I'm taking the next step...
Aug 28, 2014 13:23:03 GMT
Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Aug 28, 2014 13:23:03 GMT
NOTICE: I have no open slots at the moment.
-------------------------------------------
Hey folks
Over the course of the last two years, I‘ve been contacted multiple times by people interested in buying or commissioning a sword from me. I‘ve now sold a fair share of pieces both privately and over the internet and think it‘s time to take the next step.
So I‘m very happy to announce that I am from now on officially taking commissions!
I should state that I am not a full time maker and do not intend sword making to be anything but a precious free - time occupation. I am not doing this for financial gain, just to enable myself to keep making blades (while I admit that it sounds very tempting, I can‘t afford for swords to start piling up here). Sword making is a costly hobby, so occasionally selling swords and taking commissions when I have the time is the only way for me to continue this journey.
As I am a young student going to med school, my shop time is very limited. This means I can‘t take more than one or maximum two commissions at a time. Unfortunately, my turn around time will also be accordingly long. For a full sword around a year is to be expected, heavily depending on exams and vacation time. From time to time I will also sell already existing pieces from my personal collection.
My maker's mark represents my affiliation with medicine as well as swords:
To give you an idea of my work, here are some pics of various blades I have made over the years:
Essentially, I will do anything that tickles my fancy, short of pattern welding and clay-quenched blades. Historical designs or functional fantasy blades, it‘s all good, from knife to longsword. If I like it, I‘ll make it.
For medieval designs my prices are around 1800-2500 Euros. Tactical swords and such would be around 1300 Euros, as long as they are fairly straight forward. All my swords come without a scabbard though I will consider making one if the customer is interested.
With all my blades, be it historical or fantasy, performance is my primary goal, closely followed by aesthetics. I strive to create swords that are both beautiful works of art as well as sublime weapons. For this a deep understanding of sword mechanics as well as a keen eye for details and artistry is necessary. Studying antiques really is the best way to broaden one‘s knowledge about swords so whenever I have the chance I visit museums and collections, talk to historians or otherwise try to get in touch with our ancestors‘ heritage. To refine my understanding about how swords were used in period, I teach and train HEMA multiple hours a week, primarily the German School of Liechtenauer. I am an avid tournament fighter, having placed high in several local and international tournaments and spend a good deal of my money and free time on events. Besides technique training and free fights, test cutting also plays an important role in my group‘s training and my blades are made with this in mind.
All my sword blades are hand made via stock removal from bars of 56Si7, a spring steel very well suited for blade making. After careful planning, usually creating several full size drawings of the whole sword and specific details, I transfer the blade outline onto a piece of spring steel. Shaping is done with angle grinder, belt-, disk sander, files and lots of sandpaper. Occasionally I will forge knives and other smaller items but that is not the norm. While I heat treat knives myself, all my longer blades are heat treated by fellow sword smith Daniel Rosenfeld. Sharp blades have an edge hardness of around 57-58Rc and are repeatedly tested for desired hardness, flexibility and edge retention. Depending on intended use, blades are usually finished to a 1000 grit satin finish. All swords whether fantasy design or historical replica are heavily based on antique swords regarding handling characteristics and performance, displaying correct harmonic balance and weight. I will shoot a cutting video (or two
) with any blade I finish to make sure it performs as it is supposed to and would of course very much appreciate seeing future owners of my blades use them for cutting as well!
For a closer look on how I make my swords, check out this thread detailing the birth of a longsword:
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/47153/wip-xviiia-longsword
While all blades are hand made by myself, I might purchase hilt components that require tools like a lathe or a mill (such as pommels) from other manufacturers as my shop equipment unfortunately is sorely limited. I will of course give the original maker credit for any purchased pieces.
All my swords with separate hilt components sport a generous tang that runs through the entire hilt and is hot peened over the pommel. All metal hilt components are also individually fixed to the tang by wedging and back peening. Once guard and pommel are in place, I add the actual grip, made of wood, epoxied to the tang and covered with leather. The result is a hilt assembly that will remain tight and rattle free throughout the sword‘s working life.
Single piece construction have handle scales made of wood or other materials epoxied and riveted to the tang, often with a leather liner in between.
In the end there should stand a product that not only draws attention by its beauty but also impresses with its performance as the weapon it was intended to be.
If correctly used and cared for, my blades will give reliable life long service. I will cover any manufacturing faults by fixing or replacing the product at no additional costs for the customer other than shipping to me. This life long warranty only applies for the original customer and cannot be transferred to swords bought second-hand! Any serious alteration of the product will also forfeit the guarantee.
I will not stand responsible for mis-use and resulting damage or injuries! A sword is a highly sophisticated tool and if used in the wrong fashion will quickly end up damaged or broken as well as potentially injuring the user. I assume that any customer is familiar enough with swords and their use to know their strengths and weaknesses.
If you want to discuss a project with me, just pm me or write an email to: lukas.maestlegoer1@googlemail.com!
I will get back to you as quickly as possible.
One thing I want to make clear: I'm not wild on selling bare blades. There's no way to control the "result" so to speak and if I put my name on a blade, I want to be sure the end product is up to my standards.
However: I would be happy to do collaborations with other artists that I know and whose work I value. That also includes talented DIYers who have shown their skill with other projects. I know from my own experience that many talented people out there love working on and customizing swords and I would be happy to help with their projects. I do insist on having a say in the design finding process though, especially concerning weight of fittings, etc.
I‘m sure I‘ve forgotten something important but that‘s all I can think of for now. If you have any questions regarding my work or anything else sword related, please don‘t hesitate to ask me. I‘m always happy to chat
Many thanks SBG for making this possible and many thanks to you who have read this far. I very much appreciate being able to do this and sincerely hope I can make some of you happy with a piece from my workshop.
