I make custom swords and such for all sorts of uses. Most importantly, I specialize in making pieces for Stage Combat and Martial Arts use. I mostly work with Steel, using 6150 or 5160 thru hardened to RC 50, and leave a nice rounded edges but maintain a blade profile shape that makes the piece look like a real sharp blade on stage or film. In all honestly, the stage and martial arts pieces are made exactly like the real sharp versions, with correct distal taper and such, and the only real difference is the non sharpened rounded edge that is usually around .07" thick but can made as thin or as thick as you want it. Because I actually distal taper the blades, the blades are correctly weighted and balanced compared to their historical and sharp counterparts. I also use stainless steel for hilt components, which is another great benefit for stage and film props, so you don't have to worry about cleaning the rust off of hilts and such, which can be a pain. I also use brass, bronze, and regular steel if requested. I can also do aluminum blades, though I don't do them often. Most people are surprised when they handle one of my steel blunts, as they are historically weighted and are much lighter than almost all stage steel swords available today due to the distal taper and correct hilt proportions. Because the light weight, most people take the steel over aluminum here on the east coast, as the weights are similar (aluminum is still a tad bit lighter depending on the sword design) but the steel is much more durable. You can see my work here:
www.sterlingarmory.com
The reason I started doing this on my own about 10 years ago, as a hobby and eventualy side job, is that I was just disappointed in what was available for stage and film prop swords. Most of which are way to heavy and look very non historical. Don't get me wrong, I love using heavy blades to train with, and I still use overly weighted blades to train with, but when it comes time to preform on stage or film, it's nice to have something light you can move with.
If you are interested in getting a piece made for yourself, just send me an email with a design, and I'll model it up in 3d to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to design, and then after that is agreed on, I'll start working it. I have a waiting list now, but I can turn around most pieces in about 1 to 3 months, depending on complexity.
Thanks for looking.
