What was the process in making a sword in the Medieval times?

Answer 1

First, it should be noted that swords were not normally made by one individual - several craftsmen would be involved in its manufacture.

Swords and similar weapons were traded extensively throughout Europe in the medieval era, and while we assume nowadays that the average European peasant lived in their own village and never travelled far, there is in fact a vast body of evidence showing that internatonal trade was a widespread in the 14th and 15th centuries, as it is today.

The main component, the blade, was generally produced in localised areas of specialisation - in Germany, the cities of Solingen and Passau were renowned for their blademaking, in Spain, the city of Toledo had a similar reputation.

The blades were then shipped through Europe, via trade. In local areas they were then fitted with hilts according to local fashion and tastes by craftsmen called cutlers.

The blade was made by forging, from a rough block of steel, a skilled swordsmith would shape a rough blade and tang from the red-hot steel, hammering in the shape of the tang, and the critical transition from blade to tang -done wrong, such a transition is a weak point which could break the sword in use. Once a basic shape was forged, with or without a fuller (groove in the blade) the soft steel blade would be passed on to shapers, who would then cut the blade's shape on large, water-wheel driven grindstones, and with scrapers and files, smoothing out the surface and shaping the taper on the blade, essential to making the blade handle well.

the shaped blade would then be heat-treated, a process of heating the blade to glowing red hot, and plunging it into water to cool it rapidly. this process changes the molecular structure of the steel, making it extremely hard, but very brittle, like glass. This brittleness was then removed by putting it into a lower heat, and then allowing it to cool. this tempering process gives the steel the springy flexiability to withstand shock, but the hardness to hold a sharp edge.

This tempered blade was then polished by another craftsman, to bring it to a fine finish, and to put an edge on it.

The cutler, on receiving the blade, would create the hilt peices - the cross, that protects the hand, the grip, and the pommel, which balances the blade. The pommel and cross could be forged from steel or cast in bronze. In either case, the slot for the blade tang would be carefully filed to let the parts fit onto the blade, and then the surfaces would be ground, filed and polished to a fine finish. In some cases, the parts would be covered in gold or silver, or other precious materials, depending on who the sword was for.

The grip would then be made, often from a hardwod like ash or beech covered in a thin peice of leather, but sometimes from more exotic materials like ivory or horn.

the entire sword would then be assembled by the cutler - the cross, grip and pommel slid down the blade tang to a snug fit, and then the end of the blade cut to length, and then heated up and hammered over as a rivet to hold it firm.

Lastly, then entire blade would be given to a scabbard-maker, who would take thin slats of wood, and carve the shape of the blade, line the wooden slats with wool, to hold the blade in place and protect it, and then wrap the thin wood slats in leather. the outer leather of the scabbard could then be cut to allow a complex set of loops and knots which would make the sword hang comfortably at the wearer's side.

At long last, after the work of many people, a finished sword was made, ready for war.