sign in sign up
<<
Home , Albion Swords, Bladesmith, Longsword, Pattern welding, Rapier, Small sword

swords.qxd 7/14/04 9:33 PM Page 1 SWORDSMITHING In ancient times, the represented the THE STATE pinnacle of the OF THE engineering craft. Today, many of the same ART technologies are used to produce 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 . European, Middle- Eastern, and Eastern cultures each devel- Fig. 2 — The 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 . This rapier is by Kevin Cashen, Math- erton . 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 . 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 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 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 counterparts, but could fracture Herser 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 is in the developed artful and well crafted was the , a longer, , guard, and bronze swords. Swords of iron straight two edged sword. pommel of the probably appeared around 700 BC. was developing sword. Image The Roman short sword, the in Europe during this era. Pattern courtesy , an weapon, welding was a technique of Matherton normally served along with a different steel or steely 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 . The 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 and 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 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 . 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 , 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 with ancient to a single weapon for both offense and defense that technologies, such as the production of 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 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 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 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 . 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 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 . 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, 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, , or propane-fired . Because of the However, swords require more toughness, flex- easily controlled reducing atmosphere, propane ibility, and impact strength than . 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 , or by hand, with One effective sword microstructure is traditional and . 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. Heat treatment Hand and hammer Following forging and rough forging Heat treatment is designed to achieve grinding, distal and profile tapers are this microstructure gradient. Sword ground into the blade. This geometry Re-creation of ancient blades are usually individually heat provides the shape of the sword, steel making treated. One preferred heat-treatment across the width of the blade, and in Pattern-welding steel process consists of austenitizing, the cross-section, as shown in Fig. 6. Damascus steels forged followed by mar- (mar- The distal and profile tapers play an from wootz ), and any necessary important role in flexibility of the straightening. blade. Traditional Japanese The mar-quench process allows the Following final grinding, the blade swordmaking several minutes to perform is heat treated. Bladesmiths and met- the straightening operation before allurgists found that sword metallurgy, whether martensitic transformations make this inadvisable. ancient or modern, differs in several respects from A final temper follows the mar-quench and straight- that of metallurgy. The primary requirement ening operations. for a knife is edge-holding capability. Therefore, Following heat treatment, the sword is given a heat treatments for knives are typically designed final polish. To ensure that the sword is a quality to achieve high hardness throughout the blade. The product, it is proof tested. The bladesmith carries usual microstructure in steel knives is tem- out bend tests by hand, to ensure that the blade is ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES/AUGUST 2004 69 swords.qxd 7/14/04 9:35 PM Page 4

Selected bladesmiths Historical, recent, and ongoing collaborations be- tween academia and bladesmiths have improved Bladesmith Web site the knowledge of appropriate chemistry, mi- Albion Armorers www.albionarmorers.com crostructure, and thermo-mechanical treatments to Jody Samson, Jason Dingledine achieve modern pattern-welded steels comparable Matherton Forge www.cashenblades.com to that of historical Damascus steels. The table on Kevin Cashen the previous page lists some of the many techniques and technologies used by bladesmiths to achieve Door County Forgeworks www.doorcountyforgeworks.com the high level of artistry seen in their swords. Richard Furrer Graham Fabrications www.rhgraham.com Swords in the present day Randal Graham Modern swords are used in the film industry, for Barrett Custom Knives www.barrettcustomknives.com the making of historical, and fantasy films (Fig. 7), Rick Barrett in live theatre, historical re-enactments, and by mar- tial artists of both European and Eastern training. Morgan Valley Forge www.mvforge.com Howard Clark The film, theatre, and re-enactment swordsmen perform fight scenes choreographed to convey an actual battle, or , while maintaining personal Swordmaking information resources safety. Resource Web site Martial artists drawing on Eastern or Western American Bladesmith Society www.americanbladesmith.com fighting traditions may use actual swords, normally with dull or “rabbeted” blades in forms exercises. The Knifemakers’ Guild www.knifemakersguild.com Another skill is test-cutting, in which woven straw Articles and links to vendors www.Swordforum.com targets are struck with sharpened, fully functional swords. sufficiently strong and tough. Such a test can screen Collectors of quality swords comprise an im- out improperly heat treated blades that are brittle. portant market for the bladesmith today. The blade- Visual examination for straightness and fit and smith creates from the raw materials a one-of-a- finish is also important. Some swords are also sub- kind custom piece of art, or limited production jected to cutting tests on straw or wood targets. custom pieces. Prices for such works range from heat-treating techniques involve several hundred to several thousand dollars. (Fig. 8) clay wrapping of the blade, with the cutting edge exposed. Intricate microstructures develop at the The future of bladesmithing interface of the clay-covered and exposed portions Better understanding of the pattern-welded of the blade. Damascus steels has been provided through the ef- Typically, the edge is martensitic; the middle area forts of Dr. John Verhoven, professor of metallurgy, is a transition region of martensite, bainite, and Iowa State University, and bladesmiths Al Pendray pearlite; and the sword back is pearlite. Subtle pat- and Howard Clark. Their collaboration developed tern manipulations are possible through traditional a modern Damascus steel that duplicated histor- methods of further shaping the clay wrapping prior ical Damascus steels in both chemistry and to heat treatment. Local microstructural variations microstructure. accompany these visible patterns. Dr. Oleg Sherby and Dr. Jeffrey Wadsworth in Today, pattern-welded steel has become the ma- the 1980’s at Stanford investigated ultrahigh carbon terial of choice for many of the top bladesmiths. steels and the wootz Damascus process. Pattern-welded steels provide the swordsmith a Dr. Kyle Metzloff, University of Wisconsin, form of creative expression that goes far beyond Platteville, and bladesmith Rick Furrer, have cur- the simple steels. Pattern-welded steel is forge- rent efforts in developing a cast wootz process. welded from stacks of steels. Layers of steel with Pattern-welded, Damascus, and wootz steel will higher carbon content and more carbide formers be strong influences on the future of bladesmithing. are alternated with layers of steel having a lower Because of the beautiful patterns that can be de- carbon content that has fewer carbide-formers. In veloped, these materials will remain in the main- common usage these materials have also become stream of swordmaking. Practical development by known as Damascus steels, though they are dis- bladesmiths, and collaborations with metallurgists tinct from the materials originating from the Middle for formal studies of alloys and microstructure will East in previous centuries. produce valuable techniques and customized steels. We can look forward to breakthroughs that im- Damascus steels prove historical accuracy of blade materials, as well Modern day Damascus steels, as well as historic as developments in new directions. Damascus steels, contain vanadium, chromium, Bladesmiths with a passion for bringing history molybdenum, or other carbide formers that help to life through steel will continue to make swords to develop striking patterns in the final product. that appeal to the eye, and inform us about the These patterns are brought out by the blade. past. ■ Pattern-welded steels may display simple, random patterns, or complex, repeated forms requiring high For more information: Byron J. Skillings, Blades, Green- levels of expertise to produce. field, Wisconsin; e-mail: [email protected]. 70 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES/AUGUST 2004