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 :)


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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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, :) :cool:
Jesse

If you didn't mention it was a paul chen godfred I would of said that was a nice custom piece :) 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.

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

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 :) 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

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

Very nice conversion! The original configuration looked pretty faux, and this improved version does a lot to dispel that.

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

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.

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.

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

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 :) 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 :)

Yours,

David

Get thee to a Dremel tool!

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

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.

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