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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2022 18:06:19 GMT
I just learned that it is now CONFIRMED that the image below is Elendil holding Narsil. The Amazon series, for legal reasons, cannot bear any similarity to the LOTR films made by New Line. So there it is. That's Narsil. I don't see the runes, but I assume they are featured somewhere. I like the design quite a bit!
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stormmaster
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Post by stormmaster on Mar 1, 2022 19:07:22 GMT
Sword is cool but not Narsil cool
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2022 19:16:40 GMT
Sword is cool but not Narsil cool It's hard to build on perfection. I'll reserve my opinion on this one until I've seen it in action.
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Post by durinnmcfurren on Mar 1, 2022 21:34:55 GMT
Hm did the original Narsil have runes on it? I mean, it probably did, but I don't remember if it is explicitly stated.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2022 23:26:22 GMT
Hm did the original Narsil have runes on it? I mean, it probably did, but I don't remember if it is explicitly stated. Consulted the sources and it did not have runes. ANDURIL had runes, Cirth to be more precise. I always get these two confused.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2022 20:22:11 GMT
I finally did some work on this project this weekend. I made a grip for the sword out of Sambar stag antler. For those of you who have never worked with this type of material before, it differs from most antler material because there is little to no pith inside. Most of the antler is super dense and strong. As such, these magnificent creatures were nearly hunted to the point of extinction in India. Currently, exporting Sambar stag antler from India is prohibited, but I was able to find a piece that was shipped here prior to the ban taking effect. It's really difficult working with this material. It also smells like teeth being ground at the dentist, which is awful and triggering. Here's what the process looked like. I will chamfer the edges of the grip prior to fitting it to the blade. Speaking of which, the blade has been polished to a flat 220 grit finish. I will be bringing it up to at least 600 prior to etching in the many runes. I am also planning on bluing the fittings. I think they will look gorgeous set with the white stag antler, which, when polished, will look like marble. The most tricky part of this build is going to be putting the components together. I think I will epoxy all the pieces together prior to peening the pommel. I really need this grip to be as stable as possible before I peen, and the inside had some pitch and is not perfectly fit with the tang. I will do more work next weekend.
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stormmaster
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Post by stormmaster on Jul 25, 2022 4:57:06 GMT
Looks good, I love the versatility of that printed armory hilt fittings
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Post by pgandy on Jul 25, 2022 13:03:16 GMT
You are getting my interest. I like 600 grit and usually stop at 400 or 600, not being a fan of high polishes. Am anxious to see the polished grip and like the idea of blued fittings.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2022 1:19:27 GMT
BIG UPDATE!I finished polishing the sword blade up to 600 grit. Then, I etched all the runes onto the blade with an electro etch machine and saline solution. The entire process took about an hour, during which I watched a few episodes of Upstart Crow, a truly hilarious British TV comedy about Shakespeare created by one of the creators of Blackadder. Here are the results of etching: Next, I blued the hilt parts. Upon discovering that my set from the Printed Armory was made of a stainless steel alloy, I knew my best bet was torch bluing. The trouble with torch bluing is the object needs to reach about 800 degrees to turn blue in color, and while it reaches that temperature it turns other colors, like straw yellow and purple. The pommel was easiest to blue as most of the mass is concentrated in one central area, but the guard was a total pain to blue given that some areas are thicker than others, and it's difficult to keep the heat even with a torch. In the end, the cross was blue in the center, purple along the edges, and straw yellow in other places. The combination of colors, although it was an accident, is actually really delightful and gave this piece real character. The finished result, in better lighting, looks rather like an gasoline spill catching the light. Preliminary results are below: Next, I had to put all the pieces together. I decided to create some copper rings for the antler grip. This was my first attempt at brazing. I used 1/2 inch wide copper bezel wire, cut my pieces with tin snips, and used phospor cooper rods (cooper, not copper) and a torch with map gas to join the seams. I applied a patina to the copper pieces in order to blend the color with the blued fittings. While I was fitting the rings, I exposed a small cavity in the side of the grip. It was about the diameter of a pinhead and went through the wall of the grip. I was so disappointed. Then, while browsing in the glue and adhesives aisle of the hardware store, I picked up some JB Weld compound intended to provide a waterproof barrier. The color dries to an off white shade. I applied the compound, let it dry, and then sanded it smooth. You cannot even tell where the hole is anymore! Below is what all the pieces look like together. This is not finished, but it's VERY close. I am aiming to finish this weekend.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Aug 2, 2022 2:06:49 GMT
Absolutely beautiful! I've really enjoyed your fantasy sword builds, hopefully there will be more to come in the future.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 2, 2022 2:23:02 GMT
I like, very much. Good job so far and am glad that you were able to hide the hole. I can imagine how you felt on seeing it.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Aug 2, 2022 2:26:20 GMT
Cool!
