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INTERVIEW WITH EYAL AZERAD FROM DARKSWORD ARMORYIn this interview conducted by Paul Southren from SBG with Darksword Armory founder Eyal Azerad, we discuss how Darksword Armory (often abbreviated to DSA) came about, how they are made and where the company is headed, as well as allowing him an opportunity to address some of the criticisms his business has taken several years ago on two prominent sword forums.
SBG:Darksword has been around since 1996, so how did it come about? Tell us a little about what events prompted you to start it, how it developed and grew and the guiding principles that have kept it in business the last 12 years.
EYAL: Darksword Armory resulted from an accumulated and overwhelming desire to produce combat ready swords able to take the most extreme abuse imaginable. Before DSA came into being, I had an extensive sword collection, but was not impressed with what was being made. There was really little on the market for serious collectors. The majority of the swords that I had found were poorly Tempered or Heat Treated, if at all, and were aesthetically unpleasing. There was little detail or design and it seems that there were very few people interested in actually making combat ready swords.
DSA really took form from this void and from my deep interest in swords and armor making. Over the years, I have spent much of my time testing different alloys, trying the find the most appropriate steel to produce blades capable of taking considerable abuse. On another front, I examined museum catalogues, studying similarities among blade, guard and pommel patterns. In my initial sketches, I drew links between sword design and the architecture of the gothic era. I was very impressed with the strong yet simple symmetrical lines presented in gothic art and how smiths, towards the end of the 1300’s, used this artistic influence to produce some of the most beautiful and complex armors, like those favored by the Court of Archduke Sigismund in 1439 or those worn by Maximilian around 1490.
When I finally decided to open Darksword Armory, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do. I had all these sword designs and ideas, but I think more importantly, being a collector, I knew that serious collectors wanted historically accurate swords. The only problem at the time was that I lacked the proper resources to realize my vision. DSA therefore started off by
selling high end decorative swords by Wilkinson Smith and more well known models by Marto and Martespa. As time passed, I met a number of smiths at trade shows. That is really where I got the opportunity to share with others who had a similar vision. That is really how the DSA team grew. It really was a gradual process. Ultimately, in September 1996, DSA opened online.
SBG: I have heard that you spend a lot of time travelling overseas to various museums and examining the historical swords, yet many of the final designs are something of an artistic interpretation rather than a slavish copy of the originals. How do you decide on a new design, and what factors go into the final form it takes?
ANSWER:The research and development constitutes the most exciting part of the process. As far as research goes, the first step has always been to examine museum catalogues and major works in the field. One of the most important references on the subject is the “Record of European Armours and Arms through Seven Centuries.” This is a huge 7 volume set written by Sir Guy Francis Laking. An absolute must.
Apart from the initial research, I also travel to various museums in Europe. I take hundreds of photographs from different angles, note technical details, like blade lengths, pommel and guard thicknesses. I also examine archive references for photographs and technical information on past collections. Upon my return, the staff and I review each photograph and choose 5 to 10 designs to reproduce.
Once we actually start working on the new models, we do take creative liberty in order to keep the process interesting. Sword making is an art. Simply copying an existing model requires very little creativity and although rewarding, it is generally not very challenging. We prefer to take an original piece and allow our creative sense give our piece a sense of originality while preserving its historical character.
Our Saxon sword for example, is an exact replica as far as the hilt is concerned. The leaf shaped blade however is where our creativity came into play. I think that the result is absolutely stunning.
SBG Darksword copped a lot of bad publicity on Sword Forum International a few years ago. How did this all come about and why?
EYAL: I am glad you asked that question. This issue has really been a sore over the years. The whole issue began about 4 or 5 years ago, when a local combat group dropped their usual smith and commissioned us as their sole supplier after one of their fighters tested one of our swords during their combat session. As retribution, their former supplier started posting numerous rumors about “Darksword Armory”, namely claiming that our swords were cheap, were made in India, Pakistan, China, poorly tempered, not combat ready and so on. He actually went as far as creating several user id’s and staging “conversations” between “users” on the forum. This of course did not help, and some people just decided to jump on the bandwagon, and the whole thing snowballed from there. A few months after the initial posts, we learned about his practices from one of his former clerks. He informed us of his actions and questionable business practices. We emailed the SFI’s administrators on numerous occasions, but never received any response.
That was the first hit.
Up until 2005, Darksword had an apprentice program. This resulted in a second wave of attacks. At the time, we had 5 apprentices working in our shop. Our smiths taught them the basics of swordmaking and supervised their work. The program was open to all, free of charge. The apprentices however were responsible for the cost of the raw material (alloy). We supplied all the anvils, hammers, stakes and so on. At the time, the apprentices had anywhere between 8 months and 2 years experience. To fund their project, they bought the alloy to make their first piece, usually 1050 High Carbon Steel, and once completed, sold them on ebay for anywhere between 60 and 95$ in order to buy more alloy and continue to practice and improve their skill. These apprentice made blades were not stamped with our logo as they were not “Darksword Armory” swords, and by no means compared to our blades. Buyers were perfectly aware that the swords were made by apprentices. That being said, the overwhelming majority were more than happy with their purchase, especially at 60$. A minority however, expected to receive a sword equal in quality to those of our smiths, which is quite absurd.
