Post by Admin on Jan 30, 2015 0:12:19 GMT -5
(21:25:48 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I was in the Exeter Metal Works and finally had the approved sketches of the weapons that would be produced for the winner of the Warrior Challenge. It was a twin set of gladii, each gladius would be a twin of the other, the blades some 24 inches long in total. This would be made up of 6 inch handles and 18 inch blades. I had to purchase the pommels, made of a dark temwood since I could not fashion them myself, and I also had purchased a set of sheaths for the weapons. These would allow the bearer to strap them across his back so that they could both be drawn at the same time. I was not sure if the eventual winner of the weapons would want to have the sheaths that came with them, but it would make the delivery of them easier anyway. I set my pack on the work bench and begin looking through it, finding the sheaths and the finished pommels. I set all this to the side, as I would not need them until later when the two swords were finished. I call out to a couple of the thralls in the metal works, telling them that I need them to stoke my furnace and to get the billows working. I was going to use steel blanks for the creation of these weapons instead of pouring hot steel into a mold. It would require a bit more work to get the blanks into exactly what I wanted but they would be sufficient. The blanks are made when I have extra steel in the forge that has been mixed and created from iron that is introduced to carbon in the form of coke. Coke is the ashes that have burned down completely in the fires of the forge, they are pure carbon at that point and work well as a base. Then magnesium and a few other elements are added. The blanks are actually just pieces of steel approximately 24 inches long and the correct thickness to use for the creation of the blades.
(21:32:18 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I use a couple of hunks of scrap steel to unfurl the drawings that I made up, which have all of the specific measurements of the blades. I leave this unfurled along one edge of the work bench, near where the pommels and sheaths are already located. I then select two blanks that are 24 inches in length and look like they will be sufficient for the task at hand. The temperature in the forge or at least this section of the forge is already rising due to the additional heat pouring off of the furnace. One thrall is fastidiously adding wood to the back of the fire, and then using a rake to draw the hot coals forward, allowing them to burn down further. In order for the steel to get to a temperature that makes it malleable I need coals that are burnt down to the exact right size. That, and the air that is sucked from the outside through the billow network and then forced over the coals will create enough heat to allow me to work with the steel. Though the blade itself will end up being 18 inches long, along with the six inch pommel making them a total of 24 inches, I will need another three inches off the end of the blade itself in a notched wedge that will slide into the pommel and then be attached to it through the use of a rivet. For this reason, I only need to cut off about three inches of each of the steel blanks to start the process. I take a moment to pull off my cotton tunic and then pull on my heavy fireproof apron and gloves. My long black hair pulled back into a leather tie at the nape of my neck to keep it out of the way. Now that I was sans beard, I did not have to concern myself with that catching on fire while I was working in the forge. I get out the remaining tools that I will need, a couple of different kinds of hammers, tongs and a steel punch that will be used to place the hole that the rivet will eventually set in. I then put one end of the first steel blank into the fire, shifting it around a bit to get it over the hottest part of the coals. I call out to the thrall working the bellows and tell him to put his back into it.
(21:38:50 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: The blanks themselves are made of carbon steel, mixed at a ratio that would allow them to be both strong enough to hold an edge yet bendable enough that the blades will not snap off when in combat. If the steel is too hard, in other words too much carbon and magnesium are added to the mixture, they will be brittle, if it is too soft then it will not hold an edge. Gripping the steel blank with the tongs that I hold in my right hand, I turn it this way and that, making sure to heat the steel evenly. This will be the end of the blade that will go into the pommel. At this point the piece of steel is merely a rectangle, three inches across and 24 inches long along with about a half inch thick. Once the steel has been heated sufficiently, to where it is glowing a nice orange white, I pluck it from the coals and turn towards the anvil. One side of the anvil is rounded for working with steel when you needed to bend it, another side has a protruding piece that allows the steel to be set against it if a hole needs to be punched through the steel and the third side has a sharp edge that is used for cutting steel. The fourth side is the one that is closest to me while I work and does not have anything protruding from the edge, leaving it flat so that I can stand as close to the anvil as I want while I work. Beads of sweat already forming on my brow as I press the piece of steel against the sharp edge of the anvil. Grabbing my hammer in my left hand I bring it in several sharp blows against the steel, first trimming off the three inches that I don't need, and then cutting it so that there is a one inch wide and three inch long piece coming from the end. I then turn the piece of steel so that it is above the area that I need it to be so that I could punch a hole. Setting the steel down against the anvil and taking up the steel punch in my right hand, I bring the hammer down in a wicked blow, creating a resounding clang as the hole is punched through so that I could set a rivet and lock the blade and the pommel together when I get done. I then set the blade back into the fires again, this time the other end so that I could heat that up.
