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Howard Waddell
Industry Professional
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 Posted: Wed 15 Aug, 2007 6:08 am Post subject: Valkyrja Update |
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Peter just sent us photos of his progress on the long-awaited Valkyrja waxes.
He has sworn to get them done by the time he visits in late September.
He has had a lot of false starts, but the good news is that it should be a truly stunning piece when finished.
Bear with us a little longer....
Best,
Howy
Albion Swords Ltd
http://albion-swords.com
http://filmswords.com
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Jean Le-Palud
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| Posted: Wed 15 Aug, 2007 6:35 am Post subject: |
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Hi Howy,
Shall I say that this is very good news ?  Looks fine.
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Peter Cowan
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| Posted: Wed 15 Aug, 2007 4:23 pm Post subject: Re: valkyrja sword |
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Hi Howard,
The wax for the guard looks great, but I'm wondering if you have a picture of the pommel? I have been waiting in anticipation for this sword and I think it will be well worth the wait if it is anything like your other swords.
All the best,
Peter.
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Mark Morris
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| Posted: Wed 15 Aug, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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Will there be more sculpting done to the piece (creating low or high relief)? Or is the guard just going to be scribed (like it is now)?
Also, when work like this is done, is a pattern first drawn on the wax with another medium or is the scribing done completely freehand?
The pattern is quite nice. I look forward to seeing the final piece.
Thanks!
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Peter Johnsson
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Wed 15 Aug, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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This was just a quick update pic to show the state of the peice right now.
The pommel is now being brought to the same level.
The pattern is first drawn on paper, then traced on transparent paper that is turned over and put on top of the wax. I rub the transparent paper with a small spoon: some of the lead will leave a mark on the wax. That is the guide for the initial tracing. A needle like tool is used to re define the lines and make an adjustments of the shape so it fits well to the wax original.
The pattern is now going to be carved in relief to create volume and an impression of depth.
The decorative style of the original is Urnes syle. I want to keep with this style as it belongs to the very end of the period and so belongs to this sword.
I will post pics as work proceeds, showing sketches, material and tools.
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Peter Johnsson
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 9:47 am Post subject: |
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Some more update pics showing stages from sketching the pattern, transfering, tracing and cutting and finally working to cut away the background (not yet finished).
Photos does not yet show the sculpting of the dragons themselves. That will not be done untill the background is cut away to uniform depth.
 Attachment: 50.41 KB
Wax pommel compare to a drawing of the original, that serves as inspiration for the sword hilt. Note slight differences in shape.
Attachment: 29.24 KB
Sketching of pattern has begun. It will essentially be the same dragons as on the original, but adjusted to the shape of the wax pommel. I also want the dragons to cover more of the surface, with less background showing between the knot work.
Attachment: 36.58 KB
Sketch ompleted. Some adjustment will stll be done after the pattern has been transferred to the wax. This is still just a guide.
Attachment: 35.39 KB
The pattern has been drawn on transparent paper with a pencil. The transparent is placed with pencil lines towards the wax and rubbed with a spoon. Some pencil lead will make a mark on the surface of the pommel.
Attachment: 43.51 KB
...Traces of pencil lines will act as a guide for the next step...
Attachment: 48.36 KB
...That is to re-define the design with a fine needle like tracing tool. This is the foundation for the actual carving.
Attachment: 58.95 KB
Carving starts with the sunken background. It needs to be cut away to a uniform depth defining the outlines of the two dragon beasts
Attachment: 49.58 KB
Here the background is cut away completely around the perifery of the two beasts. No definition of the actual knot work is yet done.
Next step is to cut away the small areas between the intertwining bodies and make sure the background is finished evenly
Last edited by Peter Johnsson on Fri 17 Aug, 2007 10:00 am; edited 4 times in total
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Gerald Jones
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 9:53 am Post subject: Re: Valkyrja Update |
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Hi Howy,
The wait is worth it to be able to hold what should be another Albion classic.
Thanks for the update.
Gerald Jones
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Greg Griggs
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 9:55 am Post subject: |
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Ahhh, Peter. Your artistic side never ceases to amaze me. I have no doubt that this is going to be one of those "special" pieces by the time you are done with it. It's a true pleasure seeing how you guys put it all together.
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
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Michal Plezia
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 10:21 am Post subject: |
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 wow...This sword will be outstanding!I can't wait!
www.elchon.com
Polish Guild of Knifemakers
The sword is a weapon for killing, the art of the sword is the art of killing. No matter what fancy words you use or what titles you put to
it that is the only truth.