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Post by soulfromheart on Aug 2, 2022 11:40:58 GMT
This is magical ! 🤯🤯🤯🤯
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stormmaster
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Post by stormmaster on Aug 2, 2022 11:49:21 GMT
That is turning out great, the bluing works well with the theme
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2022 18:33:01 GMT
I like, very much. Good job so far and am glad that you were able to hide the hole. I can imagine how you felt on seeing it. I felt crushed. I immediately began working on a new grip and nearly finished it before the idea of patching it came to mind. Structurally, there is nothing wrong with the grip. The hole was purely cosmetic. I didn't think I would find a substance that would match the color well enough, but this JB Weld stuff was a little miracle.
Now I just need to hope when I peen the pommel the antler stays in tact and does not crack. Finger's crossed!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2022 23:09:10 GMT
Blue Star Arrives and Misadventures with Epoxy
The so-named blue star arrived today. It's a round 26mm in diameter labradorite cabochon. It has a floral motif carved on it, which resembles a star, and it glows blue when it refracts the light. Lapidary artists refer to this effect as "labradoresence." When not in direct light, the stone appears a dull blue-grey and fades into the recess of the pommel, which is where I am setting it. I like that the stone appears to be part of the pommel itself until it refracts the light. It has a hidden magical quality to it.
Epoxy.
Many of us use it with some regularity. I had a misadventure with epoxy during this build that I feel compelled to report. The short version of the story is: DON'T BE LIKE ME.
There are two ways to use epoxy: the right way and the moronic way. I obviously used it in the latter method. For the record, I used JB Weld 5 minute epoxy, which sets in 5 minutes and cures within an hour, although a full cure can take up to 48 hours. I wanted to join the copper rings onto the antler grip and join the grip to the tang, filling up the void of the antler with epoxy. For those of you who have never worked with antler before, the inside is comprised of pith, which is relatively soft and sponge like. It's not particularly stable, so filling it with epoxy prevents any movement between the tang and the antler material. Our ancestors would have used resin or some form of glue.
Having filled up the grip with epoxy, I did the same with the pommel and fit it onto the tang. My reason for using epoxy on the pommel is because I am concerned that heat and repeated hammering may put stress on the antler and cause it to break. I intend to cold peen the small portion of tang protruding from the pommel so I can avoid using heat (which will cause the epoxy to return to a liquid state) and not disturb the antler.
When I finished working with the epoxy I threw all the materials away into a garbage bag and left it in my bedroom, which is sadly my workplace in the apartment. I do most of the work at my mother's house to avoid working in my bedroom, but I as impulsive and wanted the sword assembled as soon as possible. Anyway, I went to bed and forgot all about the garbage bag. Just before I began dozing off, I remembered the bag was there. I was comfortable and did not feel like getting dressed and walking down multiple flights of stairs, so I shoved it in my closet and shut the door. I would take care of it in the morning.
Morning came early, about 5:00am. I woke up unable to breathe through my nose and feeling woozy. The smoke alarm went off an hour later. My boyfriend probed my room for the cause and opened my closet door. He was immediately hit with the fumes from the leftover epoxy. He opened the garbage bag and almost got sick. Suffice it to say, I basically gassed myself. Not only is epoxy still reactive and releasing toxic fumes after a few hours, it can set off smoke alarms!
For the remainder of the day I head a massive migraine headache, I vomited, and I had diarrhea, all from being careless with epoxy, which is a noxious chemical!
I feel much better now, but I am sharing this in the hopes that most folks will think to themselves, "Good lord, what an idiot! I would never do that."
Good! I hope no one ever is this foolish. But if there is one person who reads this who would never think that epoxy would harm a person like this, then this self public shaming may be well worth it.
The sword is nearly finished. I will have an update this weekend.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 4, 2022 0:23:34 GMT
Thanks for the heads up. I don't think I'll ever have that problem but thanks. Nice stone by the way and should make a nice addition to the sword. Actually, when I started reading I thought you had ruined to sword. Thank goodness that's safe.
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Post by eastman on Aug 4, 2022 3:08:32 GMT
I've never had nasty fumes from epoxy curing, but you will get very nasty fumes if epoxy mixes with cyanoacrylics (superglue)
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Post by legacyofthesword on Aug 4, 2022 4:15:00 GMT
Well damn. Glad to hear it wasn't worse though!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2022 2:07:15 GMT
The sword is complete!
I used a different stone than what I previously advised would be the blue star. I also painted the antler grip with a white pearlescent paint, which is translucent. I think it gave the extra something special that the sword needed.
I also created a shield to marry the sword. The shield is a Windlass rotella, which I heavily customized. I used dye oxide patina stains to dye the shield a vibrant dark blue. I also added a copper star to the front of the shield to connect with the star on the sword. Together, it's an abstract rendering of a blue star. On the reverse of the shield, I lined the back with a metallic copper lambskin leather with silver accents. I dyed the arm strap a dark blue and installed a forged wrought iron grip.
Overall, I am very pleased with the results.
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