Bronze Swords website

[Jeffrey Hull]

This website of a British brazener / bronzesmith has a bunch of worthwhile articles in its pull-down menus that deal with not just bronze swords but other Bronze Age accoutrements and archaeology:

http://www.bronze-age-craft.com/

That guy also sells bronze swords that he makes, and explains why his are most authentic replicas thereof that one may buy -- for example, he forges the edges after casting to harden them in manner comparable to the edges of the earliest iron swords during transition from bronze to iron.

I like it.

[Mike Cartier]

wow very cool site Jeff
That guy does soem great work and his philosophy is highly admirable.

[s_taillebois]

Apparently so, especially since he seems to be deriving his own alloys to approximate earlier materials. Usually modern casting bronze is about a 3% silica mix, he mentioned using a lead/bronze alloy to achieve the same end.
Although some ancient forms of bronzes did use arsenic, but that was more an aesthetic aspect than a practical one (it changes the color of the metal).
For whatever it's worth, likely when he's forging the edges, he's being very careful on the temperatures used. Depending on the alloy+temps, when heated some bronzes become brittle, and will break or fracture when hammered. (although some alloys/bronze can also be hardened by differential cooling, by leaving a bronze in an investment mold and letting it cool therein can result in a very hard surface; at times enough to dull a cutting burr...but given he's dedication to authenticy probably not using investment or ceramic shell molds (*ceramic shell (sort of) actually a Shang Chinese invention) Looking at the images, some nice casting and general finish work. ...
Concerning the transition from iron to bronze, partially a matter of easier acquisition of raw materials. Another slight disadvantage is that bronze does tend to be heavier for an equivalent implement to other materials, nor is it a material really suited for 'flexing'.
Although with the early firearms/cannons, bronze was often preferred over iron...hence for the period this forum studies...unless one's considering some bombards or ships cannons (the terror weapons of the era) ....bronze was long superceded for individual weapons.

[Joe Hennigan]

I've actualy been down to see Neil a couple of years ago and not only is he incredibly knowledgable about his subject (and suitably sceptical about archaeological theorising) he's also a realy nice bloke. Very welcoming and very open - in short a near perfect teacher.

That day he had me carving the mold for my bronze sword and then helping out with the melting (on a charcoal brazier) - then doing the final pour myself. Doing all this in a recreated roundhouse in the middle of a Cornish Bronze Age landscape with tumuli al around was a truly magical experience that I'd recommend to anyone interested in the development of the sword or the Bronze Age itself.

[Will Adamson]

Great Britain really has put alot of effort into reconstruction and experimental archaeology in regards to ancient technologies. We have a few here in the States, but they are few and far between. Of course ours can only deal with lithics and ceramics until european contact.

I applaud you guys for all those efforts, and I hope to be able to get over there again in the next few years to do a little digging myself.

[s_taillebois]

Great Britain really has put alot of effort into reconstruction and experimental archaeology in regards to ancient technologies. We have a few here in the States, but they are few and far between. Of course ours can only deal with lithics and ceramics until european contact.

I applaud you guys for all those efforts, and I hope to be able to get over there again in the next few years to do a little digging myself.

Good observation. Unfortunately here in the US, often when a technology or attendant art is reconstructed too often it's premised on 1960's 'primativist' romanticism. Very few actually do the research, and so very often it's all just a image of rusticity. Obviously the older societies used different means, but that doesn't imply the items they produced were simplistic .

Obviously casting bronze ( general melting temps at about 1850-2000'...although the lead lowers this somewhat and improves pouring quality) without steel tools and modern carbide/ceramic crucibles, isn't a trivial ability or technology. And the testing for stone (or ceramic) crucibles needed to replace a modern crucible was in itself quite a feat. And judging metal temps by color, is an art not all achieve.