Hello,
I have recently been trying to forge a quillon dagger with a straight, double-edged blade, and am working towards forging a sword. I was able to create the bevels but had a lot of difficulty getting the center line centered on both sides. Also the blade had a tendency to corkscrew as I was forging which made things more difficult.
The method I used was, after forging the point, I laid the blade along the edge of the anvil and tilted it (as well as my hammer) to the angle I wanted and began to forge the bevels, then I would flip the blade 180 degrees and do the same from the other side. No matter how far I tilted the blade it seemed like the bottom bevel (formed by the anvil) was more acute than the top bevel (formed by the hammer) and thus the center line would move farther on the bottom and I would have to counteract that with every flip of the blade. I was able to get it fairly centered but the blade was still really thick at the edge (about 1/16") so I tried to forge it closer and the blade began to bend and corkscrew much more and I could not get the bevels even again after that.
Is this process on the right track? What are your tricks to forging these kinds of blades evenly and quickly, while minimizing issues like corkscrewing?
Thanks,
~Joshua S.
Joshua
I have an article by Master Smith Don Fogg posted in the Master Class area of the Techniques section of the ABS Website. This article covers many aspects of making a Quillon Dagger including forging techniques, click:My link
Dan Cassidy
Journeyman Smith
Send an email to Dan
I forge a lot of swords I know right what you are talking about.
First the cork screw or twist, this is caused by the four facets of the bevel being an different angles to correct this you need to place the inside of the twist toward the anvil holding it at a slightly steeper angle so just the edge is touching the anvil and the bevel is slightly off the face, then work higher up on the bevel. work small section at a time and if possible only heat a small section. (6" or so) for final straighten I go the length of the anvil but for forging in the bevels working across the anvil I find works better as working the length of the anvil I find increases the twist as the thicker section bends up in front of the section being worked changing the affective angle that he blade is being held on the anvil. Working all four facets evenly will help but remember every one has a strong side and a weak side so just counting your blows isn't all that help full.
