Medieval Weapons - The Passion of Swords

Most people think that Kit Rae is the real artist that created the Lord of the Rings swords. The truth is quite different. Kit Rae did play a role, but not the one most people think. The real designer behind the creation of each and every Lord of the Rings sword is Peter Lyon. He is the first who received the contract to forged realistic swords to be used during the creation of the movie.

Once all the Lord of the Rings swords where finally designed, approved and forged, they where finally sent to Kit Rae in order to replicate Lyon’s work to create copies to be sold to the general public. Being an amazing LOTR fan, Kit Rae took this opportunity to work on this project in an heartbeat.

Many copies were made until the recreation of the props were identical. The hardest part according to Rae was the finishing part of each swords. The props used during the movie were highly detailed with weathering and distressing to make them look used. The whole goal was to make them an integral part of the world of middle-earth.

Various techniques were used to achieve different looks depending on the sword. The challenge was to recreate the same look but on stainless steel blades instead of carbon steel. The decision to used stainless steel was to prevent the blade from rust. In the end it was a random acid etch process that did the job.

Now days, many collectors like you and me are proud owners of the amazing swords that can be seen in the Lord of the Rings movie.

For all of you swords collector and practitionners, here is a movie that might interest all of you.

This is the first of its kind documentary. This film is all about European and Asian historic swordplay. On top of that it will offer a in-depth look at the fascinating world of stage combat on the silver screen.

Here is the official description fof the movie:

“The Medieval and Renaissance blade, a profound and beautiful object handcrafted by master artisans of old. An object of great complexity, yet one with a singular use in mind- it is designed to kill. The truth of the sword has been shrouded in antiquity, and the Renaissance martial arts that brought it to being are long forgotten. The ancient practitioners lent us all they knew through their manuscripts. As gunslingers of the Renaissance they were western heroes with swords, and they lived and died by them. Yet today their history remains cloaked under a shadow of legend.”

 Get all the info you need about this amazing movie: Reclaiming the Blade