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Kirk Lee Spencer




Location: Texas
Joined: 24 Oct 2003

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Posts: 820

PostPosted: Mon 20 Sep, 2004 7:52 pm    Post subject: Paul Chen Hanwei Godfred Redid         Reply with quote

Hey guys… (and gals)

I got a really good deal on a used Godfred Viking Sword last year. Some how I got a dark stain in the fuller and when I tried to rub it out I inadvertently botched the etching in that area. That set me off on a long series of redos…

The Blade:
First I reshaped the tip and ground away the secondary bevel, giving the edge geometry a smooth "appleseed" section. Then I took my die grinder and ground out the end of the fuller to match the geometry of the tip. After that, I used the diamond bit on my dremel tool and tried to change the etched “Damascus” in the fuller into a more authentic pattern welded look. Then I etched the whole blade to bring out the folded pattern, especially along the edges. Finally I coated the whole thing in mustard for about 20 minutes, wiped it off, let it darken over night and then lightened it all to a bluish gray with steel wool.

The Pommel and Guards:
I re-etched the guards and pommel to give a more topographic effect… But then I didn’t like the thickness of the upper and lower guard, so I ground the etching off and continued to grind away until I got a more authentic “boat” shape. With a diamond bit in my dremel, I cut a dot-like pattern in the center of the upper and lower guard and then re-etched to give a topographic effect. Finally I applied many coats of cold browning solution let it rust and then applied a thick coat of oil.

The Grip:
The grip was another comedy of errors. First I stabilize the original Godfred leather binding with super glue and tried to grind it down… No luck... it flaked off… So I stripped off all the leather and ground down the wood core. Then I covered the grip in leather… but I didn’t like it so I ripped it all off too. Then I remembered those period accounts in the sagas that speak of sword hilts “bound in silver.” I decided to buy some silver wire and wrap the grip. I used twisted copper with bronze and brass wire near the guards in an attempt to visually shorten the overlong Grip.

And now it is finished... Well as finished as any of my swords will ever be Happy


Here are the stats…

Weight: 2 pounds 1 ounce
Overall Length: 34.9 inches
Blade Length: 28.75 inches
Blade Width: 1.9 inches
Fuller: 0.75 inches
Guard Width: 3.5 inches
Grip & Pommel: 5.5 inches
Grip Length: 4.4 inches
Point of Balance: 4.3 inches from guard
Center of Percussion: 18 inches from guard


I have attached a few pictures…
You can find more here:

http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?s...post446925

ks



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GodfredAllMatrix.jpg


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GodfredHiltSide.jpg


Two swords
Lit in Eden’s flame
One of iron and one of ink
To place within a bloody hand
One of God or one of man
Our souls to one of
Two eternities
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Jesse Zinn




Location: NC (USA)
Joined: 17 Nov 2003

Posts: 91

PostPosted: Mon 20 Sep, 2004 8:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Paul Chen Hanwei Godfred Redid         Reply with quote

Kirk,
You are an inspiration, man! I love seeing your realizations.

If you're ever able to, you should take some photos of your entire "home improvements" collection!


Thanks for sharing, Happy Cool
Jesse

Jesse D. Zinn
North Carolina

“Hwæt wé Gár-Dena in geár-dagum
þéod-cyninga þrym gefrúnon,
hú ðá æþelingas ellen fremedon."
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Eric Bergeron




Location: New Hampshire
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
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PostPosted: Mon 20 Sep, 2004 10:19 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If you didn't mention it was a paul chen godfred I would of said that was a nice custom piece Happy but i'm just amazed at what you did its like a totally different sword, my hats off to you for such a stellar job.
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Robert W. Betten




Location: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 23 Aug 2003

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Posts: 150

PostPosted: Mon 20 Sep, 2004 11:41 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I myself have an old godfred and have been getting the itch to re-do the whole thing including extending the fuller into the hilt. Kirk your amazing re-vamp is a true inspiration, I love what you've done with it and you should take on more projects for us to drool at in the future.

