Birth of a Blade

Before a weapon is
          the soul of a warrior,
                              it is first
                           the heart of the craftsman.
Forged with the heat
                  of passion,
   Cooled with
      blood tainted sweat,
  Shaped with a
       vision of perfection,
              as the master wields the hammer.

                                  M'Ikiro 1-19-98

This article should become a permanent part of your reference data.

One of our newest members - Prophet - has done some extraordinary detective work on the WWW and because of this we will now have an Internet Weapons Directory. This directory will list all the known sites at which you can purchase Klingon edged weaponry. The Guild does not endorse nor critque any of the sites or products, but only provides this information as a service to those who search.

STRENGTH, SIMPLICITY, POWER and DANGER

I hope you enjoy it. As always your comments and input are welcome.
mupwI' yI'uchtaH !! (Keep holding the hammer ! )

K'Daq son of Toragh

Master of the Heart of Kri'stak

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I enjoyed without any reservations the mupwI' this month! I was a little disappointed that the article I sent you didn't make it in.Did it get misplaced in you "move" ? Or did it just not make in due to space ? I could send it again if it did get misplaced .

K'Beck

Honored friend,

Forgive the clumsy manner in which I *forged* your article. Yes I lost it. Lets just say if it was a blade I would have wacked myself on the thumb REALLY hard. There is always room for any member's work no matter how large or small. If the file size goes over the program's limit, I will print a double issue to accomodate it. Which is exactly what I have had to do. This marks the first *double issue of the *mupwI'*. We had so much correspondence and along with the two major projects and your excellent teaching article we filled up two regular files.

Kai! to the Guild !!!!!!

I hope I have done it justice this month - it is prominently displayed in the *TIPS* section. It is an excellent article and will bring a wealth of information to our aspiring knifemakers.

K'Daq

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There was recently an accident at a KAG convention where somone got cut with a Daq' tag So now the dirrective from our comanders are NO edged weapons allowed! we did get clarification that as long as the edges are dull enough that we will run our own hands across the edges and not get cut , they will allow them. So we decided that any of the weapons that I make for our ship will have the rounded edges . The steel that my commander can get is all nonmagnetic (thats unhardenable) I also included a picture of the UNfinished Meq'leth that I am working on , its a full tang with Walnut handle and brass pins . This letter is getting too long , Qa'Pla .

K'Beck

Greetings K'Beck,

Hmmmmm an interesting problem. This brings up a very important point that the Guild members need to be keep in mind concerning edged weapons at cons.
Some cons don't allow weapons at all and some place strict rules over them. Make sure you know the rules governing any event at which you plan to attend. Act responsibly at all times. We are Klingon warriors and knives are not toys. It only takes one reckless Feddie and you can get hauled in by the Terran authorities. I think the KAG leaders made a wise choice - better a little inconvenience for the members than dishonor for the entire organization. By acting responsibly, KAG has presented itself as a group that can be trusted at these events and that means a more enjoyable experience for it's members.
The meqleth looks great ! The walnut makes a beautiful handle.

K'Daq

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Greetings K'Daq,
I think that I have asked you this question before, but can I build this project out of... lets say wood. You see I am a woodworker, and this sounds like the kind of thing I could really sink my teeth into. I am assuming plywood, unless you have another suggestion.
I am sorry to hear that you are not felling well, and know that I will keep you in my prayers.

Walk With Honor

Wa'DIch

Honored Wa'DIch,

Some of my best friends are woodworkers. I would bet that you could make a glorious weapon with your skills.
There are certainly no limits to what you choose to make your weapon out of. Wood is an excellent material to start any *career* in sword making. It is available and inexpensive and you use all the same techniques to produce your product (accept the cutting torch and heat treater). Perhaps one day fate will allow you to try your hand with metal. In the mean time I would sugest you try to locate some *aircraft* plywood. I spent many years making radio controlled aircraft models and this material is plywood but with very thin layers so it is much stronger and has none of the knots and voids of commercial construction plywood. Good luck

K'Daq

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Greetings,

I continue to be encouraged by the newsletters from guild. While I still don't have the equipment I need to get started on even the smallest project, I must confess often daydreaming about using abandoned cars, old hand tools, even kitchen utinsils to make some of the weapons I've seen so far!

Vistar Tia Subaiesh
Staff Officer
Klingon Imperial Diplomatic Corps
Southeast USA Sector

Honored Friend,

I am happy that the Guild can elicit dreams in your life. Knowing the energy and drive that you have I am certain you will find a way to see your dreams come true. As your daughter's mentor has said "there are always possibilities".

