Introduction and sword sneak peek

jhelmes · 19th July 2010, 06:24 PM

Hi my name is Jeff Helmes and I am a bladesmith blacksmith from canada. I am currently focusing on pieces inspired by the viking and migration period. I thought as a first post Id put up a pic of a sword currently under construction. It`s an eighth cent inspiration. The blade is shear steel and wrought iron the handle is wrought iron with inlayed copper. the hilt and scabbard are currently being carved.

Cheers Jeff

Atlantia · 19th July 2010, 10:51 PM

Hi Jeff
Welcome to the forums.
Congratulations on such great work. I for one would be interested to hear more about construction, choice of materials and assumptions on performance and properties.
Best wishes
Gene

jhelmes · 19th July 2010, 11:16 PM

Thanks Atlantia, I appreciate the great question.

For starters the blade is nearly 31 inches long. (i`ll post a beter description when the blade is finnished) around 4 mm thich at the guard tapering to over 2mm near the tip. The fullers were ground in and are wide and shallow and are slightly rounded over, as were many sword finds of this age.

The materials are very old buggy springs for the cutting edge and the core is wrought iron and some of the same spring. The edge is one piece wraped around the core. The spring , I believe is shear steel ,which is an old method of making steel that is basically carburised and highly refined wrought iron. Short of making the steel myself, this combonation is very similar to many blades found during this period.

I havent been able to properly see how it handles yet as it is still under construction but the center of ballance should be close to 5 inches from the guard which is also the norm for this period.

This particular sword is very light and quick is its preliminary test cuts and is very flexible. Making it serves to reinforce my belief in the sophistication construction methods involved in the creation of many of the swords of this period.

Cheers Jeff

Jim McDougall · 20th July 2010, 04:47 AM

Hello Jeff,
Very nice work! and interesting period. Naturally here we focus discussions on actual examples of historic weapons and try to assess the history that might pertain to the weapon. It is sort of historic arms and armour forensics.
Since we have not really encouraged discussions of reproduction weapons as it is of course outside our normal scope of study, as a matter of interest, what are your sources for the detail you clearly add to your work.

Do you collect actual examples or work with museums? It would be interesting to know more on your research as we always look forward to learning more on actual historic examples. From the more commercial standpoint, I think our swap forum is the best venue.

Thank you for your interesting entry, and extremely admirable work!

All best regards,
Jim

Atlantia · 20th July 2010, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhelmes

Thanks Atlantia, I appreciate the great question.

For starters the blade is nearly 31 inches long. (i`ll post a beter description when the blade is finnished) around 4 mm thich at the guard tapering to over 2mm near the tip. The fullers were ground in and are wide and shallow and are slightly rounded over, as were many sword finds of this age.

The materials are very old buggy springs for the cutting edge and the core is wrought iron and some of the same spring. The edge is one piece wraped around the core. The spring , I believe is shear steel ,which is an old method of making steel that is basically carburised and highly refined wrought iron. Short of making the steel myself, this combonation is very similar to many blades found during this period.

I havent been able to properly see how it handles yet as it is still under construction but the center of ballance should be close to 5 inches from the guard which is also the norm for this period.

This particular sword is very light and quick is its preliminary test cuts and is very flexible. Making it serves to reinforce my belief in the sophistication construction methods involved in the creation of many of the swords of this period.

Cheers Jeff

Hi Jeff,
Wow! What can I say? You've clearly put a huge amount of thought into this amazing weapon. I thnk it looks, well... frankly amazing!
I have to admit that I know next to nothing about the processes and potential pitfalls of mixing these materials, so forgive the 'newbie' questions

I'm suprised that this combination produces a flexible blade, as I've always thought of wrought Iron especially as very brittle.
If the whole blade is to be flexible, how do you overcome the problems of the two materials different properties, and presumably quite different performance characteristics?
Are there in fact advantages that I havent realised in mixing them?
Excellent work, great thread, Very interested to learn more

Best
Gene

kronckew · 20th July 2010, 02:54 PM

hi gene,

i think you were thinking about cast iron. which can be brittle. wrought iron is reasonably good stuff, see wiki article on wrought iron.

