Greetings everyone! This is my first post and I'm coming to you with a question! It's actually 2 questions I suppose and some insight into both would be greatly appreciated.

First, how are albion blades crafted? Are they ground out of solid steel, or are they pattern welded or forged in any manner?

Second, what kind of strength can one expect form a hollow ground blade such as the Lady Vivamus Limited Edition?

Hopefully someone can shed some light for me!

Thanks!

Albion swords are created through stock removal; the grinding down of a blade blank made by a CNC machine. The crossguard and pommel are cast using investment casting. The strength and edge retention of the end product is not affected by choosing one of these methods over the other, with the exception of certain pattern-weld combinations which result in superior edge retention and strength.

I can't comment on the strength of the blades as I haven't done enough cutting as of yet. However, I wouldn't worry too much about it, as Albion is (one of the) standard-setting companies out there. Excellent customer service, beatiful products.

Ahhh!! Thank You for the link to the article! Obvoiusly I didn't search long enough!

Much obliged for the rapid response!

Heh, it actually makes the link automatically. There are a lot of great articles in the "Features" tab at the top right, definately worth a read.

We have reviewed 26 NG models and many of them discuss construction in general. They're worth a read. :)

Hollow-grinding is a historical technique, so if done properly, you should expect period-appropriate strength. Based on Albion's Regent (on of those swords we've reviewed and one I own), Albion does it right. If you take the hollow-grind all the way to the edge you might make a weak edge, because it would be quite thin and unsupported from behind. Albion's researchers have noted, though, that many historical hollow-ground swords have a grind that stops before the edge leaving a slightly thickened area to support the edge. It's almost like a wide, very shallow fuller. If the Lady V is like the Regent, you'll be fine.

For more info on stock removal vs. forging, you can see here: http://www.myArmoury.com/feature_groundpound.html

For more information, check out the many articles on their website as to how their swords are made.

http://www.albion-swords.com/sword-articles.htm