Thanks for posting such an amazing blade up...

Regards,
Robert.B

*!*
"If the people we love are taken from us,
the way they live on is to never stop loving
them. Buildings burn, people die, but real
love is forever."
- Sarah 'The Crow'
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David McElrea




Location: Canada
Joined: 26 Nov 2003

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Posts: 438

PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 2:57 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Kirk,

Others have said it, but you are, truly, an inspiration. The Godfred re-do is impressive both in its looks and in its "remanufacture". Reading the steps you've taken to get from "A" to "B", I can only wish I had given my metalwork class in High School more attention Happy Alas, I didn't... if old dogs can learn new tricks there may be hope for me yet.

Perhaps I can second Jesse's request-- we'd love to see some more of your work.

Yours,

David
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David McElrea




Location: Canada
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PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 3:04 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Kirk,

By the way, what size of wire do you use and how do you twist it? While I can't be sure, it looks like you have two different types of "twist"(?) -- I have tried, but it always looks very uneven.

Cheers,

David
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Björn Hellqvist
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Location: Sweden
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PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 9:51 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Very nice conversion! The original configuration looked pretty faux, and this improved version does a lot to dispel that.
My sword site
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Kirk Lee Spencer




Location: Texas
Joined: 24 Oct 2003

Spotlight topics: 6
Posts: 820

PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 12:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Paul Chen Hanwei Godfred Redid         Reply with quote

Jesse Zinn wrote:
Kirk,
You are an inspiration, man! I love seeing your realizations.

If you're ever able to, you should take some photos of your entire "home improvements" collection!


Thanks for sharing, Happy Cool
Jesse


Thanks so much Jesse...

I will try to get a group shot sometime soon.

ks

Two swords
Lit in Eden’s flame
One of iron and one of ink
To place within a bloody hand
One of God or one of man
Our souls to one of
Two eternities
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Kirk Lee Spencer




Location: Texas
Joined: 24 Oct 2003

Spotlight topics: 6
Posts: 820

PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 12:23 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric, Robert and Bjorn...

Thanks so much for the encouragement.
The Godfred viking is light and has good proportions to start with... With the new grip it feels really good in the hand... more like a big knife rather than a sword.

ks

Two swords
Lit in Eden’s flame
One of iron and one of ink
To place within a bloody hand
One of God or one of man
Our souls to one of
Two eternities
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Sean Flynt




Location: Birmingham, Alabama
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PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 12:26 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Lovely, as usual!

Wire twisting: I've had good, even and fast results by inserting a bent piece of metal coathanger in my electric drill socket, doubling a single strand of wire and securing one end of the loop around a nail in my workbench, the other in the crook of the coathanger/bit, then just running the drill. Beading wire from the craft store is fine if you don't want antiqued effects. It's tough to find plain steel wire in different sizes, though. Home improvement stores sell little rolls of plain, blackened steel wire of around 18 gauge. It's a bit too thick for creating twisted strands.

-Sean

Author of the Little Hammer novel

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Hammer-Sean-Flynt/dp/B08XN7HZ82/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+hammer+book&qid=1627482034&sr=8-1
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Kirk Lee Spencer




Location: Texas
Joined: 24 Oct 2003

Spotlight topics: 6
Posts: 820

PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 12:43 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

David McElrea wrote:
Kirk,

By the way, what size of wire do you use and how do you twist it? While I can't be sure, it looks like you have two different types of "twist"(?) -- I have tried, but it always looks very uneven.

Cheers,

David



Hi David...

It's good to have you back... Happy been missing your posts Sad .

I believe the wire was about 20 gauge...
Somewhere between 1 and 1.5 millimeters in diameter. The copper wire I bought from the local hardware store and just stripped off the plastic coating. Make sure you get solid copper wire and not the fine twisted kind.
The bronze, brass and silver I bought off the internet.

