DESIGN

All Sabersmith swords and weaponry are our original designs, usually based on traditional weaponry. We maintain a signature style to most of our pieces, while exploring new appearances and concepts on a regular basis. The entire Sabersmith product line is continuously growing and evolving. Design is done in stages; first starting as an idea. Then moving to pencil sketches, and being finalized using CAD software.

MATERIALS

We primarily use 1075 High Carbon Steel for our sword blades. We then heat treat them to an R.C. 56-58. This means the blades are hard enough to hold a good edge, while maintaining an incredible amount of flexibility. Pommels and cross guards are made from a lower carbon steel than the blade. We also use brass and other decorative metals for cross guards and pommels on custom pieces. Wood handle scales are fitted to either side of the blade tang. Leather, wire, chain, stingray skins and other materials are used for the handle wrappings. We also use other types of materials including aluminum, brass, tool steel, and titanium when making certain items in our product line.

CONSTRUCTION

All Sabersmith’s swords and daggers are full tang construction. That is, the steel of the blade runs through the guard, the full length and width of the handle, ending in the pommel. This is the proper way to make a functional sword, whereas many replicas have an incredibly narrow tang (commonly called a rat tail), or the blade and tang are two separate pieces of steel that are welded together. Our pommels and cross guards are permanently affixed. This gives the blade a one piece feel that will not betray you with use. Rattling and loose handles are not an issue with our product.

HEAT TREATING

Proper heat treating is the most vital step in sword making. No matter the quality of steel used, if this step is skipped or done improperly the blade will be little better than a wall hanger. We heat treat our blades to an R.C. 56 – 58 on the Rockwell hardness scale. This achieves a finished blade that is hard enough to hold a sharp edge, while the spring steel has excellent flexibility. We also use heat to temper the blades, which gets us the beautiful gold and blue colors. Because of this every blade finish will vary slightly, meaning all finished products will be unique in their own way.

FINISHING

Many blade manufacturers design a new product and for the following ten years build it the exact same way every time. We believe in giving our collectors much more than a simple production line item. Each piece is finished a different way in our shop. We offer multiple blade finish options, many different guard and pommel combinations, and an endless selection of unique handle wraps. This gives our collectors a custom made sword even when choosing from our standard product line.

CUSTOM BLADES

Throughout the years, we have built many one-of-a-kind weapons alongside our standard production lines. We enjoy this very much, however due to increasing demand for our standard blades, we will not be taking any more custom commissions in the near future. Hopefully one day we will have the man power to assign one or two of our craftsmen to do nothing except build custom pieces, however that will not be now. We will still occasionally have finished one-off pieces available online on our Ready-To-Ship page or in person at the festivals. Also follow our Facebook or Instagram for any one-off pieces updates.