[Joseph E.]

99% complete with my stock removal La Tene III-inspired sword. Started out as a 1.5" x 1/4" mild steel flat bar. Cut out blank using a cut-off wheel on an angle grinder and a metal blade on my circular saw.

Guard plate is cold forged, as are the brass fittings. Wood guard, grip and pommel are riveted (relatively rare for my target period, but practical considering my inexperience) as well as tang-peened on. Guard and pommel are black walnut, white ash for the grip.

Went with a lenticular cross section with almost no distal taper because it is period-correct, and the more common tapering, diamond or hollow ground La Tenne II versions are more complex than I wanted to take on with a first attempt. I got impatient toward the end though, so I have some minor grinding to do to make it truly lenticular throughout, instead of very slightly hexagonal.

A little grinding, polishing, and then a period-inspired scabbard. Its pictured here with my homemade oval Celtic shield and a homemade javelin.

There are several flaws, including a slightly wavy surface due to heavy grinding, hammer marks, minor pitting in the steel blank, some asymmetry in the furniture, and a linear crack in the grip that occurred while peening the tang, but since I was going for a sword for a lower member of Celtic warrior nobility, I find some flaws acceptable, especially in an experimental virgin attempt. I also heavily distressed my shield, with lots of dents, hack marks and dried blood spatter, so some matching minor cosmetic battle damage to the sword may be forthcoming.





Thanks for looking!

[Jake Wilson]

The sword looks great. I assume it's a migration era sword? What are the pins in the grip? Is that typical of the period? I assume those are rivets. I am working on a viking sword myself. I hate power tools, so I'm actually in the process of cutting the fuller with sandpaper. Slow but it works. I am curious as to your tang/pommel pein. How did that go? Did you pein the tang cold or hot? How much height did you leave above the pommel to then pein into the pommel?

Any info would be appreciated. Was it tricky or relatively easy to do???

Anyway, nice sword.

Later.

[C. Gadda]

Very nice! And the mild steel is probably not all that far off from some of the originals (some were higher carbon or had high phospherous content for hardness, but some had very little carbon content)

I took the same cross section approach for the two La Tene style swords I've done thus far, though one is an ex-leaf spring and the other 5160 steel I got through a knife shop.

I like your shield, too. Very well executed.

[Joseph E.]

[Joseph E.]