Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
INTERVIEW: David DelaGardelle
Continuing the interviews, Art of Swords sat down with the one and only David DelaGardelle to talk about… well, swords, naturally! - Enjoy!
Art of Swords:Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is David DelaGardelle; I’m a professional artist, designer, and full time swordsmith who works in the European Mythopoetic tradition of my Northern family heritage. I am passionate about crafting one-of-a-kind fully functional swords as traditionally as possible. I strive to forge swords that also stand as symbolic objects that speak of deeper truths about beauty, justice, honor, strength, weakness, the brokenness of human nature, and the wholeness found in redemption outside of us as human beings.
Art of Swords: For how long have you been making swords? And is this for fun or professionally?
I began learning the craft of bladesmithing/sword-making as a hobby when I was literally about 13 years old, so it has been about eleven years since I first began my journey to try and learn this incredible craft. I am still learning to this day. Lord willing, I will never stop learning this craft until the day I die.
I began to work as a full-time swordsmith professionally in 2009, and have been working full-time both as a self employed freelance artist and swordsmith ever since.
Art of Swords: How did you get involved in the art of bladesmithing? Where did you first acquire an interest in swordmaking?
I was very blessed to grow up in an extremely artistic family that was supportive of all creative endeavors. I don’t take that blessing for granted, and am so very thankful for the rich soil that my family cultivated for my imagination to grow in. I was steeped in everything that came out of the typewriters and ink pens of Professor Tolkien and his friend C.S. Lewis, who both in my childhood and still today as an adult have hugely impacted me as a person.
I fell in love with stories like John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s progress” which spoke about the struggle of faith and becoming a man in a broken world. I devoured book series such as “Redwall” by Brian Jacques, which were filled with joy, laughter, and adventure. I was moved by the classic Medieval romances and Arthurian legends, and early historical Celtic myths and folktales. And I fell in love with chivalrous tales like G.K. Chesterton’s “the Ballad of the White Horse”. My imagination especially came to life once I first heard lines of Beowulf being recited in Old English. Since then, I wanted to create a path to both enter into the themes of those tales and learn the truths they spoke of.
So on the foundation of loving stories and myths, and coming from such an artistic resourceful family, it was only a matter of time until I started learning the basics of bladesmithing when I encountered it in simple forms at historical reenactment settlements and online. I immediately began the quest to acquire basic tools and forge my dreams to life.
Art of Swords: Who were (or are) your mentors, what are your influences when you want to create a sword and how long did it take to learn the skills?
The first and foremost people to inspire and encourage me from the start have undoubtedly been my Dad and my Opa (German for grandfather). While neither are bladesmiths or artists, they are craftsmen in their own right, and most importantly have been the most solid, honorable, loving, and encouraging men to look up to that I have ever known or ever will know. They taught me what it looks like to have a good work ethic and servant-like outlook on life, no matter how lofty or simple the task.
After them would be the long list of incredible bladesmiths and swordsmiths I’ve been blessed to get to know over the years. Smiths like Ric Barrett, Don Fogg, Ric Furrer, Peter Johnsson, Jake Powning, Ben Potter, Vince Evans, and Peter Lyon (swordsmith at Weta for LOTR and Hobbit films), as well as countless others that could fill a whole book if I listed them all.
Everyone in the community of Don Fogg’s “Bladesmiths forum” online has been an inspiration and encouragement in my journey.
Art of Swords: Do you have an all time favorite blade that you forged throughout your smithing career and if so, why?
I honestly do not. That may sound strange, but with each piece I try to keep it unique and one of a kind, and always different from the last. I also deliberately try to separate myself from each piece as best I can, so not to get too attached emotionally. If I do that, than I can see my own work more objectively. Each piece has unique elements that I both love and hate because I am a perfectionist. That is one of the marks of a progressive outlook on creativity. A creative perfectionist is never fully satisfied and always wants to grow and accomplish something better in the next vision or task.
I have dream swords I would love to forge, but I also really love bringing someone else’s vision to life. It is an absolute joy and honor receiving commissions, and being able to blend my ideas with someone else’s idea for their dream sword. Each one is challenging and the challenges are always different.
Art of Swords: What were the bigger obstacles you had to overcome when learning the art of swordsmithing?
Practically speaking it was simply gaining the basic tools needed for the craft, and then learning how to patiently and wisely use them as they were intended to be used. You can pour your heart out and sweat bullets by the forge all day, but if you haven’t taken the time to study and research what your doing you will obviously waste valuable time and energy.
