I didn't know who Owen was until 15 minutes ago, but if I ever have the mind to drop an enormous amount of money on a custom sword I would want him to make it.
@@Baronstone If that Kyle Rogers saw your comment pissing on the workmanship of another master blacksmith on his behalf, he'd probably make you choke on your own words if he has any honour himself.
Thats also because they copied it from Indian and the Middle East. Do some research and you’ll find that ancient Greeks and romans have text about magical steel from the lands of India and Persia.Pliny the Elder in Natural History talks about steel from Parthia modern northeast Iraq. Soooo the silence of masters makes ignorant lambs to follow.
@@zacharyradford5552 Indian “Wootz” steel is the classic Damascus Steel blades of the medieval period, made from meteoric irons in India, crucible forged, and slowly exported to the Near East. By this point the blades would have been reforged into more regional styles of blades. These Near Eastern blades would be traded to rich centres in Europe, reforged again, which the Norse and Vikings would come into contact with and gain ownership through more or less honourable means. Then these blades were reforged again into the legendary crucible steel, “Ulfberhts” of the mid-to-late Viking period. If not for the master smiths along each step of this saga a “Wootz” steel sword would not become inherently famous. Similar to any art form, these smiths built upon the previous works to create beautifully deadly blades.
Sorry but exactly which part of the sword qualifies for that statement? I see nothing extraordinary about it, after all, it looks about like what we have come to expect from sword makers on UA-cam these days.
@@Baronstone Well, maybe you should make your own video showing this blacksmith, and other blacksmiths at Y.T., how to make a blade like this one properly.. Btw, My mother always said to me and my brothers " If you have nothing to say, don`t say it"..
@@Baronstone it’s made partly from celestial iron! When did that become standard? Not to mention the wonderful materials used in the scabbard and hilt, AND the pattern welding.
@@Baronstone Two things: 1.) That is not just a simple sword. 2.) The labor of forging by hand DOES change a person physically so it is correct, even if poetic, to say the swords have shaped him.
I have just witnessed a conversation between two gentlemen and scholars, and they are both dressed in worn clothes and dungarees. Soft spoken and knowledgeable. Absolutely beautiful!
It was lovely to see this pair oohing and aahing over this amazing bit of sculpture; they wax quite poetically. Both of these craftsmen are totally rocking the workshop chic. When Owen cut through the plasticine, my jaw dropped.
Tod, you've got to get this man on again. His every pronouncement is like a laundered boiler suit around a steel core of hard-won expertise. Failing that, coax him into starting a channel of his own.
Tod in my opinion is one of the best content creators on UA-cam. Sine he actually creates “things” and hosts like minded creators. I absolutely love his videos. Also thank you Owen for sharing you experience with us. Great video
from 2:25 on, i laughed hard when I saw that Tod is so impatient to get his hands on it! Like a child waiting for his christmas persent! I can absolutely understand! :D
I still get it out and play with it on a regular basis and I've owned it for over a year. The detail is just superb. as you say, so much work has gone into the details, particularly the pattern welding and the carving on the hilt.
@@scottirving4183 Yeah not every inch of it made it into the video, loads of footage and limited time! but you will find loads more detail shots and stuff here: Instagram dot com/j.c.duncan/ I've just put up a new post with more of the details. or on my twitter in the video description.
I do love the subtle dig at Japanese bladesmithing fanatics. "Yes, we did the same sort of thing. 8 centuries earlier..." Wonderful craftsmanship and *finally* an explanation for Damascus type steel that makes sense in terms of man hours rather than "It looks nice". The artistic factor is definitely not over rated (I'll also be relaying that plasticine trick to some of my friends who may not have seen this yet - fantastic and yet so simple) but I've always been a function over form person so to have it perform both at once? Brilliant. I still have to retrain from my former profession to make a living but I'll be keeping those courses in mind. I do feel that I ought to live up to the family name and learn to work metal properly 😁
Who's "we" and what do you mean "8 centuries earlier"? X) In truth, the timeline of advances in both regions is comparable, but there are some innovations in tools and techniques that are unique to each. Wootz was being made in India when parts of both Europe and east Asia were in the bronze age, so you could say that the East and West are both losers in that respect, as both imported Indian steel when they could for well over a thousand years. ;)
@@Meevious India is not Japan... Using the quality of pre industrial Indian steel making to equate pre-industrial japanese steel making is as dishonest and ignorant as equating pre-conquista south american pyramid building with Egyptian pyramid building.
