Good news /bad news Tulwar.

katana · 17th February 2007, 12:14 AM

A belt sander may be a good idea to remove most of the deep scratches, but used lightly....it is too easy to get 'carried away' and remove too much metal. Once the worse scratches are removed, I would recommend coarse 'wet and dry' abrasive paper used with light mineral oil or WD40, progressively using finer grades.
It may be a good idea to give the blade an 'etch' before you reach the final 'sanding ' to see if you have an interesting pattern in the blade

From there you could decide whether to polish or smooth the blade a little more and then re-etch. my 0.02 cents worth.

Pukka Bundook · 17th February 2007, 06:48 AM

Thank you for the input everyone, and advice of how to go about it.

There may be one or two areas where I can't remove the grind-marks properly, where the grinder did some open-cast mining whilst removing pits!

Correction;
A file will touch it, but only with plenty of pressure behind it, or it will skid.

I think this blade may have been in a seriouse conflict at some time,as about 9" of the blade in the 'sweet spot' is rather badly damaged with nicks, in fact the sharp edge is more-or-less missing in this area.

Q.;- If I'm smoothing out the blade, should I leave the damaged section as a 'flat spot' or should I recontour the blade a bit to make the damaged portion blend in somewhat??

It's good to have such a learned group as this to seek advice from!!
Thanks again,
R.

katana · 17th February 2007, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

Q.;- If I'm smoothing out the blade, should I leave the damaged section as a 'flat spot' or should I recontour the blade a bit to make the damaged portion blend in somewhat??

R.

I think, most would agree, that this is down to personal taste. The concern is that by 'removing' the damaged area you could change the blade profile and the curve will not be as uniform as it once was. If the re-profiling would not cause this problem...then I personally.. would do it ...leaving some of the damage (it is , afterall, part of its history).
If the sword was still in constant use, an armourer would have the blade reground with a 'new' edge......especially around a damaged 'sweet spot'....afterall it would lose its cutting abilities if this area was blunt. I think the compromise, you suggested ... re-contour the blade a bit....sounds good to me.

ward · 17th February 2007, 03:07 PM

leave the belt sander for the floor not the sword. you will end up with grooves in the metal

katana · 17th February 2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ward

leave the belt sander for the floor not the sword. you will end up with grooves in the metal

Belt sanders are used by a number of cutlers after the rough shaping (using a grinder) . I suppose if you are familiar with the use of power tools ...then generally it would not be a problem. Belt sanders are available in different widths and can be used for 'finer' work. If you use the finer grades of abrasive paper gouging is not usually a problem....
The suggestion to use such a tool, was to remove the deepest scratches only.

The blade removal is a good idea, and has been discussed before...in case you missed it .....

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3800

Pukka Bundook what ever you choose to do....please let us know how you get on....All the best

David

Pukka Bundook · 17th February 2007, 09:06 PM

Greg,
You're dead right there!.....about developing quite a bond by time it's done!!

Thanks for advice.

David,
I'll keep you posted on progress.

Started on it this morn, snow was wet yesterday, and my brakes were frozen up on my cow-feeding truck, so did a bit whilst day warmed up!

Took off hilt, clamped it down and got at it.

Wouldn't be so bad if "whoever" hadnt gouged in here and there with grinder, to remove pits....

Jens Nordlunde · 17th February 2007, 09:45 PM

Sorry, I promised to write about the back edge on my tulwar, but did not – here it comes. The back edge on one of my tulwars is 15 cm – roughly 6”.

I agree that the blade is in a bad shape, but ‘endless’ hours of hard handwork will pay off – and soon be forgotten

. The ‘before and after’ picture shows that it can be done, but I agree that you have a ‘blade’ in much worse shape to work on than I had. Good luck.

Gt Obach · 17th February 2007, 03:24 PM

Hi PB
- the blade still looks ok... but i'd stay away from the powertools..
-remove the blade from the hilt
- c-clamp it to a flat 4by4
- get abrasive Al/oxide papers from 120,220,320,400, 600 .. and not the cheep stuff
- get a very flat piece of flat stock steel... maybe 3/16 thick, by 2 inch wide by 6 to 8 inch long.... and use this as a sand block for the papers..

any deep divots... do it by hand .... if your fingers can't handle it.. then use a soft puffy rag between the Al/ox paper and your bar... it works aswell

take your time and maintain the original thought of the smith... concerning blade profile and such..

its a dirty, tedious, and repetitive task ... but i bet you'll have a good bond with this blade when your done

Greg

17th February 2007, 09:45 PM	#7
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Sorry, I promised to write about the back edge on my tulwar, but did not – here it comes. The back edge on one of my tulwars is 15 cm – roughly 6”. I agree that the blade is in a bad shape, but ‘endless’ hours of hard handwork will pay off – and soon be forgotten. The ‘before and after’ picture shows that it can be done, but I agree that you have a ‘blade’ in much worse shape to work on than I had. Good luck. Attached Images

17th February 2007, 12:14 AM	#1
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	A belt sander may be a good idea to remove most of the deep scratches, but used lightly....it is too easy to get 'carried away' and remove too much metal. Once the worse scratches are removed, I would recommend coarse 'wet and dry' abrasive paper used with light mineral oil or WD40, progressively using finer grades. It may be a good idea to give the blade an 'etch' before you reach the final 'sanding ' to see if you have an interesting pattern in the blade From there you could decide whether to polish or smooth the blade a little more and then re-etch. my 0.02 cents worth.

17th February 2007, 06:48 AM	#2
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Thank you for the input everyone, and advice of how to go about it. There may be one or two areas where I can't remove the grind-marks properly, where the grinder did some open-cast mining whilst removing pits! Correction; A file will touch it, but only with plenty of pressure behind it, or it will skid. I think this blade may have been in a seriouse conflict at some time,as about 9" of the blade in the 'sweet spot' is rather badly damaged with nicks, in fact the sharp edge is more-or-less missing in this area. Q.;- If I'm smoothing out the blade, should I leave the damaged section as a 'flat spot' or should I recontour the blade a bit to make the damaged portion blend in somewhat?? It's good to have such a learned group as this to seek advice from!! Thanks again, R.

17th February 2007, 03:07 PM	#4
ward Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 637	leave the belt sander for the floor not the sword. you will end up with grooves in the metal

17th February 2007, 09:06 PM	#6
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Greg, You're dead right there!.....about developing quite a bond by time it's done!! Thanks for advice. David, I'll keep you posted on progress. Started on it this morn, snow was wet yesterday, and my brakes were frozen up on my cow-feeding truck, so did a bit whilst day warmed up! Took off hilt, clamped it down and got at it. Wouldn't be so bad if "whoever" hadnt gouged in here and there with grinder, to remove pits....

17th February 2007, 03:24 PM	#8
Gt Obach Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 116	Hi PB - the blade still looks ok... but i'd stay away from the powertools.. -remove the blade from the hilt - c-clamp it to a flat 4by4 - get abrasive Al/oxide papers from 120,220,320,400, 600 .. and not the cheep stuff - get a very flat piece of flat stock steel... maybe 3/16 thick, by 2 inch wide by 6 to 8 inch long.... and use this as a sand block for the papers.. any deep divots... do it by hand .... if your fingers can't handle it.. then use a soft puffy rag between the Al/ox paper and your bar... it works aswell take your time and maintain the original thought of the smith... concerning blade profile and such.. its a dirty, tedious, and repetitive task ... but i bet you'll have a good bond with this blade when your done Greg