Hold it at about 45 to the direction of the stroke. Many of the old references that were impossible to find are also now in reprint. Titanium: The bladesmith must also have a thorough understanding of metallurgy and heat treating. Those selling the superior properties of "Titanium Steel" are playing on the customer's ignorance and the sexiness of the word "titanium". This is a skill that the self taught can learn and practice until perfected without bothering a Master about basic lessons. Leave a flat edge on the blade between 1/16" and 1/8" wide. A sword is nothing more than a BIG knife. If the blade is double edged draw center lines on the sides and edges to work to. The cutler forged, ground and heat treated the blade. 1/4" Drill (hand or electric), 7/32" and 1/4" bits. ), A small blade is a step in learning all the processes for making a large blade. For the average self employed craftsperson to make a living in North America in 2003 they must charge a shop rate of at LEAST $100/hr. 7. We have listed here many books on the subject of blacksmithing and bladesmithing and we have reviews of most of these books. If heated horizontally the blade must be carefully handled to prevent bending under its own load. Drill two 1/4" holes to start. It is your nature. Violins require three experts in entirely different crafts, the violin maker, the string maker and the BOW maker. You could buy some aluminum breaker bars (large thick ones) and take a 1inch or 3inch belt sander and cordless drill to them and make them look like anything you like for 10-15 dollars. Carefully fit the guard to the radius seat on the tang. Forging Damascus, laminated steel or Japanese blades is mostly forge welding. . Saw out the blank then file smooth (profile the blade). Normally the pommel is riveted onto the tang or threaded on. IF the grip will be a hard material and the pommel fitted last the round shank should have a little extra length. Sharp corners cause stress concentration and result in blades that break at the tang. This project can also be carried out in mild steel. They may be harder to kill with than a gun, but they ARE killing weapons. Highlander: After the profile is rough cut it is finished by filing. Work the entire blade until it has a smooth grey finish and no evidence of filing or scraping. Where 2" (50mm) wide belts are suitable for most blades it is recommended that you use a 6" (300mm) wide belt for sword making. With this coolness they become very dangerous. Neither aluminum nor titanium are used in making sword blades. If you cannot make good fits in wood then metal is out of the question. The end is then finished round or flush with a file and finished to match. There should be about one diameter of extra tang end. The grip is made from two slabs of hardwood. It requires both physical and mental discipline. Don't be this person. Foil (of course) 2. It requires many hours of practice at a wide range of hand skills such as forging, carving, filing, engraving and finishing. ", "I want to find a Master Swordsmith to teach me how to make a sword. The point is to make a practice sword from ferrous metal by forging, finishing and fitting all the parts exactly as you would a real sword without working high carbon steel and needing to heat treat it (harden and temper). If you find heat treating a 12" blade is difficult then a sword may be impossible with your skills and equipment. The parts are all the same. HOW? You will want to play with it. Do as little cutting as you can, aluminium is gummy to file and getting a smooth sanded finish on any more than the edges isn't worth the hassle if it started out with a rolled finish. And the most important reason, "I've never done any metal work and I want make a sword. This means that there are now more books on these subjects than at any other time in history. Education costs money everywhere else, why not in this case? It may not have been the swordsmith's fault but they DID make the weapon. Perhaps mock combat with one of your friends. Shop Talk - BladeSmith Questions and Answers. Radius the front of the hole to fit the blade shoulder radius. The most popular color? Salt pots are often used for these long vertical heats because of the more uniform heating and lack of oxidation. Sword Making Made Simple (Paw-Paw's suggestion), Sword Making from Chicken Salad (ptree's comment), SO, You want to make a sword? File the edges of the blank clean and square to remove all saw marks or divots. Carefully block sand the front surface of the grip until it must be tapped onto the tang to seat against the guard. Materials, even cleaning tools and supplies cost money. If you have never worked at the forge then you have no business asking for lessons at the top of the skill level. TiN, used to coat cutting tools, is stable well past the melting point of steel. Titanium is NOT a blade metal. I will try to make some in awhile. You haven't thought about the fact that you or your friends could be, maimed, blinded or killed "just playing". But it takes years for a polished aluminium surface to oxidize to a dull surface. However, you will need a slow speed metal cutting saw to blank out a blade in steel. Tolkien) another MYTHical metal. Then polish with the small amounts of the worn dried compound in the rag. