The Craft
Some of my thoughts regarding the craft of swordsmithing
Contrary to popular belief, the European sword was an agile, well balanced,
properly sharpened and properly heat-treated blade. In order to produce a
sword that looks and handles like the real deal, one must have as much background
information as possible on that particular type of sword. The attributes to look
at are length, width, weight, blade thickness, centre of balance, harmonics and
distal taper. This can only be done by studying original items and gathering as much information
as possible from various sources of literature. By guaranteeing the accuracy of the sword's
attributes, the practitioner of western martial arts can feel confident that his sword will
handle just as well as the antique it is based upon.
Quite obviously serious practitioners use their swords quite seriously (bad joke). This
means that a sword must be able to take punishment. A good start is the use of good quality steel.
Next is proper heat treatment. A sword is pretty much useless for the rough stuff if
it has not been hardened and tempered properly, regardless of the quality of the steel.
A comm2on hidden flaw on production swords is a half tang with a round rod welded on at the end. Sometimes
the entire tang is quite feeble. Click here
for picture.
This always lead to trouble, espescially after a few bad cuts. Thus the tang needs to be sturdy,
namely by being forged as an extension of the blade. Another related mistake is the round hole
drilled through the pommel to fascilitate the round rod that might be welded on. Eventually the
pommel will loosen and twist. A properly pierced pommel will have a rectangular opening at the
base and a reduced hole at the top. Sometimes the shoulder slots of the guard are too shallow
and this could lead to the guard coming loose over time. A proper shoulder slot should be deep
and fit snugly. Click here for pictures.
Along with the solidly fitted guards and pommels, the grip of the sword should always receive as
much attention as the rest of the sword. A good type of wood, along with the various ways of
reinforcing it, will prevent a grip from disintegrating after a few heavy cuts.
In the end, the crafting of a sword is something that should always be approached with respect and
understanding, knowing that it is well worth the extra effort when the owner is satisfied with a
properly made item.
Anyway, I should get back to the forge.
Take care
Nostro.
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