Hi folks...
Just to alert you all that I have a Viking period axe available for purchase... forged and punched from single bar of 1 inch square 5160. The total weight including ash haft is 2 pounds 7 oz. The cutting edge is 7 inches and the head measures 5.5 inches from edge to poll. The somewhat out-sized haft makes this axe feel incredibly fast and powerful.
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This axe is available for purchase now. http://www.bigrockforge.com/viking-style-axe-available/
Also..I thought some of you might enjoy a commissioned backsword with proto-mortuary hilt in progress. I've visited this theme before but this time I'm combining themes from two different museum pieces. The hilt will bear a classic 'clam shell' file work decor. This commission also involves what will be a rondel-hilted dirk. I've heard that there is historical precedence for these.. but I have not been able to find references.
At the point these pictures were taken.. the blade has not yet been heat treated. This allows me to hot fit and align the guard without being destructive to a finished blade. The hilt was sawn and hot chiseled from plate with individual components being forged. Two additional 'arms' will be brazed on later.
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Also.. some of you may enjoy a bronze Gungnir pendant I made for a customer. I enjoyed making this and would like to play further with stuff like this.
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The axe is now sold...
Here are a few more progress shots of the proto-mort backsword.
Here is the hilt ready to go to the forge to 'fire etch'. This hilt will get a russet patina over a slightly textured surface. The fire etching will erode and tone down the carvings and the surface texture... giving a sense of age.
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Here is being scaled up in the forge and 'fire etched'. After it gets heavy scale like this then it will be hit with an oxyacetylene torch to blow all the gnarly scale off leaving a finer finish. It does look pretty rough at this point.
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And here is a shot of the blade getting ready for finer grinding and then heat treat. The blade will have 2 narrow fullers on each side. The blade is being left a bit wide to account for any potential sabering that could happen during heat treat.
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Here is the hilt ready to go to the forge to 'fire etch'. This hilt will get a russet patina over a slightly textured surface. The fire etching will erode and tone down the carvings and the surface texture... giving a sense of age.
[ Linked Image ]
Here is being scaled up in the forge and 'fire etched'. After it gets heavy scale like this then it will be hit with an oxyacetylene torch to blow all the gnarly scale off leaving a finer finish. It does look pretty rough at this point.
[ Linked Image ]
And here is a shot of the blade getting ready for finer grinding and then heat treat. The blade will have 2 narrow fullers on each side. The blade is being left a bit wide to account for any potential sabering that could happen during heat treat.
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Hi Scott
Looking good love the axe but like the back sword even more looking forward to see it completed in all its glory
Looking good love the axe but like the back sword even more looking forward to see it completed in all its glory
Thank you Jerry..
I thought it would be informative for some of you to see how catastrophically wrong the heat treat of a sword blade could be. Here is that same blade seen in the above pictures. Obviously I had everything stacked against me in this endeavor.
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The second attempt is in progress and the customer and I agreed to go with a double edge broadsword... a blade type I have much more experience with. I'm currently in the process of making big changes to my heat treat methods and I'm hoping I can do straight single edge blades more effectively in the near future.
I thought it would be informative for some of you to see how catastrophically wrong the heat treat of a sword blade could be. Here is that same blade seen in the above pictures. Obviously I had everything stacked against me in this endeavor.
[ Linked Image ]
[ Linked Image ]
The second attempt is in progress and the customer and I agreed to go with a double edge broadsword... a blade type I have much more experience with. I'm currently in the process of making big changes to my heat treat methods and I'm hoping I can do straight single edge blades more effectively in the near future.
| Scott Roush wrote: |
| Thank you Jerry..
I thought it would be informative for some of you to see how catastrophically wrong the heat treat of a sword blade could be. Here is that same blade seen in the above pictures. Obviously I had everything stacked against me in this endeavor. The second attempt is in progress and the customer and I agreed to go with a double edge broadsword... a blade type I have much more experience with. I'm currently in the process of making big changes to my heat treat methods and I'm hoping I can do straight single edge blades more effectively in the near future. |
Very interesting - so the single edged blade both curved and cracked with the heat treatment ?!
I'm absolutely no expert, but here is my guess and question:
I reckon it happens when you do fast cooling before the blade composition is really ready for that treatment (not high enough carbon content in the blade to make it able to withstand the flexing of the material, that occurs with the cooling)?
| Niels Just Rasmussen wrote: | ||
Very interesting - so the single edged blade both curved and cracked with the heat treatment ?! I'm absolutely no expert, but here is my guess and question: I reckon it happens when you do fast cooling before the blade composition is really ready for that treatment (not high enough carbon content in the blade to make it able to withstand the flexing of the material, that occurs with the cooling)? |
Well the blade was ready for heat treatment in that it was properly thermocycled for grain refinement. It also had an appropriate soak time in the high temperature salt bath that I use. I had quenched this blade using oil as a quenchant twice before and I was getting the opposite curvature resulting in a yataghan shape. This was due to the oil being too 'slow' of a quenchant. So I attempted water with the result seen in this picture. The curvature is due to the edge hardening much faster than the spine and it happening so violently that the edge could not handle it. The REAL culprit here was me using a steel that I'm not familiar with. I typically use 10xx series steels. This particular blade was 80CVR2.. a deep hardening steel. The real lesson here is use steels that you are familiar with!
| Scott Roush wrote: |
|
Well the blade was ready for heat treatment in that it was properly thermocycled for grain refinement. It also had an appropriate soak time in the high temperature salt bath that I use. I had quenched this blade using oil as a quenchant twice before and I was getting the opposite curvature resulting in a yataghan shape. This was due to the oil being too 'slow' of a quenchant. So I attempted water with the result seen in this picture. The curvature is due to the edge hardening much faster than the spine and it happening so violently that the edge could not handle it. The REAL culprit here was me using a steel that I'm not familiar with. I typically use 10xx series steels. This particular blade was 80CVR2.. a deep hardening steel. The real lesson here is use steels that you are familiar with! |
Thanks for taking time to explain the problem. :D
So the problem is that you need to find a “quencher“, that works for this particular steel type; something in between the oil you used first and water.....
Seems so much of smithing is trial and error (though their is a stunning amount of science into it as well), and then slowly build up experience and intuition.
It's a lovely axe, Scott! Is it based on a particular find?
I have seen similar axe heads before (reproductions), they were described as "slavic" but sadly - no source was given...
I have seen similar axe heads before (reproductions), they were described as "slavic" but sadly - no source was given...
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