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Aluminium is light and strong. and watch the television shows Highlander, Zena, Hercules and The Immortal (among others). then please leave this web site NOW. Titanium is too brittle. Each one requires skills needed to make the real thing. Like anything else, you do not start at the top. A pocket knife or draw knife can substitute for a scraper but scraping is hard on thin blade edges. The grip can be made using any suitable method. Wood can be done the same or finished natural. Using clear epoxy would be good practice as it is tricky to keep it off finished surfaces. Lets see, a janitors rate of $10 hour vs. $100 hour. melt when using boron as a hardenabiltiy agent. Get the tinfoil and wrap it around the skeleton, do this several times so it can The first thing I did was find an image of the sword that I could enlarge and print out. The methods of shaping and fitting are the same. Even a soft steel or aluminium "wall hanger" can be a lethal weapon. You may want a wider variety of files but you can also do with less. The longer the blade the heavier the tang should be. But, do YOU know the answers? Alloy aluminium is easy to cut and finish. Thanks again. The jeweler's saw can be used to make cutouts (piercings) in the blade and guard as well as making inlays for the grip. Thanks everyone for the replies. Today the top men in the field have masters and doctorates in metallurgy and then spent years studying the practical aspects of actually making blades. Greg Wenderski is a tinkerer, metal artist, sword historian, and former science teacher from Austin, TX. A more authentic real-steel sword is needed for close-up action shots, while an aluminum sword will be used for wider shots and sequences that require more movement. The machine cost difference is considerable. Just bevel the edge a little to remove sharp corners. Using a file a saw properly, or drilling holes are skills that you do not need to learn from a Master Swordsmith. If you have completed option projects 3 and 4 you should know how to fit the furniture to a steel blade and have some idea how you want to proceed from this point. I would not bevel, keep the edge thick, less work, stronger for edge/edge impact and hurt a little less. Unfortunately this is almost always after the fact. Both methods require a long forge or furnace. Welds are made over and over and every one must be perfect. STUDY them. So why should anyone think that they should be willing to take someone into their shop to teach them for anything less than what they normally must charge to make a living? One is that making a sword is a BIG project involving more than one specialty. . If you cannot afford a few books to study then you are wasting your time. Shape the blade by rasping, sanding/grinding and scraping. He used thin plywood for a base and shaped it with bondo, covering it with aluminum ducting tape. I recommend 1/4" minimum. However, care must be taken when finishing wood and metal together. It does not rust. I'm assuming that you mean pure aluminum versus normal bronze, made out of copper and tin. . In each case you must have a design in mind. When used for swordplay (acting, demonstrations, practice) they have very round dull edges to prevent cutting someone as well as damaging the blade. I recommend 1/4" minimum. With 7075 aluminum there is like Clad or Bare. A letter and response to a reader that thought an education in sword making should be free in order to preserve civilization. Making scabards is still a specialty. Now we make the cross-guard (the part the separates the blade from the handle). Many of the techniques described apply to other methods and all apply to making a complete blade. you really should start with a simpler project. I use a Profiling: Saw the shape including the tang using a bandsaw, scrollsaw or jigsaw. This is called profiling and is no different than making a steel blade by the stock removal method. Ancient steels were not superior to modern alloy steels (another modern myth). But these are not expensive books. Forging is done in short sections and can be done in most forges. That is more Hollywood hype and bad science written by advertising executives that know nothing of metallurgy. Adam and Norm spend the afternoon geeking out over awesome wooden swords bought at last year's Dragon*Con and then decide to make some modifications to personalize them. However, many people cannot tell the difference between polished aluminium and plated steel. A piece of 1/4" x 1-1/2" or 2" will only cost a couple dollars per foot. When the entire blade has an even finish then change to the 240 cloth. I will be doing weapon on weapon contact. Optionally you can use a smooth file to create two 45 chamfers which result in a sharp looking square edge. Casting brass is a whole new world of tools and techniques but is also one of those skills practiced by most armourers. No matter how you answer, the problem is the same. The prototypes of the blades made for the Rambo movie are in the Knife Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Well you're in luck, because here they come. There are 232 aluminum sword for sale on Etsy, and they cost $64.27 on average. If you have the skills or want to study primitive wood working seperately you can do with much less. They have never suggested that they were willing to PAY for lessons. Swords are weapons. . Titanium itself does not make an appreciable difference in alloying the steel. Making the furniture (guards, grips pommels) are often an art into themselves requiring the skills of a jeweler, knowledge of casting and working non-ferrous metals. Order a piece 48" (1.2m) long. Smoother paper can be used before polishing but I have found little or no advantage. Starting from the 1/4" slab you will need to layout the shape of the blade in pencil. its magic sword made from aluminum by imbued red gem with power of lightning. A sword is a weapon. To make the hole for the blade layout a rectangular hole the size of the tang on the back of the guard. You have NO excuses. Dip the folded corner of a rag into the buffing compound and apply to the blade rubbing lengthwise. Block sand the back end of the grip flat until it fits cleanly with the pommel. The idea is to make a smooth accurate radius. 8. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Apprentices also tend to break things and damage tools due to lack or experience and often lack of respect. The techniques learned apply to working ferrous and other non-ferrous metals such a brass and bronze. The aircraft alloys (2024 and 6061) are nearly as strong as mild steel. Hard aluminums are best because they cut easier and do not clog cutters and abrasives as bad as soft. Fit this area carefully. If you have not found at least a few of these books and STUDIED them, Remember the Bronze Age? (Aluminum Swords vs Cinder block on Youtube) So it looks strong enough to me. The tool list above is for the non-primitive wood worker to give them the best chance at producing the final project. Sweeping and cleaning? We'll assume you are an experienced craftsperson with all the skills described above. Yes, they cost money. The thousands of years leading up to the Iron Age? A scabard maker made the scabard. Mithirl (J.R.R. We are going to answer these questions one last time. Are you playing games? But bows are just as finicky and a poorly made bow can debase the finest instrument and the best bow can raise a mediocre instument to greatness. There are other dense grained hardwoods that will also work such as cherry or walnut. File out all the coarse file marks with a smooth cut file OR use the scraper. (basically same as the above with forging as an option for some shaping.). All of the slaughter in the Old Testament of the Bible and in most of the Greek tales (Homer, The Odyssey) occurred during the Bronze Age. Meet Sword Casting Guy. Doing it ALL yourself would mean mining the ores, digging the gems, obtaining the fuel, smelting the iron, copper, tin, gold and silver (each specialties), cutting and polishing the gems, making the steel from the iron, forging it to suitable bar sizes, alloying and casting the brass or bronze, drawing the wire, cutting the tree, seasoning the wood, forging the sword, grinding the sword, heat treating the sword, polishing the sword, making Do you intend to kill someone? An Ironmaster made the steel. and certainly anyone you ask about teaching you. ), so it won't hurt as much if we hit the body. It should be able to slip on a little farther than where the end of the grip is going to be. Now that you have a sword, you could go the extra mile and make matching armour to boot. It is one of the most critical quality areas of a custom made blade. Books are tools that are just as necessary as a hammer to a smith. ALUMINUM BLADE INFORMATION. The pommel is usually made of the same material as the guard. Handmade Sword - Functional Samurai Wakizashi Sword, Fully Hand Forged, 1045 Carbon Steel, Heat Tempered, Full Tang, Sharp, Samurai Bamboo Tsuba, Black Scabbard 4.7 out of To achieve a good ring the hilt must be under compression, allowing the blade to vibrate cleanly and clearly. At the tang leave extra material at the radii so that the finished shape can be filed smooth. Take the toilet paper roll and cut slits in it wide enough to fit the wooden handle on one side, and the wooden handle and the blade on the other. Using 320 grit paper wet finish the flats and edges by hand. This means that they must be skilled in many crafts. To use machinery rather than ancient hand methods you will need a good belt grinder. Please read through the options. . The "T" values are the temper (hardness). if you are one of the many that has made nothing else of metal then a sword is NOT the place to start, The smoother the tang surfaces the less likely they are to be a source of cracks and possible breakage. You like the movies Conan the Barbarian and Highlander (I, II, III. Continue to use the compound wet until it seems to do no more good. But we are also going to pose some questions of our own and perhaps give the reader something to think about. We are attracted to swords because they are shiny, exotic, dangerous. A perfect fit in this area is one mark of a professional. If you heat the entire length of a sword to a red heat it becomes limp and hard to handle. IF you did NOT do a very good job with the scraper or did not scrape then start with the 120 grit cloth. There are many reasons. Or do you just think it would be "neat" to have a sword hanging on the wall? IF the grip will be added after the pommel then the tang needs a shoulder to position the pommel. A good piece of pine will also work but in fact the soft woods are harder to fit and work well than hardwoods as they do not file well. A letter and response to a reader that thought an education in sword making should be free in order to preserve civilization. Disassemble and finish sand the grip being carful not to round the corners that fit the guard and pommel. Countersink the hole in the end of the pommel lightly. So an aluminium sword is not a joke or a toy. The goal is to produce smooth flat facets. Because aluminum is lighter than steel, it can be made with a very thick blade, equaling a safer edge. The wood cuts much easier than the metal and shaped tools fitting the cross section work best at the joint. The fact is that even at a 10:1 ratio the craftsperson probably cannot afford to have you in their shop. Material List. A Jewelers Saw and bench pin or fine wood working scroll saw can make fitting the guard much easier but this is the limit of their capacity in non-ferrous metal and 1/4" is probably too much in steel. Remember, if you have difficulty fitting the wood, metal is much more difficult. It's also one of the most common elements on Earth, only behind oxygen and silicone respectively. The most common aluminum sword material is aluminum. Their education is that of a doctorate, a Phd. Find a metal strip. then you are wasting your time, If you are so thin skinned that you cannot take the truth or have no sense of humor about your lack of knowledge For many of the reasons above. Then staple the blade to the cross-guard. