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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional
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 Posted: Wed 27 Sep, 2006 2:38 am Post subject: Bronze age dagger reproduction |
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I'd like to show off one of my latest and most favourite reproductions. It's a reproduction of and Irish style bronze age dagger and scabbard. The dagger is from the period where the first daggers started to get sword lengths in Ireland and the UK (similar to this one, but stretched out greater lengths). So in that respect it belongs to the ancestors of swords in this region.
More information and photos can be found at SFI:
http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72107
 Attachment: 97.88 KB
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Geoff Wood
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| Posted: Wed 27 Sep, 2006 4:09 am Post subject: |
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Very nice! Do you have any pictures of the blade before hilt assembly?
Geoff
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Wed 27 Sep, 2006 4:32 am Post subject: |
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Not of this one, but here is a photo of a blade from the same mould direct after casting:
http://1500bc.com/bronzeage/bronzes/grooved_d...2006_2.jpg
After casting, the feed, flash are removed and the blade is polished. The cutting edge is hardened by cold-working, and extra decorative lines are hammered in the first groove next to the midrib.
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Geoff Wood
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| Posted: Wed 27 Sep, 2006 6:20 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Jeroen
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Torsten F.H. Wilke
Location: Irvine Spectrum, CA Joined: 01 Jul 2006
Posts: 250
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| Posted: Wed 27 Sep, 2006 9:38 am Post subject: |
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Nice work, Jeroen. I was curious as to what historical methods would have been used to make such moulds. Was a lost wax type method used, or were both halves just chiseled/worked out to final shape? And also, how would that bronze have been obtained back then?
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Patrick Kelly
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| Posted: Wed 27 Sep, 2006 11:41 am Post subject: |
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Thank you for the photo. I'm hugely intrigued by bronze age weapons and yours is a nice one.
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Wed 27 Sep, 2006 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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It certainly looks very interesting. Especially given that we see fewer bronze reproductions.
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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Steve Grisetti
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| Posted: Wed 27 Sep, 2006 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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Beautiful work, Jeroen. Your example inspires me to add another item to my "must do/have" list.
"...dismount thy tuck, be yare in thy preparation, for thy assailant is quick, skilful, and deadly."
- Sir Toby Belch
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Thu 28 Sep, 2006 1:24 am Post subject: |
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| Torsten F.H. Wilke wrote: | | Nice work, Jeroen. |
Thanks!
| Quote: | | I was curious as to what historical methods would have been used to make such moulds. Was a lost wax type method used, or were both halves just chiseled/worked out to final shape? |
In case of these daggers, the moulds were made from stone such as soapstone. So they made two flat slabs of stone (the most difficult and time consuming part!), and then carved out the shape of the dagger in mould half. The mould of a nearly identical dagger has actually been found as well. Clay mould only survive from the middle bronze age onwards, and were usually two part (sometimes with core for socketed casts), sometimes with an outer wrapping. Lost wax was probably used in the bronze age, but rarely. Instead of wax, lead was used more often for investment casting (mostly during the late bronze age).
| Quote: | | And also, how would that bronze have been obtained back then? |
From copper and tin ores, which occur in mountainous areas, and were either mined, or dug from the surface. The tin ore is the most difficult to find, and only occurs in a few places in Europe. The smelting process is quite similar to iron smelting, though the main difference is that the metal does melt in the process, and you get a pure metal directly from the furnace. The copper and tin you melt together, and cast into the mould.
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Shane Allee
Industry Professional
Location: South Bend, IN Joined: 29 Aug 2003
Posts: 506
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| Posted: Thu 28 Sep, 2006 7:06 am Post subject: |
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Great job Jeroen....
So what do you have plans for next?
If I hadn't just started a La Tene III kit this would probably have had me digging through the bronze age book section at Notre Dame.
Shane
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Fri 29 Sep, 2006 3:12 am Post subject: |
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| Shane Allee wrote: | Great job Jeroen....
So what do you have plans for next? |
You'll find out if I have success
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Fabrice Cognot
Industry Professional
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Mon 02 Oct, 2006 11:36 am Post subject: |
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| Fabrice Cognot wrote: | Nice work, Jeroen ! I know people here who'd be interested in seeing that Just don't forget to bring it along next year  |
That won't be possible, as it was part of a trade for a reproduction of a bronze age costume (on which the dagger is displayed). However, I've got several extra blades, so I can make more daggers, but I'd probably use a different combination of hilt materials.
| Quote: | | In general, what are the proportions of the various metals in the alloy you make ? |
Generally I aim at 10-12% tin and the rest copper, unless I know the exact composition. But early bronze age pieces are usually mostly copper, and for pieces such as socketed axes I sometimes add a small %age of lead (very rarely, as I value my health! ).
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This is a standard topic