Hey, I just started watching your videos tonight and I love the way you build a blade, from the designs to the finished piece, its (at times) astonishing to watch and (for me) shows a wonderful side of blade smithing I normally don't see out of normal youtube
Me too! It's almost like we have the impression that people used to be more stupid but it's not true, they were just experts in things that are no longer useful in today's world
@@plantpoweredpear3688 People were much more practical back then. Today we know a lot in theory but our practical expertise is comparably low. Also, by doing things practically you find out a lot, try new things, getting creative. Theory is just the same old stuff repeated again and again.
Bronze Age people weren’t as far back and primal as you think. There were huge cities, huge armies, complex artworks, interesting cultures, massive slave trade, and a connected world, because of copper and tin. It doesn’t blow me away, because I know just how advanced these people actually were
The Xiphos had always been my favorite sword of antiquity. Or the Rhomphaia. And love the Bronze Age. Thank you for sharing this with us. The sword is beautiful.
Contrary to popular belief, no example of a xiphos made from bronze has ever been found. The several whole or partial xiphe blades found in places such as Olympia, Macedonia and Southern Italy were all made exclusively from iron. Furthermore Xiphos swords only began to appear centuries after typical Bronze Age weapons - such as the Naue II - had transitioned from bronze to iron. In reality the Bronze Age sword during the Bronze Age was a completely different weapon, and Xiphe were not developed until after the end of the Bronze Age circa 1200 BCE. Researchers think the misidentification of Bronze Age ornaments has created the modern-day myth that the xiphe were ever cast in bronze.
For a slightly better finish on bronze, spray the sand mould cavity with a mix of fine graphite powder and ethanol/isopropyl (let it dry or light it on fire for effects) - the surface of bronze won't be as oxidized.
Dude, your on-camera speaking presence has improved 1000x over in the last few years. Fantastic work. These weapons will live eternal, and people like you keep it going.
Damn.... That was beautiful to watch. You have amazing skills. I did not know how beautiful bronze can be... Imagine having this beautiful thing 3000 years ago. You would feel like a god.
Unless it was done and not shown, the swords only half done, needs about 12 hours on work hardening the edges, the little done in the video wouldn't have been enough, bronze age weapons were an exercise in patience
@@MrTrilbe I can't imagine equiping an army with such time consuming crafted weapons, not to mention sourcing the raw materials, you really had to be extremely wealthy to wage war and equip your army. I can appreciate that this is just a show piece and not a battle ready sword, even so it is beautiful. If you can be forgiven for describing a sword as such.
@@centuriontwofivezeroone2794 most common soldiers had bronze spears, the more elite, rich or the aristocracy had the swords for the most part, bronze armour was apparently quite common, mainly helmets but some bronze clad shields existed too iirc. The really fancy swords were made as offerings though. Doesn't take away from the amount of time needed to finish a bronze weapon though, even a small bronze axe head would take a few hours to work harden, after it's been cleaned up after casting, mostly with a hand stone and then maybe stone dust in a bit of leather much like modern sandpaper, they were expensive.
@@MrTrilbe Also this sword has been "medievalized" in a sense. The originals had much smaller crossguards and pommels. Not to mention that they would've never wasted bronze by making the entire handle out of that stuff. Overall it's very aesthetically pleasing but not historically accurate.
@@ΣτελιοςΠεππας oh it is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, but it is a display piece, Neil Burridge would be someone to check out for more historically accurate bronze weapons, both in look and manufacture
That subtle quick cut where he melted the pewter decanter and then "immediately" picked up the ingot got me. Made me think he has now achieved god-tier blacksmith hands and that his skin is now fully impervious to almost-molten metal (which it probably actually is by this point). Absolutely love this channel, never stop doing what you do Black Beard 🤘
Some folks are really specialized and extra skilled at only one or, few crafts. You however, are one of the most universally skilled and talented people I've ever seen. From electrical control boxes, to tools, to fine cutlery, to novelty crafts, your stuff is always interesting and amazing. Great work.
Greetings from Greece. I've started to search about weapons and other stuffs our ancestors did in ancient and medieval ages of Greece before a year and i can say that your xiphos looks alike those i've seen in amphores and other lets say paintings of ancient Greece. Congrats you are very talented.