Yeah, although we need to take into account, however, that the iron age came to Japan much later than it came to other civilizations (because Japan has less iron as a natural resource than continental nations). So iron-working techniques came much later as well. It's not that Japanese smiths were fumbling around with the stuff for 800 years while Europeans were mastering it. It's that the Yamato craftsmen did not even get the chance to work with iron in credible amounts until the 6th or 8th century AD, whereas Europeans smiths had almost a millennia to develop the techniques. So as with a lot of modern technologies, those things came to Japan late but the Yamato were able to learn, master, and innovate on those techniques very quickly once they were given the materials needed to do so. The fact that the Yamato did not begin developing steel like that found in Europe until many centuries later but that they then caught up very quickly to what was being produced in Europe is its own great achievement.
I'd love more videos about the technical side of making swords and similar. Bloomery vs crucible vs blast furnace iron, controlling the carbon content, the different stages of annealing vs tempering vs quenching, and so on. It would be very cool to see how this changed in the last ~3000 years through the lens of modern science to see what the impact of those changes are.
2600 years ago the first ferrous metals in Europe were made using bloomeries. The carbon monoxide from the charcoal burning reduced the iron oxide to crude iron. That then had to be worked. In fact it's where the phrase "beating the shit out of it" comes from. Industrial smelters are relatively recent and the cost of steel only came down with the Bessemer Process (1856) as that removed all carbon from the steel and you can then add back in a precise amount to get the exact carbon content you want. Hope that answers a few of your questions.
@@gordonlawrence1448 Thanks, I know the broad strokes already from a couple of books I've read on the topic. But its the details that I'm missing and I think would make a good (series of) videos. For example: What mechanical advantage does pattern welding give? Is it there to offset lower quality iron? When did people figure out to have a larger carbon content on the edge than the core of the blade, and how did they control it?
Amazing seeing the effect of the "twist"! Reminds me of eastern European "baby superstitions" where the village would bind a sapling in 2 places, split the sapling and wedge it open, then pass the infant through the sapling 7 times for good luck, then bind the sapling back together. Also similar to lance-making or medieval "engineered lumber" where a pole was used to twist an oak sapling so it grew with a spiral grain to provide axe handles that would not shatter.
So fascinating to hear of "little" things like that! Engineered lumber oh my! Wouldn't happen today due to impatience (and as good quicker options). A little dig at environmentalist: Take that! Medieval woods were not "natural", they did this and coppice (always wondered how they got all the small branches for their buildings - forced trees to grow them).
It is such a privilege to see people who are at the absolute height of skill doing their best work. A truly magnificent project, congratulations to all involved! A true inspiration.
These are truly works of art. Time and time again I am reminded how SMART and CAPABLE people of history were in creating, engineering, and developing. We have an inherent bias in elevating our own 'smarts' above those who came before us.
So very very true. In the beginning I tried very hard to make things 'better' than they did with a cleverer understanding of engineering, materials etc. Now I just copy what they did and wonder at their skill
@@tods_workshop seems the only thing that has really changed is we have nicer tools. It truly is a wonder when you realize just how little we really have advanced craftsmanship across the centuries.
Seeing the plasticine and twisting process was fascinating. Quite a lot of material I've seen doesn't talk at all about intentional patterns or symbolism in the welds. Also, so it turns out "thousand fold" is inferior to "thousand twist", huh?
"Do you want me to tell you the riddle of steel boy? Steel isn't strong boy, flesh is stronger! Look around you. There, on the rocks; that beautiful girl. Come to me, my child. -she falls to the death THAT is strength, boy! THAT is power! The strength and power of flesh! What is steel, compared to the hand that wields it?" Thulsa Doom will die by that strength an power by the end.
What's truly unique about this beautiful sword is that it not only contains iron that's 4.5 _billion_ years old, but the meteorite contains it's own type of 'pattern welding' called a Widmanstätten pattern... a cross-hatch design created over millions of years of the asteroid cooling. These patterns are retained even after forging (albeit distorted) so now that blade contains both human-made _and_ cosmically-created patterns. The personification of _'fire & ice'...._ stunning 👌☄
It is wonderful to watch craftsmen discuss their art and share their skill with the rest of us. The Light of The North is a truly beautiful piece and a remarkable testimony to Owen and Petr's skill. Thankyou for sharing it.
Really well edited video. Love the flow the editor managed to achieve by keeping the discussion as the main narrative rather than relying on the filming order. Don't see many YT vids with this level of quality. Fantastic.
The skill, knowledge and craft that went in to the making of the sword is undeniable, as is its ecstatic beauty. In this modern era it is just a curiosity, even if highly valued and appreciated. If this sword could be transported back in time to a worthy Viking sword master, how would it compare to the best available then. Would it be battle worthy and practical and favoured as a sword of choice to carry into combat. At the end of a Viking day, before the visual fawning, would it be the weapon that surpasses others; or be just very nice craft.
Heh, what a coincidence. Just two days ago I was looking up any planned courses Owen was planning to give somewhere later this year (or next year). And now he turns up here...
