Matthew Parkinson

For many years now I was business partners with Peter Swarz-Burt and watched him making wootz . I learned a ton from him over the years. Well Peter left the shop last June,moved to HI infact. After peter left I got an order for a wootz knife . There were a few bars laying around I could use so I took the job.. the bars failed .. so I began my dissent into wootz making . This is the first piece completed from My wootz

I first learned this technique in this thread by Peter Johnsson with some needed correction in the two classes I have taken with Peter. I was looking back and it's hard to believe that that was almost 10 years ago. Looking back there was a LOT of just amazing things happening then... Also I got the coop photo back.. so much better than my crappy cell phone pics! Much love COOP!

I first learned this technique in this thread by Peter Johnsson with some needed correction in the two classes I have taken with Peter.

This was the sword I forged out at our hammer in last Nov, I got it roughed out for my class in AZ and finished it in time for the Arkansas knife show where it won an award forthe "best historically inspired". Normally I don't put to much stock in awards they are nice but often don't mean mucl. In this case however I find it means much more to me, as these awards are determined by the votes of table holders and only that. It means a lot more when it comes from your peers. Oh and the Damascus on this is the last of the billet I passed my performance test for mastersmith with.. coop pics to follow

Well I still need to figure that out a bit .. came up with something for the damascus one that was not to bulky but it is a lot thinner that the mono steel one at the tip.

Got my demo sword all finished up put it on a bit of a diet, got it down to 2lb 11oz before polishing and handle wrapping

Six very tired students a happy teacher And our hosts Jason and Rodger labrash at the end of a very successful falchion class.

Looks like Josh beat me to posting today but here you go. The student go a lot done today and tomorrow will see some awesome swords finished! The leather is 2oz sheep skin vegetable tan. Goat works better and calf skin takes tooling better, but sheap is easily available and works very well other than being a little bit of a pain to skive. MP

day four student got he guards forged and fit as well as several managing to get handle cores finished and pommels started! And we still have two more days!!!!! These guys are KILLING IT!

Today we finished the machine polish on the blades to 400 grit along with some straightening of a small amount if warping that could not be corrected in the final grind. We spent some time with the most excellent book "the sword forum and thought" and explored the use of whole number ratio in our designs. Designs in hand we finished the day by finalizing the tangs making tang shaped drift and beginning forging out the hilts. Tomorrow we will work on finalizing guards forging pommels and making the handle cores. MP

They just don't get northerners! BIG CIRCLE! Simple ratio is a powerful tool.

Today's progress, the blades were rough ground at 36 grit to thickness then polished on the grinder to 120 before heat treating. The blades were normalized in a Don Fogg style drum furnace at 1575 then hardened from 1480 after a quick trip being clamped in-between two boards the blades were tempered at 500 a good days progress.

I am teaching A 6 day long falchion Class at Grizzly Ironworks in Phoenix this week. First day in in the books and the students all have blades forged to shape from 1084. I managed to demo or have examples of several styles of falchion.. tomorrow we grind in preparation for heat treating!. MP Q

You can order black iron pipe nipples from Mcmaster carr, in several schedules. That said nothing to worry over here if that pipe gets hot enough to burn the zinc you have bigger problems .. MP

You have been KILLING it this year! .. thanks for putting that bar HIGH.