The leaf shape designed bronze swords began in the British Isles and made their way toward the Greek area. The earliest examples are from the Ireland and England...where the tin probably came from.
Your crucible is reaching breaking point, might wanna change it before it cracks while in use (source, had it happen to me). Awesome video, and the beard in on point with the theme. ;)
We literally found 2 of those in my hometown Beroia central Macedonia Greece along with a big jar full of armory in 2009 Perfect work my friend they look so original
love this video and your skill. still makes me think what it would have been like to make one of these 3k years ago. mining the metal and the crude tools they would have had...
Odd question, do you make items on commission? As an enthusiast of ancient weaponry (Already got a hand forged Celtic Dress-sword) I am looking to expand my collection and your content is simply sublime.
I can see this design made for a wilderness machete out of hardned tool steel. The weighted front is impressive and immensely useful. And seriously dangerous and deadly, as the design itself is beautiful.
Not really, take a look at a Parang or a Golok Machete, most of the weight on those two is in the top third of the blade, and thats where you want the blades belly, not half way down where it is on the Xiphos. They are designed PURELY for chopping, and they are the best wilderness knives out there imo. I love my Golok, its an immensely versatile wilderness knife. The Xiphos is designed for the thrust and the cut, the cut, is not the same as a chop. Leaf shaped blades like that were not uncommon in the Bronze and early Iron Age. They were a good compromise allowing a decent cut with a decent thrust. But it would be totally unsuitable as a wilderness tool. There is a reason you do not see leaf bladed Machetes.... Because they are inferior to the blade shapes people actually use.....
I know iron has a slight strength advantage and gets stronger the more it's reworked but the almost mythic sparkling beauty of worked bronze must have made Greek soldiers feel like they were epic heroes out of the Iliad or the Odyssey.
Contrary to popular belief, no example of a xiphos made from bronze has ever been found. The several whole or partial xiphe blades found in places such as Olympia, Macedonia and Southern Italy were all made exclusively from iron. Furthermore Xiphos swords only began to appear centuries after typical Bronze Age weapons - such as the Naue II - had transitioned from bronze to iron. In reality the Bronze Age sword during the Bronze Age was a completely different weapon, and Xiphe were not developed until after the end of the Bronze Age circa 1200 BCE. Researchers think the misidentification of Bronze Age ornaments has created the modern-day myth that the xiphe were ever cast in bronze.
If you’d lived 1000 years ago and brought this to the king you’d been GODLY. Prolly would’ve had a penthouse in the castle FoSho👌🏻 Keep up the great work.
The design is 3000 years old, not the weapon. Why do my generation have to be the experts? No wonder the world if f*cked. I know the comment is meant to be a joke, but gosh, it sounds more like something an internet troll would comment
Not the sharpest pencil in the box, but then I suppose this type of sword was designed to do more hacking and poking, rather than slicing. The inlay on the guard is a nice touch.
Sort of on topic, this video reminded me of a job I had working in a coil shop that made wiring coils for giant electric motors. The type you find in power plants and rock crushing machines. Each coil of wire would be about 2 meters long and weigh about 20 lbs.
Spartans most notorious weapon, they did not do a lot of swinging/cutting with them because of material and probability of enemy being another well armored hoplite swinging/cutting with a sword would not do much but ruin your bronze weapon but stabbing was where it shined. They often used short sword xiphos when their long dory spears broke or enemy was too close(dory was around 7 feet long spear so a sidearm was a must).
Now you see why gold become valuable. The strong had a cool shiny swords... so gold well fitted the look. i bet they also covered early iron swords with gold or bronze too! Cool definitely a cool stuff to have!
In fact, the leaf-shaped appearance of the blade of these swords was obtained from the constant grinding of notches, which often appeared at the guard of the sword from repelling blows. And these swords did not have such a large guard as medieval swords. Blows were usually reflected not with a sword, but with a shield.
