Custom Bastard Sword Forged in Nepal

[Kailash Blades]

Hey there guys! This is a first post in this area of bladeforums so let me introduce myself. My name's Andrew Lucas and I help run a blacksmithing operation in Nepal. We mostly make khukuris and traditional blades as well as a few bowies and similar western knives. We also do a lot of customs, with it becoming a bigger part of our operation day by day. Considering we make all of our knives semi custom in the first place it's not that big a deviation from our usual processes. Since all of our blades get forged down from larger stock like leaf springs, we're very well suited to larger blades like monster cleavers, panabas and swords. This specific sword here was from a returning customer who'd always wanted a custom sword and thought we were up to the job. He wanted a longsword but was on the smaller side and wanted something he could swing easily that was still up to hard use and could chop wood etc. The solution here was to go shorter into barstard sword territory and have the blade be a bit beefier. This is our first sword of this style so there was a lot to learn. This design isn't very historically accurate but it's unique and suits the customer great which is the main thing.

 

[Kailash Blades]

We got all the details locked in and after a while we jumped into forging.
For a long blade like this controlling heat is quite difficult in our coal forges, so ti's a bit more actively a team effort. The distal taper gets set up with some of the bevel established, then we jump onto the grinder and clean up the profile and sharpen up the bevels some more. In this instance a small fuller was added for a bit of extra flavour.

We left on plenty of beef at the edge to avoid warping when quenching and managed to get away with a few small post quench adjustments. At this stage we're doing some basic fitup on the guard and already this thing is looking extremely imposing.

The initial plan was to stack up the handle out of multiple pieces of buffalo horn, but the guys managed to track down one gigantic piece that could fit the whole handle. It was roughly carved to shape with a khukuri (of course) then we were ready for the pommel to be added and the handle to be shaped up once fitted.

With that shaped this thing was just about finished. We left the fuller raw for contrast and a bit of connection to the smithing process, then gave the rest of the blade a rougha nd ready satin finish. A wooden core was carved up for the sheath which was then wrapped in buffalo leather and given some steel ornamentation. The customer had his own arming belt so we were all sorted in that respect.

 

[Kailash Blades]

And here's some pics of the finished thing. There's some beautiful texture in that horn and it really does match the dull lustre of the steel very well. Final weight sat a bit heftier at 1.2kg but still very respectable. If the guard was thinned down a bit more then I think we'd be closer, but ultimately the blacksmiths know what it takes to make sure the blade is strong enough and any extra weight they include has a good reason for it.

In future I'd design with a more substantial pommel in mind and impress upon the guys the importance what the guard and pommel does for the balance of a blade like this. While the guys in Nepal are very used to making sword and large blades, the european style of balancing a sword is quite foreign, as most european things are. I'd also be a bit clearer on how the handle needs to be contoured. This is the longest blade we've ever done, so I'm sure on the next run some of the processes of grinding and heating would run a bit smoother. What things do you think we could improve upon for next time we tackle a blade like this?

All in all though, this was a great challenge and the customer was really happy with the outcome. We don't have a huge amount of experience with this style of blade, but are looking to get better at it and take on more sword commisions. Who knows, maybe one day we'll do one or two as stock items.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash Blades

 

[WValtakis]

Just going off the specs and pics, but I'd say from the thickness and weight you've made a very respectable sword instead of just a big knife...and that's not easy (especially on a first try). Great job!

Where does it balance? What's the pricing on something like this?

 

[Kailash Blades]

Where does it balance? What's the pricing on something like this?

As far as balance goes, I can't help with that one unfortunately. The guys sent it out before I had a chance to get them to measure it. If you're particularly interested I can chase up the customer for a measurement, it could be useful for future reference too.
As for pricing, we're still figuring out how to price much larger blades like this and it's defintiely subject to change. Something like this would go for about $410 and upwards, with the final cost being dependent on materials, how much design time it takes me, ornamentation and choice of sheath.

 

[Triton]

I think it's a very respectable first effort. The fullering needs some attention and the tip geometry might be a bit odd (or that could be the lighting) but for a one off first time you've done far better than many. I liked the gladius in the other post from what I could tell, although the fittings would need to be a bit different to get it closer to being a historically accurate piece. It would be good to get a read on your weights and balance points. At some point you may have to decide which market you wish to pursue. I.e. non-traditional but perhaps historically inspired performance pieces or more traditional pieces using modern materials. There are paths to success either way I think.

 

[Kailash Blades]

The fullering needs some attention and the tip geometry might be a bit odd (or that could be the lighting) but for a one off first time you've done far better than many. I liked the gladius in the other post from what I could tell, although the fittings would need to be a bit different to get it closer to being a historically accurate piece. It would be good to get a read on your weights and balance points. At some point you may have to decide which market you wish to pursue. I.e. non-traditional but perhaps historically inspired performance pieces or more traditional pieces using modern materials. There are paths to success either way I think.

Hey there mate, thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I think the grinding on this is a bit imprecise, and that this is partially due to the bench grinding wheels we use being inconsistent in diameter and not great for flat bevels, and also the difficulty of accurately hand grinding a piece so much longer than normal.
Regarding our pathway, doing european sword is still very new for us and I think at some point we'll fall into a groove and run with it. For the timebeing though it's great to try out a lot of different blade styles through customs and see what stick. It might not be the best market strategy, but we're already estabished with khukuris which is enough for the timebeing.
Take care,
Andrew

 

[Triton]

Either way I know where my next Khukri is coming from.

 

[Xhadex]

Looks great.