Sword build: Forged titanium alloy Zweihänder

The Ancient Mariner said:
Can't Wait. I will come from the sea to check it out.

Will it fillet a Whale Matey?
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One swing should convert Shamu into a pile of steaks, roasts and delicious whale bacon!

David Stifle said:
Any progress, Sam? BTW, I think you should cast the guard and pommel. That would give this blade an uber cool touch.
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The guards will be forged out of the same ti alloy as the blade, as the design parameters were formulated along with Bladeforums member [Classified], who commissioned the sword, and wants it to be as light and quick as it can be without losing functionality. [Classified], who has a great understanding of metal properties (and, incidentally, some nice skills with a zweihänder), has already found a perfect name for this sword. :D

evltcat said:
Love the scale of that last pic Mecha!
That is one impressively big blade!!! :thumbup:
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What's funny is that, at about 5 feet in length, this is actually a bit of a small Zweihänder! It was intended to be about 5.5 feet, but I ran into limitations forging the billet any longer than it is.
 
Mecha said:
One swing should convert Shamu into a pile of steaks, roasts and delicious whale bacon!



The guards will be forged out of the same ti alloy as the blade, as the design parameters were formulated along with Bladeforums member [Classified], who commissioned the sword, and wants it to be as light and quick as it can be without losing functionality. [Classified], who has a great understanding of metal properties (and, incidentally, some nice skills with a zweihänder), has already found a perfect name for this sword. :D



What's funny is that, at about 5 feet in length, this is actually a bit of a small Zweihänder! It was intended to be about 5.5 feet, but I ran into limitations forging the billet any longer than it is.[/QUOT

I bet I know who it is!
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I'm curious about balance on a piece like this. Have you seen any stats on pivot points for one of these? I'm guessing the dynamic balance point should be a little ways back from the tip, instead of right at the tip?
 
the possum said:
I'm curious about balance on a piece like this. Have you seen any stats on pivot points for one of these? I'm guessing the dynamic balance point should be a little ways back from the tip, instead of right at the tip?
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I'm sure all of them were different. Here's an interesting article that talks about the weight and handling of large two-handers:

http://www.thearma.org/essays/2HGS.html#.VeCcBpdMKf4
 
Mecha said:
Thanks for all the nice comments, sword folks! :)



Final weight is unknown, but a general guess is three pounds or so. The sword will feel featherweight for its size because it will benefit from: light-weight and rigid metal, a pommel and hilt that provide proper balance, a strong distal taper, and the leverage granted by the fore-grip.
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A three pound two handed monster..

he IS the Kwizatz Hadderac!!!
 
I will be ashore in less than 2 weeks Matey!

Must see build and how it is going.

Good thing I have the charts to the "top secret" location.

More pictures as possible please.

Aaaaaaaaargh!!!!
 
MrWunderful said:
So cool.

Does the Ti require a different grinding medium?
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Nothing seems to work as well as a quality ceramic grinding belt. Some of the other mediums that can grind steel are quickly obliterated by the titanium alloy.

Thanks for your patience, sword fans. The final weight of the sword is hard to prognosticate. There's been half a pound of metal removed from the blade billet thus far, with about another half-pound to go before the guards can be forged to fit.

Plans called for a flat, distally-tapered blade, as was many a zweihänder - but not all of them. This one has begun to take on a life of its own (as these things sometimes do), and is forming a diamond-section shape. A sword this lengthy will benefit from a diamond blade which will be more rigid than a flat one. The 1/3 of the blade up by the handguards is to be fullered down the center of the blade, and it would improve performance and be quite striking to have the fuller transition into a thickness-tapering diamond section. They are also more difficult for me to make - why waste it! Although the sword can certainly be ground flat and will weigh even less in that form, I'll have to talk to [Classified] about retaining a shallow diamond shape for the business end.

What's not apparent in the photos below is that the tang-side 1/3 of the billet is almost twice as thick as the distal 1/3, in preparation for forging the central fuller!

50OOo0b.jpg


mIjOYYI.jpg


OSUA4Pr.jpg
 
I'm enjoying seeing the progress on this one. I think this may well end up my favorite of the pieces you've done yet.
 
Apologies for the lack of updates, sword fans. There were a few details about the sword that needed figurin' out, details that would affect the rest of the build once they'd been figured. I had a small Mad Science crisis concerning whether the sword should be refined into a diamond-section zweihander, or be flattened and fullered, or even both. Carbidization of the edge has also mulled over. Well, the figurin's been figured and the build is under way again. Which means grinding and more grinding, always careful to keep the length of the blade as straight and symmetrical as possible.

The outer layer of titanium oxide on the forged billet sparks like mad even with a fairly slow belt speed. once all the oxide is ground off, the sword sparks much less.

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Leather sheath construction droid and aspiring Landsknecht Øye, who's 5'3" or so, showing the scale of the sword:

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Onward with the sword work!
 
She reminds me of my coaching of a women's fencing team !!! You didn't thinkI was that tough , did you !
 
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