Skip the waitlist and invest in blue-chip art for the very first time by signing up for Masterworks: masterworks.art/blackbeardprojects
Is there anything TOXIC in there we should know about?
i left you a little joke im dying to see how many take it serious. GREAT WORK
Nice sword
Hey, I just started watching your videos tonight and I love the way you build a blade, from the designs to the finished piece, its (at times) astonishing to watch and (for me) shows a wonderful side of blade smithing I normally don't see out of normal youtube
Wow man, a master piece of sword just need a side cover holder from leather.
I'm always blown away by ancient metallurgy, how ancient people knew how to find, identify, purify, and work with metals.
Me too! It's almost like we have the impression that people used to be more stupid but it's not true, they were just experts in things that are no longer useful in today's world
I def feel like the common person back then knew more about metallurgy than the common person does now 😂
@@plantpoweredpear3688 People were much more practical back then. Today we know a lot in theory but our practical expertise is comparably low.
Also, by doing things practically you find out a lot, try new things, getting creative. Theory is just the same old stuff repeated again and again.
@user-dl5pi6cx2y I'm interested in real history, not mythology.
Bronze Age people weren’t as far back and primal as you think. There were huge cities, huge armies, complex artworks, interesting cultures, massive slave trade, and a connected world, because of copper and tin. It doesn’t blow me away, because I know just how advanced these people actually were
The Xiphos had always been my favorite sword of antiquity. Or the Rhomphaia. And love the Bronze Age. Thank you for sharing this with us. The sword is beautiful.
A xiphos accompanied by a kopis for using while riding makes a perfect combo
Contrary to popular belief, no example of a xiphos made from bronze has ever been found. The several whole or partial xiphe blades found in places such as Olympia, Macedonia and Southern Italy were all made exclusively from iron. Furthermore Xiphos swords only began to appear centuries after typical Bronze Age weapons - such as the Naue II - had transitioned from bronze to iron. In reality the Bronze Age sword during the Bronze Age was a completely different weapon, and Xiphe were not developed until after the end of the Bronze Age circa 1200 BCE. Researchers think the misidentification of Bronze Age ornaments has created the modern-day myth that the xiphe were ever cast in bronze.
me too
Give me a phasganon any day.
@@conorhudson1486they used 2 wrds for 'sword' xiphis and phasganon. Doesnt mean 'xiphos' was the same as the classic greek weapon.
For a slightly better finish on bronze, spray the sand mould cavity with a mix of fine graphite powder and ethanol/isopropyl (let it dry or light it on fire for effects) - the surface of bronze won't be as oxidized.
Would soot (say, from a wood fire) also work? Sounds like the kind of thing that would be done back in the day
Care to post a vid about it
And then coat it in poison? 🤭
🤓
How do you preserve this when sharpening?
Dude, your on-camera speaking presence has improved 1000x over in the last few years.
Fantastic work. These weapons will live eternal, and people like you keep it going.
Wow this time you outdone yourself. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing project. I'm always inspired after watching your channel!
That was amazing. Can’t believe it’s one solid piece. And the inlay work was awesome, it came out great.
Damn.... That was beautiful to watch. You have amazing skills. I did not know how beautiful bronze can be... Imagine having this beautiful thing 3000 years ago. You would feel like a god.
6th grade is not the case
Beautiful work, makes you appreciate even more what sword smiths went through without the use of power tools. Great video, thank you.
Unless it was done and not shown, the swords only half done, needs about 12 hours on work hardening the edges, the little done in the video wouldn't have been enough, bronze age weapons were an exercise in patience
@@MrTrilbe I can't imagine equiping an army with such time consuming crafted weapons, not to mention sourcing the raw materials, you really had to be extremely wealthy to wage war and equip your army.
I can appreciate that this is just a show piece and not a battle ready sword, even so it is beautiful. If you can be forgiven for describing a sword as such.
@@centuriontwofivezeroone2794 most common soldiers had bronze spears, the more elite, rich or the aristocracy had the swords for the most part, bronze armour was apparently quite common, mainly helmets but some bronze clad shields existed too iirc. The really fancy swords were made as offerings though. Doesn't take away from the amount of time needed to finish a bronze weapon though, even a small bronze axe head would take a few hours to work harden, after it's been cleaned up after casting, mostly with a hand stone and then maybe stone dust in a bit of leather much like modern sandpaper, they were expensive.
