Swordsmithing

Actually, it is that easy. It helps to have some equipment though. I learned to hammer weld by watching someone do it once. The learning process took all of five minutes. I've been refining the technique for fifteen years, but the learning was a snap. If you have normal color vision in the red/yellow range and can consistently hit a postage stamp size target with a hammer, you can be welding in twenty minutes. It's all about temperature equals color, and when to take it out and hit it and when to put it back in the fire. The best way to learn this is to watch someone do it, live. TV doesn't really impart the subtle differences on the screen, probably something to do with the auto-iris in the camera. Equipment can be damn cheap, sepending on how good a scrounge you are and how handy with tools you are.

Happy whacking...

Charly

Reply to
Charly the Bastard
Loading thread data ...

"Charly the Bastard" wrote Actually, it is that easy. It helps to have some equipment though. Happy whacking...

Charly

I was actually being sarcastic about how simple it is to make a sword without any blacksmithing experience, as BigHammerBoy is hoping it to be.

Sorry for any confusion.

Rodney

Reply to
Drakon1

Think in terms of years, not months. Whatever else it is, it won't be boring.

Reply to
Tom Stovall

No confusion here. It really is easy. If it wasn't, then we'd still be using rocks and clubs like our ancestors. I can take a crowbar and beat out a servicable sword in twenty minutes. It won't be pretty, but it will be lethal. Pretty takes a little more finishing work, that's all. But given the armament of the opforces, the tactical usefulness of a sword against laser-guided 2000 pound bombs and supersonic aircraft is somewhat questionable, and we've seen that our government is perfectly willing to use these munitions on anyone that disagrees with them. Waco springs to mind on this account.

This device monitored by NSA

Charly

Reply to
Charly the Bastard

Actaully, I do not expect making a sword to be easy. I expect it to be so hard, that it'll take me months how to figure out how to do properly, without considering the body strength and skill I'll have to build up to hammer the steel into a passable weapon. I never expected this to be easy, and I don't want it to be easy, if it was easy, it'd take all the mystery out of how the japanese made such incredable weapons, and it wouldn't be interesting anymore. I'd rather have months of frustration and a final satisfaction, than have a day or two worth of work and get bored with the whole process in a few weeks.

Reply to
BigHammerBoy
*snip*

Charcoal is the go

How are you for space around your neck of the woods? You might be able to make your own... here are some URLS

formatting link
link courtesy of Ecnerwal

As for myself, I live in the suburbs and cranking up a fire that size would not only annoy my neighbours but could quite possibly torch my house down... and its bushfire season here in australia so i'm not going to take any chances....

Let me know how you go, it might be a cheaper way of doing it and then all you need to do is go for a walk and collect firewood.... simple! :)

Reply to
Niko Holm

Mmmm, especially since I intend to mine, refine, and shape the ore using my own muscles instead of machines.

I am gonna buy the coal though. -_- Ouch, my wallet! *tries to get a job*

Reply to
BigHammerBoy

Just a quick comment on safety -- be very careful about wearing gloves while using any power equipment. Especailly grinders or anything with a wire wheel. You can easily get you fingers and/or hand mangled beyond use if your gloves get caught up in anything. You might get a bad cut without gloves, but it's far better than a mangled hand.

While we're on the subject of gloves, you might want to get a glove for your left hand while blacksmithing. A regular welding glove will work fine, but a kevlar glove is a little better. It just helps keep you from burning your hand if the tongs get too hot, and give you a little margin for error when handling hot stuff. (I dip my glove in water and touch the metal to see if it's hot. If it is, the water sizzles or steams away pretty quickly.)

Make sure you follow all the other safety advice... tie back long hair, no rings or other jewlrey, etc... If you don't know about basic shop safety, get a shop book from the library and spend some time reading. Maybe try searching for "safety" or "accident" on rec.crafts.metalworking, and sci.engr.joining.welding. Be careful when heating anything galvanized -- the fumes can make you sick/kill you.

Reply to
jpolaski

I'm basically negative about humanity in general so forgive my tone and don't take it personal unless you feel you deserve it. Your opening premis when you started this thread leads me to not take you serious. First, there is a tonne of good and necessary material on the web to read on the subject of swordsmithing I've been at it for a couple of years now and there is plenty more to read. When you say you can't find anything then I take that to mean you don't have the patience to find and read it. Patience you will need in abundance if you are serious about being a bladesmith.

Then you carry on about not having any money. You will need to spend some. Get over it. Spend some of it on books and spend more on tools and materials. Make due without while you are without - it builds character and fosters creativity. If you are serious you won't let these things get in the way.

