Replicating a seventeenth century sword: the Storta Project

Abstract

Making a good “copy” of an ancient weapon means to reach different targets, not only regarding the final product of the making process but also the process itself. This means that to make a sword like this, it is necessary to initially study all the material regarding swords and blades from the same period and geographic area. This process involves not only their style, design, geometry, weights and balance, but also the cultural background of the period, the use and symbolism of the weapon and finally the original production techniques used. This article reviews and documents the “Storta project” in the context of a museum exhibition in Minsk ( European Martial Arts: From Vulcan’s Forge to the Arts of Mars , 01.05-30.09.2019).

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Acta Periodica Duellatorum
volume 7, issue 1 (2019) – DOI 10.2478/apd-2019-0005
Replicating a seventeenth century sword: the Storta Project
Giovanni Sartori,
Independent scholar (formerly University of Venice, Conservation Science and
Technology for Cultural Heritage)
Abstract – Making a good “copy” of an ancient weapon means to reach different
targets, not only regarding the final product of the making process but also the
process itself. This means that to make a sword like this, it is necessary to initially
study all the material regarding swords and blades from the same period and
geographic area. This process involves not only their style, design, geometry,
weights and balance, but also the cultural background of the period, the use and
symbolism of the weapon and finally the original production techniques
used. This article reviews and documents the “Storta project” in the context of a
museum exhibition in Minsk (European Martial Arts: From Vulcan’s Forge to the
Arts of Mars, 01.05-30.09.2019).
Keywords – Storta, Coltella, Sword replication, Archaeology
This article reviews and document a research project started in 2015, which aims to display
a state-of-the-art study about Renaissance sword makers and their knowledge, through
the production of a museum quality replica. The output is on display of the International
exhibition “European Martial Arts: From Vulcan’s Forge to the Arts of Mars” (Minsk
History Museum, 01.05-30.09.2019). It is based on scientific studies of original swords
(Caino, early 17th c.) conducted at the University of Brescia, and an archaeological
experimental project reconstructing the process of the making in a 17th century forge still
active (Bienno (BS), Val Camonica, Italy).
I. THE CHOICE OF A MODEL
The weapon chosen for the project has been a storta which is part of the Martial Arts
Museum’s collection (Fig. 1). This beautiful sword has been made in Caino (Brescia, Italy)
at the beginning of the seventeenth century and is attributed to the swordsmith Tomaso
Gorgonio Desenzani, owner and master of the Terminello workshop (Fig. 2). It is most
likely the most complete and genuine extant sword of its type made in Caino.

204 Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section
Fig. 1: The original Storta (made in Caino, beginning of 17th c.), now kept in the MAM
(Martial Arts Museum, Botticino). Photo from the book Caino (Gotti, 2011).
Fig. 2: Old postcard showing Caino Village. Reproduced from the book Caino (Gotti, 2011).
The blade is signed with the name F.TOMASO twelve times and of course the CAINO
proof mark, with an overall length of 812 mm, a weight of 1018 gr and a balance point
107 mm from the guard.
1
The reason behind the choice of this sword as a model was not
only how well preserved it is, but also the possibility to use the results of a metallurgical
study made in the University of Brescia on a different, broken, storta sword made in
Caino as well.
2
Another important reason was that the Storta was one of the most iconic weapons of the
Italian renaissance (next section will shortly explain why) and a typical product of North-
Italian swordsmiths, in particular of the Brescian area. So our set target was to produce a
copy of the aforementioned Caino storta as close as possible to the original not only
1
Gotti, Caino, p. 158-9.
2
Tonelli et al., “Historical and Metallurgical Characterization of a ‘Falchion’ Sword”.