@@j.c.duncan5478 Even if he weren't the best, he'd certainly among the best currently still working. (I myself have blacksmithing as "main" work, but still intend to learn armouring and bladesmithing for the occasional customer who would like anything in that direction. In fact, I intend to make a round through England once I finally am able to cross the channel again, first to Owen, then to Graham (Armourer), then to a colleague up in Shropshire (via a brief stay in Hereford with my former landlord & lady, and former housemate and friend). From Shropshire, I'd head to the Royal armouries (Leeds) to observe some items and return home across the channel again.)
That is an exquisite sword, plain and simple. I would love to have one like that. I love, appreciate how you delved into the crafting of the blade itself. Well done!
What people don't get is that the katana was good because in the Tokugawa period(around 1600) a meticulous type of polishing became standard. It is one thing to give a sword a mirror polish. It is a completely different thing to polish a sword so well that even highly corrosive metals change and become more resistant. You can "seal" a surface by how finely you grind it and make it act more repelling to materials or humidity: and slice through things better without the polished blade getting "caught" by the "suction/tension" the respective materials provides (like in cutting cheese). If you don't believe me take from the same piece of wood. Grind one with 240 and the other you polish up (work it to a sheen, don't use additives) and let water run on both pieces. The polished one will not take up any water : even if without sealant. In the same way the fine polish of the Katana will ensure that it cuts your flesh without hinderance which is what a tameshigiri test was for. Even if you cut through cleanly: if the sword remained wet and the debris did not pearl off it was a failure. This then could also explain the actual reason for a bo-hi as it prove a airpocket, a "no friction" zone. Again the best example for the commoner would be the effectiveness of a cheese knife with its holes. It is the same principle at work in a different field.
"In the same way the fine polish of the Katana will ensure that it cuts your flesh without hinderance which is what a tameshigiri test was for. Even if you cut through cleanly: if the sword remained wet and the debris did not pearl off it was a failure." Even cutting through clean is sometimes misunderstood. Iaido judges inspecting tameshigiri cuts will check for waving lines in the cut, since even a slight wave or curve in the cut (which will appear clean and smooth by virtue of the sharp blade) will indicate lesser technique in the cut. Although that is the fault of the swordsman, not the sword.
15:35 Fair point. The cultural side is often missed. Vikings did chop people up in pieces but it is often missed that some did it with beautifully pattern welded swords. People do tend to be insensitive to the cultural side of it... on a more serious note: Beautiful, stunningly beautiful sword, thank you for allowing us to see it and to witness the dedication that is committed to make that possible.
I have seen swords made back in Denmark by old school really excellent old blacksmiths in coal forges. Doing it as close as possible to the Viking age principles. I must say, that is beautifully work. A sword was not just made for war back then, it was a thing of beauty that could be passed down many generations and the story and pride about it was retold time and time again. Really a nice sword.
Great video! It is nice to see some details of pattern welding! Pattern welding definitely has the potential to be more complex than Japanese style forge welding, but I would be hesitant to say it is harder from a pure forging point of view because some japanese blades have a lot of forge welding going on as well. For example Soshu Kitae blades use 7 different steel/iron plates combined in a very specific way to make the billet that becomes a blade. Also, the Anglo-Saxons who practiced pattern welding predate the Samurai by many centuries, but the basic forge welding lamination patterns used in japanese swords such as sanmai have their origins in the Chinese Han Dynasty. Which is roughly equivalent to the Romans time-wise. I can understand why you want to push back on the glorification of the katana in pop culture which is sometimes done at the expense of ingenuity among smiths in other parts of the world. I just wanted to provide a little more detail on some of the complexities going on with all the katana and east asia more broadly.
Can you imagine what an ordinary peasant person would have made of someone back then creating such a beautiful sword out of rocks and fire? We are in complete awe. So just think what the peasant would have made of it. It really would be magic to them.
Very refreshing to hear someone calling it what it is. Pattern welded steel. Not Damascus which every other sword/knife maker on UA-cam call it. Damascus steel is steel that came from Damascus, Syria and just happened to have a pattern to it (Woots Damascus).
@@JorgTheElder whilst no-one would think that the steel comes from Damascus people who know no better, brought up on UA-cam videos and social media believe that Damascus steel is made by banging different steels together, distorting and changing the structure of the layers. This cheapens the meaning of the true Damascus steel and the items made from it as kids these days believe that “UA-cam blacksmiths/blade smiths” are able to knock some out in a day or two.
I love pattern welding. I used to think it was the same thing as Damascus steel until I saw a documentary on some old guys in the States who tried to recreate Damascus steel with a blacksmith and some ore from the area that the steel originally came from. It is a property particular to that area that makes the patterns. Pattern welding is pretty amazing in its own right. There is something about a sword with a grain, like wood that has always appealed to me. That sword is next level though.