Atlantia · 20th July 2010, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kronckew

hi gene,

i think you were thinking about cast iron. which can be brittle. wrought iron is reasonably good stuff, see wiki article on wrought iron.

Hmmm, possibly a bit confused

Alex is teething so havent slept in...... about as long as I can remember.

fernando · 20th July 2010, 04:32 PM

Hi jeff,
Interesting reproduction!
Do you also collect original examples?
With the knowledge you must have, it would be interesting to read you posting about the historical side of these and other early European weapons, which is mainly what gathers us in this forum.
Fernando

.

jhelmes · 20th July 2010, 09:59 PM

Hi, thank you for the interest and the good questions. I hope I havent rocked the boat by posting a pic of new work. I thought it may be of interest as it draws heavily from historicaL pieces.

I wish I could own historical pieces but as of yet they are out of my budget. I generally gather my information from books (ian pierce, oakeshott etc.) internet acess to photos of museum and collectors pieces and from other bladesmiths and enthusiasts who have made detailed records of actual swords.

As far as historical discussion is concerned feel free to ask any questions you like. I am by no means an authority on the subject but I am willing to share any bladesmithing information as it pertains to swords that I have.

Cheers Jeff

Emanuel · 21st July 2010, 07:43 PM

Hi Jeff,

Beautiful piece. Whereabouts in Ontario are you located? I've been slowly getting into blacksmithing and was wondering about smiths in and around Toronto.

Emanuel

jhelmes · 22nd July 2010, 06:17 PM

Hi emanuel. i'm an hour west of ottawa. there is rob martin "thak" out in flordale. I cant think of any Bladesmiths in Toronto. But I know a bunch of blacksmiths out there. I uses to work in a forge in Kitchener. I cant seem to send Pm,s but if you would like more info you can either pm me or email me.

Cheers Jeff

Emanuel · 22nd July 2010, 10:19 PM

Hi Jeff,

Seems like you can't receive PMs either, probably because you're on probation as a new user.

I had read about Robb Martin and I was thinking of taking one of his courses in the fall. I will contact you by e-mail.

Thanks,
Emanuel

Jim McDougall · 23rd July 2010, 06:28 PM

Hi Jeff and Emanuel,
I just wanted to thank you guys for keeping this on course, and handling your communications very professionally. While the subject of blacksmithing and producing modern examples of these swords is truly fascinating, and Jeff, your work is in a word, superb! the scope of discussions here are of course characteristically aimed toward discussing actual historic weapons.
Naturally in many instances there are situations where metalwork and fabrication have come up in discussions where conservation of actual weapons has required such attention, and quite honestly, these discussions are intriguing.

Clearly there are a number of members who are particularly interested in the art of blacksmithing, and as noted, I think it is intriguing as well, however I hope we can keep the historic perspective the prime factor in discussions here. What I always admire most in reproduction weapons is when craftsmen like Jeff, concentrate on detail and research in producing faithfully accurate examples. It is the history that is so important, and we learn much from the styles, element forms and motif, and markings on these old swords. I personally love patination, which is history itself manifested and encrusted on the weapons that become our guides.

"...precious swords, rusty and eaten away, since there for a thousand winters they had rested in the earths embrace".
Beowulf 3048-50

Artists like Jeff clearly understand these words about the magnificent history of these swords, and while producing modern artistic representations of them also well understand the difference between their creations and the old warriors they are modelled after.

I wanted to emphasize that it is important... in a word...to temper our discussions with focus on historic perspective in order to maintain the integrity of our content. There are other forums who have become somewhat overrun with commercial reproductions and chat on matters irrelevant to serious weapon study, which is what we,as I have been led to believe, hope to avoid.

