Aluminum Swordmaking

[Reaver]

Aluminum Swordmaking Guide

*Note to self: DO NOT go to the metal supplies shop dressed in your scalemail (again).*

Scale maille? Pictures? or was it just talk?


I have chain maille items.

I was kidding. Scale mail is for trips to the grocery store & chain mail for WalMart. I only wear full plate when visiting any metal supply shop.

 

[Sheilawisz]

@SeverinR: Thanks for your appreciation of my Aluminum swords!! I just finished another Angelica-class last Tuesday, more pictures coming soon- The grip of these swords is nothing spectacular, but they look very good with their simple grips of leather or just fabric of any colour that you like =)

I had not heard before about the Metal Fume Fever, I need to research about that- When working with Aluminum to produce these swords there is not really a danger of fumes, just the dust that can indeed be very dangerous... Maybe if you worked with an Angle Grinder instead of a hacksaw to cut the metal there would be fumes, but I am not sure about that.

@Reaver: The next time that I visit my Metals Shop I'll wear full armour!! =)

 

[gerald.parson]

Aluminum Swordmaking Guide

*Note to self: DO NOT go to the metal supplies shop dressed in your scalemail (again).*

Scale maille? Pictures? or was it just talk?

I have chain maille items.

The ill affects of working with metal fumes= metal fume fever. Most metals cause, galvanized metal is really bad.
Usually caused by heating metal or breathing metal dust.

Great looking swords, any pics with the grip on them?

In my 25 years of owning a metal fabrication business I have only heard of a handful of people getting sick from "metal fumes" and it was from Galv steel and aluminum. Its not the metal that gets you sick, its either the gas from welding or torching. Grinding metal does cause debris to float around and can be annoying but won't kill you. Bondo on the other hand will.

Me personally I wouldn't be doing this stuff with Aluminum, for a variety of reasons. But you have done a good job non-the less.

 

[Sheilawisz]

@Gerald: Please tell me those reasons!! Thanks for the information about the dangers from welding and torching gases, I have never done anything like that and I am not planning to do it =) So, why wouldn't you be doing this with Aluminum?

 

[gerald.parson]

Well its not that you are doing anything wrong by doing with aluminum, i hope i didnt give you that impression. But aluminum does cost more that steel, as much as double depending the grades and vendors. Aluminum is a great material for many applications if you have the right setup, one thing that aluminum can be difficult with is forming and cutting, as it as non-ferrous alloy you cant use conventional means of heating and torching cutting, you would need to "charge" the metal ( sending electric current into it) for it to heat to become pliable, and for cutting you can do what you have been doing (which is laborious and time consuming) or invest in a plasma cutter.

Low carbon steel is another ball of wax, its cheaper, and there are many methods you can use to manipulate it and form it. easiest way is buying a small oxy/acetylene torch rig at Home Depot or Lowes. Steel in general is more forgiving, aluminum is very fickle.

The one major advantage id give Aluminum over steel is weight, its very light, which in some cases is good ( such as shipping) and others it doesn't matter.
Untreated Aluminum does hold up to the weather better, but people seem to think steel rusts away in days which isn't true, steel is rather durable and there are many ways to ensure its longevity.

As far as looks go you have a couple of options, polished aluminum is very expensive but looks brilliant, normal grade or typical grade aluminum is rather dull and I am sure you noticed when you sand it or buff it, not a great deal happens. Any glint or shimmer you notice showing up is actually the magnesium in the alloy and not the aluminum it self. And it will wear off.
Steel on the other hand can be sanded and ground to show a very brilliant shine, and can be preserved that way for a good amount of time.

In short, with aluminum and a hack saw you will limit yourself what you can do, with steel and a torch its rather endless. But your doing nothing wrong, so please don't think I am implying that.

 

[Sheilawisz]

Gerald, thank you very much for that post!! I really value the knowledge of someone with a long experience in metals and metalwork like you are, I really want to know more about this stuff- I had no idea that I could use a plasma cutter, maybe I will consider that, but please tell me... Would it be a bad idea to use an angle grinder for my Swordmaking??

