The
material is chosen with the utmost care. We always purchase new steel and
would never resort to using recycled material, e.g. old springs. The sword
blades are usually made in Grade 14260 steel (alloy-low chromium steel) with
the following content: C 0.50-0.60 Mn 0.50-0.80 Si 1.30-1.60 Cr 0.50-0.70.
The guards and pommels are made up of a bronze alloy in some sword types,
but mostly of low carbon steel or iron. The grips are usually crafted from
hardwood – oak, beech or, for its beautiful texture, walnut. If required,
custom-made grips from other organic materials, such as bone and horn, are
also available. Frequently, the grips are clad in natural, dark-tinged
leather.
General construction
The sword‘s blade and
tang are always made up of a single piece of material so that the tang is
quadrangle in cross-section and is never welded on additionally. The
pommel is generally peened to the tang top. Possible threads for fixing the
pommel (for some rapiers) are cut manually later. The tang width at the
blade shoulders varies between approx. 30-40% of the blade width. The distal
taper in our products is never parallel, i.e. the blade thickness is tapered
from the base to the tip. The edges are hammered and formed to an angle
adequate for the weapon type, but in no way are the edges square or
sharpened to a knife’s edge. The wooden or organic grip is made in one
piece, drilled and the bore is manually finished to hug the tang’s shape
so that a tight-fit of the grip is obtained and no gluing is needed. The
grip may be wrapped in a strip of leather or twisted wire.
Manufacture and heat processing
Both the blades and the guards and
pommels are hammered by hand using traditional open hearth and standard
smithing procedures. Given that they are manufactured individually, the
dimensions of the swords of the same type may slightly differ. The blades
are then hardened in an oil bath so that the usual hardness measured in 2-3
points reaches 52-54 HRC. When required by the construction of the original
weapon, the parts are welded together by hammering. If parts are to be cast
in bronze, brass, etc. each of the parts is cast individually in sand or
using the lost wax method. Wooden and other parts are hand worked and
finished to obtain a tight-fit on the sword’s main structure.
Decorating
Several steel engraving and etching
techniques are used. Bronze parts are usually cast individually to obtain a
rough shape, which is then worked and honed and finally engraved. Some
weapons are decorated by either inserting or beating in metal strip inlays
or by openwork.
The
material is chosen with the utmost care. We always purchase new steel and
would never resort to using recycled material, e.g. old springs. The sword
blades are usually made in Grade 14260 steel (alloy-low chromium steel) with
the following content: C 0.50-0.60 Mn 0.50-0.80 Si 1.30-1.60 Cr 0.50-0.70.
The guards and pommels are made up of a bronze alloy in some sword types,
but mostly of low carbon steel or iron. The grips are usually crafted from
hardwood – oak, beech or, for its beautiful texture, walnut. If required,
custom-made grips from other organic materials, such as bone and horn, are
also available. Frequently, the grips are clad in natural, dark-tinged
leather.
Both the blades and the guards and
pommels are hammered by hand using traditional open hearth and standard
smithing procedures. Given that they are manufactured individually, the
dimensions of the swords of the same type may slightly differ. The blades
are then hardened in an oil bath so that the usual hardness measured in 2-3
points reaches 52-54 HRC. When required by the construction of the original
weapon, the parts are welded together by hammering. If parts are to be cast
in bronze, brass, etc. each of the parts is cast individually in sand or
using the lost wax method. Wooden and other parts are hand worked and
finished to obtain a tight-fit on the sword’s main structure.
Several steel engraving and etching
techniques are used. Bronze parts are usually cast individually to obtain a
rough shape, which is then worked and honed and finally engraved. Some
weapons are decorated by either inserting or beating in metal strip inlays
or by openwork.