hello every one I'm looking to buy a good type X sword that i can do some modifications on. I've worked on doing a double of rewraps and carving new grips for an old windlass Norwegian I've had for a while and i decided i want to do something start to finish on a new sword to really make it my own. I've had my eye on the H/T norman for a while now but if anyone has other good recommendations for a good blade to do this with it would be appreciated. my budget on this project is a little limited so i really want to salvage as much of the original hardware as i can or at least have a way to repurpose it to make something new. my main questions relate to blueing the hilt pieces and to working with the leather

-first what would be the best method for bluing the hilt and cross piece as well as a good bluing agent?
- what would be the bast way to remove the black finish on the sheath and grip?
-is the leather on the sheath suitable for tooling?

also a friend of mine has offered to let me use his shop to cast some of the parts out of bronze and I'm still on the fence of wether or not to do this since bronze is expensive and i not sure how i want the final design to look like and if it would be better served to have just a wooden slide and repurpose the standard steel chape or make them out of bronze so i was wondering if there are an designs that are left over from the 9th -11th century that have survived that i could base mine off of

Cold blue products are generally worthless. Hot bluing from companies like Brownells work well and you can use an old ammo can if the pieces aren't too big. Removing the black finish depends on what it is. A soak in MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) will remove most paints with a little work, but MEK is not good to breath so only in a well ventilated are. Naval jelly removes bluing, as does blue and rust removers.

I would check and see what a local gunsmith will charge for bluing. Bluing salts are fairly expensive, so it may be cheaper to have it done by someone else.

I've got the HT Norman and for the price it's a great little sword, basic but functional. I'm also planning on doing work on the grip and sheath this winter, but the sheath may do well with a full rebuild: on mine at least, the blade fits snugly near the mouth and stays in well, but down closer to the end it rattles a lot: it looks like they use the same scabbard for the Norman and Viking. I have 0 leatherworking experience so I couldn't tell you how suitable the leather is for tooling, just thought I'd put that out there that a whole scabbard rebuild might be in order depending on what you want. Or maybe, of course, it's just my particular sword that doesn't fit properly.

I can't say much about blueing on hilt parts, Never cared for it, myself. However, the H/T Norman would be a great project that I would love to follow the progress of. I used to own one, and they are great little swords. (I say 'little' because I'm used to longswords and two-handers.) The scabbards for these, as they come, are pretty cheapo. The leather on them is VERY thin, and tears easily. It would also be hard to do any hilt work, other than a grip re-do, on a Norman. The pommel is peened on, and would require quite a bit of effort to remove and reinstall. But, I think a nice custom grip re-wrap with risers and a total scabbard re-do would be way cool. The Norman is an all out 'bang for your buck' cutter.....a true weapon of utmost trust. Damn......now I'm gonna have to get a new one! :lol: .....................McM

Bear in mind that HT Norman hilt parts are some kind of chrome. I found that out years ago when I applied some gun bluing to them and nothing happened. I don't know if other methods will work with this type of metal.

Is that chrome the metal through and through, or is it just a plating that could be sanded off?

I believe it's just a plating, and a thin one at that. Just before I traded off my H/T/N ,there were spots coming through on the pommel that revealed 'natural steel'. I would have much preferred this finish. But......still a excellent sword, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a tough as hell backyard beater. Kult of Athena used to offer custom grip re-wraps.........not sure if they still do............but this sword begs for it. Aww hell..........I'm buying another one right now. Thanks a lot, guys! You just got me a night on the couch from the wife!.......... :lol: ............McM

I thought the furniture on the Hanwei/tinker line was all stainless steel.

I thought so too, Joel............But apparently not. I still recommend this sword. It's quality is excellent for the money, and it's way fun to play with. :D ............McM

I darkened the furniture on my Hanwei tinker longsword with linseed oil. I basically treated it like seasoning a cast iron pan. Wiped on the oil, hung it from wire in my stove at 500 F. Repeat. After 3 coats it had a turtle shell look, and after five it came out pretty blackened.

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Have you ever considered picking up an HT BARE BLADE? KOA has both the fullered and unfullered Bastard, and GSOW blade in stock at a pretty darn nice price :).

These are very GOOD blades for DIY work - I've built up several. Guard & pommel can be DIY (Bryan just built up a LOVELY Irish Ring Pommel Sword - see http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...;start=0), OR, you can seek the services of Ernie at Yeshua - an absolute MASTER craftsman, OR you could consider buying a guard/pommel set from DSA (they have a sale on these to benefit animals)...
https://darksword-armory.com/products-page/product-category/sword-fittings/


Scabbard? Why not try your hand at these :)....

http://findlithui.deanandsandy.dyndns.org:808...ter1.2.pdf
"Make a Poplar Scabbard Core with a Router"

http://findlithui.deanandsandy.dyndns.org:808...ore1.1.pdf
"Leather Wrap a Scabbard Core"

I tend to build non-traditional swords - but here is an example of what you could do with an HT bare blade:

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In doing this sort of thing, you would be exposed to a LOT of metal fitting (almost zero with anything from Ernie), grip making, scabbard core construction, leather work, potentially CHAPE fabrication, and just plain engineering (like "how do I pre-determine my sword's POB?")

thank you for all the advice information. thanks matt for an idea of blackening the parts like you would a cast iron pan i may try that though it may be hard since the parts are peened on ill try and post up the progress as i make it also does anyone know what kind of suspensions where used by the vikings of the 10 and 11th century?