History

• Sword making has evolved since the bronze age. The oldest known sword-like weapons come from Turkey and date to 3300 BCE, though some consider these simply long daggers instead of true swords. Bronze sword construction reached its peak during the Warring States period of the Qin Dynasty in China, characterized by its high tin content (17 to 21 percent), compared with soft tin cores (10 percent).
  
  Iron swords became common during the Iron Age, which began at roughly 1300 BCE. Higher availability of material led to increased sword production. The swords of this period, like those of the Bronze age, were not quench-hardened but rather hardened with hammering.
  
  The use of quenched swords became common by the 10th century as were construction of swords with tempered steel. By the end of the 17th century, Damascus steel -- a special composition including special carbides and globular cementite -- was used. The average length of the sword's grip also began to lengthen during this period.
  
  By the end of the 19th century, most swords were being made for historical re-creation purposes, using the same techniques and materials as their ancestors.
  
  

Expert Insight

• The majority of commercially available swords are made with modern processes and material, bringing greater profit as this method take less time than hand forging.
  
  

Size

• Swords of the Bronze Age were never longer than 90 centimeters; they will bend too easily for practical use if made longer. Swords of later periods were made to length according to the specific uses of the sword.
  
  

Types

• Making swords are done by:
  
  Forging, in which materials are shaped with compression. This can be done by cold forging at room temperature or by warm forging, done as the material cools from hot forging temperatures.
  
  Heat treating, in which the material is heated or cooled to extreme temperatures to alter physical or chemical properties.
  
  Annealing, in which the material is heated to a red hot state and allowed it to cool slowly.
  
  Quenching, a rapid cooling used to prevent low-temperature processes, i.e. phase transformations. This will reduce crystallinity to increase toughness of the material.
  
  Sharpening, in which the cutting edge is created.
  
  Finishing, in which the material is brought to its final shape and polish.
  
  

Warning

• Methods such as annealing and quenching can be dangerous if the proper work cloths are not worn and proper care is not exercised during the sword's construction.