I am very scared to use angle grinders, you have to hold them with two hands and it happens that I have little strength and I don't think that I could control the grinder to create a good cut across the Aluminum =(

What else could you suggest me??

 

[gerald.parson]

Get a 4 inch angle grinder. They are pretty small, and get one with lower RPM's (less power) It is good you are fearful of them because they are the most dangerous tool in most any shop, used correctly though you will be fine. I am assuming you will be using them to refine or feather your edges? If so, invest in some C-Clamps and clamp the material down, that way you don't have to try and balance it with on hand.

7750 4-1/2 in. Small Angle Grinder-7750 at The Home Depot

Pliers, Vise Grips, Vises, & Clamping | Pliers-Mini | Fast Releaseâ„¢ Locking C-Clamps with Regular Tips-6R | B226054 - GlobalIndustrial.com

Honestly though, once you use a grinder a few times you will be ok with it, just get some scrap metal and toy around with it, carefully of course. And wear safety goggles!

Any questions you have buddy just ask, if I have the answer I give it to you, if I don't, I will find it for you.

 

[Sheilawisz]

Thank you, Gerald!! Well, in case I decide to get the Angle Grinder after all, you can bet that I will be wearing a face shield, goggles, my gloves, ear plugs and respiratory protection!! I did not know about the C-Clamps, that looks great... the only problem then would be that my neighbors would probably complain about the heck of a noise that Angle Grinders cause =P

What I really want is to discover a way to produce my swords faster and easier, like making a sword in one week or so without destroying my hands with the hacksaw and the file =)

Thank you for your information and your appreciation of my swords!!

 

[gerald.parson]

is that the only place you have to work is that park bench?

 

[Sheilawisz]

Yes, that's my little workshop Gerald!! I really need something better if I decide to work with an Angle Grinder and C-Clamps, I am now considering other options =P

 

[gerald.parson]

Sheila, let me ask you. Are you wanting to make swords and other pieces as a hobby, or with the intention of selling them?

 

[Sheilawisz]

It all started because I wanted to make my own swords, but when I discovered that it was possible and I was really capable of making them, I got the idea of starting a commercial production =) So my answer is yes, I have the intention of selling them if I can find a way to make them faster and easier!! What do you think, Gerald??

 

[gerald.parson]

I think if it is something you like doing then go for it. And for not having any real metal working experience you do an impressive job already, so you have all the tools you need for success, we just need to get you set up so you are doing it safely and proficient. The first thing you need is a decent work table, which you can make or have fabricated for you. I would suggest getting what we call a "hot box", its a welder (either stick or wire fed) that is small and isn't made for high yield heavy duty construction. Which is perfect for you. But if you don't want to go thru the hassle of buying a welder, learning how to weld and all that other jazz, try to find a sturdy table that has a metal top surface thats around 2'x2', I think any bigger than that it will be too cumbersome for you to lug around, and if possible get one with casters (wheels) It's too bad you don't live in my area cause I would just let you use my shop and help you out, but we will get you going none the less. Something like this would work very well for you. Strong Hand Tools Welding Table Nomad 30" L 20" W 26-32" H Ea TS3020 on eBay!
But it doesn't even have to be that fancy or complex. You just need a flat, level, metal surface to work from, and I say metal because with grinding and torching, you will likely burn that bench into the ground lol.

The next big thing is id figure out if you want to do aluminum or steel. Or even both. Thats up to you. If you want to venture into steel than id highly recommend getting a torch set up like this Portable Welding Torch Kit w/ Tanks

Don't be scared by learning and using these new tools, I will help you every step of the way, i will even make videos if need be. But the steel and torch method is much quicker than you may think. Here are some pictures of a rail and window fixture set I made with just a torch, hammer, and stick welder. ( and metal of course lol)


I dont know if I attached them correctly.

