Etsy back up.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NorseWest
After forever the forge is back in action. Trying to find a trip to Denmark/Germany. no customs just what is on here is available for now. Not back to knives yet. Hammer arm is a bit rusty yet.
Skål.
Hröð-
Anglo Saxon grammar ideas
Anglo Saxon grammatical ideas and dative in semi poetic use:
The AS language retains the archaic Indo-European function of cases and gender as well as complicated poetic grammar that uses cases to imply words that are not actually written. In modern Germanic language only German and Icelandic retain cases and gender in any heavy use. Swedish and Danish have Common and Neuter in modern use. Danish and Old English share sometimes a visually close vocabulary but many are false friends and mean something different. AS uses cases not word order to indicate grammar and is more free in word order. This does not mean it is totally free or random in word order.
(The genders are meaningless in function in AS and only serve as a complicated archaic hold over from Proto Germanic and act as another layer of things to memorize. My interpretation from “Robert E Diamond” Old English grammar/ reader).
The following is my own writing of what I have learned.
The dative:
“Hail to the Sun”
The sun is receiving the call so it is singular dative.
I am the one hailing so I am in nominative.
Hælu Þære Sunnan (hail the sun) “to” is implied when using the dative and technically so is “the” so you could write it “Hælu Sunnan” and “ to the” ís implied and would be understood as such. The ending “an” on the Goddess name Sunne denotes a weak declension of the feminine noun. “Þære” ís the feminine dative form of “the” the nominative (f) form of the is “Seo”. Male Form(n) “Se” which is close to PG and PIE sources.
To add a personal emphasis I could add “Ic”
“Ic Hælu Þære Sunnan”
“I hail the sun”
As you can see Ic is cognate to German Ich.
When using articles (words like “the”) the article must match the gender of the word and the articles case must match the case being used. Dative with dative etc…
Example: masculine:
Se (nom) Hund (nom)
“The Dog” the dog is the subject so it is nominative as is “the”
Se Hundas (Nom/Plural)
“The dogs” plural
Þæs Hundes bān (Genitive)
“The dog’s bone”
(Accusative uses the same word endings as nominative) but uses several different articles depending on gender such as “þone”. The ACC case is used to denote the object being given such as above “bān”. In the modern sentence “I gave the dog a treat” the “treat” is accusative the dog is singular dative. The accusative is also used to indicate movement of something in a sentence such as running, riding, charging etc..
The dative case has the most uses and is the most complicated.
Dative:
“To the Hall” as in a toast
Sæle (neut) (tó the hall) poetic
“To the halls” “ (of our forebears) plural toast
Sælum (neut) dative plural “ to the” ís implied.
Sæl is the origin of the Word Saloon and Salon. Modern Danish “Sal” as in Mjødsal (Mead hall) Old English “Medusæl”
All cases and genders have a version of the word “the” and some are shared. Cases have some of the following endings: ( not complete or exhaustive)
E
A
es
as
U
an
Some case endings on certain words have no end vowel or sometimes use a double from another such as sometimes genitive ending E or Nominative ending in A.
This level of complexity leaves the student with need of complex tables showing all gender forms, articles by case and gender as well as all singular and plural forms of words. Wiktionary and and a good word hoard book goes a long way.
Notes:
Anglo Saxon is a Norð Sea Germamic or Ingveonic language that originated in Jutland and Southern Scandinavia. Old English, English, Old Saxon, Low German, Old Frisian and Frisian are all within the Ingveonic family. Some speculate the Teutons were also Ingveonic due to their southern Scandinavian origin. These languages sit somewhere between Scandinavian and West Germanic languages.
I use Peter S. Baker, Robert E Diamond and Stephen Pollington, K Herbert resources as well Thijs Porck videos and wiktionary declension tables.
Skål 🍻 some of this might not correct but it’s as far as I have gotten.
Hroð-
Anglo Saxon word of the day: Uhta
Anglo Saxon word of þe dæg:
ūhta (pre dawn) (last part of night)
Old English: ūht (< *unhtwaz), ūhta (< *unhtwô)
Middle English: *uht (found in compound uhtsang, uhtsong); Middle English: uhhtenn, uȝten, ughten, oughten (< Old English ūhtan, oblique form)
Old Saxon: ūhta
Middle Low German: uchte
German Low German: Uchte, Ucht
→ German: Uchte (“midnight mass”) (regional)
Old Dutch: *ūhto
Middle Dutch: uchte, ochte (various forms are attested, including nuchte through rebracketing, uchten/ochten from the case forms, and rarely uchtent/ochtent from the previous by analogy with avont (“evening”))
Dutch: ochtend
Old High German: uohta (irregular); *ūhta
Middle High German: uohte, ūhte (both rare)
German: Ucht, Aucht (both only in placenames and compounds)
Old Norse: ótta
Icelandic: ótta
Norwegian Bokmål: otte
Westrobothnian: ótt’
Old Swedish: ōtta, ōta
Swedish: otte, otta
Danish: otte
Gothic: 𐌿𐌷𐍄𐍅𐍉 (ūhtwō)
Bonus:
Lagustrǣt (ocean) literally “Water-road”.