Jeff, please do not misinterpret my comments, as you are of course more than welcome here. I simply wanted to clarify the intended content of this forum, as I had included in my scope of discussions two years ago when we initiated it, and to address that to keep our ajenda on course.

Again, your work is completely outstanding!!! and I applaud its integrity.

With all very best regards,
Jim

jhelmes · 23rd December 2010, 08:20 PM

Hi, I again hope i'm not causing a fuss but since i've gotten it finished, i thought i would share a picture of the piece with you here. I veer that this is a reasonable representation of a period piece. If there are more informed folks here who feel otherwise i'd greatly appreciate their sugestions, (as i've started work on another one.)

Cheers Jeff Helmes

fernando · 24th December 2010, 12:35 AM

Hi Jeff,
Nice piece but ...
I wonder if you have paid attention to the various reminders, to redirect your posts to genuine historical examples, which are more within the scope of this forum?

19th July 2010, 06:24 PM	#1
jhelmes Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: ontario canada Posts: 5	Introduction and sword sneak peek Hi my name is Jeff Helmes and I am a bladesmith blacksmith from canada. I am currently focusing on pieces inspired by the viking and migration period. I thought as a first post Id put up a pic of a sword currently under construction. It`s an eighth cent inspiration. The blade is shear steel and wrought iron the handle is wrought iron with inlayed copper. the hilt and scabbard are currently being carved. Cheers Jeff Last edited by jhelmes; 19th July 2010 at 10:31 PM.

20th July 2010, 04:32 PM	#8
fernando Lead Moderator European Armoury Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,639	Hi jeff, Interesting reproduction! Do you also collect original examples? With the knowledge you must have, it would be interesting to read you posting about the historical side of these and other early European weapons, which is mainly what gathers us in this forum. Fernando . Last edited by fernando; 20th July 2010 at 05:07 PM.

23rd December 2010, 08:20 PM	#14
jhelmes Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: ontario canada Posts: 5	Hi, I again hope i'm not causing a fuss but since i've gotten it finished, i thought i would share a picture of the piece with you here. I veer that this is a reasonable representation of a period piece. If there are more informed folks here who feel otherwise i'd greatly appreciate their sugestions, (as i've started work on another one.) Cheers Jeff Helmes Attached Images

19th July 2010, 10:51 PM	#2
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	Hi Jeff Welcome to the forums. Congratulations on such great work. I for one would be interested to hear more about construction, choice of materials and assumptions on performance and properties. Best wishes Gene

19th July 2010, 11:16 PM	#3
jhelmes Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: ontario canada Posts: 5	Thanks Atlantia, I appreciate the great question. For starters the blade is nearly 31 inches long. (i`ll post a beter description when the blade is finnished) around 4 mm thich at the guard tapering to over 2mm near the tip. The fullers were ground in and are wide and shallow and are slightly rounded over, as were many sword finds of this age. The materials are very old buggy springs for the cutting edge and the core is wrought iron and some of the same spring. The edge is one piece wraped around the core. The spring , I believe is shear steel ,which is an old method of making steel that is basically carburised and highly refined wrought iron. Short of making the steel myself, this combonation is very similar to many blades found during this period. I havent been able to properly see how it handles yet as it is still under construction but the center of ballance should be close to 5 inches from the guard which is also the norm for this period. This particular sword is very light and quick is its preliminary test cuts and is very flexible. Making it serves to reinforce my belief in the sophistication construction methods involved in the creation of many of the swords of this period. Cheers Jeff

20th July 2010, 04:47 AM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,738	Hello Jeff, Very nice work! and interesting period. Naturally here we focus discussions on actual examples of historic weapons and try to assess the history that might pertain to the weapon. It is sort of historic arms and armour forensics. Since we have not really encouraged discussions of reproduction weapons as it is of course outside our normal scope of study, as a matter of interest, what are your sources for the detail you clearly add to your work. Do you collect actual examples or work with museums? It would be interesting to know more on your research as we always look forward to learning more on actual historic examples. From the more commercial standpoint, I think our swap forum is the best venue. Thank you for your interesting entry, and extremely admirable work! All best regards, Jim

20th July 2010, 02:54 PM	#6
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	hi gene, i think you were thinking about cast iron. which can be brittle. wrought iron is reasonably good stuff, see wiki article on wrought iron.