Artistically speaking it was, and still is, a challenging goal to continually strive to develop an aesthetic style and taste that is unique and yet inviting to the viewers of my work. It is challenging to craft work that easily conveys the emotions I desire to express in a piece, and yet also shares the joy and beauty found in bringing that work to life.
I want each piece to go beyond me and have a life of its own so to speak, so that the viewer or wielder of the sword can make it their own, yet still know the truth that it’s conveying.
Art of Swords: Can you also handle a sword?
I’m personally not trained in any form of traditional sword fighting style, but I know how to make them worthy of real use. I definitely respect and admire everyone who trains and teaches individuals how to handle historical swords! The current movement of people reviving old sword fighting traditions out of historical manuals is an incredible thing to witness for sure.
Art of Swords:Can you take us through the rough process of creating a sword?
It always starts as a spark of inspiration in my mind before it goes anywhere else. I begin designing it first by either sketching out rough ideas on paper, or going straight into Photoshop to render the sword digitally. It all depends on the piece and its complexity. Once I have a design locked down I begin work with the raw materials. If the sword’s blade is pattern welded than I compile the layered billet together and forge weld it into a single bar in my forge. If the blade is mono-steel, I select the right bar of high carbon steel according to the dimensions of the sword. Then I will do a mixture of cutting, profiling, and forging to get it to the right shape. I work on giving the blade its bevels by rough grinding them in on my belt sander. Once the geometry is close, but not sharp, I begin heat treatment. I harden the blade by heating it to non-magnetic temperature (bright red/dull orange) and then quench it in oil. After hardening, I temper to give it flexibility and so it won’t break under heavy use. I then begin crafting the hilt out of a wide variety of materials to choose from, such as: steel, iron, bronze, brass, wood, antler, and leather. The hilt is tightly and securely assembled so to never come apart, and the scabbard is fashioned out of similar or complimentary materials.
I take the final stages of finishing each sword seriously, as the fine details matter a lot to me in my work. Each choice of color, material, polish, and patina speaks volumes about what the piece means and what it stands for.
Art of Swords: What would you say is the most challenging aspect of making a sword?
I think for most bladesmiths it is balancing design with function. I think every true professional swordsmith would agree that you need to have solid historically time tested function and quality as your foundation, and then upon that you can build and express yourself as an artist with aesthetic design embellishments.
Design should never compromise quality and the functional use of the sword though. Both design and function are very important in their own rights, but function should be the leader of the relationship.
Art of Swords:Do you have an area or period or style you specialize in?
I generally drift towards 10th century Northern European sword designs, because that is roughly the time period that a lot of the stories I love are set in. However I move wherever my inspiration takes me. I try to respectfully approach different styles and time periods with dignity, while still mixing in my own aesthetic taste. Even if a sword is purely “fantasy” I always want to somehow anchor it in an historical plausible context that potentially could have existed.
Art of Swords: Did the fact that you’ve worked on making the weapons for a Hollywood blockbuster like “THOR” change or influence your career?
It definitely was a huge opportunity and blessing for me in my personal career as a self-employed artist. This movie project gave me the opportunity to step out in faith and give all I have to go full time as a bladesmith. It also certainly helped spread my work out there a bit further than it would have spread otherwise. But it was not the most rewarding project I’ve worked on by any means. I much more appreciate working with one individual average person to help them bring their dream to life. I love building relationships with my customers and exceeding their expectations in the swords they dream of owning. That’s what brings me a huge amount of joy in this craft.
Art of Swords:How would your advice be to anyone interested in learning swordsmithing?
Strive to grow in patience and humility. It may sound contradictory, especially in a very self-centered postmodern art work, but I honestly believe to make the best art possible a person should try to make their work not so introverted and about themselves. Don’t make work to glorify yourself and boost your ego and image, because it won’t fulfill you as a person. Instead really strive to go beyond yourself as a person and let your work take on a life of its own. Don’t try to make your work so lofty and philosophically complex that people cant easily approach it and enjoy it. Be bold with your love for the work and share that joy with others.
Practically speaking in terms of learning swordsmithing; learning patience will be your greatest virtue. So many steps in the process of making a quality sword cannot be rushed, and you need to take time to learn how to do things right the first time, so that you do not continually have to go back and fix mistakes.
Be humble and learn from anyone and everyone, but strive to make your work your own and not copy other artists. This takes confidence in your own creativity, but it can be cultivated. While I believe the old verse “There is nothing new under the sun” to be true (especially in sword making), you can still bring yourself to this ancient craft, and that has never been done before!
Be willing to make mistakes; be wise with time and dedicate yourself to learning; and take joy in the journey as you grow!
Thank you for your time, Dave!
To keep an eye on Dave’s work you can visit his personal website or follow him on Twitter.