Well, hope these are allowed in this forum, and be gentle :) I thought it turned out very well. I call it 'nearly finished' due to the fact it is 'blunt', it was originally intended to be a 'sharp', however it is already proving to be quite dangerous, so I am content to leave it a bit heavy for now in an attempt to save life and property. Those darn 'Tuetonic' (for lack of a better term) points on the cross are proving to be a real menace, and will certainly not make an appearance on any future blades. Please forgive me for poor photography.

It may be some what fantasy-esque, and it is in an unpolished state, however I like to think I put some real research into its construction; I'd call it an atypical Oakshotte XVIIIe or possibly XVIIIb. No doubt it has proven itself very tough, and imho reasonably manueverable. The cross is a bit soft, I'm considering attempting to harden it a bit. The blade has passed every abuse test I've thrown at it, including 55 gal barrels, the stump (edge and flat), 230# 'flex test' (allright, I was holding myself up a bit with my arms), and general bashing of a carpet pell amongst other things. I'd trust it for anything (right up until it breaks).

Specs:
Length: 51 1/4 inches (including pommel)
Hilt Length: 12 5/8 inch (including cross and pomell)
Weight: 3 lb, 10 oz
Thickness: 9/32 inch (at ricasso)
Width at ricasso: 1 inch
Width of Blade: 1 11/16 inch (lenticular)
Width at point: 5/8 inch (spatulate)
Point of Balance: 5 3/4 inch from cross
Center of Percussion: 25 3/8 inch from cross (harmonic node method?)
Temper certification@ 45-50RC
Hilt: Cord over hardwood (cottonwood actually)
Pommel: decorated disc type






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Hey, looks kick-ass to me. W

You actually made that from scratch? :eek: That's really cool. Welcome to the forum. :)

P.S. Perphaps you could share some details: type of steel used, equipment and methods of production, etc. :)

Very nice. A very beautiful sword even without polishing.

I like it......I like it a LOT. Damn fine job, friend! I bet it will cut like a beast. Review! Review! ...........mcm.

Construction details are not a secret, though they may prove embarrasing. I simply drafted it out on a good CAD program (SolidWorks), refined until I felt it was 'right'; determined by a LOT of reading about modern reproductions and their historic counterparts, of which www.myArmoury.com was the biggest influence, and help. And then a 7inch angle grinder and a tape measure and a Mk I Eyeball until weight distribution and 'feel' (wholly subjective) were about where I wanted it. Then packed up and sent off to a very friendly heat treatment outfit in Michigan (though I'm not sure if they normally do this sort of thing), who are really the ones that turned it into a 'sword'. Blade (and full tang) are of 5160 from the Admiral. The pommel is actually a section of 1000rpm power take-off shaft (it is HARD, I would estimate it at 60RC), which is what makes the nice (imho) spline effect. Cross-guard is unhardened 1/4"x1/2" steel from a local dealer, welded and ground to shape.

It will cut milk jugs quite nicely even in the blunt stage, but it really shines in the thrust; it was intended as a harness fighter from the mid- to late 15th century. To date it has punctured a surprising menagerie of what I thought would be 'hard' steel. However the same experience from the things it Wouldn't penetrate give a very good insight into why plate armour was still effective. If, and when, I get it sharpened down to final shape, I expect I will be a touch more delicate with it.

It has two serious defects, one on the blade (coincidentally nearly right at the CoP) where I made a grievous mistake with the grinder (its only slightly visible here, but it looks almost exacactly like a 'nick', that is being sharpened out of it, which in effect is what it is). The other being the 'soft' guard of which I am not happy with; it should definitely be of a harder steel because of the thin quillons (term?).

I wouldn't consider the nick in the blade to be too serious of a problem. There are plenty of swords in museums that have all sorts of marks of wear-and-tear and repair on them that seem to have been used afterwards. I would look at it as adding character to the sword. From you description it doesn't sound like it has caused any problems with the handling and functionality of the sword.

Anyway, just my two cents, hope it's encouraging... Alex

Thanks, Cole. Your sword is even more impressive now, given the tools you used :eek: . That old Mk I Eyeball is a real handy tool :p :lol: . A bit of polishing and a nice piece of leather over the cord on the grip (and sharpening, of course), and you'll be done. Actually, you could bead blast the blade, if you don't want it shiny, which would even up the finish to a nice even matte. Just a thought. As far as the guard, hmmm...have you thought of case hardening? Anyway, please keep us informed on any further work you do on this piece. I've been hesitant to start any projects of my own (actually, lazy is a better word :lol: ), but your work is a real inspiration. Thanks. :)

EditP.S. I use Kasenit and a propane torch on my flintlock hammers, and it seems to work very well.

Excellent ideas, I actually have a small sandblaster that I never use, and I would definitely prefer a 'dull' finish (this is in fact why it hasn't been polished yet). And I am completely ignorant on case-hardening, however you have already inspired an internet search, results are looking very promising,both in quality and in finish.

Cole, I can tell you right now that sandblasting the blade will give it a smooth dull gray finish that can easily be polished back. It also opens the grain of the steel, just in case you might want to age the blade. Blasting also takes care of a LOT of scratch marks. I have done this to several blades that I have made, and the results are good looking and unique. I have a Bowie that I blasted, polished, blasted again, aged, and then restored. It looks about 150 years old, exactly the way I hoped it would. A professional, high-psi sandblaster will do a lot better job a lot quicker though. If anyone in your area has a blasting business, I doubt they would charge you over 10-15 dollars to do it. ............mcm.

Cole;

Oh, I think it's bead blasting that gives a nicer finish than the coarser Sandblasting. ( Uses very small glass beads instead of sand. I could be wrong about my facts, but worth looking into. )

That sword should look much better when the random direction scratches are removed or dulled down.

Good work, keep it up. :D

Congrads! You can tell you put a lot of work and thought into this piece. Keep at it!