20th July 2010, 09:59 PM	#9
jhelmes Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: ontario canada Posts: 5	Hi, thank you for the interest and the good questions. I hope I havent rocked the boat by posting a pic of new work. I thought it may be of interest as it draws heavily from historicaL pieces. I wish I could own historical pieces but as of yet they are out of my budget. I generally gather my information from books (ian pierce, oakeshott etc.) internet acess to photos of museum and collectors pieces and from other bladesmiths and enthusiasts who have made detailed records of actual swords. As far as historical discussion is concerned feel free to ask any questions you like. I am by no means an authority on the subject but I am willing to share any bladesmithing information as it pertains to swords that I have. Cheers Jeff

21st July 2010, 07:43 PM	#10
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Hi Jeff, Beautiful piece. Whereabouts in Ontario are you located? I've been slowly getting into blacksmithing and was wondering about smiths in and around Toronto. Emanuel

22nd July 2010, 06:17 PM	#11
jhelmes Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: ontario canada Posts: 5	Hi emanuel. i'm an hour west of ottawa. there is rob martin "thak" out in flordale. I cant think of any Bladesmiths in Toronto. But I know a bunch of blacksmiths out there. I uses to work in a forge in Kitchener. I cant seem to send Pm,s but if you would like more info you can either pm me or email me. Cheers Jeff

22nd July 2010, 10:19 PM	#12
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Hi Jeff, Seems like you can't receive PMs either, probably because you're on probation as a new user. I had read about Robb Martin and I was thinking of taking one of his courses in the fall. I will contact you by e-mail. Thanks, Emanuel

23rd July 2010, 06:28 PM	#13
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,738	Hi Jeff and Emanuel, I just wanted to thank you guys for keeping this on course, and handling your communications very professionally. While the subject of blacksmithing and producing modern examples of these swords is truly fascinating, and Jeff, your work is in a word, superb! the scope of discussions here are of course characteristically aimed toward discussing actual historic weapons. Naturally in many instances there are situations where metalwork and fabrication have come up in discussions where conservation of actual weapons has required such attention, and quite honestly, these discussions are intriguing. Clearly there are a number of members who are particularly interested in the art of blacksmithing, and as noted, I think it is intriguing as well, however I hope we can keep the historic perspective the prime factor in discussions here. What I always admire most in reproduction weapons is when craftsmen like Jeff, concentrate on detail and research in producing faithfully accurate examples. It is the history that is so important, and we learn much from the styles, element forms and motif, and markings on these old swords. I personally love patination, which is history itself manifested and encrusted on the weapons that become our guides. "...precious swords, rusty and eaten away, since there for a thousand winters they had rested in the earths embrace". Beowulf 3048-50 Artists like Jeff clearly understand these words about the magnificent history of these swords, and while producing modern artistic representations of them also well understand the difference between their creations and the old warriors they are modelled after. I wanted to emphasize that it is important... in a word...to temper our discussions with focus on historic perspective in order to maintain the integrity of our content. There are other forums who have become somewhat overrun with commercial reproductions and chat on matters irrelevant to serious weapon study, which is what we,as I have been led to believe, hope to avoid. Jeff, please do not misinterpret my comments, as you are of course more than welcome here. I simply wanted to clarify the intended content of this forum, as I had included in my scope of discussions two years ago when we initiated it, and to address that to keep our ajenda on course. Again, your work is completely outstanding!!! and I applaud its integrity. With all very best regards, Jim

24th December 2010, 12:35 AM	#15
fernando Lead Moderator European Armoury Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,639	Hi Jeff, Nice piece but ... I wonder if you have paid attention to the various reminders, to redirect your posts to genuine historical examples, which are more within the scope of this forum?