swords.qxd 7/14/04 9:33 PM Page 1 SWORDSMITHING In ancient times, the sword represented the THE STATE pinnacle of the OF THE engineering craft. Today, many of the same ART technologies are used to produce swords for a variety of purposes. Byron J. Skillings* Ladish Co., Inc. Cudahy, Wisconsin ince early times, the search for superior arms and armor has driven the art and the science of metallurgy. European, Middle- Eastern, and Eastern cultures each devel- Fig. 2 — The rapier was not considered a Soped metallurgical and bladesmithing technolo- military weapon, but rather served as a per- gies suitable for their swords, for personal defense sonal side arm for self-defense and for settling and military weapons. Swords were symbols as duels. This rapier is by Kevin Cashen, Math- erton Forge. well as weapons, used to show positions in gov- ernment, social status, and wealth. The sword, ar- guably more than any other of man’s tools, speaks of our innate drive to create items of form as well as function. They were for many eons the pinnacle of the engineering craft. Without scientific knowl- edge and analytical equipment, ancient smiths were able to convert impure contaminated raw ore into refined metal. From this material they consistently produced the lightest, strongest, most resilient tools Fig. 3 — Medieval sword by Randal suited for a purpose where failure meant death. Graham has a simpler hilt than the This was an incredible achievement. rapier. This is an example of an in- terpretation of a historical sword, not a duplication. Image courtesy Early swords Albion Armorers. The earliest swords were made from cast bronze, and appeared in approximately 1700 BC. Following casting, the edges Fig. 1 — Pattern welding were carefully cold worked. Bronze swords was developed in Europe could be sharper and harder than their soldiers, rather than during the Roman era. In individual warrior this pattern-welded iron counterparts, but could fracture Herser longsword by where an iron sword would bend rather combat as practiced by Kevin Cashen, than break. Early Greek, Chinese, many of their enemies. pattern-welded Celtic, and other European cultures The Roman cavalry sword steel is in the developed artful and well crafted was the spatha, a longer, blade, guard, and bronze swords. Swords of iron straight two edged sword. pommel of the probably appeared around 700 BC. Pattern welding was developing sword. Image The Roman short sword, the in Europe during this era. Pattern courtesy gladius, an infantry weapon, welding was a technique of forge welding Matherton normally served along with a different steel or steely irons together to Forge, improve the strength and toughness of Hubbardston, shield for defense. The Romans Michigan. developed effective fighting the material. In this time period, pattern- strategies and tactics based on welded steel was found almost exclusively these weapons and disciplined in the fullers of the blades. The fuller is a *Member of ASM International. ground groove down the center of the blade ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES/AUGUST 2004 67 swords.qxd 7/14/04 9:34 PM Page 2 veloped from the Roman spatha, becoming the pri- mary weapon of the knight throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe. Other swords de- veloped during this time include the thrust, cut- and-thrust, hand-and-a-half sword, and the two- handed sword. The rapier and dagger developed as personal side arms, for defense, and of course, for settling matters of honor by dueling. The rapier was not considered suitable for armored combat by sword masters of the time, and was primarily a weapon for the nobility (Fig. 2). In fact, Henry VIII of Eng- land passed a law forbidding any but nobility from carrying a rapier; the intent was to be able to dis- tinguish at a glance nobility from commoner. The Italians developed a two-handed Florentine fighting style with two rapiers. They were designed so that both swords went into one scabbard. This was known as a “case of rapiers.” Until drawn, they appeared to be a single weapon. As the rapier developed and became lighter, it led to the development of the small sword, a light and deadly weapon, for wear in courts of Europe. Du- eling, however, became so widespread that several countries were forced to outlaw it. Nevertheless, this practice continued in secret, long after such laws were enacted. The defensive moves previously the responsibility of the dagger, became incorporated into the technique of the small sword. The change Fig. 4 — Richard Furrer, Door County Forgeworks, makes steels with ancient to a single weapon for both offense and defense that technologies, such as the production of wootz steel shown here. These specialty steels developed with the small sword became the foun- are used in the swords made at the forge. Image courtesy Door County Forgeworks, dation of the current sport of modern fencing. