Artist: Brendan Olszowy

Email: brendan@fableblades.com

Post: POBox 382 Serpentine, Western Australia 6125

Mobile (Australia): 0411 470 663

About My Swords

To help build a picture of me - I am not a fancy manufacturer with a high tech workshop. I am a fellow working in his back yard, with some maybe surprisingly low tech tools. I do a lot of work by hand. Hours of drawfiling, and hand sanding with a cork block go into each piece. I have a small and dirty shed, with spray from my angle grinder cemented to the wall. I try to keep it pretty orderly, which is easy as I don't have that many tools. Theres many blunted files and torn up sheets of sandpaper kicking around the floor. In fact I was struggling trying to make what I could before I had access to my wife's granddads equipment. He is a retired gunsmith and has some cool tools he lets me use.

All swords are hand sculpted individual pieces. They are not cut by a machine under the control of a computer (such as cnc milling). And they are certainly not made by cheap third world labour. Being Hand Made they rely on a steady hand, a keen eye, and a feel for how the metal is taking shape. As such they have a softer, organic look and feel about them, rather than being machine finished. Each one is individual and has it's own character. I do spend a long time fussing over trying to get little details just right. I think I am my toughest critic. The pieces are not computer perfect, but made with painstaking attention - by a caring human hand.

Each piece has endured many hours at my hands, being crafted into it's final form. Through these hours at my hands I feel the result is true meeting of imagination and the form that lives within the wood and steel. Each piece is a true one off and unlike anything else.

Blades won't come with a mirror polish, but rather a satin finish (approx 400 grit). Historical swords were not mirror finished, and mainly lower end third world forges generally offer their swords in a mirror finish, to suit the wallhanger market.

All blades are stock removed via grinders and files, and finally hand sanded. Blades are sculpted from 9260 high carbon spring steel flat bar stock.

Pommels and guards are (unless stated) sculpted from solid blocks of mild steel, not cast. Grips are various Australian hardwoods, though I love other exotic woods too. All swords have broad full tangs with radiused shoulders for strength; built to be a fully useable tool.

I control the heat treatment in a purpose built kiln, which I made myself to suit my needs. This provides uniform heat to the whole blade, and a precise readin on the temperature. Heat treatment of blades includes multiple normalisation cycles, quenching in oil to harden, and multiple tempering cycles giving a resilient hardness of approximately 52-53Rc. Theres a little vid below showing my testing of some sample pieces of steel, and destruction of a thin knife blade I forged.

Clip: testing of steel samples heat treated in my kiln: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzBEqmva7yE

If you have any questions or need more information or detail on sword construction, please don't hesitate to ask. :)

About the Artist

I guess my love affair with sword started like most peoples', through popular fiction. For me it was He Man as a child, and later the Conan movies, and then Braveheart. More recently I've enjoyed the Narnia, and Lord of the Rings film recreations of some of my favourite books. When I realised I could buy a fully functional sword I became engrossed in the study, and it wasn't long before I started spending looong hours in the workshop customising and upgrading my pieces.

However due to my disenchantment with the questionable quality of 3rd world made 'production' swords, and with my wife encouraging me to just make my own, I started making swords from scratch in 2007 and I have not looked back. (She's hardly seen me since hehe.) In truth, since embracing my craft I have had so many gifts from the universe to facilitate my journey. And so many fantastic customers who've helped me develop my craft. I've always been handy doing all my own work on my motorcycles and cars, taught by my dad and granddad.

I enjoy Celtic, Classical, New Age and Instrumental music, along with a little Metal. I also spend a bit of time listening to inspirational teachings form Eckhart Tolle, Bob Proctor and others.

I ride my Motocross Bike as often as I can. I enjoy a Vegetarian Lifestyle. I live on a rural lot not far from Perth, Western Australia with my beautiful wife, Bec and our fur family. Bec is a Holistic Veterinarian here in Perth. You can check out her natural petcare website here: Cherished Creatures. It's full of great resources and products for supporting your pet naturally.