I think a big difference in how swords are viewed in the west compared to Japan specifically is based less in the forging and manipulation of the metals themselves but rather in polishing. In Japan polishing has been turned into an artform highlighting the steels really well. Over in the west on the other hand a fair number of very high status medieval blades have immaculate fittings and probably rather complex blade constructions but often show actual file marks on the steel itself and a lack of additional polish. Ilya from that works also made a whole video regarding this topic in which he said that most western blades also are differentially hardened simply by the steels of that time being shallow hardening steels due to the chemical composition.
“This is a beautiful sword. I would expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life.”
Have you seen how he dresses?
I understood that reference 😎
That line really makes that character. It's too bad he didn't get to really show off those traits very much in the later movies.
@@CowCommando i wouldn't say that. Will is pretty consistent throughout the trilogy
@@noraye2500 I think he meant Norrington.
2:27 - 'Let me... Let me... Let me have a look!'
I would have been chomping at the bit too.
Haha, he was like a kid at Christmas.
Seething with anticipation, as he should be.
Seemed a little rude actually
@@jeremymcadam7400 They're buddies, so it's likely jocular nonsense between pals.
You know they have superior skill because they don't brag about it. The silent confidence of masters.
I didn't know who Owen was until 15 minutes ago, but if I ever have the mind to drop an enormous amount of money on a custom sword I would want him to make it.
@@xanedan4565 Yeah before you go there, check out the work done by people like Kyle Royer. His work absolutely blows this out of the water.
@@Baronstone If that Kyle Rogers saw your comment pissing on the workmanship of another master blacksmith on his behalf, he'd probably make you choke on your own words if he has any honour himself.
Thats also because they copied it from Indian and the Middle East. Do some research and you’ll find that ancient Greeks and romans have text about magical steel from the lands of India and Persia.Pliny the Elder in Natural History talks about steel from Parthia modern northeast Iraq. Soooo the silence of masters makes ignorant lambs to follow.
@@zacharyradford5552 Indian “Wootz” steel is the classic Damascus Steel blades of the medieval period, made from meteoric irons in India, crucible forged, and slowly exported to the Near East. By this point the blades would have been reforged into more regional styles of blades. These Near Eastern blades would be traded to rich centres in Europe, reforged again, which the Norse and Vikings would come into contact with and gain ownership through more or less honourable means. Then these blades were reforged again into the legendary crucible steel, “Ulfberhts” of the mid-to-late Viking period. If not for the master smiths along each step of this saga a “Wootz” steel sword would not become inherently famous. Similar to any art form, these smiths built upon the previous works to create beautifully deadly blades.
I do love British understatement: “It’s a grand old undertaking...”
Sorry but exactly which part of the sword qualifies for that statement? I see nothing extraordinary about it, after all, it looks about like what we have come to expect from sword makers on UA-cam these days.
@@Baronstone you know where the door is...
@@Baronstone Don't be a jaded prick, makes you look like a spoiled 13 year old.
@@Baronstone Well, maybe you should make your own video showing this blacksmith, and other blacksmiths at Y.T., how to make a blade like this one properly..
Btw, My mother always said to me and my brothers " If you have nothing to say, don`t say it"..
@@Baronstone it’s made partly from celestial iron! When did that become standard? Not to mention the wonderful materials used in the scabbard and hilt, AND the pattern welding.
Having a sword with celestial iron in it would have been an enormous status symbol.
Even now, in these strange times owning a sword containing celestial iron is something very special.
@@PurityVendetta ⁹9
As a physiotherapist I love the fact that Owen has made these blades and at the same time these blades have made Owen.
You mean have made Owens wrist hurt 😂🤣
A nice thought Kim and largely true
Yeah you're reading way too much into a simple sword
@@Baronstone Two things: 1.) That is not just a simple sword. 2.) The labor of forging by hand DOES change a person physically so it is correct, even if poetic, to say the swords have shaped him.
"It's a pointy little fellow, isn't it?"
Something I hear all the time.
@Dark Aster 😆😆😂
@Dark Aster If you look through a magnifying lens, it is pretty scary!
Yes, it's a pointy little fellow, but he points to China.
I have just witnessed a conversation between two gentlemen and scholars, and they are both dressed in worn clothes and dungarees.
Soft spoken and knowledgeable. Absolutely beautiful!
Thank you and two old friends also
It was lovely to see this pair oohing and aahing over this amazing bit of sculpture; they wax quite poetically. Both of these craftsmen are totally rocking the workshop chic. When Owen cut through the plasticine, my jaw dropped.
I always love that moment. I also really liked his caves smock thing, for which he has still not sent me the link
@@tods_workshop Newlyn Smocks! You're welcome.