K'Daq

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I am planning on opening a store on the internet that offers everything a Klingon would ever need like weapons, costumes, headpieces, books, and otherstuff. Most of it I will be manufacturing myself which means I need to geta license {{{:-( . Before I can secure that much money, I need a complete plan of attack with forecasts, etc. From what you've seen, what are the most popular Klingon items that people will buy? So far I figure that my biggest sellers will be bat'leths and mek'leths, genuine leather costumes, and headpieces made for hat sizes. If you have a few minutes, could you tell me what other things you think I might need?

Bill DeLude
Owner, EFTL Enterprises
a.k.a.
QanwI' veStaI' joH'a'toywI'
Squadron Communications Officer
Schnook Squadron
Intergalactic Klingon Empire

Greetings QanwI' !

I.K.E. ? Excellent - another *crazy* Texan. I had the honor of meeting several of your members at Texas A&M a few years back. Hmmmm you migh have been one of them.
I can only comment on the weapons aspect as far as demand goes. I know there are a lot of inquiries made to me for quality weapons and I also know that they go largely unfilled due to Paramount licensing *woes*. I have visited your site and I think if you do acquire the license that you seek, you could be in a favorable position as far as the blade situation goes.
I will not print your other inquiries due to lack of space but I will respond to them here. You are most honorably welcomed as a member of the Guild and a link to your site has been added to the main page of my web site. Feel free to submit articles, tips or pictures of your work so they may be enjoyed by the membership. Your own personal history would look nice in an upcoming issue of *mupwI'* as well.

mupwI' yI'uchtaH !!

K'Daq

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Greetings...

I enjoyed looking thru your page on weaponry. Most imaginative. What I'm curious about, (and I've always been interested in exotic weaponry), are most of your weapons cut out of sheet steel and then filed or ground to the preferred shape? Also do you heat treat the weapon for the required purpose?Ê I realise that most of the stuff is highly attractive wall hangers, but I've always been partial to actual functioning tools. I have enjoyed the Klingon culture. Maybe its the basic honour/loyalty simplicity of it. My past history is 15 years with the Canadian Infantry (Regular) including 8 years with the now disbanded Airborne Regiment. I'm currently a firefighter in Kitchener so I have a lot of free time at work (and the tools available) to experiment making exotic weaponry. Any input pertaining to how you make your weapons or man hours involved would be greatly appreciated. The wife would never believe it but I do have an artistic streak. She'd spell it autistic.Anyway, keep up the good work.

ÊJohn Pullman


Greetings John,

Thank you for your kind words. Yes most of the blades are cut from plate and then ground to shape with a bench mounted belt grinder. Some of the smaller ones are forged steel but with my continued lousy health and failing strength, swinging the big hammer is not a pleasant task.
As for heat treating, it depends on the knife in question. I see little reason to harden a display weapon or a large sword (for obvious reasons), but if the owner desires that level of realism then it is not a problem to accomplish. The smaller blades (anything under 20 inches) are all hardened in a tempering oven in my shop.
It sounds like you'd make an excellent member of the Guild. Give it some thought.

K'Daq

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K'Daq....

Much obliged for the rapid input. Far more then I'm used to. Feel free to enrol me in anything that will further my knowledge in weaponry. I'm curious... Isn't titanium expensive in the sheet form? Also, do I need any particular settings to cut it out on an acytelene cutting torch? And I've never treated titanium. Any recommended settings. And not to sound like a novice, but can titanium have a rockwell hardness or is there something that correspondes with it? We have heat treating places in Kitchener. (God know's we respond with the fire dept. often enough to them)Thanks for any input.Ê

John Pullman

Greetings honored one,

Welcome to the Guild ! I look forward to hearing of your many glorious accomplishments.
Titanium plate costs $15 a pound US and it is available - that is expensive but not that much different from knife quality stainless or good carbon steel. Finding steel in sufficient sizes is often difficult - it also has the added problem of weight to deal with. I started using the titanium as a *creative twitch* and have really gotten to love the stuff.
The settings on an oxy/acetylene torch aren't any different from those used to cut steel except you need to pay close attention to the final *cone size* at the tip. When its adjusted correctly there shouldn't be any change in size when the oxygen lever is depressed - only a change in color from green to blue. Once the metal starts to cut it literally flies off. I hope you get a chance to try it.

K'Daq

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I finally broke down and bought a batleth and mekleth from a store... then i am setting out to modify them to spec.
The plasma cutter does not cut through heavy aluminum. Grinders don't work either... I gave up and used my jeweler's saw with a heavy blade - that is slow, but works.

