Viking sword fresh from the forge

That sword looks like a beast in hand! I like the choice of handle material, especially with the forge-finished guard and pommel. Some antiqued bronze or copper spacers would look good, but that's just my opinion. Fantastic piece Mr. Roush!
 
Thanks a lot folks! I'm even more excited that I finally get to use my old bison bone.

By the way.. here is a museum picture of this hilt type.. in a short single edged blade.

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Thanks Cody!

Well a little more progress. Just getting the grip and fittings lined up. There will be one more spacer in front of the grip. And still lots of decisions to make... what kind of finish on blade? How to finish the copper spacers, etc. And one more ornery spot on the blade to correct for a very, very slight warp. I'm really hoping this warping issue becomes a thing of the past. I made huge progress today on the build of my electric sword heat treat kiln (with digital controls).

Additionally.. the unpleasant task of grinding away what has become a partial touchmark.

Anyway.. another picture. Tomorrow will be some test cuts before I peen the components onto the tang. Maybe some video.

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f'in eh, Scott
 
It took me a second to figure out what you wrote Lorien! But I have it now. I'm slow. :-)

More tomorrow on this... I got distracted with building my electric sword kiln. Oh this is gonna be nice!

Also... I'm thinking of doing some more sculpting of the grip.. either a taper or a waist with flared ends. I don't have that much meat in that bison bone to work with.. but it is a little thicker towards the back.
 
A little more work...

Getting the blade ready for antiquing. I will use quick dips in ferric chloride followed by bleach in a spray bottle. When I get the amount of pitting that I want I will back sand to get rid of the oxides and most of the dark patina.


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And another mock-up of the components testing for fit, etc before peening it all home.

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Still need to carve some runes in the spacer behind the guard.. and then patinate both of the copper pieces.. then fashion the peening block.
 
Lookin AWESOME so far Scott! From a previous picture it looked like only one copper spacer was going on the handle. Symmetry looks good.

Peter
 
I LOVE WIP threads! I would really be appreciative of some video showing (or even a series of pics) more on that fuller grinding. I love swords and love seeing how they're made. I think your results are looking great, You'll be the best equipped re-enactor there!

I wouldn't take out that hit mark, to me at least it doesn't look out of place with the blade you're going for. Just my opinion though and worth the price paid. :)

Red
 
Thanks guys...

Yeah I have an apprentice working with me now.. and I've been meaning to get him behind the camera. Although I'd like one more sword under my belt before I show any video of how to do it. I'm still a bit awkward with the big piece of angle iron and getting the peak of the wheel lined up. I've learned a lot from this one though.....

And don't worry.. the missed mark will be there. :-) I kind of agree with you on the look... and I really didn't want to grind any more into the fuller. I'm also marking the spacer with my initials in runes. And I might touch the guard as well. Maybe etch my mark on the other side.

More pictures later today. And I still plan to show some cutting on video. I was just whacking it into a big 6x6 pine post and the chunks were flying.
 
well here is a picture of it just about done. I'm at the stage where I like to take pictures of it to look for eye catching flaws and other issues. I always see something. In this case... I hate the peening block I worked so hard on. Twisting copper and steel and then forging together to make a little solid mass. But I think it throws off the flow.

I chopped through a 2x4 with it today ... fun stuff! Final pictures tomorrow I believe...

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The only thing that bothers me aesthetically is the transition between the handle material and the wrought iron guards. I think I would have liked the look more if the guards matched the handle's profile and then tapered out towards the ends.

I presume, that you constructed it in this manner to remain true to the original? In all respects it's a beautiful piece of work, and it's definitely something to be proud of. Well done.
 
Duzzy... The museum specimens I've seen so far only had the fittings with no grip material.. just a bare tang. The fittings were thin as mine are.. which means the handle would've indeed had to have tapered quite a bit to fit under them for a smooth transition... less than 1/2". Since I chose to use an ancient piece of bone I was very limited to how much material I could remove and not get into the pith... and I just couldn't think of a way to transition smoothly to the fittings without it looking 'modern' and out of place for the period. I was really wanting to capture the sword of the lower class with simple components. I wanted it to look practical and strong and carried more by the textures of the antique materials. It is indeed a blocky brute!

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I understand that blades like this fall outside the norm for a forum like this....
 
by the way.. here is a close-up of the grip.... Ignore the peen block on the pommel. That will be changed tomorrow....

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I think that sword would have made a Viking jarl quite proud. Fantastic work :thumbup:
 
Thanks Duzzy...

Okay.. well it's about time to call this thing done. I put on the new peening block .. one that I think is more appropriate and historically accurate. I was a bit short of tang from the previous block... but I just lengthened the tang a bit by grinding the shoulders forward. I didn't really want to use all copper.. but it would've been strange to choose a new metal all together so I just put in a copper spacer and used iron. The assembly is pinned through into the pommel piece in addition to being peened over the tang.

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The last thing to do will be to get the video I've been mentioning....


A
 
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