How to Smith a Sword

Lovers of all things fantasy know that swordplay is portrayed in books, movies and television as both exhilarating and adventurous. For those of us looking to bring a slice of adventure to our own lives, smithing a sword provides us with an activity that is in itself an adventure from start to finish. So gather the necessary materials, a portable DVD player with your favorite fencing film and head out to the garage for a weekend of sword-smithing shenanigans!

Things You'll Need

• Forge Bar of your choice of metal Metalworking hammer Insulated cloth Handheld machine grinder Quenching tank Materials for hilt and pommel Safety gear

Instructions

1. Forge your sword. Heat your metal bar in a forge until the metal is workable. At this point the hammering process beings. You will need to carefully hammer out your metal bar into the shape of a sword. This process is difficult and very time consuming as you will need to hammer for a bit, reheat the bar and hammer some more. Try hammering out your bar by working on 6-inch sections at a time. Repeat the heating and hammering process until your metal bar takes on the general shape of a sword.

2. Soften the metal of your sword to give it flexibility. Annealing is the second step to smithing a sword. Heat the sword in the forge just as you did in step one. When the sword is properly heated, wrap it in an insulated material and set it aside to cool for up to 24 hours or until completely cool to the touch. The insulated material allows the sword to cool slowly so that it will be flexible and ready for the grinding process.

3. Grind your sword using a handheld machine grinder to define the point and edges of the blade. If you are planning on adding any embellishment or engraving to the blade of your sword, now is the time to do it while the metal is soft and workable.

4. Harden your sword. To harden the blade of your sword you will need to heat it in your forge at very high temperatures, much higher than you've used on the sword previously. Once the sword is thoroughly heated, cast it into a quenching tank of cool water. This is done to cool the sword both quickly and evenly. The metal blade will be hard once more and now ready for the tempering phase.

5. Temper your blade to give it flexibility while keeping its sharp edges. Tempering is the step in smithing a sword that gives your sword the best of both worlds: strength and flexibility. Heat your blade in your forge at a much lower temperature than what was used to harden it. Once heated, quench your blade in another quenching tank of cool water. This process of tempering the blade by heating and quenching should be repeated several times and until the sword reaches the desired level of strength and flexibility.

6. Put the finishing touches on your sword. Now that the blade is complete, all that is left to do is to add the pommel and the hilt. You can choose what materials to use for your pommel and hilt based on the style and design of your blade. Pommels and hilts can be made of metal, wood, leather or other materials of your choice.

Tips & Warnings

• For best results, pick up a book on metallurgy to better understand the basics of working with metal before you complete your project.

• Sword smithing is an exciting, but potentially dangerous, hobby. Be sure to wear all the appropriate safety gear while working to complete this project.