(21:48:49 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: The heat was literally baking out of the fire now, washing over my massive form as I stood there in front of it. The forge itself was rather well lit, both with the several furnaces that are running right now and lamps scattered around, there was one above each work bench so that one could see well when working at them and one above each anvil. The thralls were in charge of putting each of them out before the place was closed down each evening. At this time of night the forge is not full of workers, many have gone home to their families or have gone to find some rest. Others perhaps are visiting one of the brothels or bath houses. None of the workers made a high wage, considering that a metal smith was one of the low castes but they all were paid well enough to live in reasonable comfort. That was one of the ways that I was able to recruit good smiths, was to pay them reasonably well. They also all were able to earn commissions off the pieces that they produced when they were not creating items that were specifically for orders to the Exeter Metal Works. I had to stand there for a little while to let this end of the steel blank heat up to the correct temperature. Once it has I was able to grip it with the tongs and turn back to the anvil again. I start by cutting off each of the corners, giving the blade the start of what would be its point. The pieces of steel clang to the floor below me, when I was working I wore heavy leather boots so that I would not burn or cut my feet on them as they fell smoking to the stone floor. Once the cutting was done I turn the blade so that it is resting against the anvil. I then start to swing the hammer in my left hand, it is approximately 8 pounds, large enough to do the rough work that was required to work the blade into some semblance of shape. The hammer is swung down over and over again, sparks flying as steel meets steel. I first start by smoothing out the edges of this part of the blade, extending them away from the center which would hold a bit of a ridge when the weapon was completed. In this case the ridge would be the center inch of each of the blades and so for that part of the blade I did not hit it with the hammer at all. With just the tip hot at the moment I only take care of the first couple of inches of the blade. The sound was nearly deafening each time the hammer comes in contact with the steel blank, each blow systematically shaping the steel to the desired thickness.
(21:56:47 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: Now that this section of the blade was done with the 8 pound hammer, I thrust the entire piece into a 55 gallon barrel that is next to the anvil, the barrel is filled with a mixture of salt and water, creating a brine that would help me quench the blades. Each time that the steel was introduced to the salt water it would temper it, creating the right harness of steel for my liking. Bubbles and steam come up off the surface of the water as I hold the piece of steel in the water with the tongs. Once it has cooled I then return the blade to the fires of the furnace, this time heating up the center third of the blade. Or at least what would eventually become the blade of the first gladius. The fires are burning incredibly hot now, taking less and less time to heat the steel to the correct temperature. From all of my years in the forge I now knew almost exactly what the temperature of the steel was merely by looking at the color. For this first step I wanted the steel nearly white hot, making it the easiest to work with. There would be just a hint of yellow in the coloring at this point when I pulled it from the fires of the furnace. The bellows were still bringing cold air rich in oxygen in from the outside and forcing it over the top of the coals keeping them incredibly hot. I pull the steel from the fires with the set of tongs again, and the thrall that is taking care of the fire moves in to rake the coals and add more wood to the back of the fires again. I turn back towards the anvil, still using the eight pound hammer. For someone not used to using something like this, their arm would be burning from lactic acid buildup and would be tired almost immediately, I however did this every day and therefore never got tired from swinging the hammer. I always liked to use a rhythmic swing of the hammer, hitting the same spot on the anvil every time and moving the steel around so that I hit the right spot on the now forming blade of the sword instead of altering where the hammer came down each time. Now I start to smooth out the center third of the blade, drawing the steel down from the ridge and tapering it off towards the edge so that at some point in the future I could create a razor sharp edge on the blade that would cut through almost anything on Gor. The center third of the blade done I quench the steel once again in the barrel of brine, tempering the steel further as it was a critical part of the process. Once this is done I return the steel to the fires of the furnace yet again, this time the lower third of what would become the blade of the sword.