@@MrTrilbe Also this sword has been "medievalized" in a sense. The originals had much smaller crossguards and pommels. Not to mention that they would've never wasted bronze by making the entire handle out of that stuff.
Overall it's very aesthetically pleasing but not historically accurate.
@@ΣτελιοςΠεππας oh it is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, but it is a display piece, Neil Burridge would be someone to check out for more historically accurate bronze weapons, both in look and manufacture
Amazing work. You are very talented! Thanks
I mean it's super easy if you have the tools.
That subtle quick cut where he melted the pewter decanter and then "immediately" picked up the ingot got me. Made me think he has now achieved god-tier blacksmith hands and that his skin is now fully impervious to almost-molten metal (which it probably actually is by this point). Absolutely love this channel, never stop doing what you do Black Beard 🤘
Greek weapons were a thing of beauty. Absolutely amazing job on this one.
Absolutely amazing. Great job bringing the past to life in such a breath taking rendition.
Another beautiful masterpiece. Very well done, Black Beard!!
1:05. The transition is so smooth that it looks like it cooled in just a matter of seconds.
You're right! I was thinking about it too!
Some folks are really specialized and extra skilled at only one or, few crafts. You however, are one of the most universally skilled and talented people I've ever seen. From electrical control boxes, to tools, to fine cutlery, to novelty crafts, your stuff is always interesting and amazing. Great work.
ОЧЕНЬ красивое изделие! Видно, что делалось с любовью.
Greetings from Greece. I've started to search about weapons and other stuffs our ancestors did in ancient and medieval ages of Greece before a year and i can say that your xiphos looks alike those i've seen in amphores and other lets say paintings of ancient Greece. Congrats you are very talented.
The leaf shape designed bronze swords began in the British Isles and made their way toward the Greek area. The earliest examples are from the Ireland and England...where the tin probably came from.
@@loonatic7 British islands inhabited at about 800 BC and the first bronze sword made in Greece was made at 1700BC by the Minoan civilization.
@@OdiRithy 800 BC lol not sure where you're getting that from but you're very very very very wrong
@@OdiRithy there are many 5000 year old tombs all over Ireland and it was populated thousands of years prior to that
He may be saying that’s when the first swords of this type, etc were made. That would be my guess.
Vou fazer uma gostei muito
This straight away reminds me of Percy Jackson's xiphos, Anaklusmos. Incredible video!!! Loved the attention to detail and final touches!
Semidios encontrado!! Saludos de un hijo de thanatos argentino!
same. i thought immediately that's riptide.
It’s videos like this that make me want to get into metalworking
Your crucible is reaching breaking point, might wanna change it before it cracks while in use (source, had it happen to me).
Awesome video, and the beard in on point with the theme. ;)
Seeing you working it's a absolute pleasure
Your attention to the smallest detail is just amazing
I'm so impressed by how crafty people can be.
Always love your historical builds, and this one is gorgeous. The texturing on the handle, with the bluing, worked really well.
Thumbnail did not disappoint.
That thing's so beautiful I want to marry it.
Beautiful! I really like that handle treatment.
God blessed you and all your closest ones, Master!
Every time I see this kind of Work, I am dreaming about.
About the something. Better.
Thank you!
Greetings from Alexander's land north Greece
Thank for sharing this video!! Waiting for the next!!!
Perfect job my friend!!
Oh wow this is such a beautifully crafted sword 🗡 I would love to have it!
Incroyable ce travail manuel ! Vous avez un talent hors-norme 😊
Looks like a sword of an Elven Citadel guard. Holy sheet man 😯
Wow,! That turned out fantastic!
But will it keel?!
Black Beard your skills are grown at another level. Keep it it up bro, you rule!
OK, that’s really beautiful and now I want one!
Amazing job lad, amazing!
These ancient bronze swords would have looked amazing, thank you for making one.
could they be made this good 3000 years ago? BBP is using a modern steel & machined tooled workshop.