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Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section 205
regarding measures, weights and balance point but also forging techniques, finishing,
materials, pattern of the steel and its quality.
I.1. The Storta or Coltella: some informations
The storta belongs to the wider family of single edged weapons which includes swords
from the ancient design of the seax to the boarding nineteenth-century cutlass (and many
others like the falchion, the messer and the dussack). It can be considered a versatile
sword for several reasons.
First, because of the versatility in the context of its use: it can be an infantry weapon for
a soldier, a boarding weapon for a sailor, a useful everyday tool for a farmer, and an urban
self-defence weapon for a nobleman or an artisan. Its short, single edged and large blade
makes it an ideal weapon to fight in a tight space like an infantry square, a melee or a ship
deck. Moreover, its use can be intuitive and can be easily learned even by a novice. From
an economic point of view, making a single-edged short sword implies less time and
material compared to a sidesword of the same period. So the storta is cheaper than other
weapons and ideal to be an arsenal sword.
For all of the above reasons the storta has been popular in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries and we can see this type of sword worn both by Kings, soldiers, pirates and
farmers (Fig. 3).
3
3
Gotti, Caino, p. 108-114.

206 Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section
Fig.3: Engraving by Cesare Vecellio, 1590. Degli Habiti Antichi e Moderni. Venezia.
II. THE MAKING PROCESS: APPROACH
The storta copy has been produced following both the results of metallurgical studies
4
and literature on the subject from the 16th and 17th centuries (Biringuccio, 1540; Petrini,
1642; Da Lezze, 1612).
In particular Catastico Bresciano the book written by Giovanni Da Lezze and published in
1612 that describes the Brescian country and his activities. In this detailed report made
for the Venetian government there is a chapter about sword making which was one of
the main activities of the town in that period. It is an important document because it
explains the entire process of sword-making (with 13 masters listed taking part in the
making process) and we have used it as a reference. The geometries of all parts (except
the handle) have been done by forging; reducing, as much as possible, the loss of material
during the grinding and polishing phases. Wherever we needed to respect the original
construction forge welding was applied.
4
Gotti, Caino; Williams, The Sword and the Crucible; Tonelli et al., “Historical and Metallurgical
Characterization of a ‘Falchion’”.

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Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section 207
Vannoccio Biringuccio in his treatise De La Pirotechnia says that a good master blacksmith
gives the forms and geometry to the objects by forging and not by stock removal
5
and
this process appears to be confirmed by scientific research on the originals as well. Etched
sections of original blades show that the steel pattern follows the geometries of the blade.
In particular, on blades that have an external carbon steel layer wrapped around an iron
core it is possible to notice the plastic deformation of layers done by forging.
6
II.1. The blade
II.1.1. Making the billet
According to the scientific research on period blades, the blade has been made from a
billet composed of layers of carbon steel and wrought iron piled and forge-welded
together.
7
The bulk pattern is an outer “skin” (with a V shape open on the back of the
blade) with 460 alternate layers of wrought iron and carbon steel wrapped around a plain
wrought iron core (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4: Bulk pattern of the final billet.
5
Biringuccio, De la pirotechnia, 1540, p 136-137.
6
Gotti, Caino, p. 131-155; Williams, The Sword and the Crucible, p.230-285.
7
Tonelli et al., “Historical and Metallurgical Characterization of a ‘Falchion’ Sword”; Williams, The
Sword and the Crucible, p. 230-285.

208 Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section
The mix of many layers of wrought iron and carbon steel is described by Antonio Petrini
in his treatise De l’Arte Fabrile (1642). Petrini calls the technique ammassellamento and
says that is the best solution to make steel for springs for firearms and sword blades. This
technique has been used to produce blades for a long time to improve their mechanical
properties, in particular flexibility because the steel produced before the end of 19th
century was not suitable itself to make long blades.
The choice of wrought iron to make the billet has been a crucial step. Several forging and
heat-treating tests have been made on samples taken from different pieces (railings, gates
carriage parts). Tests reveal that many of them are fairly homogenous and not suitable for
sword-making, according to Biringuccio that warns against steel that present
delaminations (fogliosi) and contaminations of various elements (Sulphur and Phosphor
in particular)
8
. Moreover, this explains why the “arms iron and steel” are so expensive in
the renaissance period and the Venetian government had strongly enforced the
restrictions and control their production, use and commerce for centuries.
The wrought-iron chosen, from a 19th century carriage, has been mixed with a plain
carbon steel in alternate layers to produce two starting billets (Fig. 5). The two billets have
been forge-welded, cut in many pieces and forge-welded together again several times for
a final result of 460 layers on the edge (Fig. 6). The increasing of layer number and several
forge-welding stages allow also diffusion of carbon from steel to wrought iron.
Fig. 5: Pieces from a XIX cent. carriage wheel. Starting material for blade and guard.
8
Biringuccio, De la pirotechnia, 1540, p. 136-137.