(22:00:35 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: The last couple of inches of the blade itself would not have an edge on it, so for the final third of the blade I only needed to smooth the end out and then add an edge to all but the last couple of inches. The steel heated again I pluck it from the fire and turn back to the anvil once again, still using the eight pound hammer to finish the first refinement of the steel blank that I started with. At this point it is certainly looking like a sword but would not be able to take an edge till I finished the next step which was using a much smaller hammer to refine the edge of the blade and do a better job of smoothing out the steel itself. The grinding and buffing would add the edge and would make the steel gleam to look like it was brand new. Sweat was trickling down between my shoulder blades now, it was so hot in here. I loved the work though and barely noticed how hot it was, for someone not used to it, it would probably make them feel light headed though. I quench the steel yet again and then set the blade back into the coals. This time I was heating the entire length of the blade though, as I did not need nor want to get the steel nearly as hot for the refinement step of the creation.
(22:08:54 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: The basic shape of the blade now done, if someone was to look at it right now they would certainly be able to tell that it is a sword. That said, there was still a lot more work to be done. I continually move the blade around in the coals, turning it over now and then to allow the steel to be heated all the way through at a consistent temperature. Many people did not realize that the temperature of the steel and the ability to get the steel to the right temperature was one of the most difficult parts of working with it. It took metal smiths years of apprenticing to be able to do this perfectly. If the steel was not brought to the right temperature it would not be able to be forged, and if it was heated too much it would cause the blade to fail in battle. As far as I knew, no blade that I had ever created had failed in a fight, for that matter I was not aware of any weapon that had broken during a fight that I had forged. I stood there watching the steel intently, now looking for it to have a nice orange glow to it instead of the white with a hint of yellow that it had before. I wanted mostly orange, just starting to turn yellow for this next step. I had already put the eight pound hammer to the side and I now have a five pound hammer in my left hand. Pulling the steel from the coals of the fire yet again and turning towards the anvil. I start swinging the hammer again, still each time that it comes down against the steel of the blade it creates a shower of sparks, some of them cascade back against me, some sizzle as they catch the skin of my upper arms above the gloves leaving small burn marks that match the thousands that I already have. By using the lighter hammer and the lower temperature I am able to really start to smooth out all of the steel and I taper the edges to the point that they would be able to take an edge on the grinding stone in the next step of the process. I take particular care with the end that will at some point be the actual point of the blade. Turning the piece of steel this way and that, first making a perfect tip and then smoothing it out like I have done with the rest of the edges. The ridge in the middle is flattened some so that it creates the look of a edge all the way around the blade and then a flat part in the center. Once all of this is done I quench the blade one more time, allowing it to cool completely this time and then setting it aside on the work bench. I then take the second blank and set it into the fires of the furnace. The thralls working furiously to keep the fires hot enough for my purposes, they both look like they are scared of missing out on their slave gruel this evening if they do not work hard enough.
