Hollow Swordblades?

[ALS]

It depends on how far you want to go into " pure " today. It out there, i've been invited to go out to Paul Champagnes this summer to hang out and forge, Paul can and does smelt his own iron for blades. Dan Maragni is holding a hammer in/smelt in next year I think we'll probably go to that will smelt the iron, create steel from it and forge blades from. You can go that far if you choose to. The quality of what is avaliable to the collector today has risen head and shoulders about what was avaliable even ten years ago. Sure theres all the " made in India ", " made in Pakistan " and " made in China " wall banger crap out there, but there now the likes of Guss Trim, Albion Swords, Arms and Armor and a variety of talented custom makers both in the states and comming out of Eastern Europe to choose from if theres something you want that production maker don't offer. The only limit today really is how far your wallet can get you to the pure/realistic your after.

[Carl Heinz]

I'd add Jim Hrisoulas at Salamander Armory (www.atar.com) to the list.  As an aside, he's now working on his fourth book on blade smithing.

[ALS]

I wasn't making a list persae, just examples, a list of custom domestic makers alone is quite long which Jim would certainly be on. Domestically off the top of my head theres John Gage, Howard Clark ( a super nice dude), Tinker, John Ludenmo at Odin Blades, Old Dominion Forge, Rick Barrett ( fabulous patter welded blades,favors Japanese but will do whatever you want and is a great guy), Vince Evans ( this guy may be the king) and a couple i'm forgeting, Jim of course, Jason Dingeldine at Tiger Claw Forge, has closed up shoppe and gone into the Airborne. Paul Champagne to. If you looking at just knife makers, rather than swords, that list is huge, the art knife world is huge here in the states and there are literally hundereds of really talented knife makers out there. Theres a bunch of really talented guys in the UK doing custom work as well.