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Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I found this link while surfing and it has some interesting stuff and a couple of videos. Thought someone would enjoy them, and maybe start a conversation. http://www.cnet.com/pictures/swords-from-the-stars-weapons-forged-from-meteoric-iron/?ftag=ACQf1069b9

Hi to All! This is my first post on this Forum. Please let me briefly introduce myself. Blacksmith. I manufacture both blades and other metal works. I show some of them on my blog: http://lipinskimetalart.blogspot.com/ When I was searching for inspirations I often landed on this forum, so I deceided to joinand not only read and watch but post as well. Many thanks for all of You sharing your knowledge and ideas. In this topic I will be showing my works. Today I’m gonna present some of my past ones. My viking sword test on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_HsO-eVzUM

I've done a long overdue update of one of my websites to display my bronze age, iron age, early medieval, viking period and history inspired contemporary creations: http://1501bc.com/metalworking/ I hope to at some point further professionalise my site, and make a combination with my older work (http://1501bc.com/nf_main_eng.html ), which will be more personal then just a display of work. But I have to get my head around to figure how yet.

So I finally found a copy of both books from The British Academy press on the swords and scabbards from La Tene. They've been on my "watch for these books" list for some time, but the only copies i'd been able to find they were asking upwards of 1000$ for. The Finds from the Site of La Tene - Volume 1 Scabbards and the swords found in them Part 1- Text The Finds from the Site of La Tene - Volume 1 Scabbards and the swords found in them Part 2- Catalog and Plates Like the books on Illerup Adal which I recommended below, these are archaeological texts, so a bit dry, but full of massive amounts of detail Unlike the other set however, these books are in English so you dont need to learn another language. Book 2 is probably the most interesting, with all the photos of the swords and scabbards and detail shots, but book 1 contains fantastic info on the sheathes, construction, the various zoomorphic designs and motifs found, etc. I highly highly recommend if you find a copy of these books for a reasonable price, pick them up! This is the full documentation on one of the most fantastic collections of pre-vikign era european iron age weapons, in fantastic states of preservation. -Justin

So I finally found a copy of both books from The British Academy press on the swords and scabbards from La Tene. They've been on my "watch for these books" list for some time, but the only copies i'd been able to find they were asking upwards of 1000$ for. The Finds from the Site of La Tene - Volume 1 Scabbards and the swords found in them Part 1- Text The Finds from the Site of La Tene - Volume 1 Scabbards and the swords found in them Part 2- Catalog and Plates Like the books on Illerup Adal which I recommended below, these are archaeological texts, so a bit dry, but full of massive amounts of detail Unlike the other set however, these books are in English so you dont need to learn another language. Book 2 is probably the most interesting, with all the photos of the swords and scabbards and detail shots, but book 1 contains fantastic info on the sheathes, construction, the various zoomorphic designs and motifs found, etc. I highly highly recommend if you find a copy of these books for a reasonable price, pick them up! This is the full documentation on one of the most fantastic collections of pre-vikign era european iron age weapons, in fantastic states of preservation. -Justin

So the Higgins Armory closed it's doors today for the last time. I went for one last trip to say goodbye and to take as many photos as I could without being obnoxious. Too many to post in the thread here, so here's a link to the thumbnails. Click one to open the back and forth image browser. http://www.tharkis.com/images/higgins/thumbs.py

Hi all! I have recently made these design drawings. They consist of swords inspired by found celtic artifacts and I then gave it my own twist. The left sword is inspired by a Celtic shortsword and is historically correct except for the decoration on it that I designed myself. The sword on the right is a crossing between swords from two completely different times. The model of the sword is a 12th century crusaders sword, while the decoration on it is mostly La Tène Celtic. The throat of the scabbard is also Celtic, but I added the Futhark (Runes). The decoration on the pommel is a horse. These two pictures contain the same sword. The first picture was my original concept that I've drawn on scale 1 : 1, the whole thing is my own design and isn't inspired on any originals, except for the pommel and the scabbard decoration, which are inspired on a celtic originals. It's a two handed sword with a total length of 140 cm's or 55". In the second picture I designed a different grip for it, inspired on viking decoration. I also designed a wider double grooved blade. The sword is designed for myself, one that I won't sell once I bring it to steel. Here you can see the original I used for inspiration on the pommel. In my design I turned around the way to pommel should be fit on the tang. Above you see a picture of a similar pommel to mine but then fitted the way it was used originally. I didn't use this picture in my design, it's just to clear it up A little overview, and some of the materials I've used for designing. I hope you like it! I greatly appreciate comments and critiques. And ooh, there's one thing I am curious about, which of the two designs of the two handed sword would you choose? Have a creative day! Jasper