SuZilla
Priestess of the Order of the Chakram

Greetings Priestess,

I have given thought to your recent purchase of the two blades and it seems that this is actually no different than paying a local craftsman to cut out your material. I have advised a few recent inquiries to consider the same alternative. There is a web site that makes blades to your specs and one of our new members provides a cut product with no bevels or finish to it. Either of these options would eliminate many of the expensive machines required and still allow for a good deal of personal creativity. You could still plan for a future where you make the entire weapon - but this definately lets you get involved more quickly. I look forward to seeing the blades after you have *customized* them with your own style of finish.

K'Daq

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Just tuned into your page and I'm impressed. I am HovLoD, chief engineer of the Bird of Prey "Desecrator" of the IKE and I make the Klingon Sword of Honor. Visit my web page at:www.texramp.net/~starman. I make the bat'leth's to help support our club. I would also like to be a member of the Guild. What do I have to do? I must go now.

Qapla!!!!

Greetings HovLoD !

I am honored. ANOTHER Texan ! I have visited your site as well and I welcome you to the Guild. I believe you have much to offer the membership in knowledge and past experience. Do not hesitate to send in articles or tips for publication in the *mupwI'*. (I'll try not to lose them ). We would also like to hear of your own personal Klingon history if you have one to share. Otherwise I look forward to having you among the Guild's membership.

mupwI' yI'uchtaH !

K'Daq

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Greetings K'Daq,

I'm honored to have received a personal mail from you, and I would like to receive The Hammer on my dad's E-mail adres (tpauw@best.ms.philips.com) However, I would like to be informed of any charges regarding membership of the guild, since I am very interested in the art of making weapons. Say thanks to Kaa'Diin for having my name sent to you. I've probably made a dozen mistakes in spelling and grammar in this letter, but don't blame me, instead, blame the ****ing dutch society that doesn't teach us English as first language. I have plans to make the bat'leth, however, with the tools that are availible to me, I just can't manipulate 1/4 inch steel. What other metals / thicknesses are usable, so that it will not fall apart at a first blow (it might come handy some time)?

I'm looking forward in being a member of the guild.

You walk with honor.

Greetings,

The Guild is honored to call you a member. You have a wonderful mentor in Ka'Diin. I will be sure to thank her for sending you our way. As for your grammar,...well you won't find ME commenting on it. I make blades, but I have a heck of a time writing about it. I'd much rather meet a bunch of people and spend several hours B.S.ing about the process than writing it down, but writing is the only way I can get this knowledge passed on - so be it.

You can drop down to 3/16 inch or even 1/8th inch for your projects and we have a great article this month by K'Beck that provides alternative methods to cut out your initial pattern. I think you'll like it.

K'Daq

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it's me again, I hope I don't bother you. My original idea was to make a bat'leth at crafts at my school, but the teacher doesn't like me copying something. I suggestesd I made some adjust- ments in the design (which would lead to the sword of Kahless, which I didn't show him and he doesn't know shit about) but He thought it would be better if I made some sort of knife or sword in the same style, But since I certainly wouln't like to dishonor Klingon society by making a weapon and call it Klin- gon design, I thought of contacting you about the subject. so here it is: "Do I dishonor Klingon society by calling a self designed weapon Klingon?" ition into the other.
Qa'Pla!!
keep walking with honor.

Greetings,

First, there is no dishonor in calling a weapon *Klingon* when it is designed by an individual with the heart of a Klingon. You might want to check out Okrand's new book *Klingon for the Galactic Traveler*. This has a large section devoted to weapons and their descriptions. If you can fit your weapon into one of these descriptions, it gains a lot of credibility. If not don't worry. I see a lot of unique designs every day and I have created some of my own. We are Klingons. We appreciate a well made weapon.......period. I look forward to seeing yours completed.

K'Daq Greetings Honored K'Daq,

I am a great admirer of the Bat'leth. I do feel the call of the blade to the warriors blood that flows through my veins. I would great appreciate any information you could provide me on the process of purchasing one of your magnificent Bat'leth. I would also like to know if you are considering the forging of a "Sword of Kahless" in Damacus steel. Such a blade would be a welcome addition to any House in the Empire.
Thank you for your time. I patiently await your reply.

Prophet

Greetings honored one,

I have saved your letters for last. You have done an incredible amount of detective work over the past month. You make a valuable member of the Guild as you apply your energy to the pursuit of the honorable weapons maker. I will condense the letters we have exchanged over the past few weeks but I will not condense the service you have provided to the Guild itself. With the information you have supplied the Guild can now list a *directory* of known sword makers which inquiring individuals can use as they see fit.