Simulating the fold/twist work on plasticine was very cool to see demonstrated!
If you look at Owen's website you can see that his nice swords sell for 2500 to about 8000 pounds. I have no doubt this one would be past 10000
I always love to see that and when you look at any dark corner of his workshop there are always loops of plasticine....
@@Kim-the-Dane-1952 And for good reason! It's just sad that I can't afford one...
My in inner dwarf is screaming " I want that!".
"Owen withdraws from society!"
Owen Bush, Weaponsmith has created Irolvîr Istam Irol, a steel sword! It manaces with spikes of steel
Dwarves are partial to aces if I remember correctly
This would put a tear in old Roland's eye
For a moment I forgot about that Roland and could only remember the headless Thompson gunner
I know it's just because it's darker than its surroundings, but that sword seems to absorb light. Absolutely gorgeous. Fantastic patterns.
Tod, you've got to get this man on again. His every pronouncement is like a laundered boiler suit around a steel core of hard-won expertise. Failing that, coax him into starting a channel of his own.
He does have his own channel, it's got 5 vids and 1.8k subs. ua-cam.com/video/j_s_FU9z6bE/v-deo.html
@@netherpixel3541 Subscribed! Thank you.
@@pj_mckenna Welcome, his channel is crimminally under subbed. I'm going to one of his workshops in March, super excited.
yess we want to see more owen bush.
I'm so happy channels like this exist. A perfect fusion of History lessons with practical application of weapons of the period. Thanks Tod!
An uncommon example of how understanding the process actually makes the process even more mystical and incredible!
That is, without a doubt, the most beautiful sword I've ever seen!
Tod in my opinion is one of the best content creators on UA-cam. Sine he actually creates “things” and hosts like minded creators. I absolutely love his videos.
Also thank you Owen for sharing you experience with us. Great video
It's absolutely blowing my mind that pattern welds can be planned out like that.
and that those pattern welds were planned, and hammered by hand in a snow covered forge shed 600+ years ago.
You do something daily for 25 years you get really good at knowing what is going to happen next.
Todd: *casually touch the blade
Owen: *staring and reflecting those hours spent polishing the blade
Absolutely epic blade! A work of art and totally lethal. I'm a little jealous.
14:30 14:37 I feel like a man who didn't know he was dying of thirst being given a few drops of water.
Damn, that thing is beautiful.
from 2:25 on, i laughed hard when I saw that Tod is so impatient to get his hands on it! Like a child waiting for his christmas persent! I can absolutely understand! :D
And the other guys reluctance to hand it over.
@@CowCommando Todd kept putting his hands on the blade and the maker very carefully tried not to
15:52 "I'd love to take but I can't, because you've got a sword in your hands and I don't'"
Magnificent sword, it makes you wanting to hold it.
unbelievably detailed and professional work, I would have issues not just holding it for a whole day admiring all the work and talent put into it.
I still get it out and play with it on a regular basis and I've owned it for over a year.
The detail is just superb. as you say, so much work has gone into the details, particularly the pattern welding and the carving on the hilt.
@@j.c.duncan5478 I didn't get to see the beasties on the back side, Wondering why not?
@@scottirving4183 Yeah not every inch of it made it into the video, loads of footage and limited time! but you will find loads more detail shots and stuff here:
Instagram dot com/j.c.duncan/
I've just put up a new post with more of the details.
or on my twitter in the video description.
I do love the subtle dig at Japanese bladesmithing fanatics. "Yes, we did the same sort of thing. 8 centuries earlier..."
Wonderful craftsmanship and *finally* an explanation for Damascus type steel that makes sense in terms of man hours rather than "It looks nice". The artistic factor is definitely not over rated (I'll also be relaying that plasticine trick to some of my friends who may not have seen this yet - fantastic and yet so simple) but I've always been a function over form person so to have it perform both at once? Brilliant.
I still have to retrain from my former profession to make a living but I'll be keeping those courses in mind. I do feel that I ought to live up to the family name and learn to work metal properly 😁
Who's "we" and what do you mean "8 centuries earlier"? X)
In truth, the timeline of advances in both regions is comparable, but there are some innovations in tools and techniques that are unique to each.
Wootz was being made in India when parts of both Europe and east Asia were in the bronze age, so you could say that the East and West are both losers in that respect, as both imported Indian steel when they could for well over a thousand years. ;)
@@Meevious India is not Japan...
Using the quality of pre industrial Indian steel making to equate pre-industrial japanese steel making is as dishonest and ignorant as equating pre-conquista south american pyramid building with Egyptian pyramid building.
@@SonsOfLorgar Want to get your reading glasses and show me where I did that? Thanks for the tip, SwoonsOfLager.