Learning to twist the wire was interesting.
I started by taking a single strand of wire putting one end in the vise and the other end in my electric drill...
I began twisting it slowly thinking it would twist into nice even kinks. No luck, it just got thinner and broke.

So I slept on it... and realized that it is not "twisted wire" it is "twisted wires" Dah....
So I took a long piece of copper wire about 6 foot long and bent it in the middle with two strands about three feet long...
I put the bent end into the vise. I bent over the other two loose ends and forced them into the chuck on my electric drill and tightened it down as much as I could. I then held it very taunt and very slowly let the drill twist the two wires together. I twisted them to the point where it broke.

I then repeated the process but this time I set the direction of the drill in the opposite direction. When you lay these two twist wire next to each other it creates a beautiful herringbone pattern often seen inlayed into the hilts of Viking swords.

The trick to getting an even twist is to go slow and even on the power and keep it taunt. To get the same degree of twist I would hold the first twisted wire next to the second as it is forming and stop when they match.

I experimented using three strands one of bronze one brass and one copper... it looked like a series of beads... a little too busy for my taste.

I also tried using copper wires of different diameters... it looks really nice but not sure how authentic it would be on migration or viking era swords.

As for different types of twists... It might appear that way because I have ground off the herring bone sets closest to the silver wire. I did that to try to play down the decorative ends to the grip... It seems a bit too much. I you check the link to the home improvements forum on SFI given in my first post you can see the other herringbone sets before I ground them down. Also the silver wire is not twisted it is simply wrapped around the grip and epoxied in place. I roughed it up a little after I finished and it made it look as though it were twisted.


Thanks for the kind words on the Godfred.

ks

Two swords
Lit in Eden’s flame
One of iron and one of ink
To place within a bloody hand
One of God or one of man
Our souls to one of
Two eternities


Last edited by Kirk Lee Spencer on Tue 21 Sep, 2004 12:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Kirk Lee Spencer




Location: Texas
Joined: 24 Oct 2003

Spotlight topics: 6
Posts: 820

PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 12:47 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Sean Flynt wrote:
Lovely, as usual!

Wire twisting: I've had good, even and fast results by inserting a bent piece of metal coathanger in my electric drill socket, doubling a single strand of wire and securing one end of the loop around a nail in my workbench, the other in the crook of the coathanger/bit, then just running the drill. Beading wire from the craft store is fine if you don't want antiqued effects. It's tough to find plain steel wire in different sizes, though. Home improvement stores sell little rolls of plain, blackened steel wire of around 18 gauge. It's a bit too thick for creating twisted strands.


Hi Sean...
You posted while I was writing my post... Seems we are on the same page. I never thought about making a loop with a coat hanger... Great idea!
Thanks
ks

Two swords
Lit in Eden’s flame
One of iron and one of ink
To place within a bloody hand
One of God or one of man
Our souls to one of
Two eternities
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Sean Flynt




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PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 1:12 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

LOL! I had exactly the same first experience with the twisted wire. Thinner, thinner, thinner...SNAP! Slept on it and figured it out. I bet you rolled your eyes and smacked your forehead, too, when you saw the solution. Other epiphanies:
• The amount of wire needed for a twisted wire grip is astonishing, not to mention the amount of linear physical space required to twist a strand long enough for a grip.
• Like you, I found that the trickiest part of the herringbone is getting the identical amount of twisting in the second set of strands so that the "peaks" of the strands match. I did exactly as you did, using the first strand as a guage.
Still, you get a lot of bang for your buck with this technique, and it's actually kind of fun. If I could tie a Turk's Head knot, I'd make a wire grip for my 17th c. replica.

-Sean

Author of the Little Hammer novel

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Hammer-Sean-Flynt/dp/B08XN7HZ82/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+hammer+book&qid=1627482034&sr=8-1
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Kirk Lee Spencer




Location: Texas
Joined: 24 Oct 2003

Spotlight topics: 6
Posts: 820

PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 1:24 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hi Sean...