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about aluminum sword? Today, due to economics, most makers do it ALL. It should fit tight and not have any visible gaps. If you have completed option projects 1 through 3 then you should know how to design and layout your blade. Aluminium is a "white metal", it looks more like silver than steel. He had not been to the library and after being pointed that way made more excuses. However, the artisans of the Bronze Age used molds to create the entirety their blades. hand scraper. Powered grinders have been used for centuries. When the cleaning is done then what? Aluminum itself is a soft, nonmagnetic metal in the boron group. I'm not sure Several were made and submitted to the director of the movie before the actual blade was made. In the real 21st Century world an aluminium sword is just as lethal as a steel sword. You cannot cold forge a sword from a leaf spring (modern web myth - parody). Use it wet and on a sanding block or stick. Continue to keep all the facets flat and with crisp sharp corners. Start filing! You CAN finish any blade with files, hand scrapers and natural stone. But its properties are only suitable to use as a very thin coating over a harder material. Historically, blacksmiths forged swords by combining a variety of techniques. Later these were each specialized tasks further dividing the labor to bladesmith, grinder and heat treater. To have not done your best to study these subjects and then expect a master of the craft to hand feed this information to you is an insult. Atlantis was not in the Atlantic. However, to get an even heat the furnace used must have good circulation. A fine aluminium blade can be made with nothing but hand tools (hacksaw, files, sandpaper) similar to the tools used to make a wooden model. His excuses were water thin. So we will describe a fabricated guard and pommel. Maybe he thought that if he claimed poverty long enough that someone might GIVE him a book to shut him up. They reek of adventure, swashbuckling, heros and gallantry. The story of Atlantis was based on rumors of the demise of the Minoan island culture Then using 180 grit and a sanding block remove the file marks and break the resulting corners. These projects are not a waste of time. Most of the time I know the answers to these questions, perhaps better than you. Drill the tang hole as shown. You cannot chop into a concrete column with a sharp sword without seriously damaging it. Once the corners are broken you can hand sand the radius to a smooth round edge. This is not the only item that was made by many. Do not try to make it sharper. I would lightly scribe these lines but they can also be applied with a sharp felt tip marker. Plan on doing the finish shaping with a If you are a beginner this is good practice in fitting the pieces together. Shoe and foot. It requires a practiced artistic eye and technical knowledge in a wide range of subjects. Once finished with the 180 paper or 240 cloth it is time to radius the blade edges. I saw a guy post a video of an Aluminum Training sword breaking up a cinder block! You'll need a couple power tools as well, so be careful around them! I suggest making knives first because it is much easier and if you screw up you have lost a lot less time and material. Adamantium is a fictional comic book element without any basis in reality (like Kryptonite). A minuscule amount of worn compound off the surface of the blade will be enough to finish the surface to jewel like brilliance. Books as already mentioned are a cheap part of learning this trade. If you need a realistic looking prop sword, you can follow along with this tutorial to make the prop out of an aluminum bar. The "hiltsmith" made the furniture and the grip. Can you tell me how? They are strong, lightweight and relatively inexpensive to make and look good. They were highly regarded from about 500BC until the Renaissance (the Romans, in particular, were big on Toledo steel). Then there are options to the Damascus. It is not intrinsically sharp or hard as a recent TV commercial for razor blades indicates. These were carved in one piece from a pine 2x4 (framing lumber). Then file the hole square using the square file. Shape the grip with a rasp and files. The furniture on this sword should be brass or stainless. This gives Adam a chance to talk about some of his favorite prop-making tools and tricks. From this point onward there is no excuse for you to be naive or to insult those you wish to learn from by not having researched the subject. Naivety is no longer allowed. If heated vertically the blade can be lifted with a hook or by the tang and there are no bending loads on the blade. This can be done with dividers and a straight edge or a cabinett makers marking guage. Forging, stock removal or Damascus (laminated steel) which combines both techniques. The craft of the Swordsmith is one of the most difficult and demanding of blacksmithing skills. This is also somewhat true in making a wooden model. Be sure to have large radii where the tang attaches to the blade. Just