Heat strengthens [The Arma'Dex]

by **Favchean Hronis** on November 15th, 2013, 7:32 am

82 Fall 513 A continuation of this thread When Inspiration strikes

Favchean stands from his stool, his hulking green body raises easily and his muscles flow in ripples along his chest, back and thighs. Turning toward the forge he crouches to examine the flames, he knew that he needed a certain degree of heat but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to go home until the flames were extinguished. However he still tossed in a couple of thick logs, then used the billows to fan the flames higher and hotter.

He reaches over and snags the leather apron, throwing the thin strap over his head to lay against his thick neck. The garment had been made with an Akalak's height in mind so it reached his knees easily, and covered his very wide girth. The leather was scarred with scorch marks and blade marks, but well oiled and taken care of. It protected his body, so he took especial care of it. He grabbed the tongs, and picked up the now-smooth blade and secured it into the fires with a clamp.

He turned now and grabbed the bucket, one arm hefting it up though it was filled with water. His muscle bulged but he didn't falter as he carried out of the smithy, tossed it outside and went to the rain barrel. The water he had tossed had been cooling fire stoked metal all day, the rain barrel held cooler water which he needed to make sure the dagger cooled quickly.

Quickly he ladled more water into the bucket, splashing the cool substance over the side and down the front of his apron on the last ladle. However he had enough and he turned to hurry back inside. He moved back to the forge after depositing the water bucket down, and checked the blade. It wasn't yellow yet, so he went to the billows and forced air into the fires once more.

This was a waiting game now, he had to wait until the blade turned a perfect shade of hay yellow before he could pull it out. He didn't need to fan the flames constantly, but he did need to keep an eye on the fire. So he found himself leaning against the counter, concentrating on Wysar and his duties. What were his duties? The duties were to keep himself in top physical shape, to strive to master combat styles both with weapons and without, to ensure that he was capable of defense of the city and it's citizens...and to create progeny. The last was becoming more and more weighty on his mind.

by **Favchean Hronis** on November 16th, 2013, 12:50 am

Finally the blade glowed a hot yellow, pale like straw, reddening as it got closer to the clamp that held it firm in the fire. As the steel reddened the cooler it got, but the reds were not until closer to where the handle would shore up any weakness. Favchean's large hands deftly unscrewed the clamp and took the tongs in hand to grasp the glowing metal.

He takes it to the anvil, and picks up a heavy hammer that looks almost normal sized in his hands. His right hand holds the tongs in place, holding the blade steady on the black anvil, his left hand wielded the blacksmith's hammer. This would be delicate because contrary to popular belief not every blade feels the pounding of the hammer. Only those that you want a fine edge, a thin blade, and on this one he only wanted part of the blade thin.

So he didn't just pound away with all his considerable strength, instead his hand held the hammer close to its head. This gave him more precision and control, but less power. Carefully he lined up the head of the hammer with the tip of the blade, and began to tap it firmly. The metal against metal rang loudly in the closed in area, but he didn't don leather gloves because he was not hitting with all his might so fewer sparks flew.

It was almost more difficult to hammer this way rather then with all his strength, because the precision meant he had to keep his muscles tense. He tried hard not to hammer the body of the blade, he only wanted the tip thin, for easy insertion through meat, and cartilage.

Sweat beaded his brow but he barely noticed as he continued his work, not minding the difficulty but growling softly to himself whenever the hammer slipped and he hit the side of the blade rather then the tip.

by **Favchean Hronis** on November 16th, 2013, 2:26 am

Once he got the blade as thin at the tip as he wanted it, he picked it up and took it to the bucket of water and plunged the tempered steel in. A great plume of steam rose but not nearly as much steam had he not taken the time to hammer the hot steel down.

Unfortunately this was going to be the end of what he could do with the blade this evening. He wanted to make sure it was well tempered and not pitted steel, so he would need to cool it and re-heat it four more times. However the handle, that is something he can work on.

First though he needed to kill the forge. Leaving the blade in the water, he slipped outside with another bucket and got some more water to bring in. He left it beside the forge and closed the doors to the furnace of the forge to limit the oxygen within. Some might go ahead and dump first the water, then some sand in there but since he was going to work on a handle tonight he did it the less messy way so that he wouldn't have to scrape out wet sand in the morning.

Instead he waits for the fires to die, while he gathers materials. Again, he finds his skills woefully lacking and determined to seek out a someone who knew anything about leather working to perhaps teach him something. He pulled a thick strip of leather out of the scrap bin, again not using new materials. New materials were only used for customers seeking custom weapons. Recycled or scrap materials the apprentices practiced on. If they happened to make something of worth, they sold it in the shop to pay for the materials. If it was junk, what was able to be re-used was, and the rest was discounted as no great loss since it was scrap anyway.

The leather was made of thick hide, soft on one side and pebbled on the other. It was oddly cut because it was leavings from another project but Favchean was planning on cutting it down to size anyways so the odd shape didn't bother him. It was darkly tanned, which he wanted so he was as a whole happy with the material, if not with his skill level.

He then drags down another pair of scissors, thick rawhide thread, and what looked to be a large needle. He was afraid that the handle was going to be rather plain, perhaps the Master blacksmith, if the blade came out okay, would get a leather worker to decorate it. It seemed to need decoration.

by **Favchean Hronis** on November 16th, 2013, 3:01 am

The first thing he did was roll the leather over, trying to judge how much he was going to have to have to make this hilt. He closed his eyes and shook his head with a rueful smile that he had forgotten to grab the wooden hand. standing he moved to the box of pre-made squares of wood. There were large ones, small ones, round ones. and square ones. Wooden handles of many different sizes and shapes, each with a slit carved within. That only left Favchean to find one that would fit the dagger the best.

He chose one that was shaved to a comfortable roundness, it was a little too small for his own hand but he wanted that. If this was going to be a ladies dagger then it shouldn't fit comfortably in an Akalak's hand. Moving back to the table with his find, snagging a jar of clear adhesive, he sat back down. Now he managed to wrap the leather around the wood, lining it up over the hard surface. He then carefully cuts the leather with the shears, pushing the metal through the stiff material far easier then he had cut the sheet of steel in the shape of the dagger. Eventually he will learn to fold the blades, to make them thicker and thus allowing them more then simple defensive weapons. The blades he currently made were single sheet metals, he hadn't learned the art of folding to make them stronger.

Once the leather was cut, he opened the jar of adhesive and with a brush he quickly covered the surface of the wood dousing it well so that if the wood absorbed some of it there was plenty left. Then he quickly rolled the leather around the wood, and turned it on its side. There was an edge where the leather met and that was where the rawhide lace came in. Threading the rawhide through the eye of the large needle, much bigger then a clothier would use on fabric. Gently he pushed the needle at the base of the leather and looped it in, and then out the other side. All the way up the side of the handle. and then when he got to the top he turned the handle and repeated the process down the other. This left a tight criss-cross pattern of the lace. Enough dangled from the first and ending hole that Favchean was able to tie, and wrap it so that there was now a small loop that a lady might be able to carry the dagger on her wrist.

Continued in Re-firing and scripting the blade

by **Magpie** on November 30th, 2013, 11:30 pm

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Favchean :

Notes :

If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, please don't hesitate to PM me.

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