(22:25:19 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I perform the same routine on the second blade as I did the first. Starting with cutting it down to the right size and shape and then heating it and quenching it over and over. Each time I bring the hammer into contact with the steel, shaping it to my will. The steady beat of the hammer goes on and on, sparks flying this way and that. The muscles in my shoulders bulging from the effort of drawing the hammer up over my head again and again. There was a trick to swinging the hammer as well. In order to hit the exact spot that you wanted you needed to bring the hammer up and then let the weight of the hammer draw it back down with the right kind of leverage and force. The handle of the hammers that I used was about 30 inches long. I could choke up on the handle a bit if I needed to do closer work but with the longer handle I could keep myself out and away from the anvil a bit, saving myself from some of the worst of the sparks flying and the bits of steel that would be cut off and go flying this way and that. I wanted this blade to look exactly like the other one, they would be twin gladii when I was finished with them. I was quite literally coated in sweat and soot at this point, the sweat would leave little runnels in the soot, each time the billows are worked, the air is forced in from outside and over the fire itself heating it to temperatures that would not be possible otherwise. This also made some of the ash from the fire blow out of the furnace and wash over me as well. It took me nearly exactly the same amount of time to finish the second blade, once it is done I call out to the thralls telling them that they could cut out for the evening and that I would not be needing them any further. They seem relieved, they usually were able to find their cots and dinner earlier than they had tonight. They would be up extremely early in the morning again for their next shift. At this point the forge was nearly empty, all of the metal workers having gone home for the evening. I was sure Omega was still in the offices taking care of some sort of paperwork. He was really the best employee that I have ever had and it astounded me sometimes that he had been working for me for over a decade now. Now that I was done hammering, the Exeter Metal Works was eerily quiet. I collect the two blades and walk over to the whet stone wheel. This is a huge grinding wheel, perhaps four feet in diameter. In the center of the grinding wheel are gears that allow me to sit in a seat along one side, and then use peddles to crank the wheel around. Due to the way that the gears and the pulley system was set up, the wheel itself would spin much faster than I could ever make it spin by just pumping the peddles. I begin to work them, speeding the wheel up more and more.
(22:34:00 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I was still wearing the apron and the gloves as this part of the process created many sparks as well. I start by pressing the steel of the first blade against the dry stone wheel. I would add oil to the basin at the bottom once the first part of this was done, allowing me to refine the edge much more fully. As I press the blade against the rough stone that is spinning at incredible speeds, sparks fly everywhere. I start by grinding down the end that would go into the pommel of the sword, wanting the edges of the notch I cut out to be perfectly smooth so it would slot home easily when I was ready. I then start to work on the blade itself, I begin with the center ridge, smoothing out any of the lasting marks that were left from the hammer coming in contact with the steel. There was no need to refine this part or peel away any of the steel, only make sure that it was flat and smooth. I then begin with the point of the blade, I take incredible care, dragging the blade back and forth over the stone many many times. Each time the edge becomes a little bit sharper and the point becomes, well, a little bit pointier. I then start down the first side of the blade, going over it in one direction, and then reversing the blade itself and going over it in the other direction. Each time the blade needed to be held at a very precise angle in order for the steel to be refined in the correct way. One wrong move at this point would ruin the blade and the smith would have to start over from the beginning again. Once the edge was taken care of to my liking I move on to the second blade, duplicating what I did on the first exactly.
(22:40:58 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I then get up from the wheel and allow it to slow and finally stop its spinning. Once it has stopped I reach down to the bottom of the wheel and draw up a basin that sits there, along the edge of the basin are cotton strips that wick the oil up and then the excess spills off the edges to coat the wheel itself. I then move to a set of shelves right next to the wheel and take down a large stone jug. Uncorking the jug, I begin to pour the oil into the trough. The oil was a special blend that I had made special for my forge, each particular metal smith would have their oil done in a slightly different way, mine refined and strained over and over again until I was left with what I had and was pouring into the trough. The oil itself was rather expensive actually, but it was critical to the process. I then sit back down in the seat at one end of the wheel and begin to pump the peddles again. The wheel spun through the trough, coating its edge in in the viscous liquid. Now that the oil was coating the whet stone, I was able to use it to actually start to put an edge on the blade. This was done slowly and with great care, making sure that the edge was uniform around the entire blade, though the point of the blade was a special area that required additional attention. Once all of this was done the blade would be razor sharp, to the point that you could drop a piece of silk upon it and watch it split in half. When the steel was in contact with the stone, there was no sparks now. Just a steady grinding sound as I continue to work an edge onto the blade. Satisfied, I set it aside and take up the other blade, doing the same thing. The blades were finished now, but needed to be polished and seated into their pommels. I always took care of putting them into their pommels first, not wanting to mar the perfect blade once it had been polished.
