Category Archives: Handmade Knives

The Best Steel for Forging Medieval Swords

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medieval swords, forging, sword steel

Forging Medieval Swords

By Benjamin Rial

I get asked many questions regarding the construction of swords and one of the most popular is what kinds of steel do I think are best? If we are talking about a European medieval sword, which we usually are, then the characteristics of an alloy should satisfy several traits. First, the steel has to be suitably tough. It has to resist shock well. This blade is going to (or at least designed to) encounter wood, cloth, and other metals with regularity. To be able to do this and survive (not break) it must be able to b and manipulate the shock properly. Part of this ability has to do with design and heat-treatment but we are just discussing the steel itself. Second the steel must be able to hold an edge reasonably well.

In general we need to look at a steel with between 50 and 75 points of carbon in it. That means between 0.50% and 0.75% carbon. A little carbon goes along way. Over the years I have found that steels with a higher carbon content tend to be a little brittle when used in longer blades. Plain carbon steel like 1080 and 1095 work just fine but their toughness is somewhat less than the other steels we will discuss. Steels with less than 50 points of carbon are generally too soft and do not harden to a great degree, making a blade that will be tough as can be but won’t hold an edge and will stay bent if flexed. Alloys with between 50 and 75 points of carbon also help satisfy our other desire, holding an edge. A word about sword edges. It is not absolutely vital for a sword to have a razor sharp thin edge. Taking into account the physics involved you can (and I have on various test mediums) cause tremendous amounts of damage with a flat edge. Obviously a sharp edge will cut more efficiently. That is after all what we are looking for; the ability to end a hostile encounter in the quickest manner possible. A sharp sword helps meet this goal better than a dull one. So we definitely want a blade steel that will take and hold a good edge.

So what do I use?

Over the years I have tried several steels for sword blades. As stated previously, 1080 and 1095 work fine but tend to be a little brittle. A broken sword is just as bad as a bent one, if not worse. 1050, 1060, and 1075 are all excellent plain carbon steels with the right amount of carbon to satisfy our criteria. S-1 and S-5 are low alloy steels used for chipping and riveting pneumatic tools and as such tend to absorb shock very well. Their edge-holding ability leaves a little to be desired however. 5160 seems to be about ideal in my opinion. 5160 has about 60 points of carbon in it but also contains several other elements to increase its toughness such as chromium and silicon. Chromium increases the depth penetration of hardening processes and the responsiveness to heat-treatment. Silicon increases the tensile strength and hardenability of a steel. Both of these elements are found in small quantities in 5160 (less than 1% each) but this is enough to impart their desirable characteristics into the steel. 5160 is commonly used in automotive leaf springs (though I always use new steel bar stock, not recycled springs). It holds an edge quite well, and resists shock very well. This steel seems to me to be about ideal for non-laminated sword blades.

A note about stainless steels for sword blades. I have experimented with a variety of stainless alloys for swords blades including 420, 440, ATS34, 154CM, and they all exhibited a high degree of brittleness; they broke. Companies that use stainless steels for sword blades compensate for this by making the blades thicker and tempering them softer making the blade heavy, unwieldy, and unable to hold an edge well. To me this is unacceptable. I have tested blades forged from 5160 (made by myself and others) extensively through the years and with proper design and heat-treatment as well as good forging technique, they perform admirably.

This article is courtesy of Ben Rial and Forged in Time – Medieval Swords

Forged in Time is dedicated to the crafting of high quality handmade swords as well as providing education on bladesmithing and medieval history.

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Benjamin Rial

I am the owner and master bladesmith at Forged In Time, a custom blacksmithing business specializing in medieval and modern tools and weaponry with a focus on blades. I am also a prolific writer in the subjects of medieval weaponry and history.

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Forged in Time – Handmade Medieval Swords and Medieval Reenacting

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Sword Battle Reenactment Puts Forged in Time and it’s Handmade Swords to the Test

handmade swords, handmade knives, medieval swords, medieval knives, medieval reenacting, swordfight

Reenacted sword fight with hand forged blades by Forged in Time

Here’s an example of Ben and Dan Rial testing two of Forged in Time’s handmade medieval swords. Forged in Time does medieval reenactments and here they are demonstrating a 15th century swordfight to fellow medieval reenactors at the White Oak Fur Post in Deer River MN.

This is live steel sword-fighting and should NOT be attempted by anyone unless they are extensively trained. By live steel, I mean that they are using REAL handmade swords, not blunted stage weapons, that they are swinging full speed, full force, and that they are sword fighting in-distance. Other than the fact that they are not actually trying to kill each other, (although it’s hard to tell), it’s as close to real as you can get. The fights are not rehearsed or choreographed. They are freestyle and typically last for about 15 minutes.

Forged in Time’s handmade swords will stand up to this type of use time and again.

“Frankly my brother and I have tried many different swords (and other weapons) by other makers and companies over the years and nothing has withstood the use we put them too. That’s me in the black and my bro in the red. He’s obviously in better shape than I am, but we do routinely practice for 3 or 4 hours straight. So the swords and other weapons (daggers, axes, maces, polearms, shields, etc.) are really put through their paces.” – Ben Rial (Bladesmith)

Many handmade medieval swords are often just show pieces or wall hangers, but Forged in Time’s swords and handmade knives are certain to stand up to actual use. Each blade is completely handmade in the traditional old world style of anvil, hammer, and coal fire. Although they sell swords and knives each based on a certain style, each blade is unique in that it is made to order. They’ll also be happy to do custom engraving to give your handmade sword a personal appeal. It’s in that sense that they also make terrific gifts.