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The development of the thrusting sword was caused by the emergence of plate armor in the 1400s. The two-handed sword was a foot soldier’s weapon, wielded against both the knight and his horse. Ar- mored combat was left to the Renaissance war sword, with a simpler hilt than the rapier (Fig 3). Middle East Notable in the development of Middle Eastern swords of Islam were the Persian yatagahn, the scim- itar, and Damascus steel. Damascus was a later Eu- ropean term for the steel made from wootz ingots, probably originating in India, but encountered by Europeans in and around Damascus, Syria. The proper raw ore, long-duration casting, and spe- cialized pottery crucibles were required to produce Fig. 5 — The katana was a Japanese long sword with com- the wootz ingots. In addition to wootz, swords in plex patterns. Made by Howard Clark, this katana shows the the Middle East were at times made from meteoric subtle patterns that develop by manipulating the clay wrapped on the sword blade prior to heat treatment. Image courtesy iron, taking advantage of the dendritic structure Keith Larman, Summerchild Polishing. and alloy content. (Fig. 4) that reduces the mass, and improves flexibility and Japanese swords balance. Intricate patterns were developed in the The katana and other Japanese swords were blades, and pattern-welding was regarded as the based on iron swords that were straight and double mark of a master smith. Romans were very per- edged, with early influence from China. The long- ceptive, and as the power of Rome spread, they in- sword katana (Fig. 5) and the short-sword wakizashi corporated the skills of those they conquered. Thus, paralleled the rapier and dagger from Europe in pattern-welded blades from European smiths be- both form and function. came integrated into the arsenal of the Roman The Japanese weapons began as iron-based sands armies. (Fig. 1) that were formed into tamahagane, spongy blooms refined many times by the smith. Subsequently, the European development smith forged and folded the metal, further refining It is believed that the European long sword de- by squeezing out or breaking up the slag inclusions, 68 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES/AUGUST 2004 swords.qxd 7/14/04 9:34 PM Page 3 Profile taper Guard Handle Pommel Distal taper Fig. 6 — Diagram shows the parts of the sword. The distal and profile tapers are important for the flexibility of the blade. Fig. 7— This is an example of a sword made for a movie, specifically Conan the Barbarian. It was made by Jody Samson, whose work includes the swords used in and preparing the material for final forging. The many Hollywood movies, including the Conan the Barbarian series and several sword was normally assembled from several dif- television shows. Image courtesy Albion Armorers, New Glarus, Wisconsin. ferent prepared segments, including the core, sides, spine, and edge. The entire bladesmithing process became a revered art. The pattern manipulation melded practical metallurgy, heat treatment methods unique to Japan, an artistic approach, and metallographic skill in polishing the sword to bring out the patterns produced in heat treatment. Sword metallurgy and technologies By the twentieth century, swords were used little for civilian personal defense; military service also became more limited. But swordsmithing, the art and craft of making swords, did not die out. Today, bladesmiths take advantage of current-day metal- lurgical knowledge, and combine it with traditional and current technologies to supply swords for the Fig. 8 — Another sword made by Jody Samson for a collector has a curved blade film industry, live theatre, historical re-enactors, and a skull on the pommel. Image courtesy Albion Armorers. martial artists, and private collectors. pered martensite. Rockwell hardness of HRC 62 or Swords begin as flat or round bar stock, heated in higher is typical. coal, coke, or propane-fired forges. Because of the However, swords require more toughness, flex- easily controlled reducing atmosphere, propane ibility, and impact strength than knives. Rockwell forges have become more popular with blade- hardness typically ranges from 50 to 60 HRC. The smiths. Blades are initially forged in microstructure in swords is also usu- hydraulic presses, air powered or me- Some techniques ally more complex than that of knives. chanical hammers, or by hand, with One effective sword microstructure is traditional hammer and anvil. Final of swordsmiths tempered martensite in the edge, sur- forging is completed by hand. Lost wax casting for rounding a bainitic core. This provides Following forging, the blade blank guards and pommels the requisite edge holding capability, is ground to final contour. An alter- Blade grinding while the bainitic core provides needed native process preferred by some (blank to finished toughness and flexibility. bladesmiths is blade grinding from product) blank to final contour.