The British Museum has supervised ongoing research on the most notable artifacts, which are currently stored. The burial mound, which dates back to no later than 625 A.D., Is evidenced by the presence of coins. In 1939, the Ship Burial, known as Sutton Hoo, was discovered near modern-day Woodbridge in Suffolk. It is widely regarded as one of the most significant and valuable archaeological discoveries in Great Britain.
Sample billets.
After nearly four years of correspondence, the Atlantic project was ready to begin. The museum mentioned that they had replicated other objects from the tomb, including the shield, the purse, and the harp. She mentioned that the museum had been unable to find anyone crazy enough to do the job. She also mentioned that the museum was interested in the reproduced sword blade from Hoo Sutton. In 1985, I saw a Viking sword-style made by British scholar Leslie Webster.
For several months, I had been supplied with radiographs of the original sword by the British Museum’s Laboratory Research Museum. The paper tracing and enlarged slides were used to explore the various potential patterns.
The central cluster of eight coiled bars, prepared to be forge-welded.
Ultimately, I discovered that I largely agreed with Angela Care-Evans’s analysis.
The iron sword-blade discovered in the burial of Hoo Sutton was found in a corroded condition, with its scabbard and blade fused together into one inseparable mass. Radiography revealed that the blade’s iron had survived well in restricted areas, but the rest of it was severely corroded. Radiographs suggest that the blade was constructed by twist-forging bundles of seven rods, with four bundles of twist-forged rods built up in an alternating herringbone pattern. The pattern consisted of straight bands and twisted bands, repeating at least eleven times along the length of the blade. However, it should be noted that any interpretation of the radiographic evidence regarding the blade’s pattern-welded proportions may be misleading, as the evidence does not provide additional information about the physical composition of the blade. The confirmation of the blade’s existence was made through the presence of a fur-lined or skin-covered scabbard.
Photograph: Weyer of Toledo captures the tip of a completed sword.
Once the general pattern was established, it was time to start making samples in order to work out the specifics. The average number of complete turns for each twisted section was four, but the exact number of revolutions for each section was not clear. However, the radiograph clearly showed that there were seven layers in each interrupted “twist” of the bar. When forging the final form, shearing without taking too much of the maximum amount of the bars was necessary, as the straight and twisted sections should be 5.3 cm long.
The welded core is surrounded by a laminated edge.
One of the selected metals was wrought iron, and this is the sole iron material accessible with a notable phosphorus content. The utilization of phosphoric ores was suggested, which identified the existence of phosphorus. There was no remaining metal that could be examined, as exposed by a sample cross-section obtained at the British Museum Research Laboratory.
The final edge of Layer 180 consisted of chosen steels, with 20% being 1018 and 80% being 1045. These laminations could not be accurately counted. The radiographs showed that the edge consisted of a continuous laminate wrapped around the central core. However, the radiographs also revealed that different rates of oxidation occurred, indicating that the steel and iron oxidized at different rates. This severe oxidation had a positive effect on the edge. Due to the lack of knowledge about the specifics of Sutton Hoo sword’s condition, there was no way to know the exact details. Although many old weapons have been analyzed to determine the relative hardness achieved and the materials used.
Construction of twisted billets.
Once the etching process was complete, the selection of contrasting materials was based on their distinct physical attributes. The decision was made to combine the wrought iron with two other types of steel, namely 1018 and Type L6, in order to construct the core. This involved using a total of eight billets.
On the contrary, this contemporary artwork has drawn inspiration from the original, without implying that the resources accessible in 550 A.D. Were obtainable in 1989 or that this present-day sword could resemble the original exactly. It was never my intention.
Central bars displaying center-punched intervals.
I prepared the first sample billet. The seven layers were forge-welded, elongated, twisted, divided into eight pieces, and then reassembled into a bundle. This bundle was subsequently elongated, polished, etched, and examined. Several of the samples were radiographed to compare them with the original. I repeated this process seven times, making adjustments to the variables as I proceeded and keeping meticulous records. Finally, I obtained a sample that closely resembled the radiographs of the original.