@@jamesgrist7222 yes, talented blacksmiths existe
We literally found 2 of those in my hometown Beroia central Macedonia Greece along with a big jar full of armory in 2009
Perfect work my friend they look so original
What did you do with those
@@onedroitgameplay We handed them over to the local authorities, those are other people heritage aswell
I am very impressed, this is a master at work. When the govt says we are all the same, this man will snicker
Great job congratulations !!!!!! You are the best!!!!
Still alive the ancient work...with machine tools... Very nice
“But, but, but a CNC is cheating!”
No, Johnny, no it’s not. Now sit down and shut up.
What a stunning piece of work! Fantastic!
It kind of is though. But still turned out amazing. If I did cast molds I would invest in an wood cnc and have no problem cheating with it lol
I'm watching amazed. And then it hits me-- and the camera work too! Jeesh. Awesome.
love this video and your skill.
still makes me think what it would have been like to make one of these 3k years ago. mining the metal and the crude tools they would have had...
Geez !!!!!!!!!!!! That is pure creativity and ingenuity. 10!
Odd question, do you make items on commission? As an enthusiast of ancient weaponry (Already got a hand forged Celtic Dress-sword) I am looking to expand my collection and your content is simply sublime.
.... WOW !!!
NO response ?
🤯🤯🤯
It says on his website that he doesn't take commissions
Sir when it comes to forging you are truly a master of that art
I can see this design made for a wilderness machete out of hardned tool steel. The weighted front is impressive and immensely useful. And seriously dangerous and deadly, as the design itself is beautiful.
Not really, take a look at a Parang or a Golok Machete, most of the weight on those two is in the top third of the blade, and thats where you want the blades belly, not half way down where it is on the Xiphos. They are designed PURELY for chopping, and they are the best wilderness knives out there imo. I love my Golok, its an immensely versatile wilderness knife.
The Xiphos is designed for the thrust and the cut, the cut, is not the same as a chop. Leaf shaped blades like that were not uncommon in the Bronze and early Iron Age. They were a good compromise allowing a decent cut with a decent thrust. But it would be totally unsuitable as a wilderness tool. There is a reason you do not see leaf bladed Machetes.... Because they are inferior to the blade shapes people actually use.....
There's something oddly soothing about the sound of fine hammering sped up.
I know iron has a slight strength advantage and gets stronger the more it's reworked but the almost mythic sparkling beauty of worked bronze must have made Greek soldiers feel like they were epic heroes out of the Iliad or the Odyssey.
but...they were 😅
Nah like common foot soldiers in armies
Contrary to popular belief, no example of a xiphos made from bronze has ever been found. The several whole or partial xiphe blades found in places such as Olympia, Macedonia and Southern Italy were all made exclusively from iron. Furthermore Xiphos swords only began to appear centuries after typical Bronze Age weapons - such as the Naue II - had transitioned from bronze to iron. In reality the Bronze Age sword during the Bronze Age was a completely different weapon, and Xiphe were not developed until after the end of the Bronze Age circa 1200 BCE. Researchers think the misidentification of Bronze Age ornaments has created the modern-day myth that the xiphe were ever cast in bronze.
LOL I was so anxious when he started chopping the pineapple, like there is an image of his finger flying out, in my head =))))))
This is a beautiful sword!
It was strangely cathartic watching this.
If you’d lived 1000 years ago and brought this to the king you’d been GODLY. Prolly would’ve had a penthouse in the castle FoSho👌🏻 Keep up the great work.
only ornamental, in a sword fight it would snap
@@mrlomrlo7353 I was just thinking of it as a gift not a weapon
Wow, really great work! I especially like the inlay work! Nice work!
Look, I can understand the cabbage, but what in good heavens did the pineapple do to you?
I'm amazed about the historical correct approach of using modern techniques. Specially this Anno -437 Spartan 3D printer. Real "Masterwork"!
A truly stunning project! Thank you very much!
What an honorable thing for cabbage and pineapple to be sliced with this magnificent sword. Charming!
At about 6:45 in the video, were you work hardening the edge? I’ve never seen that done and looked really cool. Beautiful work btw.
Love watching your craft,a highlight is the accelerated sound of hammering down the sand.( actually any accelerated sound is pretty cool)
Awesome!
I used to watch the show Forged in Fire. I gave up on that show the day they made Xiphos out of steel..
