Mmmm yummy. You know how I love wrought! Looks like you nailed the look you were targeting.

Well thank you for the warm response folks. I'm waiting for some materials to finish the scabbard.. which will have matching deer rawhide over wood core.

Thank you for noting the testing I did Jean. Heat treating this was a challenge for me as it was by far my largest blade. But it forced me to build and tune in a sword length drum forge which I now have running well. I still have a hot spot to contend with.. but quenching long blades will never seem the obstacle it was before. It was informative to do the antiquing/etching that I did because I was able to clearly see the hamon which shows a hardened edge from guard to tip with softer steel along the spine. Being mostly a knife person.. I have things a bit harder than what would be typical for swords... probably 58 rockwell or so on the edge. It's interesting to see where I had to do some isolated torch tempering in an area that needed some warp correction.. the hamon is more irregular there...

Thanks again and I will update this thread when the scabbard is complete.

(by the way... I'm happy (and sad) to say that this sword has found a new home in Connecticut and will be delivered after the Feb 28,29 Little Rock Show)