This is a recent project, a stand in for the real family sword (a large chefs knife owned by my great grandfather). The blade is ground from a flattened truck leaf spring without annealing or re tempering. Im not sure if I recommend the idea from a efficiency or metallurgical standpoint but it looks nice. The blade is short about 30" but not quite as short as it looks in this shot. Pommel is hollow made from part of a jeep Cherokee suspension donated by a friend after a small fender bender. Sand cast medallions depict the snake which is the symbol of the town of Itri, Italy (where my grandmothers family comes from and where we spent much time as children) and an image of la Madonna della Civita a famous local icon.