Assymetries on Historic & Modern Swords

Read the article that got me kicked off Sword Loser's Guide / Sword Manufacturer's Guide Forum! Bill Blake

Example of a beautiful historic sword clearly demonstrating assymetries:





The sword has undergone a transformation from tool to art, but it is not quite sitting in art as it should, by this I mean I have never heard an art critic berrate Da Vinci or Rembrandt for visible brush strokes.

There are modern examples, like Peter Lyon who I consider to be a true master. Even his work has assymetries in it, but is by no means the result of sloppy work:



And that's the product of a guy at the top of his game, with other craftsman assisting him on his swords.

Then there are historical examples like the Sword of Saint Maurice, which clearly was not Roman in origin as the contemporary Germans may have insisted, and was likely commissioned by the top strata of society, therefore produced by the best available craftsmen:



But I don't believe any of this makes them less beautiful, quite the opposite and I do not think the above examples show anything but excellent skill in manufacture.

I think to a certain extent we have fallen victim to photoshopped images depicting perfection, which invariably are false.

For example this picture of one of Peter Lyon's swords once the photographers, lighting technicians and photoshop tweekers have gotten hold of it:



In my view a process similar to what has happened to women's body image via photoshopped magazine images has taken place. It has left us wanting something that doesn't exist, isn't attainable and made us dissatisfied with everything.

As an example:





The Importance of Assymetries & the Physical Function they Impart

I believe there is a link between the asymmetrical properties of handmade swords as compared to automatically machined swords which makes them inherently better. Going through the motions with a CNC milled sword one day it struck me how lifeless the sword felt. I then repeated the same motions with a hand made sword, which had asymmetries and other humanistic attributes. The sword felt so much more alive. After much thought on the subject I think I know why.

I believe the quality of a sword being alive is intrinsically linked to variations in the distribution of mass. CNC milled swords do not features these qualities, and although balance may technically be more precise, the numbers do no tell the whole story. A sword with edges that are not uniformly thick, whose pommel may be slightly thicker in one direction, whose blade features more mass on one side than another though it may seem at a disadvantage, I believe the hand made piece has an unforeseen advantage.

This I believe is what makes hand crafted swords better than CNC milled swords. It's ironic, because some people go OCD over variances and asymmetries in their swords.

Although distal taper, balance, percussion, harmonics and all the rest are still critical elements, I think that a mathematically symmetrical sword will never provide the performance of a well hand crafted sword and it is the idiosyncrasies of a particular excellent sword that set it apart.

The CNC milling process is a cost cutting measure, but I believe it will never replace the work of a skilled craftsman. An analogy can be seen in music - real instruments and human performers as opposed to electronica - electronic music will never replicate the beauty and dynamism of real live instruments played by imperfect human beings.

My proposition in no way diminishes the importance of excellent workmanship. One must learn the rules to break them. I've been at swords for twelve years, and I've put my work out for public scrutiny. Some people like my work, others don't, and that's ok with me. But I am not some critic with no work of his own for others examine, firing off shots at other people who are out there having a go. I've done the hard yards, filing, hand finishing, using stones, forging and grinding, and while I always feel I have room for improvement, I do feel like I have a decent handle on the basics and produce good work.

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My moment of revelation came as I was pondering the virtues of swords, laying on my back in my backyard looking at clouds one afternoon. I had always felt that there was something superior about good hand made swords, but I could never put my finger on it. It is quite distracting to see so many posts on other forums where people get OCD about minor variances on a hand made blade, and I believe this had distracted me from realizing what makes a handmade sword better earlier.

In an age where technical perfection is now more achievable than ever, it is ironic that the human hand is what produces the best swords. The same is true of Pianos too - no machine has ever been able to replicate the sound and feel of handmade Steinway Pianos. Swords are not machine parts, treating them like they should be is a step in the wrong direction. Rather the sword is and will always be defined by the individuality of its personality, the idiosyncrasies of its design, the love imbued into its form while crafting it, and the humanistic qualities of its manufacture.

Below are more examples of high end historic swords showing that the modern obsession of reviewers for things like milled guards that fit a sword to within microns are in fact just that, modern obsessions that bear no historical counterpart:



Bill Blake - Alae Swords / Sword-Site

My sword making outfit is available here: www.alaeswords.webstarts.com

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