Aluminum Swordmaking

[gerald.parson]

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.

I'd have to respectfully disagree. I have one of those sitting in my shop, and that is all it does is sit there. It's hardly lighter, if it is, not noticeably. And its covered space is nothing, maybe an inch at best. I've use it a couple of times with rails, its nothing more than a sander, its name comes from its shape. I can't see why you would think going up and down the side of long piece of metal would be proficient with this tool and its whopping 1 inch coverage space. Take a grinder, make a bevel, go back over it with a sanding disc to smooth it out, done.

The tool itself I wouldn't recommend, not saying its horrible, just didn't do what I needed it to do even though it said it would. But that aside, would that be quicker than a file? Yes. Would a grinder be quicker than a file and that? Yes.

 

[Anders Ämting]

*shrug* All I can say is, I've tried grinding blades with an angle grinder and I've tried grinding blades with a power file, and the file just works way better for me. The grinder may be more powerful, but I could never get the level of fine control I needed. Anyway, "efficient" isn't the same thing as "fast."

 

[Sheilawisz]

@Anders: Thank you for your excellent post and that picture of the power file, I'll try to find that at Home Depot =)

In answer to your questions, only the softer alloys of Aluminum cause clogging on the saws and the files- I use 6061-T6 which is one of the harder alloys so it causes virtually no clogging, I have never had that problem!! About the distal taper, I wanted to do that since the beginning but the work is already very hard and I cannot imagine how long it would take me to file away that much metal =(

My blades would indeed be better balanced and way faster with distal taper, but they are anyway very light and I can easily wield them around and slash targets even with the poor balance that they have... The other commercially available Aluminum swords for the practice of sword battle techniques do not have distal taper anyway (so the edges are safer) and this does not cause a problem to the practitioners at all.

What I really need is a water jet cutter, or just something that would squeeze the metal with many tons of force and create swords in the same way that coins are created =P

 

[Anders Ämting]

@Anders: Thank you for your excellent post and that picture of the power file, I'll try to find that at Home Depot =)

The biggest issue with these devices is that the little rubber wheel holding the belt in place will eventually wear out and break. When that happens you may need to buy a whole new arm. It's annoying but at least on my machine the wheel itself can't be replaced.

That said, like the name implies it's basically a machine file. Since you're already used to manual filing, you shouldn't have trouble mastering it. You'll want to pick one of the grittier belts if you need to remove a lot of material.

Gerald probably makes a good point about the angle grinder (heck, I've seen tutorials of the exact thing he's talking about) but I assume he's also very used to handling them. Personally, I find them very difficult to handle since the way they are held obscures my view of what I'm doing, making it difficult to control the angle of the bevels.

In answer to your questions, only the softer alloys of Aluminum cause clogging on the saws and the files- I use 6061-T6 which is one of the harder alloys so it causes virtually no clogging, I have never had that problem!!

I suspected something like that. I'm not even sure it's possible to get harder aluminum alloys around here: It's pretty much just "aluminum" and you get what you get.

About the distal taper, I wanted to do that since the beginning but the work is already very hard and I cannot imagine how long it would take me to file away that much metal =(

My blades would indeed be better balanced and way faster with distal taper, but they are anyway very light and I can easily wield them around and slash targets even with the poor balance that they have... The other commercially available Aluminum swords for the practice of sword battle techniques do not have distal taper anyway (so the edges are safer) and this does not cause a problem to the practitioners at all.

Good point. Of course, if I was making practice swords in aluminum, I'd use even thicker stock then I would for a steel blade. That way I could keep them safely blunt while trying to get something that behaves somewhat like a real sword.

Actually, I wonder if the swords you are making aren't closer to movie props. Swords used for fight scenes in movies are often made from aluminum for lightness and safety, though they must still resemble the steel props (the so called "hero swords") as much as possible.

What I really need is a water jet cutter, or just something that would squeeze the metal with many tons of force and create swords in the same way that coins are created =P

I've always wanted a CNC machine, myself.

So jealous.

 

[gerald.parson]

Gerald probably makes a good point about the angle grinder (heck, I've seen tutorials of the exact thing he's talking about) but I assume he's also very used to handling them. Personally, I find them very difficult to handle since the way they are held obscures my view of what I'm doing, making it difficult to control the angle of the bevels.

Safety is the most important thing, if you find grinders hard to handle, which is understandable, go with what you are comfortable with. Grinders are dangerous, any tool is for that matter, but many people do not realize the danger of a grinder when they are surrounded with welders, shears, breaks, presses, torches, etc. I have sent more people to the hospital with grinder related injuries than anything. I do use them daily, and have for years, and sometimes I need to be reminded of how understandably apprehensive people can and should be.

 

[Sheilawisz]

@Gerald: I am really apprehensive about all the power tools that we have been talking about, like I said before my nightmare is that a metal cutting disk would break free from the angle grinder and fly out of control =(

I really am too afraid of such tools, who knows, maybe it's better to just keep working by hand and continue my Aluminum Swordmaking just as a hobby.

@Anders: Great video, I am jealous too!! Well, with a machine like that and everything else that they have, it's no wonder that they can produce swords so easily =P

About the Aluminum alloys, I am sure that you can find all of them in Sweden =) Actually 6061-T6 is the most common of them, and very good for swords even though 7075-T6 is better!! I do not view my swords as simple props or nothing more than practice tools: Wooden swords or the plastic ones are just that, but my swords are strong enough to be real weapons and not just a prop or practice stuff.

Sometimes I think that I should be more responsible about what I am doing, selling these could perhaps get me in trouble =P

 

[Lawfire]

Very cool, Sheila, very cool!

 

[Sheilawisz]

Thank you, Lawfire!! Are you interested in making Aluminum swords?

 

[Lawfire]

If by interested, you mean interested in seeing what other, talented people (like you) can create, then yes I am. If you mean interested as in trying it myself...probably not.