Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

 I have a friend who is a very serious collector of rare and expensive books. He has a real passion for Hemingway and Poe. But he has a lot of other interesting things and knowing that I am a big fan of the Middle Ages and all things medieval he gave me an old copy of Bulfinch’s Age of Chivalry or King Arthur and his Knights.

It is a beautiful hardcover book published in 1900 and it is full of great stories and beautiful pictures and prints. It is one of those old books that has the the thin sheet of paper against each picture.

This book isn’t of any real monetary value but it is of enormous value to anyone who truly enjoys anything mythical or king arthur.

A little About Bulfinch

He was a 19th Century art loving bank clerk and his goal was to bring fable and myth to the common people. He did this with wonderful writing and beautiful illustration. He covered a lot of mythology from the Ancient greeks and romans to camelot and his books have been updated, republished, re-done for over a century now and there are many versions of his books available. He was kind of the common man’s Joseph Campbell of the 19th Century.

If you are a fan of all things medieval you might want to take a look at some of these books; they are simply enchanting!

The Illustrated Bulfinch’s Mythology: Legends of Charlemagne, the Age of Chivalry, the Age of Fable (Illustrated Bulfinch’s Mythology)

There are many Bulfinch books and I have put together an Amazon.com Store of Bulfinch books for you to take a look at without leaving this site:

The Castle Fiction Store:Bulfinch Books from Amazon.com

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Swordmaking and blacksmithing are skills that go back for thousands of years and there are many different ways that a sword can be made. Here is an outline of the standard way a sword is made today, using old time techniques.

Before the blacksmith or swordsmith actually starts hammering or heating the metal for a sword there is a lot of work to be done. The sword size, shape, properties, and metal composition all have to be decided upon. These factors determine the amount of metal, the temperatures of heating and the specific steps in the process that have to be completed. This article doesn’t cover the complete art of swordmaking. It will only discuss and outline the process of smithing the blade of a sword.
There are many different methods for making a sword and the art has changed over the centuries as technologies, tools and the science of metallurgy has changed. But for the past five hundred years there has been one method that still stands as the most common. This is the six step method. of taking a bar of the desired metal to a completed sword.
Step One: Forging
A bar of the desired metal or combination of metals is heated in a forge and then it is hammered into shape.(The shape of a sword) This hammering process can take a long time and it is called drawing out the sword. The sword is worked on in sections (usually around 6 inches in length) and repeatedly hammered and heated until it comes into the desired shape .This process is repeated many times and the sword is often heated then allowed to cool without hammering. This is required by the metal to keep the desired properties of strength and flexibility. Once this step is completed the sword is in the proper shape but the properties of the metal make it very brittle and something has to be done to give flexibility to it.
Step Two: Annealing

Annealing softens the sword and makes it easy to grind into shape. The sword is now heated and then allowed to cool very slowly. Often it is wrapped in an insulating material to slow down this cooling. It can take as long as 24 hours and this annealing process makes the sword soft and easy to grind.
Step Three: Grinding
Now the blacksmith uses a grinder to work out the edge and point of the sword. This would also be when any engraving is added. This is not a completed sword yet. It is still much too soft so it must be hardened.
Step Four: Hardening
Now the sword is heated to a very high temperature and then placed into a quenching tank. (This is what we always see in the movies). This quenching allows it to cool quickly and evenly which will harden the metal. After this hardening the sword is brittle and something must be done to make it strong yet flexible.
Step Five: Tempering
Again the blade is heated and quenched. But now the heating is at a much lower temperature than was used at the hardening. This heating/quenching cycle may be repeated several times. This tempering allows the blade to be strong but not brittle. This is one stage where the skill and experience of the swordsmith is invaluable. It takes a trained hand and eye to understand the properties of the meta. It will have a certain amount of flexibility yet still retain its sharp edge. Now the sword is ready for completion.
Step Six: Completion
The sword blade itself is now complete. Now the additional parts will be added such as the pommel the guard and the hilt.
For the past five hundred years the only way to learn the art of swordmaking was to find a skilled blacksmith or swordsmith that was willing to take you on as an apprentice. Because of the specialized skills and tools, and the skill that is required this tradition remains the best way to do it today.
Before you invest lots of time in money in equipment and materials you should find a master that is willing to teach you the basics of the art. You won’t have to devote your life to endless hours of hammering against an anvil and with a little perseverance, a little patience and some practice you will be able to make some decent swords that you can be proud of.

I have a website devoted to Medieval Swords. If you are interested in swords learn more about them, how to buy them, the history of them and more: Medieval Swords

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