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Jeremy V. Krause
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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looks really nice,
I am waiting for when the hilt is done in bronze and we can see some difference in the patination between the raised and un-raised portions. I think that this will be the key to the beauty of this piece. Bronze is such a neat metal. . . [/i]
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Hugo Voisine
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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Man, this sword is going to be sooooo cool... can't wait to see it in steel...
« Que dites-vous ?... C'est inutile ?... Je le sais !
Mais on ne se bat pas dans l'espoir du succès !
Oh ! non, c'est bien plus beau lorsque c'est inutile ! »
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Mark Morris
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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Peter,
Thanks very much for taking the time to document and share your beautiful work!
This piece looks like it is going to be magnificent!
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Mark Morris wrote: | Peter,
Thanks very much for taking the time to document and share your beautiful work!
This piece looks like it is going to be magnificent! |
Let me echo the same sentiments to Peter. I was going to type out basically the same thing but you beat me to it 
I love these types of step-by-step photo documentation.
Cheers
.:. Visit my Collection Gallery :: View my Reading List :: View my Wish List :: See Pages I Like :: Find me on Facebook .:.
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David Stokes
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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are there plans to offer this in bronze?
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Brian Kent
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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Gotta love those mad carving skills! Very nice work.
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Jeremiah Swanger
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| Posted: Fri 17 Aug, 2007 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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| David Stokes wrote: | | are there plans to offer this in bronze? |
I second that question, though I certainly don't doubt that steel would look great in and of itself...
"Rhaegar fought nobly.
Rhaegar fought valiantly.
Rhaegar fought honorably.
And Rhaegar died."
- G.R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire
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Peter Johnsson
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sat 18 Aug, 2007 12:52 am Post subject: |
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Hey guys,
Thanks for all comments and questions.
The hilt is going to be cast in bronze. This sword will never be offered with steel hilt components. The original is cast in bronze and the style of carving was only possible at the time with lost wax casting, just like we use today. If the hilt had been in steel, you would have expected engraved lines with inlays of other metals and niello, or possibly a punched decoration. Not this kind of three dimensional sculpting.
Relief decoration of some depth seems to be a thing of the late viking age and the transitional period right after. The Dybäck sword is almost like a cousin to the Sountaka sword, and there are finds of unattached hilt components with similar decorative style or method. Not many, but enough to show there was a fashion for sculpted cast hilts, that smack of the barouque.
The Dybäck sword is cast in silver and is partially gilded.
Now that would be a nice variant of the Sountaka sword....Hmmm. I wonder what the cost would be?
If you look at the Valkyrja page on Albion´s site, you can read about other details regarding this sword:
http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/ne...lkyrja.htm
Last edited by Peter Johnsson on Sat 18 Aug, 2007 2:49 am; edited 1 time in total
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Peter Johnsson
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sat 18 Aug, 2007 2:26 am Post subject: |
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Before I go on carving the background on all four faces of the hilt, I wanted to see what the three dimensional modelling of the dragon beasts might look like. Any adjustments in the design needs to be done at this stage.
A test of the mid portion looks like this. It is not what the final carving will look like, but it hints at what the final effect will be.
I also needed to see what effect polishing with soulution has on the edges of the shapes. It dissolves the surface of the wax and thereby rounds of sharp edges. This nees to be taken into account, especially as the details are smallish. I don´t want the dragon beasts to look worn and indistict, but they should have a slight rounding. The solution can be used in giving the right final rounding of the edges, and I needed to test how much it will affect the modelling.
A quick snapshot gives an idea of the effect. Bear in mind that wax reflects light a bit different than bronze. It is semi transculent in thin sections and so plays tricks on the eyes when small details are carved.
You might make out some scratches in the surface here and there. This illustrates the need to have well honed tools. Uneveness in the edge leads to fine lines scraped into the surface. It is laborious to remove such scratches without altering the shape.
Attachment: 56.15 KB
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David Stokes
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| Posted: Sat 18 Aug, 2007 9:30 am Post subject: |
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Thank you Peter!
heres the quote from the site:
The hilt fruniture is cast in solid bronze. The grip on the Valkyrja will be wood/leather rather than the hollow bronze grip mounted on the original, though a version with a bronze decorative grip may also be offered.
Must have missed that, so sorry...
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R D Moore
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| Posted: Sat 18 Aug, 2007 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Nathan Robinson wrote: | | Mark Morris wrote: | Peter,
Thanks very much for taking the time to document and share your beautiful work!
This piece looks like it is going to be magnificent! |
Let me echo the same sentiments to Peter. I was going to type out basically the same thing but you beat me to it
I love these types of step-by-step photo documentation.
Cheers |
Peter,
Please allow me to second these gentlemen's comments. Thank you.
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This is a standard topic