First post here, first critique

Sam Salvati

Sam Salvati

Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
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Might be a bit off for posting a sword in the custom and handmade forum, but I hear this is the place where alot of customers/collectors with practiced eyes and practiced tongues hang out :). Comments and critique welcome. This is the first sword I have ever completed, I apologise for the crappy pictures, hope to get some better ones taken soon, I welcome some tips on how to photograph a blade so others can see what they are looking for when evaluating a blade also please.

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Overall length-36 5/8ths
Grip length-10 1/4
Blade length-26 1/4
POB (point of balance)-4 3/8ths from the front of the guard
Sweet spot-17 inches out from the guard, 9 inches from the tip
Steel-1075 with a lazy waves hamon
Finish-Satin, but still able to make out the hamon
Grip wood-Zebrawood
Hilt steel-mild steel

I am interested to hear what non sword folks think as well.
 
MJER Iai heiho nidan under Masayuki Shimabukuro, Hanshi.

What specific feedback would you like, from the pictures?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Just what you think of it, impressions, overall looks, possible improvements to be made, design comments, what you like about it, what you hate about it, or anything else you might think about it based on personal knowledge and expeirience.
 
some contouring of the handle would be nice. It looks too straight, if that makes any sense.
I love the curve of the blade, but the shape of the handle is kind of jarring.
How does it perform?
 
Sam Salvati said:
Just what you think of it, impressions, overall looks, possible improvements to be made, design comments, what you like about it, what you hate about it, or anything else you might think about it based on personal knowledge and expeirience.
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Not to be cute, but I have to know what you intended when you made it, in order to give critique.

Was it made to be used, or hung on a wall(with no insult intended, clearly it is "fit" for use, but that is expected)

Made for an order, and idea or a fantasy?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
As for the sword, I think that since the blade has so much curve the handle needed some too. Kinda a cross between a broadsword and something else?
 
It looks nice to me, but where are rotational nodes on the handle? Does their placement negate or amplify shock? Why is there a hamon? Make pearlite thick enough and it's strong, but why use thick steel on a long blade and why intentionally go for a crystal type with less resilience than lath martensite?
 
Well, I tend to go more for historically based pieces myself, and I'm having trouble identifying where you might have drawn the inspiration from on this one. The dimensions seem about closest to a katana, but it's obviously not one of those... Blade is too small for a grossmesser, hilt is too long for a regular messer or falchion, it doesn't have the same shape as any of those that I've seen, nor is it a saber. If it's just something that popped into your head one day, that's cool too, but then I'd still like to understand why you chose the design elements you did.

At any rate, completing your first sword is a worthy milestone in its own right. I've been working on my longsword for months now, and it's just an aluminum training blunt. :)
Cheers.
-the possum
 
Steven, my intentions on making this sword are to make a user, with interesting and pleasing aesthetic, sturdy and strong simple clean design, exposed pretty wood. it would have looked a bit more like a katana or a sabre, as was originally intended but during straightening after heat treatment the very tip broke clean off (in fully hardened state when it broke), so in order to still keep the tip functional, I had to grind it curved down to have the entire tip remain hardened steel due to the hamon. It was never really based off a historic sword, but not based off of any fantasy sword either. Not made for an order, made to gain expeirience fitting hilts on swords and to end up with a finished product I can test to gain a better understanding of how things work.

Lorien, it swings VERY nice, cuts very well, feels well balanced. When you first hold the blade it feels a bit blade heavy, but when you swing it it does not feel overly so, very powerful cuts.

Keith, I am in the process of putting the sword through it's paces, as pertaining to a sword (no chopping 2X4s or batoning just yet). Edge holding by cutting abrasive materials like thick cardboard, balance and comfort of handle by cutting alot of things repetitively, toughness by cutting hard targets.

Brian, I know many swordmakers who stock remove, no one ever said swords had to be forged :) .