Cheers
Lukas Mästle-Goer
-------------------------------------------
Hey folks
Over the course of the last two years, I‘ve been contacted multiple times by people interested in buying or commissioning a sword from me. I‘ve now sold a fair share of pieces both privately and over the internet and think it‘s time to take the next step.
So I‘m very happy to announce that I am from now on officially taking commissions!
I should state that I am not a full time maker and do not intend sword making to be anything but a precious free - time occupation. I am not doing this for financial gain, just to enable myself to keep making blades (while I admit that it sounds very tempting, I can‘t afford for swords to start piling up here). Sword making is a costly hobby, so occasionally selling swords and taking commissions when I have the time is the only way for me to continue this journey.
As I am a young student going to med school, my shop time is very limited. This means I can‘t take more than one or maximum two commissions at a time. Unfortunately, my turn around time will also be accordingly long. For a full sword around a year is to be expected, heavily depending on exams and vacation time. From time to time I will also sell already existing pieces from my personal collection.
My maker's mark represents my affiliation with medicine as well as swords:
To give you an idea of my work, here are some pics of various blades I have made over the years:
Essentially, I will do anything that tickles my fancy, short of pattern welding and clay-quenched blades. Historical designs or functional fantasy blades, it‘s all good, from knife to longsword. If I like it, I‘ll make it.
For medieval designs my prices are around 1800-2500 Euros. Tactical swords and such would be around 1300 Euros, as long as they are fairly straight forward. All my swords come without a scabbard though I will consider making one if the customer is interested.
With all my blades, be it historical or fantasy, performance is my primary goal, closely followed by aesthetics. I strive to create swords that are both beautiful works of art as well as sublime weapons. For this a deep understanding of sword mechanics as well as a keen eye for details and artistry is necessary. Studying antiques really is the best way to broaden one‘s knowledge about swords so whenever I have the chance I visit museums and collections, talk to historians or otherwise try to get in touch with our ancestors‘ heritage. To refine my understanding about how swords were used in period, I teach and train HEMA multiple hours a week, primarily the German School of Liechtenauer. I am an avid tournament fighter, having placed high in several local and international tournaments and spend a good deal of my money and free time on events. Besides technique training and free fights, test cutting also plays an important role in my group‘s training and my blades are made with this in mind.
All my sword blades are hand made via stock removal from bars of 56Si7, a spring steel very well suited for blade making. After careful planning, usually creating several full size drawings of the whole sword and specific details, I transfer the blade outline onto a piece of spring steel. Shaping is done with angle grinder, belt-, disk sander, files and lots of sandpaper. Occasionally I will forge knives and other smaller items but that is not the norm. While I heat treat knives myself, all my longer blades are heat treated by fellow sword smith Daniel Rosenfeld. Sharp blades have an edge hardness of around 57-58Rc and are repeatedly tested for desired hardness, flexibility and edge retention. Depending on intended use, blades are usually finished to a 1000 grit satin finish. All swords whether fantasy design or historical replica are heavily based on antique swords regarding handling characteristics and performance, displaying correct harmonic balance and weight. I will shoot a cutting video (or two
) with any blade I finish to make sure it performs as it is supposed to and would of course very much appreciate seeing future owners of my blades use them for cutting as well!For a closer look on how I make my swords, check out this thread detailing the birth of a longsword:
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/47153/wip-xviiia-longsword
While all blades are hand made by myself, I might purchase hilt components that require tools like a lathe or a mill (such as pommels) from other manufacturers as my shop equipment unfortunately is sorely limited. I will of course give the original maker credit for any purchased pieces.
All my swords with separate hilt components sport a generous tang that runs through the entire hilt and is hot peened over the pommel. All metal hilt components are also individually fixed to the tang by wedging and back peening. Once guard and pommel are in place, I add the actual grip, made of wood, epoxied to the tang and covered with leather. The result is a hilt assembly that will remain tight and rattle free throughout the sword‘s working life.
Single piece construction have handle scales made of wood or other materials epoxied and riveted to the tang, often with a leather liner in between.
In the end there should stand a product that not only draws attention by its beauty but also impresses with its performance as the weapon it was intended to be.
If correctly used and cared for, my blades will give reliable life long service. I will cover any manufacturing faults by fixing or replacing the product at no additional costs for the customer other than shipping to me. This life long warranty only applies for the original customer and cannot be transferred to swords bought second-hand! Any serious alteration of the product will also forfeit the guarantee.
I will not stand responsible for mis-use and resulting damage or injuries! A sword is a highly sophisticated tool and if used in the wrong fashion will quickly end up damaged or broken as well as potentially injuring the user. I assume that any customer is familiar enough with swords and their use to know their strengths and weaknesses.
If you want to discuss a project with me, just pm me or write an email to: lukas.maestlegoer1@googlemail.com!
I will get back to you as quickly as possible.
One thing I want to make clear: I'm not wild on selling bare blades. There's no way to control the "result" so to speak and if I put my name on a blade, I want to be sure the end product is up to my standards.
However: I would be happy to do collaborations with other artists that I know and whose work I value. That also includes talented DIYers who have shown their skill with other projects. I know from my own experience that many talented people out there love working on and customizing swords and I would be happy to help with their projects. I do insist on having a say in the design finding process though, especially concerning weight of fittings, etc.
I‘m sure I‘ve forgotten something important but that‘s all I can think of for now. If you have any questions regarding my work or anything else sword related, please don‘t hesitate to ask me. I‘m always happy to chat
Many thanks SBG for making this possible and many thanks to you who have read this far. I very much appreciate being able to do this and sincerely hope I can make some of you happy with a piece from my workshop.
Cheers
Lukas Mästle-Goer
