work, Shane, on both swords.

For those who haven't seen Shane's work up-close, it's as good as it looks. I purchased his double fullered La Tene III sword
about a year ago and it is one of my favorites. I've only used it for dry-handling, but it is remarkably light and lively considering it's blade-presence. And it's stunning.

http://www.ironagearmoury.com/double_fullered_la_tene_iii.html

Anyone who has an interest in the Iron Age or in the development of the European sword should take note of Shane's work. There are few people (if there is anyone) doing the kind of thoroughly researched custom work for this era that Shane is doing (and for such prices).

Shane,

I'm looking forward to seeing the Lisnacrogher. Nathan Bell and I traded some ideas about it a few years ago, when I was still in the UK, and your illustration looks good. I started re-doing a sword partially based on the Lisnacrogher find some time back, but too many things keep getting in the way. I suspect I don't have your touch either... but hey!

David

Thanks guys.

David, your sword is still one of my favorites as well. I keep looking for similar look to the apple on it and still haven't found any that I like as well.

At our recent workshop day, I sent Nate home with a new scabbard for his double fuller as well as a set of fittings for his Lisnacrogher blade. So maybe he will be able to get his finished by sometime this fall. I keep going back and forth on my wood choice for it, either all holly or a maple burl and holly. If I go with all holly, then I would really need to do some kind of carving work on it. Trying to take some of these period designs and apply them over a three dimensional hilt so that it looks right is a bit scary.

I'll post some more pictures soon after I get to forging a bit more.

Shane

Do tell when the falcata is ready, I'd been wanting to have a good one for a long time. :)

Not a great deal of progress on the second falcata blade, but some. Still trying to get enough forward curve and belly to the blade. Also pictured is a la tene period knife and a falx. The handle is just laying on the tang for a general idea of of handle to blade length.

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Shane