(22:48:16 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I carry the two blades over to my work bench, setting the first into a vice that is there and clamping it down. I took care as to not damage the sharpness of the blade and these were special vices used for this purpose specifically. I then take up the first of the pommels, rolling it over in my hands slowly. It was made of a dark brown temwood, carved perfectly and it was a perfect twin to the other one. There was several grooves in the pommel, so that a hand could grip it firmly and would not slip even if the pommel itself was covered in some liquid like blood. At the end of the pommel was a black rounded ball that would also help keep the weapon in the hand in any conditions. The ball at the end of the pommel was made from black steel, this would also give the bearer the opportunity to use the end to crush the head of their opponent if they were in close or something. I had not seen the ball at the end of the pommel used as an offensive weapon many times, but it was possible I suppose. There was also another black steel piece at the other end of the pommel, guarding the temwood from damage should a blade glide down the edge of this blade and make contact with the pommel. I take the pommel in my right hand, sliding it home onto the notch that I cut at the end of each of the blades. It slots in perfectly, just as I knew it would. I line up the holes and slide a rivet through both of them. Getting a metal punch and my five pound hammer, I press the punch against the rivet and hit it hard. This expands the rivet in the hole, bonding the pommel and blade permanently. I then do the same with the other pommel and blade. I now had two swords. But the blades themselves did not look that great yet, they still needed to be polished.
(22:54:20 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I sit down at yet another wheel, this one has the same stone center, but instead of the stone being bare, it has thousands of small pieces of rep cloth attached to it. Each piece lined up so that when the wheel was spinning they would leave a perfect buffing surface. Carefully taking the first gladius in my hands and starting to buff the steel. It was amazing how the steel went from looking like it was cloudy and not even finished, to making it gleam like it was a brand new sword, which of course it was. The first wheel has coarse rep cloth, buffing out any burrs, any areas where there were still small indications of where the hammer had met the steel. I do this with both blades and then I move on to a second wheel. This one had softer rep cloth, again I pump the peddles wiht my feet, getting the wheel spinning at an incredible speed and then pressing each blade in against the wheel. This process was not silent but it really did not make all that much sound either. Just the slight buzzing sound as the steel made contact with the rep cloth. I was very careful at this point, the blades were done beyond their etchings so I wanted them to look perfect and ready to present to the winner of the Warrior Challenge.
(23:08:15 )
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[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: The blades were finished, the only thing that was left was to do the etching. I would use a similar etching method as to what I used on the collars for the House of Bladewing. Acid etching with lettering done with stencils. I move to another part of my work area and remove a wooden box from one of the cabinets. Setting the wooden box upon the work bench and opening the top there are several different types of channels for the lettering. The one that I had used on the collars of course was curved, but I had flat ones as well. I select the lettering that will spell out "Champion of Warrior Challenge IX" and arrange them in the channel slots. Each of the letters slides home and then I clamp the end to keep them in place. The letters would be reasonably small, but still clearly legible when they were complete. I then open a cabinet above the work bench that contained all of my chemicals. I remove some ferric chloride powder from the cabinet, dumping some of it into an obsidian trough and then adding water to it. The two together formed hydrochloric acid which was sufficient to etch even steel. I set the lettering in against the sword and tighten it down with a small clamp. Making sure not to mar the polished edges of the sword itself. Once it is clamped in and immobile I use a wire brush to spread the hydrochloric acid over the steel stenciling. Making sure to move quickly as I did not want to dissolve the stencil at the same time as I etched the blade. Once I was done I removed the stencil and dunked it in water. Taking the blade and washing that off as well to get any of the additional acid off of its surface. When done the lettering looked perfect, a slightly darker color than the steel. Exactly how I wanted it to look. I then move on to the other blade, doing the same process with the acid, etching the lettering. I then take the time to clean up all of the stencils and put them away for the next use. Dumping the acid into the 55 gallon barrel of brine to dilute it. I would have the barrel dumped before I used the forge again the next time, and fresh brine added anyway. Both blades done and my tools put away I look them over for a moment before sliding each of them into the sheath that I had laying on the workbench. The project was done.