I agree about the amazing length of wire needed to cover a grip... the first time I bought sterling silver wire I guestimated and then added a little more just to be sure. When I began to wind the grip I knew I was in trouble about halfway when I had used much more than half my silver wire... So had to order another longer strand. But I have lots of silver wire for my other projects.

ks

Two swords
Lit in Eden’s flame
One of iron and one of ink
To place within a bloody hand
One of God or one of man
Our souls to one of
Two eternities
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David McElrea




Location: Canada
Joined: 26 Nov 2003

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Posts: 438

PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 1:49 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Dear Kirk and Sean,

Thanks for your posts-- my mistake is I tried to do it by hand using nothing but fingers and pliers. All I ended up with was an uneven "weave" and sore fingers Happy I guess it's time to invest in a vise anyway!

Seriously, though, thanks for trailblazing for those of us who are industrially impaired-- I am embarrassed to say I would likely have never thought of using the drill. Ah well...

And Kirk, it's good to be back Happy

Yours,

David
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Sean Flynt




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PostPosted: Tue 21 Sep, 2004 2:11 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Get thee to a Dremel tool!
-Sean

Author of the Little Hammer novel

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Hammer-Sean-Flynt/dp/B08XN7HZ82/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+hammer+book&qid=1627482034&sr=8-1
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Bob Burns




Location: South Indianapolis IN
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PostPosted: Fri 14 Apr, 2006 3:11 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hi Kirk, you have a very handsome talent and I always look forward to seeing your latest conversion. It's easy to see that this is a labor of love and a passionate hobby for you. Which as my wife says is a "gift" and I am one of the lucky husbands who has a wife that has this attitude for my new found interest and passionate hobby for swords and medieval weaponry. All she asks is that I try to be responsible with money, which is only being mature and responsible. She admires my collection and selection of swords.
Anyway, got a bit off track there, but she has admired your photography, especially what you did with that Irish sword in transforming it and then in the manner that you photographed it. Like yourself, photography is a hobby of hers which goes along with her main hobby of gardening.

Very nice piece of work you did on this Godfred Viking Sword!


Bob
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Sam Barris




Location: San Diego, California
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PostPosted: Fri 14 Apr, 2006 7:23 am    Post subject: Re: Paul Chen Hanwei Godfred Redid         Reply with quote

Kirk Lee Spencer wrote:
Some how I got a dark stain in the fuller…


I do hope you hid the body... Wink

And wow! I have an old Godfred myself and I must say that you've done wonders with it! It looks like an antiqued, pattern-welded custom blade.

Most impressive...

Pax,
Sam Barris

"Any nation that draws too great a distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools." —Thucydides
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Mike Luke




Location: Nevada
Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Posts: 19

PostPosted: Fri 14 Apr, 2006 5:04 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Ok I know were not supposed to use bad words but in this case I'm going to.

Dam that's nice truly a great transformation. Makes me wish I kept mine and sent it to you.
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Bob Burns




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PostPosted: Fri 14 Apr, 2006 5:07 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I was going over to Kult of Athena this morning to buy the Godfred Viking Sword. Well, I went over there this morning and bought it, and bang for the buck I really like it, although of course the hilt is nowhere near as nice as yours.
I am going to take a basic stab at your hobby with my now broken at the hilt "Cold Steel" Grosse Messer, of which I went into the details of in another thread. I am going to cud down a few inches of the blade to make a tang and build a wood hilt but not sure what to do about the pommel yet. I have some gorgeous cocabola wood that I will use for the grip. I was a cabinet maker for 7 years and have a haul of tools, so this should be a fun learning project.
Someone told me they used to have the Paul Chen Hanwei "Godfred Viking Sword" and he had several reasons for not liking it and sold it. He tried warning me not to buy it, but he had bought his a number of years ago and from what I understand Hanwei had made a lot of improvements in the sword since then. I think it's a real nice sword for $294.95.

Sincerely,

Bob
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