Yeah, although we need to take into account, however, that the iron age came to Japan much later than it came to other civilizations (because Japan has less iron as a natural resource than continental nations). So iron-working techniques came much later as well. It's not that Japanese smiths were fumbling around with the stuff for 800 years while Europeans were mastering it. It's that the Yamato craftsmen did not even get the chance to work with iron in credible amounts until the 6th or 8th century AD, whereas Europeans smiths had almost a millennia to develop the techniques.
So as with a lot of modern technologies, those things came to Japan late but the Yamato were able to learn, master, and innovate on those techniques very quickly once they were given the materials needed to do so. The fact that the Yamato did not begin developing steel like that found in Europe until many centuries later but that they then caught up very quickly to what was being produced in Europe is its own great achievement.
I'd love more videos about the technical side of making swords and similar. Bloomery vs crucible vs blast furnace iron, controlling the carbon content, the different stages of annealing vs tempering vs quenching, and so on. It would be very cool to see how this changed in the last ~3000 years through the lens of modern science to see what the impact of those changes are.
2600 years ago the first ferrous metals in Europe were made using bloomeries. The carbon monoxide from the charcoal burning reduced the iron oxide to crude iron. That then had to be worked. In fact it's where the phrase "beating the shit out of it" comes from. Industrial smelters are relatively recent and the cost of steel only came down with the Bessemer Process (1856) as that removed all carbon from the steel and you can then add back in a precise amount to get the exact carbon content you want. Hope that answers a few of your questions.
@@gordonlawrence1448 Thanks, I know the broad strokes already from a couple of books I've read on the topic. But its the details that I'm missing and I think would make a good (series of) videos. For example: What mechanical advantage does pattern welding give? Is it there to offset lower quality iron? When did people figure out to have a larger carbon content on the edge than the core of the blade, and how did they control it?
Maybe that would b e a good Owen Bush vid to film
Amazing seeing the effect of the "twist"! Reminds me of eastern European "baby superstitions" where the village would bind a sapling in 2 places, split the sapling and wedge it open, then pass the infant through the sapling 7 times for good luck, then bind the sapling back together.
Also similar to lance-making or medieval "engineered lumber" where a pole was used to twist an oak sapling so it grew with a spiral grain to provide axe handles that would not shatter.
So fascinating to hear of "little" things like that! Engineered lumber oh my! Wouldn't happen today due to impatience (and as good quicker options). A little dig at environmentalist: Take that! Medieval woods were not "natural", they did this and coppice (always wondered how they got all the small branches for their buildings - forced trees to grow them).
It is such a privilege to see people who are at the absolute height of skill doing their best work. A truly magnificent project, congratulations to all involved! A true inspiration.
These are truly works of art. Time and time again I am reminded how SMART and CAPABLE people of history were in creating, engineering, and developing. We have an inherent bias in elevating our own 'smarts' above those who came before us.
So very very true. In the beginning I tried very hard to make things 'better' than they did with a cleverer understanding of engineering, materials
etc. Now I just copy what they did and wonder at their skill
@@tods_workshop seems the only thing that has really changed is we have nicer tools. It truly is a wonder when you realize just how little we really have advanced craftsmanship across the centuries.
That is simply the most beautiful blade I've ever seen. Wonderful piece of work.
That sword its by far the best looking I've seen... Bless the forger..
Seeing the plasticine and twisting process was fascinating. Quite a lot of material I've seen doesn't talk at all about intentional patterns or symbolism in the welds.
Also, so it turns out "thousand fold" is inferior to "thousand twist", huh?
“For no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts...”
*Points to +5 epic doom-sword*
“This, you can trust!”
By Crom!
Lol
"Do you want me to tell you the riddle of steel boy?
Steel isn't strong boy, flesh is stronger!
Look around you. There, on the rocks; that beautiful girl.
Come to me, my child. -she falls to the death
THAT is strength, boy! THAT is power! The strength and power of flesh!
What is steel, compared to the hand that wields it?"
Thulsa Doom will die by that strength an power by the end.
How 'bout a well bread war horse? 🐎
Or.... This, you can thrust?
Fëanor would be jealous... such an incredible sword. Beautiful.
Literally the most beautiful sword I have ever seen. Wow.
And the scabbard too!
I could listen to both of you for hours. What a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.
Thanks
Owen is a really good man, good to see him. He deserves recognition.
That demo with the plasticine was great. Very illustrative with the distinct colours.
What's truly unique about this beautiful sword is that it not only contains iron that's 4.5 _billion_ years old, but the meteorite contains it's own type of 'pattern welding' called a Widmanstätten pattern... a cross-hatch design created over millions of years of the asteroid cooling. These patterns are retained even after forging (albeit distorted) so now that blade contains both human-made _and_ cosmically-created patterns. The personification of _'fire & ice'...._ stunning 👌☄
Easily one of the most beautiful swords I've ever seen. Amazing craftsmanship.
