just a question. What metals are used to create those fancy hilts as designed by people like Jody Samson or John Lundemo?

Brass? Mild Steel? some other steel?

thanks!

Jody's primary forte is Bronze casting. The Conan sword was (I think) one of the first well-known pieces to really explore the artistic capabilities of Bronze Casting, and Jody was off and running from there... :)

Most other cutlers (at least that I know of) use mild steel in their hilts. There are a few cast brass and zinc hilt makers out there (much less than there were 15 years ago), but as these materials tend to fracture fairly easily, steel has become the norm.

thank-you! any problems with bronze that you know of? For example - corrosion, brittleness?

thanks,
Alex

If done with a proper 'bronze' then it will not be brittle at all. The stuff has a pretty good toughness to it. As for corrosion, it doesn't rust so much as develops a patina from oxidation. That comes off pretty easily (sometimes when you don't want it too... lol) But, bronze will last many lifetimes in good shape, hence the old relics we have now from tmes long gone that are bronze.

Nathan, thank you for the update... :)

I used to see Jody working out of Tony Swatton's shop in Burbank, but hadn't really kept up with his works in the last 8 years or so... :)

Alex, the really tricky part about Bronze is it's weight and strength compared to Iron or Steel. It's typically about 10% heavier than steel, as well as it's about 17% weaker, so a properly sized and weighted iron or steel hilt and pommel, if replicated exactly would add about half an ounce more per cubic inch of material, or if replicated to have the same durability, would add about 1 and a third ounces per cubic inch of material.

At what I'll guess to be about 12 cubic inches of material on your average swept hilt or complex guard, you can see it can easily add an extra half, and up to a full pound on a weapon.

It's pretty, it's easy to maintain, it's durable, but IMO it shouldn't be a primary material for a hilt.... :)

muchos gracias - thanks for the tip.