an idea. You can forge your own billet, you can purchase a Damascus blank or you can buy a finished blade and fit furniture to it. The biggest difference between making a knife and a sword is the equipment necessary to handle the length of the blade. Slide it onto the sword. Custom blades made as object'de art have been used to commit murders causing great anguish to their makers. Table or work bench (this is light work and a kitchen table will do), Sandpaper (Optional may be replaced by Scrapers). Things you will need to make your "foil thing": 1. The end of the tang is upset (bradded) into this chamfer on final assembly. Aluminum "wasters" provide an intermediary step between wooden swords and steel ones. There are sound financial reasons why schools with a dozen people in the classroom dividing the costs among them have replaced the old fashioned apprenticeship. To make a model sword not a practice weapon. If made correctly they will feel much more realistic than the typical wooden waster, both in handling as well as when the blades make contact. Stradivarious did not make bows, just cello's, viols and violins which ALL required a fine bow. . . Fit the pommel to the end of the tang. This is a project that can be done in an apartment or bedroom workshop. A wood grip is best bedded in with clear epoxy as the tang is riveted making a tight permanent assembly. (Email reply to one guru page respondent.). Do not deny it. Commercial foils are designed to make a seriously unsafe activity as safe as possible. Staple the edges of the toilet paper roll shut. You are using an out of date browser. Wooden models are often made by professional bladesmiths. if you worked full time for two weeks and do not incur any costs (distractions, breakage, use materials) then you might have earned one full day of the Master's time. Saw out the guard from a waste piece of the blade stock or other hardwood. Powder coating might not look bad, but it probably doesn't matter one way or the other for what you want. . Always hot, wet, etc. These masters of the craft will tell you that they still learn something new every day. Find out how to get your own Hero Sword here. The decision as to how to make the blade is yours and yours alone. Besides the basic metalworking skills the bladesmith needs to understand the art of the design of the blade from both an artistic and engineering standpoint. He has another video where he shows process of making a shiny not weathered 'metal' sword from a solid wood sword - the process where he covers the sword in Swords do not make showers of sparks when slid against other items or other swords. Neither virgins or slaves have been used to test swords (that is a children's story). Think about that $100/hr before you ask a professional to give you individual lessons. You cannot work without tools and these books are tools. You must log in or register to reply here. A blade 4 times bigger than a kitchen knife or a Bowie is 20 times harder to make. You have the option of fabricating, forging or casting the furniture. He was looking for charity and had demonstrated clearly that he was not worthy of it. . You cannot chop a machine gun barrel in two with a Japanese sword (modern myth). Polishing can be done on a sewn cotton buffing wheel using Tripoli OR by hand using 3M Orange buffing compound. You are fascinated by weapons of all types. A master craftsperson should be able to charge more. Their making is full of myth and mystery. You may be into Dungeons and Dragons or the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). Forging takes many hours of practice making items over and over until you can make every one perfectly. Alternate the angle between strokes. It is almost always boys handling the gun and the victim is almost always their best friend or neighbor. The assembly can be done with glue or by wedging the pommel. . Specialists are often required to make perfection. . Sometimes (rarely) profiling is done by grinding steel and a belt sander/grinder can be used for either wood or steel. Earth, air, fire and water, the elements of alchemy, runes, the myths of Damascus and Japanese steel. This will flatten as well as smooth. A few sub out heat treating and most sub out engraving. I have some aluminum breaker bars that would make nice practice knives. For heat treating you need to heat the entire blade evenly at one time. Wood cuts very quickly and it is easy to make a mistake. They can be a learning experience as well as saving you a lot of grief and expense in the long run. The hole for the tang will be carved (inlet) into the two pieces and then they will be glued together making a tapered rectangular hole that fits onto the tang snuggly. Forging a sword does not require a long heat. Obtain them. The Grip if solid hard wood (walnut, ebony, exotic) is made the same as the Option 1 Wooden Sword grip and fitted to the pommel the same way. Aluminum Swords: The Basics. The finished sword or knife can be lacquered of finished with hand rubbed varnish before assembling. Typically they forged the blade by hand using a hammer while they employing molds for making the cross piece and pommel. Continue to keep all the facets flat and with crisp sharp corners. Rounding the edges is recommended if the blade is to be used in sword play. Hammering. No matter how it was obtained, their education cost them time, their life's blood, AND money. The primary reason for suggesting options is that sword making and bladesmithing are the highest skills of the blacksmith or metalworker. It is why there are 10 - 12 accidental gun deaths of children every day in America. The end of innocence.