Someone on the Bladesmith's forum posted a design based on Sting from the Rankin and Bass animated Hobbit film from the 70's, and I decided I wanted to take a run at something similar, so today I fired up the forge, and knocked down 11 inches of 3/4" square wrought iron into a flat bar, 5/16ths x 1 1/4" x 15", and forged out a couple of 5/16ths square silver steel edge bars from rounds.

First time swinging a heavy hammer in about 3 months, and now I'm knackered, but it's a start. Shooting for a 14" leaf blade, with a wide shallow fuller. Blackened wrought guard and pommel, with copper accents, and a carved walnut or ash handle...