Project CONAN ! The Atlantian Warriors Swords
Oct 12, 2016 19:01:46 GMT
Post by John Greybeard on Oct 12, 2016 19:01:46 GMT
Guess I need to chime in on this also. Wes has laid out the situation accurately. The remaining blades are in fact completely annealed, un hardened and untempered- so finishing them would require even more work, expense and risk of metal failure than was originally necessary for swords that were just balancing on the razor’s edge of being profitable to begin with. Wes expressed it perfectly - “It was impossible for them to be the same $800 swords that they were originally advertised as”
I have to admit to my culpability in this disaster. I had suspected the HT of some of the blades right at the beginning, but Rob had understood from Albion that they had all been hardened. I did futz around some trying the scratch test with a mill bastard file, etc… but I wasn’t really sure of the results I was seeing - not having a lot of experience working steel.
Then when I started on Dave’s blade - well it was sure as hell hardened and tempered. And so was the next one. And, says me with a very red face, then I pretty much got overwhelmed with creating the bronze and the whole HT question receded to the very back of my, limited to begin with, consciousness. Where it laid unattended to until Wes, with his usual directness, suspected the steel’s HT and bent one over his knee to find out. It just never occurred to me to do that, unfortunately.
So when the added costs were piled onto the ridiculous amount of time that I’ve been taking to finish these swords I think everybody involved just threw up their hands and threw in the towel. I certainly don’t blame them.
My feelings are kind of mixed about all of this. But there’s no ambiguity about the regret I feel at leaving the project unfinished and disappointing good people who always showed incredibly steadfast support and patience. And all of you who have followed along on this bumpy journey too - a real community created itself around this project and I feel I’ve made some good friends on the way. It really sucks for it all to end like this.
Apologies and "wish I had"s aren't worth much, I know, but at this point I have nothing more to give. I'm saddened and I'm sorry guys - it was a hell of a ride, anyway.
I have to admit to my culpability in this disaster. I had suspected the HT of some of the blades right at the beginning, but Rob had understood from Albion that they had all been hardened. I did futz around some trying the scratch test with a mill bastard file, etc… but I wasn’t really sure of the results I was seeing - not having a lot of experience working steel.
Then when I started on Dave’s blade - well it was sure as hell hardened and tempered. And so was the next one. And, says me with a very red face, then I pretty much got overwhelmed with creating the bronze and the whole HT question receded to the very back of my, limited to begin with, consciousness. Where it laid unattended to until Wes, with his usual directness, suspected the steel’s HT and bent one over his knee to find out. It just never occurred to me to do that, unfortunately.
So when the added costs were piled onto the ridiculous amount of time that I’ve been taking to finish these swords I think everybody involved just threw up their hands and threw in the towel. I certainly don’t blame them.
My feelings are kind of mixed about all of this. But there’s no ambiguity about the regret I feel at leaving the project unfinished and disappointing good people who always showed incredibly steadfast support and patience. And all of you who have followed along on this bumpy journey too - a real community created itself around this project and I feel I’ve made some good friends on the way. It really sucks for it all to end like this.
Apologies and "wish I had"s aren't worth much, I know, but at this point I have nothing more to give. I'm saddened and I'm sorry guys - it was a hell of a ride, anyway.