As is the policy of the Guild, we neither endorse or critque any craftsman's product. All artists have something to offer and it is up to the purchaser to determine when he/she has found what they seek.
Thank you for your determined work. I look forward to many more letters as we get into the great variety of weapons that the Empire has to offer.

K'Daq

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********** Honored K'Daq, You are truly a man of your word. Thank you for the information on the Craftsman who is attempting to open a "Klingon Store". I did fill out the survey and hope it is of some use to him. He has a very good idea, and I hope he does everything in his power not to let the powers that be at Paramount hinder his dream.

I am reminded me of a story of two sword makers in Japan. Their master commissioned them both to present him with a katana that was worthy of his possession. After making their blades, they presented them their master for the test. The Master took the blades to a near by stream and asked of the young boy who was with him to go down stream and drop leaves in the stream. As the leaves came to him, he plunged the blade into the water and it cut every leaf that touched it. He then place the second sword smiths blade in the stream, but every leaf avoided the blade and continued down stream. Their master proclaimed the the 2nd Blade was worthy of his possession for this reason: The first blade he said was made out of anger, but the second blade was forged out of love. You, honored K'Daq are the 2nd Sword Smith !!!!!!!!

May your forge burn HOT !!!!!

Prophet

My good friend,

I am honored by your words. You need to meet M'Ikiro. You have the soul of a poet. Do you hear that M'Ikiro ? Write this man a poem.

The odd thing is that (particularly over the past few months) I have found myself unable to work on a blade unless I have the image of a close friend in my head while I work. Without the spirits of close friends I could not drag myself out to the shop. It would be only a chore and no longer a joy.

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Honored K'Daq,

In my search for a Bat'leth, I have come across a company in Georgia by the name of The Swordmark Co. They offer both the Warriors configuration Bat'leth as well as a version of the Sword of Kahless. Prices range from $100 to $200 dollars. If you would like to see the page, the address is as follows:

http://manic.deathstar.org/~sword/ordering.htm

They do not refer the the swords as Bat'leths, but as "Alien Battle Swords". This is to avoid any problems with Paramont and the StarTrek copyrights. I know you can not tell me much by just looking at the pictures of the Blades, but I still would like to know what you think.

I would like any information that you may be aware of concerning this vendor and the blades he produces. The vendor's home page is Zelda's Place at www.hizelda.com.
I have located another maker of Klingon Weapons. The maker is LaForge , and they make custom blades (anything you can put on paper) as well as copies of the lates and greatest blades on the market (William Wallace Claymore, etc...). Here is the address if you would like to check out some of the photos of there Battlath's (and that's the way they spell it):

http://www.joust.com/LaForge/custom/

Well in my on going search, I happened up on the GALLOGLAS FORGE. This guy, Jason Aller, has a very interesting design for a Bat'leth that I think would be worth you looking at. This is the Internet address:

www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~jraller/Galloglas

n my on going search for makers of the great Klingon Blade (Bat'leth), I have located two others. The first is a company by the name of Hammerhead Armory. They do not have pictures of their Bat'leth posted on their website. I have mailed them requesting information on "design specs" for the Bat'leth and a picture if this is possible. The Internet address is:

http://www.shadowfire.web2010.com/hammer

The other is HovLoD Klingon Page. His name is Dean Bradshaw and he makes Bat'leth's for a price of $200. They are of 308 steel and are 58"inches long and weight 20lbs. He has a picture of them on his page and they look very nice. He will ship them to purchasers in a wooden crate that bears the Klingon emblem. His internet address is:

http://www.texramp.net/~starman

>Here's another alternative. When we first started making >these swords a few years ago, we cut them out of 3/16" >carbon steel. The length is a little longer at 48" and we >have 1 left (a momento). It weighs about 10 lbs. > >We can sell you this one for $125. > >Let me know if you want to go with any of these, >Mike

Greetings members,

These portions of the Prophet's letters show the large amount of searching he has been doing and they make up the foundation of the new sites that offer weapons for sale.

The last paragraph deals with a quote from one of the companies and Prophet I'd have to say that a 48 inch bat'leth in 3/16 steel for $125 is a pretty good deal - provided it has at least a clean finish to it. I might take them up on that one if I were you.