It is wonderful to watch craftsmen discuss their art and share their skill with the rest of us. The Light of The North is a truly beautiful piece and a remarkable testimony to Owen and Petr's skill. Thankyou for sharing it.
Absolutely stunning work on that sword!
Can we also appreciate the great camera work and editing?
Could've done with better lighting though
@@UPTHETOWN MUCH better. We barely got to see anything since it was kind of dark. I still have no clue what the scabbard looks like.
Really well edited video. Love the flow the editor managed to achieve by keeping the discussion as the main narrative rather than relying on the filming order. Don't see many YT vids with this level of quality. Fantastic.
The skill, knowledge and craft that went in to the making of the sword is undeniable, as is its ecstatic beauty. In this modern era it is just a curiosity, even if highly valued and appreciated. If this sword could be transported back in time to a worthy Viking sword master, how would it compare to the best available then. Would it be battle worthy and practical and favoured as a sword of choice to carry into combat. At the end of a Viking day, before the visual fawning, would it be the weapon that surpasses others; or be just very nice craft.
what a man Owen Bush is. You sir have my respect and admiration!
edit* get your youtube channel going! I will support you as will many others!
It's actually quite touching, watching Owen gush over this sword. Rightfully proud.
Pattern welding as proof of the quality of the iron and forgework is a functional purpose I hadn't appreciated. Neat!
Annoyingly nor had I; but now I know
@@tods_workshop Live and learn!
@@tods_workshop never stop learning for when we stop learning, we stop growing
That sword is a work of art
Heh, what a coincidence. Just two days ago I was looking up any planned courses Owen was planning to give somewhere later this year (or next year). And now he turns up here...
I highly recommend Owen's courses, It's where I started bladesmithing. he is the best.
@@j.c.duncan5478 Even if he weren't the best, he'd certainly among the best currently still working.
(I myself have blacksmithing as "main" work, but still intend to learn armouring and bladesmithing for the occasional customer who would like anything in that direction. In fact, I intend to make a round through England once I finally am able to cross the channel again, first to Owen, then to Graham (Armourer), then to a colleague up in Shropshire (via a brief stay in Hereford with my former landlord & lady, and former housemate and friend). From Shropshire, I'd head to the Royal armouries (Leeds) to observe some items and return home across the channel again.)
Amazing as usual Tod! Every time you post a new video it just makes my day!
Such a wealth of information about such a beautiful sword.
That's an absolutely beautiful "Wacking Stick" you have there.
A whole lot of pretty on something so lethal.
Wow .... just wow! Now THAT'S a sword!!
What an absolutely fascinating video. Thank you so very much!
Good to see you grew back your beard! Suits you so much better. :)
Greetings from Germany.
Real life Master Godo , fantastic craftsmanship
Absolutely bloody gorgeous blade. Love it's proportions, too.
The work on this blade is absolutely breath taking
That is an exquisite sword, plain and simple. I would love to have one like that. I love, appreciate how you delved into the crafting of the blade itself. Well done!
Amazing blade, much more sophisticated than I thought it would be.
Simply stunning. Gorgeous work.
What people don't get is that the katana was good because in the Tokugawa period(around 1600) a meticulous type of polishing became standard. It is one thing to give a sword a mirror polish. It is a completely different thing to polish a sword so well that even highly corrosive metals change and become more resistant.
You can "seal" a surface by how finely you grind it and make it act more repelling to materials or humidity: and slice through things better without the polished blade getting "caught" by the "suction/tension" the respective materials provides (like in cutting cheese).
If you don't believe me take from the same piece of wood. Grind one with 240 and the other you polish up (work it to a sheen, don't use additives) and let water run on both pieces. The polished one will not take up any water : even if without sealant. In the same way the fine polish of the Katana will ensure that it cuts your flesh without hinderance which is what a tameshigiri test was for. Even if you cut through cleanly: if the sword remained wet and the debris did not pearl off it was a failure.
This then could also explain the actual reason for a bo-hi as it prove a airpocket, a "no friction" zone. Again the best example for the commoner would be the effectiveness of a cheese knife with its holes. It is the same principle at work in a different field.
"In the same way the fine polish of the Katana will ensure that it cuts your flesh without hinderance which is what a tameshigiri test was for. Even if you cut through cleanly: if the sword remained wet and the debris did not pearl off it was a failure."
Even cutting through clean is sometimes misunderstood. Iaido judges inspecting tameshigiri cuts will check for waving lines in the cut, since even a slight wave or curve in the cut (which will appear clean and smooth by virtue of the sharp blade) will indicate lesser technique in the cut. Although that is the fault of the swordsman, not the sword.
