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Eric Hejdström




Location: Visby, Sweden
Joined: 13 Mar 2007

Posts: 184

PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 6:31 am    Post subject: My new dagger!         Reply with quote

I finally finished an project that's been going on for way too long. Started in january and finished yesterday after two months in a really cold workshop on a stable attic. I only have access to it on wedensday evenings a few hours every week so if it had been warmer and better workshop it would have been don in two days...

I've made all the parts myself, the blade was initially ground down with an anglegrinder really carefully to not mess up the steel and then I finished the shaping with a file. Handle was turned from a peice of laburnum wood and the balls shaped with knife and file. I punched the text "ave maria gratia plena" and a cross on the backplate and the front peice was also shaped wit a file from a flat bar of brass.

I'm not really satisfied with the result but being my first dagger I think it's okay. The blade turned out nicer than expected. Unfortunately the handle cracked on the other side which kinda pissed me off a bit. I managed to save it by putting glue in the crack and placing it carefully in a vice. I don't have any stats on it but it's quite comfortable in my hand. Total length is about 50cm. If the crack wouldn't have been there I'd be quite happy with it but I don't think it will take too long until I try to make a new one...

I apologise for the bad quality of the photos, kitchen lighting is not really ideal...



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Philip Montgomery




Location: Houston
Joined: 29 May 2008
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 6:41 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric,

It is beautiful. Wow!

Philip Montgomery
~-----~
"A broken sword blade fwipping through the air like a scythe through rye does demand attention."
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Philip Montgomery




Location: Houston
Joined: 29 May 2008
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Posts: 83

PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 6:49 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If you get a chance, I would like to know how thick the steel was to begin with and what kind of steel you used. I have made two seaxes from .25 inch ( 0.635 cm) thick 1095 steel, but I would like to make a blade similar to the style you made.

I am impressed by the pommel. I assume that is a brass. What do the letters means?

Philip Montgomery
~-----~
"A broken sword blade fwipping through the air like a scythe through rye does demand attention."
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Scott Hrouda




Location: Minnesota, USA
Joined: 17 Nov 2006
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 7:21 am    Post subject: Re: My new dagger!         Reply with quote

Eric Hejdström wrote:
...I'm not really satisfied with the result but being my first dagger I think it's okay...


"Okay", are you kidding us?! Eek! That is a very handsome weapon that anyone would be proud to hold. The detailing on the pommel / butt plate is nicely executed.

If this is your first piece, I can't wait to see your second, third, fourth... Happy

...and that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana shaped. - Sir Bedevere
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Jean Thibodeau




Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 8:02 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Well the photography is better than most even if you say it's not that great. Surprised Wink

Very nice looking knife and if the glue got in deep enough in the crack the handle should be almost as good structurally as if it hadn't cracked I think. Exclamation Question

Is it still very visible or just a hairline crack ? An aged original can easily have small cracks that don't substantially weaken the assembly, but I can understand that it's an irritant when the rest of the work looks so accomplished and made by professional maker: If you had named some well known makers as the " maker " we would have believed it. Wink Laughing Out Loud Cool

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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A.V. Dolan




Location: Tokyo
Joined: 24 Dec 2010

Posts: 14

PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 8:21 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The knife looks beautiful, and lethal, too.
Vincit qui se vincit
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Henry Russell




Location: Buckinghamshire, UK
Joined: 29 Dec 2010

Posts: 8

PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 9:34 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That's a beautiful weapon!

My only negative is that the wooden handle has a very prominent phallic look to it...

But then it is a knife.

'Men should either be treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injures - for heavy ones they cannot.'
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Nathan Robinson
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 9:42 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Henry Russell wrote:
My only negative is that the wooden handle has a very prominent phallic look to it...


It's supposed to. It's a ballock dagger. That's the entire intent of the style.

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Christian G. Cameron




Location: Toronto, Canada
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 10:50 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That dagger is inspiring.
Christian G. Cameron

Qui plus fait, miex vault

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Jack W. Englund




Location: WA State
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 11:11 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Christian G. Cameron wrote:
That dagger is inspiring.


IMHO = FANTASTIC !!

