Forged weapons

[The Skarzs]

Make me a good handle for my knives!!
Naw, but I have trouble carving my handles.

[Tam and Martin]

I'm making my own suit (can't get the computer to work right though, so won't be able to show pictures) both plate armor and chainmail.

Wow, I normal work with wood.

Same. I once made a hatchet out of wood that was sharp.

[The Shade]

Fellow bladesmiths and blacksmiths, I greet you with great praise in continuing the dying art.
I've made a knife completely the "old fashioned way," and to all beginners, as cool as you think it may be to do it that way, it isn't that glorious. Save yourself hours of labor and sweat and us an angle grinder. And a gas forge. And several other tools I did not use which would have made that job, so much easier.

Haha, when I make knives I always use an angle grinder. 

I'm making my own suit (can't get the computer to work right though, so won't be able to show pictures) both plate armor and chainmail.

Wow! 

[Rusvul]

About the armor... I made a pair of thigh plates. Not sure the name. I made a chestplate out of leather, I plan to make a brigandine tunic at some point.

[The Skarzs]

About the armor... I made a pair of thigh plates. Not sure the name. I made a chestplate out of leather, I plan to make a brigandine tunic at some point.

I think the thigh plates are called greaves, but that might be the shin plates

[Rusvul]

...Yeah, greaves are for your lower legs. They might be both. Idk.

But! I made knives! They're so coool! About a foot long each, they've got bronze hand guards, and handles made of red oak. They're almost completely identical. I'm proud of them. They each came from about a six inch piece of tie rod.

[The Skarzs]

Nice! What did you use for a tempering oven?

[Rusvul]

Nice! What did you use for a tempering oven?

Um, tempering oven? To temper the blade, we got it hot with a blowtorch and dipped it in oil. To forge it, we used a gas forge. These tools are owned by my blacksmith teacher, not me.

[The Skarzs]

I see, never mind. About how long did it take to finish?

[Rusvul]

Um, at least ten months. But it was off and on, I only am able to do things every other week for two and a half hours.

[The Skarzs]

Aye, I see. But the off and on was still a lot of time; going back on a previous post, the amount of weapons in the books would be unrealistic.

It took me only a couple of hours to make a low-quality knife out of mild steel and harden it (haven't been able to temper it) and I have yet to make a good handle. If the vermin had bars of metal, they might have been able to make a couple poor weapons in a day, but I really don't know.

[Tam and Martin]

I really, really want to do Blacksmithing now! Hopefully I can find some lessons for it somewhere.

[The Skarzs]

Yeah, definitely look it up!

[The Shade]

Wish I could make longer weapons.  The place I go to doesn't allow you to make blades longer than about two thirds of a foot.

[321tumbler]

My friends and I to "blacksmithing" when we have camp fires, but don't have real tools (just a brick or regular hammer).