Swordsmithing – an ancient art

From The World Newspaper, Coos Bay, Oregon

By Jo Rafferty

Michael Bell started up the electric motor on a gigantic press he uses to shape the blades of Japanese swords.

“Bam! Bam!” The dies clanked together on the approximately 3-foot-long flat piece of steel, turned red from the heat of the forge fire.

“It’s 1,500 degrees, but it will go all the way up past 2,000 as it warms up,” Bell, 61, said loudly over the hissing of the forge, which sounded like a heavy wind storm.

The warmth of the fire quickly spread throughout the cold workshop.

The press is one way of shaping the hot metal. The other is by hand, using a hammer on an anvil.

Read the rest of the article online at The World Link.

Oregon Knife Collectors Association (OKCA) Show, April 11-13

Once again, Dragonfly Forge will be attending the annual OKCA show in Eugene, Oregon. More information on the show can be found here.

Michael Bell will be giving a one hour presentation at 1 PM on Saturday of the show. It is entitled “The Japanese Sword: A Social and Technological History”.

One the Monday and Tuesday to follow the show, April 14-15, we will be hosting an open house here at Dragonfly Forge. Please contact us if you are interested in attending.