Blog

I am keeping a physical paper journal in the stead of a blog. I think the blog will mostly be a place for the photos of my work.

My Tools

I use lots of different tools, all of wich have very specific applications and techniques associated with them. As I make my sword i will detail my tools with more information, but here is just a short list.
Belt grinder
Flat sander
Drill Press
Anvil
Ball Pean Hammer
Sledge Hammer
Metal cutting Bandsaw
Wood Bandsaw
 Tongs
Pliers
Forge
Blowtorch
Dremel
Angle grinder
Hot Cutter
Fullering tool
Carving Knife

steel

Steel in its most simple form is carbon and iron. Iron is a simple material that is easily workable and quite malleable. In order for iron to become easy to work by hammer and anvil it must reach about 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, an orange yellow color. There are many different types of steel and other ferrous alloys, but i will only be working with the basic 10xx carbon steels. 1075 is the specific steel type i have chosen to use, it is a very hard, flexible and easy to work with steel. It has .75% carbon by weight and 99.25% iron, hence the 10 representing the iron and the 75 representing the carbon. The minimum required amount of carbon in iron to be effectively hardenable is .4% carbon by weight. Carbon facilitates the formation of martensitic crystal shapes in steel, which are very hard and flexible. the amount of martensite that can be formed maxes out at about .95% carbon, after this point there may be left over carbon inclusions in the steel.

Gladius

I have a piece of 30 inch 1075 steel that I will practice large heat treatment with. It is about a 1/4 inch thick and about an 1 1/2 inch wide. I will try to forge a Decurio style gladius, I will use rosewood for the handle and perhaps some bone. I have also almost completed work on a simple hunting knife. the knife is special because the wood is local burl that I dug out of the ground myself, it has some beautiful bird's eyes.