K'Daq

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Master K'Daq,

In the 9712.15 issue of "mupwI", you said that when designing a Bat'leth for a warrior, you have them go through the "Standard Bat'leth Stations". What are these stations? I have tried to get a book from Pacific Warriors on Klingon Martial Arts, which has pictures and instructions on the use of the Bat'leth, but Viacom/Paramount has ordered the removal of this book from their shelves. Could you point me in the right direction as to obtaining this information?

Prophet

Greetings,

Before Paramount closed the sale of the book titled *The Secret Fighting Arts of the Warrior Race*, Lady K'Zin of the KIDC was able to procure a number of them due to their excellent content. You can contact her at:
klingon@klingon.org to see if any of the books remain available.

K'Daq

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******* Greetings Honored One,

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is a jejtaj? I know it is a Klingon Bladed weapon, but what is the history behind it? And do you have any plans on forging one?

QaPla !!!!!!

Kerry Flood
(Prophet)

Prophet,

I don't think jejtaj refers to any particular type of knife, I believe it is merely an expression meaning *sharp knife*.
Having said that, I would not be suprised to find a special case in which this was the adopted name of a regional knife among certain groups of the Empire.

K'Daq

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Greetings K'daq,

I am writing you concerning a blade I saw on an episode of Star Trek: TNG. In this episode, Worf used the "Right of Vengence" to challenge Duras to a fight for the death of his mate, K'Elyhar. Duras used a long sword (one handed) in that confrontation. If you are aware of that episode, I would like to know the name of that blade, the history behind it and if you have any plans to forge one. Please forgive me for referring to this blade as the Sword of Duras. I didn't know what else to call it.
As always, thank you for your time and patience, in dealing with a novice and non-craftsmen as myself.

Qapla' !!!!

Kerry Flood
(Prophet)


Greetings honored one, I've seen the blade - actually it is pictured on one of the Customizable game cards of Duras. Thats about all the info I have on it. It appears to be a blade left over from a Sinbad movie <. The funny thing is that I had the exact blade made for a trip to the Texas Ren. Fest put on by the SCA. I was making a *Heron Blade* from the Wheel of Time series by Jordon. When I took on the Klingon collection I cut that blade up to make a tajtiQ. It was only later while brousing through my cards that I saw the sword and realized what I had done.
Since my goal is to make them all I would have to say that I'll have to add it to the list, but I'm not sure it will make it to Praxis in May. I'm on a pretty tight schedule.

KÕDaq

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Greetings Great K'Daq,

I have an idea for the Sword of Duras ( like you really need an idea, I know your head is full of them). I ask that you humor me on this one. Fogre a blade between 20'' to 24" inches in length and make it about the width of a 2.5 to 3 inches. But style the blade to look like a longer qutluch assasins knife.
Tell me what you think.

QaPla!!!!!!!

Kerry Flood
{Prophet}

Greetings Prophet,

Check out the tajtIq in this month's issue. It sounds exactly like what you have described.

K'Daq

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Honored K'Daq,

I have a question for you that is in serveral parts:
1. What would be a Standard Warrior (Klingon) configuration for a Bat'leth.
2. What would be a "good" Standard configuration of a Bat'leth for a Human.
3. In each of these configurations, how much would the blades weight if you used any of the various metals known (Titanium, Aluminum, Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel),with a blade thickness of 3/16 of an inch and 1/4 of an inch.
4. And what blade thickness do you prefer?
As always, thank you for your time an patience with someone who doesn't the slights idea about forging blades. But I do desire to know.

Qa'Pla !!!!

Prophet

Greetings Prophet,

Most of the information you seek can be found in previous issues of *mupwI'*. I prefer quarter inch stock because my *driving force* is technical accuracy not fan comfort. However you have to take a number of things into consideration before you opt for the specs on your blade.

The only other issue I can respond to is the one concerning weight. A bat'leth in standard *average* configuration weighs about 10 to 15 pounds in quarter inch steel (either stainless or carbon) and about half that in titanium. Aluminum comes in close to titanium but I couldn't give you exact figures. Why such a variation ? Well you can lose a good deal of weight with the type and size of bevels you cut - you can alter the size of the cut-outs for the handles and also vary the outer thickness of the spine of the blade. Its pretty much a math problem after that for the other thicknesses. I made a 50 inch Sword of Kahless a couple of years ago and it weighed 18 pounds. I severely altered the inner cut-out to give the owner some hope of carrying it around with him. I wasn't happy with the changes I had to make to it and thats what led me to titanium. You can see this weapon on the Guild site and now you can compare it to the recently posted titanium SOK.

K'Daq

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mupwI' yI'uchtaH !!

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*mupwI'* Volume 2/ Number 3/ Part Two