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Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section 209
Fig. 6: Billets ready for forge-welding.
II.1.2. Forging the blade
As explained before, forging has been applied as much as possible to obtain the final
geometries of the blade. A technical reason for the use of hot forming is that the pattern
of the steel bulk, with its outer “skin” of multilayered steel, will be easily grinded away
with the stock removal techniques; on the contrary what we can see from etched
metallurgical sections is that this bulk pattern follows even the fullers or the tang form.
9
The main stages of forging have been done with a power hammer according to the
production system of the period when hundred of blades were forged every month in
water-powered workshops (we know for example that Andrea Ferara in Belluno owned
several water-powered workshops).
10
The swordsmith, the first master cited by Da Lezze, is the one that forged the blade and
heat-treated it; Caino, Gromo, Belluno, Feltre, Ceneda, Serravalle (and many others
places) were famous for this stage of production and their masters signed the blades they
produced (Da Lezze, 1612; Dal Mas, 1980; Gotti, 2011).
11
First the billet has been stretched and thinned to obtain the shape of the blade and the
proper thickness distribution. The second passage has been the forming of bevel
geometry, during this passage the blade has started to get the final curve. Last passages
9
Tonelli et al., “Historical and Metallurgical Characterization of a ‘Falchion’ Sword”; Williams, The
Sword and the Crucible, p. 230-285.
10
Dal Mas, Spade Bellunesi, p. 6-8.
11
Dal Mas, Spade Bellunesi, p. 24-26; Gotti, Caino, p. 26-37; Da Lezze, Catastico Bresciano, p. 189-192.

210 Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section
have been: fullers forging (with specific dies under the power-hammer or top-bottom dies
on the anvil), tang final shaping, straightening and adjusting curves (Fig. 7).
Fig. 7: Freshly forged blade.
II.1.3. Touch marks and decorations
All the signatures on the blade have been made by hot stamping before and after refined
by chiseling. The original one presents many different markings: twelve times the name
TOMASO F. on the main fuller and in both sides of the ricasso the CAINO proof mark
together with typical decorations of north Italian bladesmiths (half-moon, circles, straight
lines on the sides of fullers).
The stamps used on the copy have been made by hand by filing and chiseling: a half-
moon, a circle, a mark inspired by belunese “knots” typical of north Italian sword-makers
(that is my main mark), and three stamps to make ZOANE ME FECIT (I was made by
Zoane) on the fullers (Fig. 8-9).
Fig. 8: Touch-marks to stamp ZOANE ME FECIT.

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Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section 211
Fig. 9: Signatures on the blade.
II.1.4. Heat treatment
The average content of carbon measured in the outer layer of the storta studied in Brescia
University has been about 0.4-0.5% with a medium hardness of 50-52 hrc.
12
Various tests
have been made before making the billet to obtain the same average carbon content and
final hardness of the analyzed storta. In particular some samples with a different ratio
iron-steel have been made and heat treated in different ways to obtain similar values.
II.1.5. Grinding and polishing
Grinding and polishing phases has been done by hand with stones, files, sandpapers and
natural powders. In particular files of three grades (bastard, 2nd hand, smooth) have been
used to obtain regular surfaces and geometries and to make fileworks. As said before the
target is to reduce as much as possible these phases; the final result has been a weight loss
of 35% in weight from the starting billet to the final polished blade.
II.2. Pommel and Guard making
The pommel and guard have been created by forging as well from wrought iron not heat-
treated according to the metallurgical study on the original storta (Tonelli et Al, 2016).
13
A number of top-bottom anvil tools (fullering, cutting, etc., etc.), dies (to curve and
dome), spines (to punch) tongs and hammers have been especially made to forge these
parts.
In particular the pommel has been made by two half forge-welded together like the
analyzed original. On every half, before welding, a central fuller was made as a “guide”
for the tang hole which was finally made by hot punching.
The wrought iron used to make the pommel came from 17-18th century balaustrade bars
fairly homogeneous and forge-welded together to make the starting billet. During hot
12
Tonelli et al., “Historical and Metallurgical Characterization of a ‘Falchion’ Sword”.
13
Ibid.