Old English: strǣt, strēt
Middle English: strete, streete, stret, strate, street, stræt
English: street
Scots: street, streit, stret
→ Breton: straed
→ Cornish: stret
→ Welsh: stryd
→ Old Irish: sráit (see there for further descendants)
→ Old Norse: stræti (see there for further descendants)
Old Frisian: strēte
North Frisian:
Föhr-Amrum: struat
Mooring: stroote
Saterland Frisian: Sträite
West Frisian: strjitte
Old Saxon: strāta
Middle Low German: strâte
German Low German: Straat, Stroot
Old Dutch: strāta
Middle Dutch: strâte
Dutch: straat (see there for further descendants)
Limburgish: sjtraot, straot
Old High German: strāza
Middle High German: strāze
Alemannic German:
Swabian: Schdrôs
Bavarian: Stråßn, Strossn
Apeltonerisch: Streoss
Mòcheno: stros
Upper Bavarian: Straß
Central Franconian: Stroß
Eifel: Strooß
Hunsrik: Stros
Luxembourgish: Strooss
German: Straße
Rhine Franconian: Schdrooß
And
West Germanic: *lagu
Old English: lagu, lago
Middle English: laȝe, lawe, laie, leye
English: lay
Old Saxon: lagu
Old Norse: lǫgr
Icelandic: lögur
Faroese: løgur
Norwegian Nynorsk: log
Norwegian Bokmål: låg
Old Swedish: lagher
Swedish: lag
Old Danish: low, lou
→ Scots: lyog
Gothic: *𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌿𐍃 (*lagus) (> 𐌻𐌰𐌰𐌶 (laaz))
Hroð-
Scandi Edge Jig THE MIRACLE TOOL
First off before get into explaining this item the original place I saw it was http://www.youtube.com/user/captjeff78/videos and from a few other concepts of static knife edging jigs used in professional factories. I am not associated with Captjeff78 personally but he deserves credit for this great design and honestly the difference maker in my knives going forward. Youtube and many of these great knife video makers are adding valuable if not invaluable hands on info to the greater amateur knife making community so thank you to everyone in the education field regarding Blacksmith and knife making based information. I myself run this blog to help anyone who may be going through the head scratching parts of making knives and doing forge work.
Now onto the Visbjorn Scandi Edge jig!
Forgive the bad graphics but this item is rude, crude and ready to use!
The jig above I use to make Scandinavian Edge style knives to great effect! I can make the same knife with any depth of hollow ground I want and they are basically ready to use right off the sander. I use 80 grit to remove material and 120 to finish my knife edge. I leave the steel at factory finish to creat a more earthy realistic feel that I prefer. I then 3500 RPM wire brush after all heat treating. Sometimes it is nice to hit the master bevel one more time to brighten it up after heat treating. I use a Ryobi 4″-36″ belt sander and generic 1″ by 30″ sander.I prefer using fresh factory made 1075/1080 High carbon steel. Please refer to my Trade off steel post for more info on how to get 1080 and other alloys.
As the graphics show, it is rather self explaining how to make and use this item. Simply creating a secure static for the knife to sit on and move it slowly but firmly across the belt until the desired edge is created. I modified mine to be more adjustable and use the large clamp as a handle which can be a pain but creates a more flexible tool if holes are not desired on your tang. I typically mount in antler so I use a Scandinavian tang shape.
Examples of blades made on my jig:
A finale note I would like to share regarding this jig concept is the profound effect it has made on my freehand knife making. It has steadied my hand and given the proper example of thorough steady grinding required to make a nice functional knife. Now when a roughly forged blades is needing an edge but does not fit on the jig I can easily achieve a nice uniform convex/scandi edge with great success>
Example:
I hope this will help on the road to better knife making, it has helped me greatly in my own progress and has redefined my art form in many ways.
Cheers!
H-
1080 and why I think its the best trade off steel.
No grand new year statements or plans of action, just another no BS article on why 1080 is a very good choice.
