It's been quite a while since I thought about a custom sword and the bug seems to be tugging at me again. The 2-hander pictured below has been on my mind for some years and I think that I am ready to proceed. Large blades are tough for any smith as mnay do not have the appropriate sized heat treating faciilities for such a long blade. Anyways, I am looking at a blade of about 40-something inches long. I dont' want to give a specific length as the smith will have a lot to say about this in the end. However, I like the overal shape of the blade and hope to get this one done with the next couple of years. Feel free to chime in any thoughts you have.

Joel

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Is that shading supposed to represent a hollow-ground blade?

From the different custom smiths I've worked with / spoken with, getting them to do a hollow ground blade would be more of a challenge than finding someone who can do a 40" blade (which I don't think would actually would be that big of an isssue).

I do like the design, by the way. Whoever you work with in the end, I imagine they'll be pleased -- I've seen a lot of the images these guys get when people contact them saying they've already made their own design. They tend to be pretty far out of left field. I think your design obviously shows you've done your homework, and it's of course a blade that can be very realistically made.

I'd only make two changes: thicken the guard a bit, and design a matching scabbard. :)

For a sword that size - maybe a slightly wider guard?
What are you thinking of for the thickness of the blade?
A deeply hollow ground thick blade (rather like the Sture sword) would be really cool - probably really expensive as well.

Looks nice!

Gordon

I'm wondering why that rounded narrowing of the blade where it reaches the cross? I notice that it is basically the same thing as your Anduril so you obviously have an affinity for it. Just wondering why...

Very nice. I bet Arms and Armor could do a great job with that design.

I'd contact John Lundemo about it. Have you seen some of his stuff lately? Good work.

I can't help wondering if those severely radiused shoulders might be a weak spot especially if that blade is bent with the cross being the fulcrum. You've test cut with your Anduril correct?

I see that he has kept some metal in place there before he narrowed it down to the tang as well. I think that's probably a good idea. Did he ever try to talk you out of the radiusing at all?

I'd thought the same thing about the radiusing at first, but then I thought about all the swords that have ricassos which don't have problems with stress. Assuming the smith knows what he's doing, I doubt it'd be an issue.

Oh I don't blame you I would be inclined to take his word for it as well.

Bill, I was trying to think why the ricasso could potentially be the same issue. The only thing I could come up with is the narrowed sort of ricasso on the XVIIIe which might cause the same concerns... except that the narrowing there is usually rather small. Was that what you were referring too? Or is there other properties of the ricasso on say a XIV or bidenhander which I'm not thinking of?

Yeah, I meant the narrowed ricassos on XVIIIe's and on sideswords and such. On some sideswords it is practically an exposed area of the tang.

Joel;

Nice design, I don't see that rounding being a problem as a more conventionnal square shoulder touching the guard fully does not add a bit to the strenght of the blade: The transition to the actual tang looks well radiused and this is where good or bad design would impact durability.

As to the radiused shoulder it is a question of personnal taste and although not my first choice it is sort of growing on me.

As to the blade a very thick blade with a deep hollow grind combined with a radical distal taper is the way I would be tempted to go as long as the smith I would be using was up to making it work i.e. Not making it into a boat anchor ....LOL.

Hmmmmmm 1/2" thick tapering to just under 1/8" near the point with the deep hollow grinding becoming flat ground near the point for a reinforce armour piercing point. The transition could be subtle or very defined.

The deep hollow grind might almost be like a double fullers fading into a very slightly thicker apple seed sword edge.

Anyway, just what I might ask the smith about. I would imagine that this would probably multiply the fair price by a factor of 3

Joel;

I have two Tom Maringer swords that I designed and had made in and around 1980 that both have deep hollow ground blades with arrow strait grind lines. (He may have used mechanical guides of support or freehand when grinding the blades.)

I think he worked originally from a custom knife making tradittion were hollow grinding was / is more the norm than the exception.
I have no doupt that hollow grinding a 40" blade is a whole order of magnitude more difficult than a 8" knife.

On the other hand a perfect flat grind is no easy thing either.

By the way if I could go back in time to when I was designing these swords the main thing I would change is adding a distal taper as even deep hollow grinding is not enough to avoid the boat anchor feel when using thick 1/4" or 5/16" thick steel.

By the way my design became, with my permission, his Skysword design. (Better to have others enjoy the design in a very limited production number than have a unique piece that no one knows about.)

Unfortunatly Tom decided to quit making knives and swords after one of his pieces was misused in a violent way. (Don't have any details about that.)

Getting back to your design, if hollow grinding is something you consider as important to the design, then you should have it made that way even if the cost is higher ! It all depends on what you think is important to your design. If you the type of grind is not one of your priorities you could leave it up to the smith to decide.

The whole point of commissioning the production of your own design is for it to suit your desires: Be sure of what you want it to be, then go for it.