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Radovan Geist




Location: Slovakia
Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Likes: 5 pages

Posts: 399

PostPosted: Fri 24 Oct, 2014 2:08 am    Post subject: DIY: Storta         Reply with quote

Last May Iīve made a bunch of blades for some future projects. They were hardened and tempered by a professional company, and Iīve received them back early September. So now a more exciting phase of the process has started Happy

Now, as the title of this thread indicates quite clearly, one of the blades was made for a "storta". The inspiration was taken from this original piece: http://d13z1xw8270sfc.cloudfront.net/origin/33233/p1010415.jpg

Basic stats for my blade: Length: 50 cm + 15 cm tang; width: 5 cm (close to hilt); the blade is 6mm thick at the base, tapering to 4mm in the middle and 3 mm close to tip. It is basically straight (the original is little curved), and the fullers are arranged differently (personal preference). The tang ended up to be a little beefy, I might cut from it when making the grip.

First two pictures show the blade as it arrived from hardening / tempering after some quick cleaning and then after a rough polish. Iīve started to work on a hilt, but did not take any pictures yet. More to come soon...



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Shahril Dzulkifli




Location: Malaysia
Joined: 13 Dec 2007
Likes: 1 page

Posts: 1,265

PostPosted: Sun 26 Oct, 2014 7:18 am    Post subject: DIY: Storta         Reply with quote

[ Linked Image ]
With the blade complete, the Storta now needs a handle.

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength”

- Marcus Aurelius
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Radovan Geist




Location: Slovakia
Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Likes: 5 pages

Posts: 399

PostPosted: Sun 26 Oct, 2014 11:48 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Happy sure it does.

Hereīs some progress after this weekend. The cross-guard / knuckle-bow was made from a 6*25mm bar of soft steel, cut to shape with an angle grinder. Then Iīve made a tang-hole, using the drill and hand-files. Thatīs what you see on picture 1.

After that Iīve flattened both ends with hammer (I wanted to have the ends some few mm thicker), and made the final shape with angle grinder and hand files, making some decorative file-work around the tang area. After that, a loop from the same soft steel has been welded to the cross, and the whole hilt was cleaned with files and sand paper. Thatīs picture 2.

Picture 3 shows it mounted to the blade, with quillons S-curved.

Pommel will be made from an iron sphere Iīve bought some time ago in a local hardware shop. Of course, it will need some re-shaping, but for a basic shape it fits the purpose perfectly. The last picture shows it with tang-hole drilled, mounted on the blade. Thatīs where I got last night.

All in all, Iīm quite happy how it handles. With POB some 4cm from the cross-guard itīs easily maneuverable and quite lively.



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Luka Borscak




Location: Croatia
Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Likes: 7 pages

Posts: 2,307

PostPosted: Mon 27 Oct, 2014 3:42 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Nice! Spherical pommels looks good with such wide blades...
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Radovan Geist




Location: Slovakia
Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Likes: 5 pages

Posts: 399

PostPosted: Mon 03 Nov, 2014 4:59 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks Luka, I completely agree on spherical pommels and wide blades.

Now, this project is almost finish. First, I have finished the pommel by making 8 narrow groves with hand files, and cleaning it with sand paper an a brass brush. Then, Iīve made a handle with core from some hard wood I had lying around, and a twisted wire wrap. After the final assembly, all was cleaned once again with brass brush to achieve a matt finish. Iīm attaching few pictures of the whole piece, and some details.

All in all, Iīm quite happy with it. The are some flaws which could have been avoided: the blade could have been a little longer, and the next time I will do something similar, I will surely make it with a slight curve; the finish of the pommel and cross-guard is not perfect, some file-marks are still visible, etc. On the other hand, Iīm really happy with the weld - after many failures and tries, I have finally achieved a weld which is clean and solid (at least, as much as I could judge from my "crash tests" - we will see when itīs put to use in stage combat). The storta looks massive, but itīs relatively well maneuverable and fast.

The last thing I still need to do is a scabbard. This will be something simple, with wooden core and (black) leather coating. I will post pictures when itīs finished.



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