I mean its more durable so u dont blame them and if thats ya reasoning...ya pathetic
I wish I had it in my hand now. To swing once or twice and get a feeling of it.
That looks sooo amazing....I wish I had a workshop like yours 😔
Can't help myself, but that sound at 0:08...😆😂🤣😂🤣
Edit: Great work. Thanks for sharing.🤗
Can you mix a luminescent material in the metal to make it glow when orcs are near?
Yeah, but they'd see you , too.
@@moehoward01 hey it worked for frodo
What did you do differently between attempt one and two? I cast rings, and learning about people's casting experiences could help!
Considering the first attempt collapsed, it looks like he just packed the second one much tighter.
At first I tried to fill the mold from the bottom up but it didn't work out :)
@@BlackBeardProjects buhaha
@@BlackBeardProjects oof
The Fruit at the end is epic!!
Uma peça realmente linda. Parabéns!
She's a beauty! Thanks for showing us how you do it..
It's not 3000 years old if you just made it.
😂
The design is 3000 years old, not the weapon. Why do my generation have to be the experts? No wonder the world if f*cked. I know the comment is meant to be a joke, but gosh, it sounds more like something an internet troll would comment
@@Chisszaru Relax dude, that was funny. No need to write an essay and complain like that.
@@markmauk8231no he’s right, nobody unless they are an actual moron believed it was actually 3000 years old
@@Itstoolate496 I know dude, relax.
Fantastic JOB! the result was amazing! well done!
Not the sharpest pencil in the box, but then I suppose this type of sword was designed to do more hacking and poking, rather than slicing. The inlay on the guard is a nice touch.
Fault of the material. Xiphos was made to do all those things it's just that we compare the performance to steel.
concordo ela é linda ,mas parece que não corta nada .. ... ....
Sort of on topic, this video reminded me of a job I had working in a coil shop that made wiring coils for giant electric motors. The type you find in power plants and rock crushing machines. Each coil of wire would be about 2 meters long and weigh about 20 lbs.
That sword looks like it is weighted perfectly, and is probably so satisfying to swing.
That is NEAT!!!!!!!! I like the sound effects.
its not a sword, just a showpiece
A Show piece of... what?
What an astonishingly stupid comment……
I'm a midevil weapon enthusiast and I'd have to say this ranks at the top of the list for this type of sword! Only wish I had one this nice! 💯
Love the talent that goes into this! What brand engraver do you use??
I've always loved blades with a leaf shape
Nice work. One can only imagine how the ancient people make these swords using primitive tools.
They must have had an ancient CNC tools 😃
3000 years old? Lol more like 5 mins 🙄
What a beautiful piece.
Spartans most notorious weapon, they did not do a lot of swinging/cutting with them because of material and probability of enemy being another well armored hoplite swinging/cutting with a sword would not do much but ruin your bronze weapon but stabbing was where it shined. They often used short sword xiphos when their long dory spears broke or enemy was too close(dory was around 7 feet long spear so a sidearm was a must).
Now you see why gold become valuable. The strong had a cool shiny swords... so gold well fitted the look. i bet they also covered early iron swords with gold or bronze too! Cool definitely a cool stuff to have!
In fact, the leaf-shaped appearance of the blade of these swords was obtained from the constant grinding of notches, which often appeared at the guard of the sword from repelling blows. And these swords did not have such a large guard as medieval swords. Blows were usually reflected not with a sword, but with a shield.
Also, in fact, these swords were made of iron - never bronze. So … fantastic craftsmanship, but perpetuates a myth.
Just one word for the sword
majestic
Wow. That tool for texturing the handle is like an automated rustication tool for texturing traditional tobacco pipes. Pretty cool there.
That looked amazing, great work
... and this sword shines,when the goblins arrive!
Amazing work. Clear videography. Very interesting. Thanks for the video.
That turned out really nice!
Sounds like an angry bumblebee! Also, when you plenished the edge, I rather liked the "hammered" look it gave the metal.
"Ancient metallurgy fascinates me boundless" - uses modern computer cutter
That certainly is an amazing piece of cutlery for pineapples.
impressive result 👍
Wow you made a good Greek Xiphos sword!
Excellent job!!!