Handmade Swords – The Medieval Longsword

The basic longsword certainly possess many attributes that make it an almost perfect weapon. Its over-all length is most commonly between 40 and 48 inches. This makes the longsword moderate in reach without being too tasking to carry for long periods of time. The average weight of the longsword is from 2.7 to 3.5 pounds. This again is a comfortable weight for most people. You can wield this type of sword with just a little practice and will find physics are on your side insofar as the design of the blade is weighted to serve you when swinging. The overall balance of most longswords is closer to the guard, usually within 3 inches. This too contributes to the general “handiness” of the weapon by providing a pleasing and fluid movement.

The grip is usually what can be termed as a hand-and-a-half or “bastard” length of between 5 and 8 inches. Bastard, meaning that the length is between that of a two-handed sword length and single hand sword length, thus it cannot be legitimately claimed to be either and is instead a “bastard” grip. This length of grip provides a solid balance for a single hand and yet has enough space to add a second hand for extra power or control.

The blade profile itself is usually tapered strongly to a fine point but still has enough width for decent cutting ability. Often it is forged with a flattened diamond or lenticular cross-section and a moderate distal taper with enough thickness to make a stiff blade for thrusting. If it is fullered, then it is usually only fullered for the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the length. Blade lengths seem to average between 30 and 38 inches with 34 to 36 inches being quite common. This makes this type of handmade sword versatile in its application. Cutting, chopping, thrusting, it will perform all very well.

The hilt design itself is usually fairly simplistic and straight forward. This is not to say that more complex hilts did not exist, for they most certainly did, especially in the later 15th century, but by and large longsword hilts lacked side rings and such. A simple guard rests flatter against the body when walking, sitting, riding a horse, etc. Pommels for longswords are often wheels, disks, scent-stoppers, or various truncated wedges and fish-tail designs. Moderate weight, flat and stream-lined design, excellent balance, bastard-length grip, and a flexible blade design make for a sword with wide appeal.

Benjamin Rial

I am the owner and master bladesmith at Forged In Time, a custom blacksmithing business specializing in medieval and modern tools and weaponry with a focus on blades. I am also a prolific writer in the subjects of medieval weaponry and history.

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The Art and Skill of Handmade Knives

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Handmade knives have always been at the side of the hunter, the warrior, and the laborer. Due to their importance to the survival and advancement of civilization many cultures have ascribed a spiritual or even mystical importance to handmade knives. The art and skill involved in the forging of a truly useful handmade knife has come down to us in modern times from the age old traditions of our ancestors who forged iron by anvil, hammer, and fire.

Forging handmade knives tends to be reserved for manufacturers’ costlier product lines, and can often be distinguished from the stock removal product lines through the existence of an integral bolster. Don’t be fooled though, integral bolsters may be crafted for either shaping technique and is not always an indication that a handmade knife was forged.

The first handmade knives were probably made of rock such as flint or obsidian. As the art of handmade knives progressed so did the materials involved with handmade knives being made from bronze, copper, iron, steel, ceramics, and now even titanium.

Today, handmade knives are frequently designed by stock removal or actual hammer forging. Stock removal blades are shaped by means of grinding and removing metal. Handmade knives are created by heating an individual portion of steel, and then by shaping the steel while is is still very hot using a hammer or mechanical hammer press.

By means of both techniques, after shaping, the handmade knife has to be heat treated. This involves heating the steel beyond its critical point, then quenching the blade to harden it. Following hardening, the blade is tempered to get rid of stresses and make the blade more durable . Mass manufactured kitchen cutlery uses mutually forging along with stock removal techniques.

While most modern-day handmade knives are either of the folding or fixed-blade construction with countless variations of style, anything with a cutting edge can technically be considered a knife. Our ancestors were using knives and creating handmade knives more than two-and-a-half million years ago..

Handmade knives that are serrated have a wavy, saw-like blade, or otherwise scalloped appearance. Serrated blades are more compatible for tasks that require aggressive sawing type motions, while handmade knives with plain edge blades are far better suited to jobs that require push-through cutting.Handmade knives are sharpened in various ways. Hollow ground blades allow for concave, beveled edges. The resulting blade has a thinner edge, subsequently it might have superior cutting capacity for shallow cuts, nevertheless it is lighter and less resilient than flat ground blades and can will usually bind in deep cuts.

A handmade knife that is flat ground possesses a profile that tapers from the thick spine towards the sharp edge in a very straight or otherwise convex line. Seen in cross section, the blade would form an extended, narrow triangle, or where the taper doesn’t extend to the rear of the blade, a long fine rectangle would be seen with one peaked side.

Irregardless of modern manufacturing methods there will always be a call for quality handmade knives that are forged to be durable and to hold an edge longer than many mass produced knives you typically see under the counter at department stores and sporting goods shops. It seems that even in the modern age we are still looking back to the techniques of out ancestors, people who depended on handmade knives every day, to prescribe the best methods of creating a truly high quality knife.

Stephen Rial

Working hard to develop and promote a wide range of websites for his many clients, Steve has been an author, website designer and SEO expert for many years.

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