Pattern Welded Sword WIP

[Phillip Patton]

Howdy Folks,
Well, I like to do at least one work-in-progress thread per year, and this one may take a year, so I'm starting early.
I wanted to make something really challenging, something that would stretch me to my current limits. I'm also wanting to get into making swords more, and this will be good practice.
I don't have all the particulars worked out yet, but I just got a copy of Ewart Oakeshott's "The Sword in the Age of Chivalry" from the library, and I'm getting ideas from it.

Here's what I have so far:

The first step is to prep the steel for the two billets it's going to take. One billet is going to be 9 layers (original usually had 7 layers, but I wanted a finer pattern), the other probably around 400.

Here I'm grinding the pieces clean, which is important for clean welds:

All the pieces for the first billet:

I use a vise to hold the pieces while I tack weld them together:

I grind a bevel on a length of rebar and weld it to one end of the billet for a handle:

Cleaning up the welds with the angle grinder:

 

[Keith Montgomery]

Looking forward to seeing where this thread will take us.

 

[Phillip Patton]

The billet for the core pieces of the sword start out at 9 layers, so there's no need for folding this billet.

Here it's in the forge heating up, getting ready for the forge weld:

With flux on it:

Here it is in the hammer dies for the first weld. I always do two welds, just to make sure.

Some extra action shots, captured from video:

Continued in next post...

 

[Phillip Patton]

Here's the billet after welding:

Here I've started drawing the billet out. It's about 1" square and 14" long. when I'm done, I'll have two pieces, 3/8" square and 24" long.

 

[Will Leavitt]

I like the action shots, looks like a chain gun at night or a phosphorous burst... neat!

 

[D lisch]

Looking forward to this. ? what is the steel you start with.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Looking forward to this. ? what is the steel you start with.

Thanks for asking, I guess I forgot to mention that.
I started with 5 layers of 1084, and 4 layers of 15n20. I doubled up the 15n20, so the layers would all be more or less the same thickness.

 

[thombrogan]

Looking great! In a world where katanas more commonplace than in pre-Meiji Japan, it's gonna be great to see more Oakeshott-inspired works.

 

[canineforge]

Appreciate makers taking the time to post these WIP threads. Look forward to the progress on your sword, Phillip!

- Joe

 

[BrB]

Cool! Thanks for sharing!

 

[peterinct]

Looks great so far. I especially like the pic of the red hot billet with flux on it.

Thanks for taking the time to show this.

Peter

 

[Lorien]

I really like your photos! This is going to be one amazing story, that I'm greatly looking forward to.
Thanks a lot:thumbup:

 

[John M Cohea]

Fantastic so far. Can't wait to see more!

 

[JParanee]

Looking forward to this one

 

[Joss]

It's going to be another great thread.

I'm very impressed by how clean your stack looks after the weld.

 

[tvandeventer]

Mmmm...looks like..a popsicle...!

 

[psycho78]

Mmmm...looks like..a popsicle...!

lick it!

 

[Phillip Patton]

lick it!

Ouch! That would be a little more painful than licking a frozen lampost...

Thanks everyone for the comments so far. I noticed a rash of WIP threads after the first of the year, and want to thank every one who did one. They are very time consuming, but rewarding.

I decided to complicate things by making it triple cored, rather than double cored, so I prepped another billet today. I can't do much more until I get my propane tank filled...

 

[RogerP]

Thanks for doing this Phillip - so far, so great!

Roger

 

[Triton]

I really look forward to seeing where this thread goes. Not to change it's direction because I too am always happy to see another maker taking a shot (stab?) at European medieval swords, but can I suggest that by the time of Chivalry pattern welded blades were pretty few and far between especially as we advance into the period? I don't know if your interests run that way but perhaps for a pattern welded piece Ian Pierces "Swords in the Viking Age" might be a bit more appropriate?

However that quibbling aside I certainly don't want to throw you off the track and was wondering if you might be willing to give us a hint as to which Oakeshott type you were thinking of creating?