212 Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section
working operations the “poor” quality of the wrought iron has caused some evident
delaminations easy to see on some original arms and armour too (Fig. 10).
Fig. 10: Pommel detail, it is possible to observe delaminations and inclusions. ©Photo Alberto
Dalla Valle.
The guard was produced from the same carriage wheel that was used as the source for
the pieces of the blade. This iron is much more homogeneous than the one used for the
pommel but some delaminations became visible too during forging (Fig. 11).
Fig. 11: Some forging stages of guard.
All parts of the guard have been forged out from a single rectangular piece, so no forge-
welding has been applied. Techniques used have been cutting, fullering, hot punching,
bending and stretching. For the grinding-polishing stages, the techniques have been the
same used for the blade, in particular tiny needle files for fileworks refining (Fig. 12).

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Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section 213
Fig. 12: Guard during file polishing.
II.3. Handle making
The handle has been made from a single piece of ash wood wrapped with iron wire. To
make the central cavity for the tang, the wood has been first drilled and then the hole
adapted (with the same shape of the tang) with a hot spine. The wood has been then
wrapped with iron braid held in place by two Turk’s heads knots on the ends. The Turk’s
head is a classic iron wire pattern in use on arms handles from the sixteenth century, and
its main function was to avoid the wood handle splitting caused by the tang (Fig. 13).
Fig. 13: Handle detail. ©Photo Alberto Dalla Valle.

214 Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section
III. CONCLUSIONS
The result of the project has been a sword that is really close to the original on geometries
forms and weights distribution (there is a difference of 4 grams between the original and
the copy) (Fig. 14-15).
Fig. 14: Sword completed. ©Photo Alberto Dalla Valle.
Fig. 15: Sword completed. ©Photo Alberto Dalla Valle.
It is certainly a satisfying result, but this sword should be considered only a starting point
for further research about traditional techniques of sword-making.
To explain better to the visitors the making process of the sword and to show more about
the art of sword-making in the sixteenth century a video-documentary has been produced
(video-maker Alberto Dalla Valle).
Additionally, samples of the main production stages for all parts have been made
alongside the sword copy and displayed with it to complement the understanding of its
making process.

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Acta Periodica Duellatorum 7(1), 2019, Scholarly section 215
Acknowledgments
This work has been possible thanks to MAM (Martial Arts Museum, Botticino), the
Committee for Hema Minsk 2019 and in particular to Roberto Gotti who has strongly
encouraged this project. Studies and replica: Giovanni Sartori. Editing: Iason-Eleftherios
Tzouriadis and Daniel Jaquet. A short film documenting the project is on display and can
be viewed through a QR code of the exhibition catalogue
14
.
IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY
IV.1. Primary sources
Biringuccio, Vannoccio, De la pirotechnia, 1540. A cura di Adriano Carugo (Milano: Il
Polifilo, 1977).
Da Lezze, Giovanni, Catastico Bresciano, 1612. Ristampa anastatica a cura della Biblioteca
Civica Queriniana (Brescia: Casa Editrice F. Apollonio & C.: 1969).
Dal Mas, Mario, Spade Bellunesi: “… supra royam fluminis Ardi” (Belluno: Comitato
Marangoni, 1980).
Gotti, Roberto, Caino (Verona: Punto Marte, 2011).
Gotti, Roberto, Daniel Jaquet and Iason-Eleftherios Tzouriadis, European Martial Arts,
exhibition catalog (Dello: Grafiche Renzini, 2019).
Gaibi, Agostino, “Un manoscritto del ‘600 ‘L’Arte Fabrile’ di Antonio Petrini”, Armi
Antiche (1962), 111-139.
Tonelli, Giovanna et al., “Historical and Metallurgical Characterization of a ‘Falchion’
Sword Manufactured in Caino (Brescia, Italy) in the Early 17th Century A.D”, Journal
of The Minerals, Metals & Materials, Volume 68, Issue 8 (2016), 2233-2249.
Williams, Alan, The Sword and the Crucible: A History of the Metallurgy of European Swords up
to the XVI century (Leiden: Brill, 2012).
14
Gotti, Jaquet and Tzouriadis, European Martial Arts.