Swords are cool. Making things from scratch is cool, so what could possibly be cooler than making a sword from scratch like the sword smiths of medieval times? Probably not much. The purpose of this article is to introduce a noob to the ancient art of making a sword from scratch. This is not a DIY how-to so much as a general overview of what needs to happen in what order and a little of how it is done.
Be ye WARNED, it is hard to make a sword. The medieval adventure on which you now embark is difficult. There are many separate skills to making a sword, such as smelting, blacksmithing, forge-welding, and carpentry which can each take a lifetime to master.
To make anything out of metal, you must first have metal to work with. In medieval times this metal was usually produced in a bloomer smelting furnace from Bog Iron. Bog Iron is a 33reddish lump of soft, spongy rock which you can find in bogs and marshes. To find bog iron, walk around through the marsh looking for oily rainbows on the water and then poke into the soft ground with a stick until you feel a thud from hitting something hard. If that sounds too complicated or messy, there is a second, readily accessible source of iron ore. Black sand.
If you have ever dropped a magnet in a sandbox, you know about the obnoxious black dust that sticks to it. This dust is magnetite, a high-grade iron ore which the Medieval Japanese smiths used to make the Katana and other swords. For making your sword from scratch, this source is a good bet. To collect the sand, either pick up the dust with a magnet, or you can pan for it like a gold prospector with a gold-pan or a sluice-box. You will need a lot of this. Upwards of 30 pounds.
Next you will need charcoal to fuel the smelting furnace. The two ways to make this are as follows: first, collect the leftovers from regular fires for a long time, and second, build a charcoal pit which chars the wood without burning it. Though this second method is far more efficient, I will not spend much time on it here. In either case, you will need a lot of charcoal. Plan on at least 40 pounds for the smelt, and more for forging the sword.
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