Subject: polishing aluminium and using milling swords

From: [email-masked] (Elizabeth M. Phillips)
Date: Sun, 16 Oct 1994 23:36:29 GMT

Ok What is the "net suggestion" on milling a sword blade for
purely decorative usage? IE no edge needed [OR WANTED :) ] 
What I mean by milling is takeing a milling machine and cutting
the blade out of an aluminium bar.  My thinking was just "cutting"
sections and sides from tip to hilt then milling the end

I understand aluminium can take a high polish.  I would like to
engrave some letters into the blade and was wondering how both
could be acomplished.  The blade will be away from fingers but would
coating it with an plastic that's impermiable to moister etc be
helpful?
--

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From: [email-masked] (Ralph Snel)
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 1994 09:25:34 GMT

> sections and sides from tip to hilt then milling the end
Go for it (but I have no experience with milling though).

> coating it with an plastic that's impermiable to moister etc be

Once you have polished the aluminium you wouldn't have to worry too much
about a coating. The Al will oxidize and form a thin, hard, invisible
air-tight, diluted chemical resistant layer of aluminium oxide. The emphasis
lies on _thin_ though. If you break the layer, new oxide will form quickly.
You will get scratches, but you will be able to polish any fingerprints and
dirt away.

General hints: There are many kinds of aluminium. Use a tough and hard kind,
it will withstand some abuse. Al will corrode when in prolongued contact with
brass. Other chemicals will attack Al as well, like acid and lye. Other
than that, you can do about anything with Al (within reasonable limits of
course).

Hints on making the sword:
Make the blade from one piece, the cross-guard from another and the hilt
>from  yet another piece. You'll get a much nicer product. It's probably
easier to mill the whole thing (blade, cross-guard, hilt, pommel) from a
single piece of metal, but you'll get a very 2-dimensional sword.
Make the blade of the following form:
      ______________________
=====|                       >
      ----------------------
  ^
  |
tang

Use the tang to fit the cross-guard and the hilt over, and attach a pommel
to the last part of the tang. Make sure the tang is wide enough to support
the weight of the entire blade.

Get a book on sword/knife making from your local library. It will have a lot
of hints and construction techniques.

Good luck,

Ralph
[email-masked]