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Originally Posted by Keryl Raist
Here's some help: http://youtu.be/gLlObpob6lg
Also, go to youtube and search blacksmithing, metal working, how to make charcoal, how to build a forge. A lot of this will make more sense if you watch people do it.
Researching on how apprenticeships worked is probably a good idea as well. You don't just grow out of an apprenticeship. You have to complete years (usually seven) of training. Then you become a journeyman. This is where you're sort of like the second in command of the shop. That's the point where you work on and produce your masterpiece. Once that's been successfully completed and judged appropriate the title of master will be conveyed, and in many areas that's the point where you're finally allowed to open your own shop.
Or, skip the whole blacksmithing thing all together and write the sorts of things you do know about. Nothing will toss a fantasy fan out of the story faster than an author who muffs the details of a fairly common medieval technology.
I know if I ran into a 'wood forge' I'd be very annoyed and stop reading. Charcoal burns much hotter than wood, which is necessary to get to the temperatures you need to work metal. Plus it's vital to making steel, which your sword should be. And, assuming your characters father has the skill to make a sword, he has the skill to make charcoal. It's not hard to do.
Likewise, you only want molten metal if you are going to be casting with it.
Also, if your blacksmith is in the middle of the forest, where is he getting his ore from? Iron ore is very heavy, so it's usually only worked in places where there's a very good transportation net available. Is the forge right next to a river in the forest? Is the forest at the base of a mountain where people are mining?
Keep things like that in mind when you're writing. While it's true that most readers have little desire to have an entire socio-economic history portrayed in your book, your set up will work a lot better if it's not just a smithy in the middle of the deep forest away from everyone else. |
I have to admit, the video was VERY interesting. I even went so far as the find the part two at the end, and continued to watch that as well.
As far as the apprentice to master goes, I would probably consider my character to be a journeyman. He has been under his father's training from a young age (He is 22 now, Started around the age of 15-16.) As you have said, I do not want to muff the entire book based on my lack of knowledge so I have decided to stick with pure basics. Such as him basically finding the forged steel, placing it in the forge, it becoming a malleable substance to work with, drawing it out to make a rough shape, then it pretty much fades out to where he is interrupted by his future wife coming through the door.
As for as coming back to it, i have decided to use a vague fade out to pass the time ahead a month or so, (This should be enough time to make a very simple steel blade, I believe.)
*I am aware there is a lot of fade outs, but the beginning is not very essential to the development of the story. He only needs to be a blacksmith, with a passion in swords to recognize the fine craftmanship behind the sword he finds later on in the book. Also, coming back to the journeyman to master apprenticeship, the main character eventually leaves everything behind for reasons I do not feel comfortable to divulge as of the moment.*
As for the village in the middle of the forest area, I apologize for not giving more information on this beforehand, I did not think it would come up in the topic anywhere. The world I have created does have large boats for trading/ sometimes ferrying people across the entire region. (Also, essential to the overall plot.) The main characters supplies are limited because of this, but he does have enough for the creation of the sword, and various other metalworkings needed around the village. Also, he is paid a significant amount of gold for this sword (Haven't decided exactly how much gold is a lot of gold in this world), so he is not worried about using his finest forged steel for this travelers blade.
I, for one, am one of the readers tired of the fantasy worlds I am reading about bombarding me with attacks of the social economy, overdescription of the characters, and such while I am attempting to re-learn the fantasy worlds I try to immerse myself in. I would consider my writing style very different, describing my characters only somewhat, leaving the imagination of the rest to the reader's own mind. I am trying to keep it fairly simple, yet still not a young adults or children's book. The characters are more defined by the actions they take and the choices they make, rather than what I narrate to you. I am hoping that this method takes off fairly well in my readers, but if it doesn't.. It's only my first novel, I can always try again. Coming back to my main point though, I only want a general understanding of the way the swords are made, for I am not trying to give a history lesson to my readers, I only want them to become as lost in the passion of making the sword as the main character becomes.
WOW. This was almost an essay I've written here. If only I could write my novel as fast as this
. I'd be able to release it within the next month!
Thank you for the interesting videos, and links. They did help me a lot. Expect some karma coming your way =D.