Restoration of Iron Sica blade

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

Restoration of Iron Sica blade

This iron sica blade arrived months ago and we asked David Roeder to not only to conserve the blade, but to also add a time-contemporary leather sheath, as well.

With over 40 years experience as a master smith and wood worker, David Roeder has a vast amount of knowledge concerning ancient armor, battlefield repairs, and arrows. His reconstructions/restorations are always exactly how they they were constructed in the past.

The iron blade, now cured of any further rusting, vintage 100-year old cattle bones, wood, custom-created ancient copper alloy pins were then added to the dagger's haft. Time contemporary adornments and rings were added to the red leather sheath.

Just saying....

Best to all and best regards,

Kevin

[Jay GT4]

Great work

[Mayadigger]

Ave Jay,

Not me, you know?

David Roeder is the culprit...just saying. 

[wileyc]

interesting to see how well it came out, I would not expect that much intact metal to be left. I wonder how much of it is bonding vs just metal preservation. Looks nice!

[SC]

Iron is sooo strange.

I have seen an ancient iron object (it was likely a knife) on an archaeological dig that was reduced to nothing more that a crumbly orange strip of soil slightly wider and longer and about three times as thick as a what it was originally.  Nothing could be preserved, just photos in situ and measurements.

I have also seen objects, and have a few, where there are at least parts still with the original surface - still smooth and un-pitted metal.

And of course everything in between.

SC

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

Couldn't agree with you more, Shawn.

Not sure if any of you watch the UK television series "Time Team", but I've seen the same "reduced to nothing more that a crumbly orange strip of soil" a number of times on the show, especially concerning Saxon blades and other iron artifacts of that era.

Many of the iron objects I receive from overseas are a corroded mess and completely un-restorable...but not others such as iron Roman keys, rings and the sica blade noted above.

Mister Roeder has a forge and he explained to me that he uses a process known as annealing for restoring such iron artifacts. In the case of the two rotted out and bent spear points seen below, he used the same process, but this time he told me he saved all the rusty bits, powdered them up and then somehow reapplied them to the surfaces. Clever, eh? 

Best,

Kevin