 

[gerald.parson]

I think "sheet" is the best word.

So far very interesting.

It's actually called Flat Stock, or Flat Bar. Flat Stock is the most common term, IE Round Stock, Square Stock, Flat Stock.

 

[Sheilawisz]

Hello Gerald!! Thank you very much for all of this useful information and your intention to help me, I really appreciate your knowledge very much... and it means a lot to me that an experienced Metalworker appreciates what I have been doing with my Aluminum swords!! =)

That rail and the window fixture set that you made are truly beautiful art works!!

Well, now I know exactly the kind of work table that I need to get if I decide to work with really powerful tools- I think that I have seen them somewhere, and certainly another option is to order one custom-made for me =) Steel, torches and welding sound very interesting and it's an entire new world of Metalworking that I might consider later, but first I want to try working with the Angle Grinder and stay with my Aluminum swords.

My Sheila-class and Angelica-class designs would be too heavy if they were made of steel, so I would need to create new designs and find a way to make the blade thinner all the way to the tip- anyway, that's a good possibility =)

So they are called Flat Bars or Flat Stock??

Thanks for the offer of letting me use your shop if we lived in the same area, that would be great, Gerald! XD!!

 

[gerald.parson]

Don't forget Sheila, just because its a "grinder" doesn't mean you can't use it for other things, like sanding and buffing. It is a pretty versitile piece of equipment. You can also get cutting wheels for some light cutting ( though I am not recommended you replace the hacksaw with this method" But when you use the grinder for any purpose I highly recommend you clamp it down some how.

 

[Sheilawisz]

Gerald, the cutting is exactly the part of my Aluminum Swordmaking that I want to use the Angle Grinder for =( The other parts of the work are not so harsh on my hands, it's just the cutting that is so hard and time consuming!! Why would you not recommend the Grinder to perform the cuts across the metal? Can it get broken or something??

My nightmare is a metal cutting disk flying out of control =(

What about a Jig Saw or a Band Saw, would they be better for this work??

 

[gerald.parson]

a Portable Jig Saw with the correct blades would do you just fine, I wouldn't recommend using a cutting disc at all for this application. But again, id clamp it down when cutting. If you can afford it, a band saw with cutting deck would also be a good choice BS903 2.5 Amp Band Saw-BS903 at The Home Depot
The main thing is when dealing with power tools, is make sure the material is secure and you have a good grip on the tool.

 

[Sheilawisz]

I'll go and check my city's Home Depot to see what they can offer, the band saw sounds like the best option for the cutting part of my Swordmaking even though the Jig Saw is cheaper- Thanks, Gerald!! =)

You have encouraged me, maybe I'll decide to try with power tools after all...

 

[Anders Ämting]

Making aluminum swords is as good a hobby as any, and anything can become art if you put enough time and effort into it.

This is also good practice in case you ever decide to move on to actual cutlery. The method you are using is called stock removal, and a lot of swords these days are made that way. With the right tools, stock removal requires much less work then forging, with the downside of being more wasteful.

I've mostly done stock removal on scrap steel, but I have dabbled a bit with aluminum as well. One problem I had was that when filing the stock, the soft aluminum would get stuck in the file. I was told I could prevent this by dipping the file in denatured alcohol, but I never got around to trying it. Have you had this problem?

Over-all you're doing a pretty good job. If I know my imperials correctly, though, you are using very slim stock. Tell me, do you put a distal taper on your swords? (If you don't know what a distal taper is, I'm going to guess "no".)

Now, when it comes to power tools, I heartily recommend one of these:

That is a power file. Let me tell you this: I spent a lot of time looking for the most efficient way to shape metal blades, and this device is by far the best tool I have found, short of large stationary grinders. It's lighter and easier to use then an angle grinder but has far more bite the any rotary file. If you're going to grind a blade out with anything, this is what you want. With one of these bad boys, I've radically altered the blade profile of an L6 tool steel sword, and that stuff is tough as nails.