When somebody tells you about how difficult it is and how long it takes to make a swordsmith. That means they are telling you you probably don't have what it takes so give up now :-) They may be right - you figure it out.

I don't think it is all *that* difficult. Doesn't mean I'm any good at it. Just that I got started and I have something to show for it. It takes bit of the obsessive/compulsive in yourself to carry yourself into that kind of thing and stick with it. It takes a lot of educating yourself in things you never expected to be learning or to need. It takes sweat, persistence, blisters and failures.

good luck

Reply to
Greyangel

As Greyangel said, it's all out there. Have you done Google searches? You should be able to find info on digging clay to make a furnace, how to find iron ore, load your furnace, pour some iron...you can pound the bloom out on a rock to get the slag out. Then you have wrought iron, add some carbon and make steel. Pretty soon (a year or two of experience) you'll have material that will make a halfway strong blade (halfway).

Here, this will get you started:

formatting link
?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=sword+making&btnG=SearchHere's a better route:
formatting link
Steve

Reply to
Steve Smith

Re: Swordsmithing by "Greyangel" Jan 21, 2006 at 11:42 AM

I'm basically negative about humanity in general so forgive my tone and don't take it personal unless you feel you deserve it. Your opening premis when you started this thread leads me to not take you serious. First, there is a tonne of good and necessary material on the web to read on the subject of swordsmithing I've been at it for a couple of years now and there is plenty more to read. When you say you can't find anything then I take that to mean you don't have the patience to find and read it. Patience you will need in abundance if you are serious about being a bladesmith.

Then you carry on about not having any money. You will need to spend some. Get over it. Spend some of it on books and spend more on tools and materials. Make due without while you are without - it builds character and fosters creativity. If you are serious you won't let these things get in the way.

When somebody tells you about how difficult it is and how long it takes to make a swordsmith. That means they are telling you you probably don't have what it takes so give up now :-) They may be right - you figure it out.

I don't think it is all *that* difficult. Doesn't mean I'm any good at it. Just that I got started and I have something to show for it. It takes bit of the obsessive/compulsive in yourself to carry yourself into that kind of thing and stick with it. It takes a lot of educating yourself in things you never expected to be learning or to need. It takes sweat, persistence, blisters and failures.

good luck

_______________________________________________________________

I don't have any money, but I'm not saying I'm willing to give up. I was hoping that someone would come out and tell me how someone made basic tools when all people had was stone, ore, and fire. I'll build myself up from the very basics if I have to.

And quite frankly I don't care if YOU take me seriously or not. All I need is INFO that I can research, because I DO take it seriously.

Reply to
BigHammerBoy

Well, let's talk about design and function for a byte or three. A sword is a wedge mounted on a lever. Its purpose is to divide materials; defensive coverings, flesh and bone, internal organs. It is driven by muscle contraction on the part of the weilder which imparts kinetic energy to the cutting radius. This energy is transfered to the target in a very concentrated manner, which excedes the yield strength of the target, causing structural failure. How effeciently this action occurs is dependent on several quantifiable factors. Get out the physics book and brush up on solid geometry and structural properties of materials. If you really want to learn, I'll help you. There's nothing mystical or 'supernatural', just science. The only dumb question is the unasked one, fire away.

Charly

Of course the swords glow in the dark, that's how you can tell that they're magick.

Reply to
Charly the Bastard

Charly the Bastard wrote: The only dumb question is

whats depleted Uranium like for forging? ;.)

Reply to
bigegg

Unless one is Musashi, one has also to consider parrying. That wedge mustn't simply be optimized for dividing. Toss in a smidge of linear programming to back off the wedginess in favor of strength.

Reply to
Australopithecus scobis

You'll have to ask the DoD, I don't want to be in the same state as DU. I can think of a lot of materials that are much less risky to work with. My nads glow enough already.

Charly

Reply to
Charly the Bastard

That's what shields are for. Of course, one can't expect a piece of sharpened sheetmetal to blow through casehardened steel body armor, so there are compromises to be discussed in future messages. My swords have an included bevel angle of 22 degrees, which testing has shown to be a nearly optimized angle for penetrating steel. Turn your coupe into a convertible in a half dozen good strokes. YMMV.

Charly

Reply to
Charly the Bastard

Charly the Bastard wrote: (snip)

Well just being in the same state with it isn't a big deal. As long as it in blocks and not dust it is fairly safe. Mild alpha emitter, and your skin will stop that. Machining or forging is a problem for sure though. Todd

Reply to
Todd Rich

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.