Jack
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Eric Hejdström




Location: Visby, Sweden
Joined: 13 Mar 2007

Posts: 184

PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 11:20 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks for all the kind words! I have made a simple dagger before but that was with an existing blade, this is my first attempt to make a dagger all by myself. I bought a nice pack of old wood that's been dried since late 80's so I'm quite well stocked on handle material at the moment. Only thing I still lack is a nice peice of boxwood. I punched the letters on the backplate with two ground down old screwdrivers. What you don't have you make...

Phillip M, The material was a peice of spring steel and 6x40mm. I don't know what that translates into in inches but I guess it's around 3/8 or something. I had to cut the bar in two halves first and then shape the blade.

Jean, The crack is on the backside in the photos. It reaches almost halfway through the handle and I'm just thankful it didn't go all the way this time. I guess I was a bit careless when I burned out the hole for the tang.
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Thom R.




Location: Tucson
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 12:00 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

thats beautiful. well done. thx for sharing. i love seeing people's own work like this. very inspirational for us fellow workshop hackers. I really like the punch work you did on the brass. tr
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Leo Todeschini
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Location: Oxford, UK
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 12:18 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I would hate for your first piece to be put next to mine - it would be far too embarrasing, so please don't use words like 'OK'.

That is a really nice piece for anyone to have made - professional or amatuer so really well done.

Tod

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Sean Flynt




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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 12:21 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That's gorgeous, Eric! I'm a little bit distracted by that hand-stitched jack behind it, though. Big Grin
-Sean

Author of the Little Hammer novel

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Eric Hejdström




Location: Visby, Sweden
Joined: 13 Mar 2007

Posts: 184

PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 1:11 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thom, I like sharing stuff! If something I made helps someone else to achive success in their craft I'm twice as happy!

Tod, very kind words since your stuff have been the main inspiration for me to make one myself. Much appreciated!

Sean; Thanks a lot! I promise to take more pictures of it when it's done. At the moment it still lacks the arms. It's made from four layers of linen cloth, two outer and two inner and raw cotton felt in between. All quilted down by hand. It's not really a jack, more of a gambeson.

Phillip M, Sorry, forgot to name the steel. I don't know if it has any international description, here it sells as SS2090 which is basically a quite strong spring steel.

I'll try to finish the sheath for the dagger soon and update with more pictures!

Thanks for the support all!

/Eric
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Jean Thibodeau




Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
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PostPosted: Thu 03 Mar, 2011 1:42 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric Hejdström wrote:

Tod, very kind words since your stuff have been the main inspiration for me to make one myself. Much appreciated!



At first glance I thought that Tod had made it as it looks very much like his work and very glad he liked it also so that what I am saying is a compliment to both of you: As with Tod's work it has that made in period look with hand tools and by eye for proportions and details ..... by eye, but a very good eye. Wink Big Grin Cool It certainly doesn't have the CNC machine look that just looks too perfect but neither does it look like careless work i.e. Mastercraftman in period look. Cool

( Note: I wouldn't write the above if I didn't mean it 100% )

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Eric Hejdström




Location: Visby, Sweden
Joined: 13 Mar 2007

Posts: 184

PostPosted: Fri 04 Mar, 2011 2:59 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean, thank you for your kind words! The respones you guys have given me have surely encouraged me to try new projects as soon as time allows it. I have two old spearheads that used to have welded on sockets that broke so I have been thinking of making something out of them too. And I still have that big Del tin blade lying in the workshop that needs a bit of attention.

Once again, thanks guys!
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Greg Ballantyne




Location: Maryland USA
Joined: 14 Feb 2011
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PostPosted: Fri 04 Mar, 2011 9:06 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric the dagger looks sweet indeed - I'd be very proud of it had I made as fine a thing as that
Henry the phallic look is where it gets its name - a Ballock Dagger
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Jason Daub




Location: Peace River, Alberta
Joined: 14 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Sat 05 Mar, 2011 10:22 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric,

The work is gorgeous, I would be happy to own that dagger. As for the crack, if you managed to close it to the point that it isn't visible, don't worry about it. Modern wood glues will make a join that is actually stronger than the wood.

'I saw young Harry, -with his bevor on,
His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly arm'd,-
Rise from the ground like feather'd Mercury,
And vaulted with such ease into his seat,
As if an angel dropp'd down from the clouds,
To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus,
And witch the world with noble horsemanship.'
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A. Heidalen Skog




Location: Norway
Joined: 07 Oct 2010

Posts: 51

PostPosted: Sat 05 Mar, 2011 2:12 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Time for some serious thrusting, yes? Razz
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