Eight bars merged together.
At the heart of the artifact, the preserved section of the design is uncovered, resulting in the complete oxidation of the blade’s original surface pattern. The inner surfaces of the two halves of the central bundle intersect, with the central plane of the blade predominantly displaying the radiographs.
I took several things into account to make this type of pattern into an interrupted-twist. One section of the same laminate will resist elongation at a substantially different rate than a section of the same laminate that is twisted. This led me to make an error and trial to make both sections appear to be the same length. It was critical to make the twisted sections nearly twice as long as the straight sections. In the finished piece, both sections were very close in length. If the pattern was two-sided, it was juxtaposed in line with the original.
The rods were fused and hammered together, and when they were returned to the fire for heat welding, they were fluxed with borax. Then, they were slowly heated in a large coal fire. A handle was added and the ends were arc-welded together to form a bundle. If the sword’s taper was forged, it was important for this bundle to produce a tapered core, as the pattern would become distorted and uneven near the tip. The best eight rods were joined together, twisted in both counter-clockwise and clockwise directions, and then center-punched at regular intervals. It was critical to avoid forging a parallelogram shape that would ruin the pattern and skew the layers. These rods, which were 500mm long, were drawn out and forge-welded into a slightly tapered square shape, with a small end measuring 6mm and a big end measuring 10mm (refer to Figure 1). The last sample consisted of billets with the same proportion, which would be used to begin making the 10 swords.
Final billet cross section.
The etching and heat treatment of the piece would later prove its value. Although the blade was forged from ground and practiced materials, it is now considered scrap. The welding flaws were unacceptable and it took too long to match the proportion of the original piece. It became obvious that the edges were forged when measuring the sword. A fuller spring was made by forging a depression down the center of each side simultaneously. The piece was brought up to welding temperature and fluxed before being heated. The welds near the hilt were temporarily held in place by arc welding and would later be removed. The billet core, which had a rounded tip, was wrapped around the 107cm bar. The billets were set aside to form the edge as shown in the figure, and the billet core was also set aside.
Final sword’s cross section.
In the warmth, a neckband was employed this time to aid in securing the coiled bars together. On a day of equilibrium, the Spring Equinox, occurred on March 20th, when this subsequent nucleus was fused into a singular entity. Intriguingly, the identical method as previously employed was applied to an additional ten metal ingots, as shown in Figure 1. I was resolute in my determination not to falter once more, but with a heightened level of caution, I proceeded in a manner essentially resembling my previous approach.
The blade ended up having the same measurements as the original, except it was 8mm narrower at the hilt. It was hammered closely to achieve its final shape. This step alone took seven hours. The edges were forged and the blade was fullered. It began to look like a sword at last. The piece was gradually worked into a tapered blank. This second try proved successful. No collars were used on the first sword. Another collar was used to hold the edge to the billet core. See Figure 4 before the new pair of billets were made.
Both edges of the blade, depicted with the X-ray image, highlight the contrast of the disrupted spiral design. Photograph: Weyer of Toledo.
The blade was immersed in a solution of nitric acid for five minutes, with a ratio of 30 parts solution to 1 part nitric acid. It was then polished for one second and the result was greatly improved. The first test was conducted on the blade using nitric acid, but the outcome was unsatisfactory. The first two etches were made with ferric chloride. It took approximately seven days to polish the sword up to 600 grit for etching. After heating the blade in oil for an hour, it was tested for proper hardness using a file. When the blade had the right color, it was plunged into oil and pulled out from the fire. I slowly heated the blade’s chin using charcoal and fire. I found that it hardened nicely in oil and the first test was conducted on the sword. After several days of filing, stoning, sanding, and grinding, the sword was ready for the critical final step of hardening.
Displayed next to the authentic sword, it is presently included in their permanent assortment. Sir David Wilson, the Director of the British Museum, was gifted the sword in May 1989.