[Matthew Parkinson]

Swords Through the Centuries Hammer-In
The Dark Ages
Hosted by Falling Hammer Productions & Dragon's Breath Forge
October 18th, 9:00AM-9:00PM and October 19th, 10:00AM-4:00PM

The "Swords Through the Centuries Hammer-In" is an annual event geared towards the art of bladesmithing. In an effort to promote the study of this craft, Falling Hammer Productions/ Dragon's Breath Forge has decided to bring together noted experts in bladesmithing, medieval combat, and collectors of period pieces for the benefit of the blade enthusiast community.

THIS YEAR'S DEMONSTRATIONS:
Blacksmithing demonstrations by distinguished smiths, scholars, artisans, including:

Pattern welding demonstrations by J.D. Smith, an American Bladesmithing Society Master Bladesmith and instructor at Peter's Valley Crafts School, Penland Craft School, and Massachusetts College of Art. At the 2013 Hammer-In J.D's demonstration of fluxless welding was nothing short of mindblowing, and we are expecting another great demo this year. J.D's plan is to pattern and weld a large and unique Seax blade through a combination of old and new techniques. The Seax as a whole will be a collaboration of J.D., Matthew Parkinson, Jesus Hernandez, and Jamie Lundell.

Jesus Hernandez, a noted bladesmith, will be performing an iron smelt (from ore to workable bar) over the course of the weekend. Jesus has worked with several different smelting techniques, so this will be a rare opportunity to watch an iron smelt that would not have been out of place in Dark Ages Europe while being able to discuss how this process compares to similar process from around the world and throughout history.

Demonstration of lost wax bronze casting using straightforward techniques by Daniel Riccio, a widely accomplished metal artist and teacher of metalwork at Central Connecticut State University. Daniel is planning to do what is called a "gravity pour", which is very similar to the techniques that would have been used in Dark Ages Europe and in many other parts of the world. Along with the pour itself, Daniel will be showing some of the techniques of sprues and vents that help create a successful casting.

A demonstration and lecture on Viking-era fighting techniques by noted scholar William Short. Bill will be joined by an instructor and students from Hurstwic. The plan is that there will be a short lecture on and demonstration of Viking weapons and fighting techniques followed by an opportunity for some attendees to take part in a hands on training session.

We are also very grateful that Justin Mercier has volunteered to display and discuss his impressive collection of original Viking weapons. Items such as these are rarely found outside a museum, and the opportunity to see these in person is not to be missed.

The second part of the Seax collaboration will be Matthew Parkinson of Dragon's Breath Forge demonstrating silver inlay in metal. Last year Mace Vitale did an excellent demo on how to inlay silver wire into wood, and this year Matt will be showing the related technique while decorating fittings for the Collaboration Seax.

Peter Swarz-Burt of Dragon's Breath Forge will also be doing a variation on his 2013 wootz demo. Peter will once again be firing three crucibles, but this time the goal will be to create something more closely related to the crucible steel that was used in the now-famous Ulfbert swords. One crucible will be a direct reduction from ore to steel, one will be a carburization of a portion of Jesus' iron bloom, and the final crucible will be Peter's "standard" wootz mix. The results could be spectacular...or a spectacular failure, but either way it will be educational!

http://dragonsbreathforge.com/hammerin.html for registration info

[Shahril Dzulkifli]

Too bad there are no photos at the Swords Through the Centuries Hammer-in 2 months ago.
At least I would like to know how the event looks like.