I am a picky smith when it comes to my choice in HC steels. I tend to prefer the tougher alloys and how they react to being worked and then quenched over being obsessed with the level of hardness achieved. I have been making RRS knives for a very long time and I love the properties of the 1040HC used in the spikes. It hardens and forges easily with little worry of cracking so I wanted to find a Bush knife quality HC steel with a similar ease of properties in a flat stock form. I decided after having issues with used leaf springs cracking I would order fresh flat stock steel. I chose 1075/1080 blade steel because I felt it would be a balanced and easy to forge steel for my line of Bushcraft knives. What got in return was better than I expected because not only does this steel forge nicely, it has shown no quenching issues, over hardening or cracks while forging at all. The other really nice thing about this steel is that you still get high edge durability and low material cost.
When we are talking about making survival knives it is important to remember what is actually needed in your blades performance. You must have your hardness and durability balanced so that it can survive the punishment and also be easily sharpened. A steel like D2 can be frustrating and difficult to sharpen due to its hardness level but it has great impact durability and strength. I prefer a carbon steel like 1080 because it is not complicated and can be cared for with a simple wet stone. The hardness can be adjusted to be perfect level for durability and edge retention.
Forge at bright orange to yellow.
Quench in oil.
Temper for 30/1 hour at 300/400 degrees.
I highly recommend you try this for a good trade-off of features.
The second knife shown is a hybrid of an ornate Viking iron knife and a small Seax blade.
Spring Steel Heating Color Guide For Knife Making
This will be a short but important post. Above is a piece of heated spring steel showing the color needed to do different things. Sometimes having a true to life visual reference is the best way to get a feel for a certain technique or process. I hope this helps all the people just now jumping into the world of knife-making. The red color in my experience gets the most hardening but you can also quench at orange with good results.
Cheers
Outside the box-The new cutting edge. Bushknife Tech.
- The Starcke T1.5 Seax
New post!: its been awhile and I have been thinking of what I wanted to post and I decided to talk a bit about unorthodox knife edges and how they improve or atleast living up your creations. The knife above is a D-2 tool steel Starcke T1-5 Seax or Tactical Seax (Copyright Norsewest Industries 2011) The knife has a rather radical cutting edge in that is has only one bevel and the opposite side is flat ground. This allows the user to maintain the edge almost exclusively with a steel. I myself was skeptical having seen similar ideas in pocket knives with less than stellar results! but when I finished this version 1.0 prototype I was shocked how proficient the edge was and how truly sharp the knife is with a single sided bevel.
As you can see the side 2 shot notes the straight angle with no bevel. By using the Seax design it allows a perfectly straight cutting edge with no awkward to sharpen angles. Combine this with the single side bevel and you have an easily maintained Bushcraft knife with modern and ancient designs. So far this design has managed to make mince meat out of 3/4 inch rope, leather, vinyl, fabric and wood with total ease, so I recommend you think more creatively about your edging and have fun experimenting with new angles and applications to your knives.
Experimentation is a good thing in any craft or art form and without bold new directions and ideas no art form can survive. Always have fun and bring your best intentions into the workshop. Hope this inspired some out of the box Knife or any kind of metal crafting. stay tuned for new Starcke and Greenlandr Bush knife experimentations/ideas in design.
Copyright Norsewest industries 2011.
H-
Knife Making Bullet Points! Steel, techniques and tips.
Hand forged Railroad spike.
A BULLET POINTS MEMO TO HELP ANYONE JUST STARTING OUT IN BLACKSMITH WORK:
STEEL AND ITS USES FOR KNIFE MAKING:
Modern wrought Iron/1018/Low carbon steel: Only use for primitive blades, blades you hang up on the wall or for props/ritual knives. Not for modern knife making. Max Hardness 42RC. However 42RC hardened steel will hold an edge for a period of time because it surface hardens a bit more than 42RC if heated in a carbon rich environment at high temperature. This is called carberizing or surface hardening. Smiths would put iron in a high temperature fire with bones and coal for a period of time to increase carbon content and is still done today in metal working. The thing I love most about 1018/Modern wrought is the ability to try these ancient techniques and see how you can use and perfect or even just understand what advantage it may have given the weapons of old . In the end a modern knife has long edge retension and iron knives had higher durability in battle but less edge rentension. Without a doubt the best material to start out with and practice technique.
Rebar: Can be worth experimenting with. For best results try Grade 60 and 75. Ultra strong material that does quench harden.
Files: Great for knives of all kinds, good high carbon steel. Forge at yellow/Bright orange to avoid cracking. Quench in oil only. Hardness roughly 58RC could go higher or lower depending. Temper 1hour 300/400 degrees.
Leaf and Coil spring steel: Great high carbon steel but has a tendency to crack in forged bellow bright orange. Oil quench only. Max hardness 58RC. Temper 1hour at 300/400.
440C Stainless steel. Forges nicely at high temperature and it quenches in oil or water. In my experience I have had no trouble heat treating this steel despite horror stories. Always temper for 1hour at 300/400 degrees.
