I've had this good quality 19th Swedish military sword blade lying around the place for some years, and thought that it would make a nice late 14th century sword (a Type XVII or something like that). Someone had taken a grinder to the tang, so I got it relatively cheap ($55 or so). I ground off most of the ricasso (thus making sure that the 19th C maker's marks wouldn't be visible), and tried to shape a decent tang from what I had. The rest of the blade was polished, removing some grind marks near the point. Next step was making the guard. Thankfully, my father has a small workshop with some useful machines. There were some pieces of steel in a bin, one of which was of the right proportions. I marked the outline, and used a milling machine (thus saving a lot of time, as well as getting the shape within a 1/10th of a millimeter). Then I drilled three holes for the tang hole and filed it to shape, making sure that it would be tight enough. The final shape of the guard was ground on a grinding wheel, then using a 300 grit emery cloth wheel to remove the grind marks. Next step is determining the preferred weight of the pommel, calculating the volume, and turning it on a lathe. Then it will be mounted before adding the grip. I expect the sword to be finished by March. Watch out, Peter J! ;)

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Nice start Bjorn........

Nice job Bjorn! :) Definitely keep us posted on this; I'd really like to see what you do with the pommel.

Björn!
I like that guard :D

Perhaps we could start a joint business?

A very nice and well shaped cross. It will be interesting to see how the sword turns out complete with pommel and grip

:)

Wow.... Makes me want to go grind some steel... Where's my dremel?

ks

Nice job, Björn !

I've dabbled in fitting some hilts, and played with customizing some of their parts, and I can attest it's not an easy deal !
Gives you a real appreciation of the folks who can do it so well, especially from scratch !

Now here you are making your own hilt..... Good show !

Give yourself a big pat on the back ! Mac

Thanks, guys! I've appreciated the work of others before, but when one has struggled with a piece of steel for a few hours, it becomes even more evident how skilled some people are out there.

Gus, your first guards were serviceable - it wouldn't have been rational to spend something like 5-6 hrs on a single guard (like I've done). As for a first attempt, I'm quite happy with it, but with the right tools, some help, some artistic talent, and some experience from edging lenses (!), it was possible to pull it off.

Peter, I tried to get the same crispness in the lines as you do, but gave it up after realizing that there are pros and then there are amateurs like me... It will be fun to show you the final result - I think I can hear you already: "This is very nice, but..." ;)

Hey Björn
Alright dadgum it you fella's are make me more home sick than I already was. :wtf: I Want my tools!! :mad:
Angus is right about the makeing a guard, it can be a pain in the rear, I made one for my Atrim XI and I think I made about seven before I got it right.
Yours looks mighty fine.
Dunc

That's generous, Gus. I'll talk to Peter, but I don't think he will have any problems with that. It will be fun tinkering with the stuff!