Just gorgeous workmanship. even the scabbard is lovely
That sword is a beautiful weapon
Beautiful sword and fascinating video. Thank you.
Good grief, that sword is glorious.
The handle and hilt remind me of the "Suontaka -sword" that was found in Finland.
Great video. I wish Owen was more active on his channel!
15:35 Fair point. The cultural side is often missed. Vikings did chop people up in pieces but it is often missed that some did it with beautifully pattern welded swords. People do tend to be insensitive to the cultural side of it... on a more serious note: Beautiful, stunningly beautiful sword, thank you for allowing us to see it and to witness the dedication that is committed to make that possible.
If only movie and television producers could show the to Vikings the same level of cultural respect they do to the Samurai's.
I have seen swords made back in Denmark by old school really excellent old blacksmiths in coal forges. Doing it as close as possible to the Viking age principles. I must say, that is beautifully work. A sword was not just made for war back then, it was a thing of beauty that could be passed down many generations and the story and pride about it was retold time and time again.
Really a nice sword.
Great video! It is nice to see some details of pattern welding! Pattern welding definitely has the potential to be more complex than Japanese style forge welding, but I would be hesitant to say it is harder from a pure forging point of view because some japanese blades have a lot of forge welding going on as well. For example Soshu Kitae blades use 7 different steel/iron plates combined in a very specific way to make the billet that becomes a blade. Also, the Anglo-Saxons who practiced pattern welding predate the Samurai by many centuries, but the basic forge welding lamination patterns used in japanese swords such as sanmai have their origins in the Chinese Han Dynasty. Which is roughly equivalent to the Romans time-wise. I can understand why you want to push back on the glorification of the katana in pop culture which is sometimes done at the expense of ingenuity among smiths in other parts of the world. I just wanted to provide a little more detail on some of the complexities going on with all the katana and east asia more broadly.
2:25 Tods hands - come on, come on! I want to play with it now!
That sword is a thing of beauty
WHAT A BEAUTY
My word. What a beautiful blade!
An amazing sword, with a slight twist.
I see what you did there.
6:41 hears sigil pronounced "siggle"
*Matthew Mercer activated*
Seems logical that there would be a HUGE overlap between those two fanbases
Hears sigil pronounced "seagull"
*Steven Seagal activated*
beautiful viking sword
How the hell did I miss this video?
That sword is a true work of amazing skill and art.
It looks amazing
This guy should have his own channel...
An object that is pure poetry!
I can only imagine how utterly gorgeous it would be to actually hold and examine
Can you imagine what an ordinary peasant person would have made of someone back then creating such a beautiful sword out of rocks and fire? We are in complete awe. So just think what the peasant would have made of it. It really would be magic to them.
So THAT's how pattern welding works. Fascinating. The thing about a real expert is, they make it look easy.
Dam that’s nice work. Feeling like words are inadequate for this.
A work of art!
A thing of absolute beauty
I want one!!! It’s beautiful, tactile, sensual. I WANT one!
Very refreshing to hear someone calling it what it is. Pattern welded steel. Not Damascus which every other sword/knife maker on UA-cam call it. Damascus steel is steel that came from Damascus, Syria and just happened to have a pattern to it (Woots Damascus).
@@JorgTheElder whilst no-one would think that the steel comes from Damascus people who know no better, brought up on UA-cam videos and social media believe that Damascus steel is made by banging different steels together, distorting and changing the structure of the layers. This cheapens the meaning of the true Damascus steel and the items made from it as kids these days believe that “UA-cam blacksmiths/blade smiths” are able to knock some out in a day or two.
Truly a thing of beauty. Excellent work, well done!
Really, really, really interesting. Thankyou so much for sharing.
I love pattern welding. I used to think it was the same thing as Damascus steel until I saw a documentary on some old guys in the States who tried to recreate Damascus steel with a blacksmith and some ore from the area that the steel originally came from. It is a property particular to that area that makes the patterns. Pattern welding is pretty amazing in its own right. There is something about a sword with a grain, like wood that has always appealed to me. That sword is next level though.
I think a big difference in how swords are viewed in the west compared to Japan specifically is based less in the forging and manipulation of the metals themselves but rather in polishing.
In Japan polishing has been turned into an artform highlighting the steels really well.
Over in the west on the other hand a fair number of very high status medieval blades have immaculate fittings and probably rather complex blade constructions but often show actual file marks on the steel itself and a lack of additional polish.
Ilya from that works also made a whole video regarding this topic in which he said that most western blades also are differentially hardened simply by the steels of that time being shallow hardening steels due to the chemical composition.
Thanks for sharing this. It's an amazing piece.
Glad you like it!
Beautiful sword.
Now, it's time for the strength test. *In walks j neilson with a giant block of ice*
Finaste sverdet jeg har sett! 😍
Gorgeous