Tool Steel: I do not recommend forging this steel as much as I recommend softening and grinding from bar stock. Heat to orange and allow to cool fully to soften. Heat treat by heating to bright red and quenching in oil. Then temper for 1hour at 300/400 degrees.
1040 Railroad spike: A fine medium carbon steel containing both the durability of iron and the hardness of high carbon steel. Quench in water, no need to temper. Max hardness is 52/56RC
KNIFE MAKING TERMS YOU NEED TO REMEMBER:
Anneal: To heat an already hardened metal back to its soft composition.
Temper: To heat a quenched blade and reduce its brittleness to a more durable state.
Quenching: To dip a blade into liquid causing the rapid removal of oxygen and close the crystal structure. (Hardening)
Hammer hardening: A technique used on bronze/Copper and low-carbon steel to increase hardness by hammering while cold.
Clinker: A waste material that gathers in your forge during the forging process.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES:
When holding your hammer during forging it is important that you loosely grip the hammer and allow the weight to do the work. Always use a thumb over fist grip to prevent pain and damage to your arm.
When quenching your blade always insert it vertically and do not stir the liquid. This can bend the steel during the process.
Use water when quenching lower carbon steel to gain max hardness but it is best to use oil on high carbon to prevent cracking.
Always be aware of your steels color and if at yellow be extra careful not to burn or melt your steel. If your blade is sparkling its ruined.
When grinding if your blade turns black in a spot you have burned the carbon and possibly ruined the steel. Grind and cool-Grind and cool. Be patient.
Preheat all high carbon steels to red/orange and allow to cool fully before reheating and forging. This removes stress.
I hope This helps you in choosing steel and just giving you an idea of the process involved in forging not just knives but all kinds pieces.
- Wrought Iron Athame.
- HC Viking Seax
- Wrought Iron Athame with Chiseled Runes.
Thanks for checking out my blog!
Norse Seax and its finer points of design.
Norse Seax in Battle form with Reindeer antler handle.
- Utility lenth Seax Forged from High Carbon Steel.
Iron Seax.
The Norse Seax:
Length 7 to 24 inches historically.
Date of invention early: Iron age.
Meterial: Iron/Steel.
Notabe details: Steep drop angle nose and straight cutting edge.
Name: Seax is from the Germanic word “SAX” meaning short sword or long knife.
NORSE: Sax
ANGLO SAXON: Seax
……………………………………………………..
The Saxon people derived there name from this weapon because of there lengedary use of the weapon. No man was without this blade in the time of migrations. The popularity of the blade was so woven into Nordic culture that the Seax in style existed from the early iron age through the Viking age.
The Norse/Saxon warrior often carried:
1 Spear
1 Seax
1 Sword
1 belt knife
A hand Axe could also be added to this already fully stocked personal armoury.
H-
My Shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NorseWest
Check out my shop for some very unique Jewelry and wrought iron pieces.
H-
A Spring Wind Blows in the North of Every Mans Heart.
And so it was destiny to bend steel to my will-Prologue:
Late winter began to release its frozen claws from the land and the clean fresh air bristled across the still yellow grasses in the foothills. All kind of small green beings had begun the journey to life in the small spaces between the rocks. East I stood far from the shelter of the great mountain near my home but as I stood on the crest of great rolling hills and gazed across mighty stone laden mountains I could see distantly the mountains I call home. Green with fur, pine and snow still laying upon its highest granite monuments. This day was not the day I first laid a hammer to glowing steel but it was the day I forged what was to be the first blade that revealed like a great epiphany that my destiny was to bend iron to my will and with this revelation all manner of wisdom, knowledge, instinct, natural spirit and understanding would be laid before me to take. With every strike of my hammer, careful choice of antler, engraving of ancient sacred symbols this blade took form and came to life, revealing what was possible and that the idea of limits no longer existed.This is not a hobby for me or a source of income. It is destiny and an expression of my beliefs, culture and heritage to share with any and all who care to see what I create. I love art in all forms and appreciate art that truly means something. I am proud to be a part of the new American Art/Artisan, Hand crafted movement. I am a dedicated “Green” artist and I take pride in recycling everything I can to make my art and I will recycle as much as I can as long as the end product does not suffer in quality. Being green also means seeing potential in commonly available resources and not wasting material that has been purchased for projects. No usable steel, copper, wood or antler is wasted. 90% of all antler used is collected by hand in my very own mountains with no harm coming to the environment or herds of deer. The other 10% was acquired from various sources where it would have sat and gone to waste otherwise. Green means sustainable sources, no environmental harm and a working relationship with nature as a part of nature.
Forþryne !
Hröðebert-
The Call Of Steel 