[Benjamin Rial]

Here's the latest custom piece I finished recently for a local customer.
I forged the blade from 5160, about 52 rockwell c on the edge and a 46 through the spine with the tang drawn down to around 38. Guard and pommel are both 1020 mild steel forged to shape. Grip on this one is a white oak core with red leather wrap over light ribbing. Overall length is 43.5", blade length is 35" with a width of 2.25" and a thickness at the guard of 0.20". Distal taper to 0.115" at 1" from tip. Fuller was forged in. Scabbard is aspen core with leather wrap and nickel chape and locke. Furniture is blued to customer request. Weight of the piece without the scabbard is 3 lbs. 6 oz.
Myself, I would have preferred a wheel pommel with a recessed center, but the pear shape seems okay too.
Thanks for looking. Comments and questions welcome.

[Kai Lawson]

That looks great! I really like that red color, it's not too intense or bright.

Lovely job

[Daniel Wallace]

the blueing stands out to me, that's chemical blueing isn't it?

[Benjamin Rial]

Thanks for the compliments guys!
Yes that is chemical blueing. Good ol' Oxpho Blue from Brownells. The guard came out nice and dark like the pommel but the sunlight makes it look a little fainter in some of the shots.
I'm pretty happy with how the red turned out. Normally I'm not much of a red fan but I'm okay with this. If I had my choice I would have mounted a wheel pommel as opposed to the pear, but its okay.

[J. Hargis]

Hello Benjamin, you said:

[Benjamin Rial]

Hi Jon, Thanks for the kind words.
This is a from scratch piece, one of my blades. It actually handles quite well, though I realize that is a subjective comment from the guy who made it, so take it as you will. I must say that it is lively and some test cutting revealed that it is indeed an efficient cutter. It is basically lenticular in cross-section after the fuller. I say basically because it has an ever so slight peak, but is rounded enough to be more or less lenticular. It is not my preferred style of sword for wielding; I generally prefer and type XV/XVa, XVIIIa, or XVIa. Despite its weight, it is very fluid for me and tracks well in the cut. Recovery was reasonably quick and multiple cuts were not taxing.

[J. Hargis]

Benjamin,

Thanks for specifics on the blade, It certainly looks as good as you described. Plus, thanks for your experience with the sword's handling characteristics.

Obviously you design a piece with the desired characteristics in mind before hand. However, do you find a little re-working of the sword after assembling all the parts to be common? Or do you usually nail it straight away?

Regards, Jon

[Neil Gagel]

The blade kinda looks like the H/T GSOW blade... maybe shortened a bit. I could be wrong through.

[Benjamin Rial]

Thanks for the kind words Jon.
Generally I have a pretty good idea how things are going to work out once the design and rough dimensions are established. Throughout the finishing process I'll tweak the dimensions a little if necessary to achieve the desired handling characteristics. Most of the swords I make are longswords with fairly similar dimensions, whether it is a Hanwei/Tinker blade that I am using or one of my own. I am particularly fond of longswords, as I said previously, so these days I'm usually pretty spot on. For other blade designs, such as this one, I usually make the rough pommel and guard a little heavier to begin with and then after heat treating the blade, I'll temporarily assemble it a few times while I play with the guard and pommel weights to get it where I want it.

Hello Neil,
I'm not sure if Tinker had the same inspiration as I did, but I modeled this blade after the very nice XIIIa.9 in ROMS. I am flattered by the comparison, for I admire Tinker's work, this however is not a Hanwei/Tinker blade. I use Hanwei/Tinker bare blades, mostly the Early Medieval Sword, Longsword, and fullered Bastard Sword for some of the more inexpensive models of swords on my site, but all custom orders, such as this one, are personally hand made (forged, ground, heat-treated, polished) by me.

[Dan Dickinson]

So to set the record straight, all parts of your customs (i.e. this and the Defender Longsword) and their scabbards are made from scratch by you?
Thanks,
Dan

[Benjamin Rial]

Hello Dan.
Setting the record straight? Wasn't aware there was any confusion...

But yes, for further edification, the Defender is made entirely by me, as was this custom piece. I have used some purchased parts on other custom pieces, but this is always discussed with and approved by the customer, and the price varies accordingly. Some parts are easier to purchase; some types of parts, such as intricate scabbard fittings, are currently beyond my skill with them; I haven't had time to spend on them. The majority of my years of smithing have been on blades and particularly the forging of high-alloy tool steels for knives and daggers such as D2, M2, ATS34, etc.

Virtually every time I have used a purchased part, it is used as a basis for further modification and customization.

I hope this clarifies things and I welcome any and all questions.

[Mike O'Hara]

Hi All

To add a little to this thread (I hope) I have a blunt falchion used for I.33 that Ben made for me. It is entirely forged by him.

The sword is based on the image of the Archangel Michael and the dragon and in the right light you can see the hammer marks on the beautifully worked hilt. This is something I and my WMA colleagues have favorably commented on - it is obviously made by a smith rather than machined. I personally value that.

We are already planning the sharp version of this falchion and I suspect it will be a gem of a cutter.

cheers

mike