The Black UlJake Project
The Black UlJake was a collaboration between myself and German bladesmith Uli Hennicke. Uli contacted me in early February of 2006 and asked if I wanted to collaborate on a sword and knife set with him. He would make the blades and steel fittings I would make the scabbards and hilts in bronze and bog oak. Bog Oak is a beautiful and difficult material to work with, the major appeal to me with this material is that it is oak that lived and died during the golden period of the Celtic Culture, the La Téne period (from about 600BCE to about 100CE). The wood, having been submerged in a bog for the period from then ‘till now, is as black as ebony but otherwise acts much like ordinary brown oak.
Once Uli had finished forging and shaping and heat treating the blades (beginning on the full moon of February) he sent me his conceptual sketches,. I then did my own conceptual sketches filling in the ornamentation detail, influenced by Pictish sculptural design and La Téne period weapons fittings.
Uli decided to deliver the sword blades and bog oak to me personally, so in April ’06 he arrived here in New Brunswick, Canada. We spent a week forging and discussing design. I began the process of making the furniture and scabbards for his blades in June, and was almost done by late August when I left for Germany to deliver the pieces. Once in Germany at Uli’s beautiful forge, I finished the carving, and Uli made a pouted leather upper for the knife sheath, which I had left a step for on the scabbard throat and band so it could fit in neatly. We then did the final fit and finish and glued the fittings and peened the tangs, and did the final oiling. We finished this project on the full moon of September.
This project has been a very intense learning period for me, and I feel that I have grown as a craftsman because of it. I hope you enjoy the photos of the process.

Germany - Uli's forge

New Brunswick - Jake's Forge

 

 

Germany - Uli's forge