Swords

[Gillstay]

Just stick a pruning hook on a broom handle. That's near enough what they were - modified agricultural impliments.

No this is heavy, not for chopping mangle wurzels.

 

[Reynard]

The wavey pattern is not from folded (Damascus) steel. But from clay stuck to the edge and left there whilst tempering. That gives you a hard edge but soft spine.

I think it's both, but it's a while since I've done any in-depth reading on the subject. IIRC, they use two different grades of steel, one for hardness (cutting edge) and one for strength (back edge), and it's where the two grades join.

I'm more than happy to have my perimenopausal brain corrected though.

 

[Punkawallah]

I think it's both, but it's a while since I've done any in-depth reading on the subject. IIRC, they use two different grades of steel, one for hardness (cutting edge) and one for strength (back edge), and it's where the two grades join.

I'm more than happy to have my perimenopausal brain corrected though.

IIRC, this is the video they have on ‘autoplay’ at Royal Armouries, Leeds. Flavour text ends at about 13 minutes, relevant bit starts at about 16 minutes:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt6WQYtefXA

 

[Profpointy]

Just to make sure I'm not hallucinating or anything...

You got up in the morning and decided on a whim to make a sword from a garden gate.

That's correct, right?

You say that as if it were somehow a bad thing

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I think it's both, but it's a while since I've done any in-depth reading on the subject. IIRC, they use two different grades of steel, one for hardness (cutting edge) and one for strength (back edge), and it's where the two grades join.

I'm more than happy to have my perimenopausal brain corrected though.

It's good when someone is happy to be fact-checked. I lost a bit of money recently when I argued that a rabbit is a rodent. I was so cock-sure of my facts that I put down £20 (IIRC). I lost. Rabbits are not rodents. Your sword is not damascus. Damascus looks like this:

 

[roubaixtuesday]

You say that as if it were somehow a bad thing

Not at all, just checking I hadn't overdone the shrooms

 

[derrick]

IIRC, this is the video they have on ‘autoplay’ at Royal Armouries, Leeds. Flavour text ends at about 13 minutes, relevant bit starts at about 16 minutes:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt6WQYtefXA

Thanks for that really interesting.