The Polish of Medieval Blades vs Modern Blades

Part of what makes Hudson Hammerworks special is my dedication to recreating authentic, historical blades as they would have looked at the time they were used. I handfinish all my blades by eliminating any machining marks with a file. I also handpolish them to get the desired result.

In the eyes of a modern consumer, this is often seen as unacceptable - many people desire a blade with a pristine finish and not a single mark to be seen. But this just wasn't how blades looked throughout history and a consumer looking for historical aesthetic can appreciate such imperfections.

Historically Inspired Polish showing the remains of deep file work and forge scale.

Modern Machine Polish showing almost no imperfections.

Both of these polishes are finished to an 800-grit satin polish. The top leaves traces of the hard work gone into making the blade. This was extremely common in the period as I have studied many historical blades in museums that retain most of their original finish. You can almost always see these characteristics. It's also true for armour. Even objects belonging to very wealthy individuals display these qualities.

The bottom picture shows a machine polish matching the expectation of some modern consumers. This does not truly represent the aesthetics of original artefacts.

All of my historical blades come with a historically researched handfinish, although I can also offer a machine polish for those who prefer modern perfectionism. At the end of the day, it depends on what the consumer is looking for. I work with a lot of history enthusiasts who actually desire the imperfections of a historical finish.

Personally, I love the soul and character of original finishes. I don't believe this shows as much in modern finishes. Original finishes tell the story of their maker which gives the consumer a more direct connection to the past. I aim to replicate this in my pieces.