Chuck, I was thinking of adding a bit of curve to the tang, but even with it straight it is in line with the curve of the blade.

thombrogan, how would I go about finding the rotational nodes in the handle, is it similar to finding the sweet spot out on the blade? As to why a hamon, I can give no better reason other than I simply wanted to do one. I realise the shortcomings of a differentially heat treated blade with a pearlite spine and martensite edge as opposed to a through hardened blade fully martensite, and felt that for personal and aesthetic reasons I would gain enough resiliency as to be satisfied yet still be able to have a hamon. It's impossible to make any sword indestructable, botch a cut bad enough with any sword and you will end up doing damage. The blade is not so thick, 3/16ths at the base and a hair over 1/8th at the tip, yet very ridgid and tough.

Possum, I tend more to start with a bit of a plan now when starting a new project, but this blade was made freehand, not to any specific design. I started with a blank and basically hit it with a hammer until it looked good, the fittings were all freehand designed as well, the day I ground out the guard I just grabbed a peice of bar stock and ground away until a shape I liked started emerging then I ran with that idea, then made the pommel to match and used the zebrawood because it was the nicest wood I had on hand the proper size and I thought it would look good. Sort of like a hybrid, messer hilt with a short blade that would have had a katana like tip had it not broken. I have had this blade hanging around waiting to be finished for months it is very nice to finally have it done.
 
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Sam Salvati said:
Steven, my intentions on making this sword are to make a user, with interesting and pleasing aesthetic, sturdy and strong simple clean design, exposed pretty wood. it would have looked a bit more like a katana or a sabre, as was originally intended but during straightening after heat treatment the very tip broke clean off (in fully hardened state when it broke), so in order to still keep the tip functional, I had to grind it curved down to have the entire tip remain hardened steel due to the hamon. It was never really based off a historic sword, but not based off of any fantasy sword either. Not made for an order, made to gain expeirience fitting hilts on swords and to end up with a finished product I can test to gain a better understanding of how things work.
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Sam,

The pleasing aesthetic part…….if you like it, and made it for yourself..then it should work just fine.

For me….with a blade of that shape, a curved handle would be preferable, and a bit shorter as well….With straight handles, I prefer symmetrical blades. The hooked protrusion on the pommel is distracting. The blade grind looks like there is quite a bit of unsharpened blade close to the hilt, which is also distracting.

The blade shape looks like you could chop the hell out of whatever you were trying to. Fit and finish looks to be excellent from the pics, hard to tell until you hold it.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Hi Sam!

It's a combination of the sweet spots on the blade and where they correspond on the handle.

Thanks for the hamon explanation and dimensions, too. Works for me.
 
screwthe49ers said:
I like it. Looks like a grosse messer, which I've always admired.
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I was thinking just the same - grosse messer.

I like this sword. Nice handle. The only thing I would change is the point. Not sure how to explain it, but the point looks "clipped", I would prefer it to continue. More like on a cavalry sabre.

Nice work.

Kind regards,

Jos
 
Perhaps since you had to shorten the blade you could shorten the handle a bit to be more proportional?
 
Sam-
Just thought I'd mention, for a while now I've been saving any historical pictures of messers and falchion I happen across. I'd be happy to email them to you if you're contemplating another big curved medieval blade as a future project.
 
Possum, that would be great thanks!

Thanks for the input guys, Jos, the point was technically clipped off hehe, I too would have prefferred for the tip to follow up as it should or maybe into a spear point.

The handle is not as HUGE as it looks really, good enough to get a two handed grip onto with comfortable room to spare, it's all epoxied up nice and tight and peened over so I will stave off shortening the handle, but will keep the proportion notes on hand as well as giving the handle curve in line with the blade.
 
Hi, here's a couple of aesthetic points from someone who has chopped a fair amount of things with swords and long blades.

I like the blade shape.

The handle looks wider toward the blade end than the butt. This will promote slipping back on the handle, which isn't good. Even all the way is ok. Widest in the middle for a two hander is ok.

It's too squared off where the handle meets the butt. Should be rounded in the transition from wood back to steel.

Finally, the guards are too wide.

Don't get me wrong, it's a nice piece - I sure couldn't make one. But you did ask...
 
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