The whole experience was quite frustrating and unfortunately resulted in the termination of the apprenticeship program. We still get calls from people wanting to join our program. The staff and I loved the program. It put us in touch with allot of people who share our passion and simply wanted to learn the trade. It was really unfortunate. As far as I know, we were the only swordmakers giving free smithing courses. In any event, that was the end of it.
SBG:It is obvious from many of the designs that you have a special affinity with Lord of the Rings. How did these designs come about, as many are not based on those from the movie but rather seem to be originals inspired as much by the books as by anything else.
EYAL: I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan. I obviously read the trilogy and collected inspirational drawings from the trilogy. During the 70’s there was a considerable amount of artwork being published on the Lord of the Rings. Some of our designs are inspired by this artwork as well as our own creative input.
SBG: What is the thing that you like the most about Darksword Armory swords? And what would you say is the thing that you are most critical of or are working to improve on them?
EYAL: Our sword’s total and complete functionality, in other words, their total resistance to the most severe abuse you can possibly imagine. That is what I am most proud of. As previously stated, there was allot of unfounded claims about DSA swords in the past. I think that SBG’s torture tests and the videos produced by Arms of Valor finally showed people what our swords are capable of, and probably eliminated much of the misconception and misinformation about DSA.
As far as improvements go, I am very critical of my own work. I am always looking for things to improve, change or develop. Over the years, we’ve experimented with various alloys, blade thicknesses, pommels, guards, trying to find the best possible balance between weight and durability. Over the years, we’ve experimented with all the 10XX steel series, (1060, 1075, 1084, 1095). We tried 5160 which is also very tough steel, but found it to oxidize quite quickly. L-6, which is a chrome and nickel alloy steel, is another alloy we’ve experimented with. L-6 is very tough and offers good shock resistance, but is also prone to heavy scaling. Ultimately, 1060 proved to be the most appropriate alloy to use for our vision and types of production runs. 10xx series in general is pretty much the best all-around steel available for blade making.
SBG: One thing that strikes me about this swords is the price. It seems pretty amazing to me that you guys can create a hand forged sword made in Canada at a price of under US$300. How is this possible?
EYAL: Simple: production runs. We would never be able to offer our swords at the same prices if we were to forge them one by one. We make production runs of 2,000 swords at a time. We have five smiths on staff. This permits us to make two productions a year. During these productions, we forge all the blades, then pommels and then the guards. We then assemble the swords, like an assembly line. When you divide the production process, you greatly reduce the total time it takes to complete a given piece and therefore reduce your final production cost. It rests on basic mathematical/business principles.
This process basically permits us to offer our swords under 300$. Most of our first time customers are very surprised at the quality of our swords and many actually call us to share their surprise, which is a huge compliment. There are times that we cut in our own budget of course. Over the past few years, the cost of steel has dramatically increased. We did not increase our retail prices however. We simply took a lower cut or profit margin. Our vision has always been to make “affordable” high end pieces. We will never deviate from this principle. As a collector, I know what it feels like to pay 500, 600, or even 700$ for a sword. It’s not a good feeling... ;-) And then you are supposed to use it in combat?
Darksword was never created under the guiding principle of “making money”. It really was about connecting with other collectors. Sharing our passion and being able to live off something we love doing. 12 years later, we are stronger than ever and are currently working on our largest production in over a decade. I think that says something about our products and fan base. If past rumors were true about DSA, we certainly would not have a fan base and our sales would not comprise of 28% repeat customers. This clearly indicates that we must be doing something right.
SBG: If you had to pick a favorite sword out of the DSA line up, which one would it be and why?
EYAL: Though choice….I would have to say The Saxon for it’s design. The knight for it’s handling, and the Ranger for its symmetry …sorry, I couldn’t just pick one - that’s like choosing between your children. ;-)
SBG:What’s in store for DSA? I know that behind the scenes you have a few surprises in store, but perhaps you want to give a few sneak previews.
EYAL: We are currently in the middle of a new production. This run should be completed by April 2008. Although we don’t want to reveal too much, we can say that our new production will include 12 new models. During 2008, we will also be coming out with a line of butted tang swords. We are making some improvements on our scabbards, even if they are given for free… For the rest, well, I guess you will all have to see for yourself in April. ;-)
SOME DSA REVIEWS ON SBG
I hope you enjoyed this exclusive interview. To return to the Darksword Armory Overview from INTERVIEW WITH EYAL AZERAD FROM DARKSWORD ARMORY, click here
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