sword blanks from leaf springs

[LANCER1562]

If one does not have access to a furnace and an anvil, how does one go about making a sword blade?

[Weasel Mender]

If one does not have access to a furnace and an anvil, how does one go about making a sword blade?

At the risk of sounding like a smart *** (not intended........however) Stock removal, just take a bar of good steel and grind/file off every thing that does not look like a sword blade. Most swords today are made that way

Weasel

[Brasilikilt]

I have a buddy who made a large bolo knife from one of those long flat springs from an old truck.
He didn't do anything to it other than to cut it into a knife shape, slap on a handle and sharpen it.

With a double arm swing he could hack through saplings about the same diameter as a soup can and still keep a good edge.

[Howard Clark]

Yes, that is the way most of them are made today.

The question of how to, without furnace and anvil, or heat treatment facilities, is what that particular article (the original reference) is about. And unquestionably, one can make a sword that way. It is a less than optimal way to do it, but a way that can be done with little investment in tools and equipment.

"The $50 Knife Shop" by Wayne Goddard is another reference I would recommend. Also the books by Jim Hrisoulas. "Step by Step Knife Making, You Can Do It", by David Boye is also a good one.

[castledangerous]

Haven't seen such long paragraphs since Dostoyevsky...

[jmercier]

I would also recommend Jim Hrisoulas' book The Complete Bladesmith. Jim posts over on the forums at iforgeiron.com http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/ as well and is mostly happy to answer questions that arise from his books when he has the time.

The 50$ knife shop is a great book, one of the best beginner knife books printed IMO.

Another great online resource is the bladeforums.com

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=741 is the knifemaker's workshop area, and some of the most knowledgeable smiths and metallurgists around freely share info there for anyone who asks.

Learning just a little bit of materials chemistry can go a very very long way with smithing, particularly with blades. Kevin Cashen, a frequent poster on the bladeforums, has some great articles on his page http://www.cashenblades.com/ about demystifying heat treatment.

[Mipi]

Is it better to use ordinary black steel or rust free one. I've heard the rust free is usually used for blades which are meant for display only.

Thanks!

[Weasel Mender]

Is it better to use ordinary black steel or rust free one. I've heard the rust free is usually used for blades which are meant for display only.

Thanks!

If you mean stainless steel (restfree) many fine using blades have been made from both 440c and 154cm. The quality of a blade depends not only on design and steel choice but on the heat treatment of the steel chosen a finely designed and crafted blade of the best quality stock can be rendered useless by improper heat treating

Weasel