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Sir Terry Pratchett Made a Sword from Scratch out of a Meteorite

Discworld author Terry Pratchett was knighted by Queen Elizabeth two years ago. At the time, he lamented that the title didn't come with a sword. So he decided to make his own, mining and smelting the ore himself, adding to it iron from meteorites. With professional guidance, Pratchett personally forged the sword:

With help from his friend Jake Keen — an expert on ancient metal-making techniques — the author dug up 81kg of ore and smelted it in the grounds of his house, using a makeshift kiln built from clay and hay and fuelled with damp sheep manure.

Pratchett, who has Alzheimer's disease, also said he had thrown in "several pieces of meteorites — thunderbolt iron, you see — highly magical, you’ve got to chuck that stuff in whether you believe in it or not".

After days of hammering the metal into bars, he took it to a blacksmith, whom he helped to shape it into a blade, which was finished with silverwork.


http://www.news.com.au/technology/terry-pratchett-creates-a-sword-with-meteorites/story-e6frfro0-1225926584339 via Geekosystem | Photo by Flickr user David Jackmanson used under Creative Commons license

Comments (4)

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Newest 4 Comments

There is no picture because the mere sight of such sword would make men kill themselves in despair of their own extinguished masculinity and women climax uncontrollably for hours.
There is one here at the very end of the page:
http://www.paulkidby.com/news/apr2010.html
See it at your own risk, I warned you.
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I have no idea what that thing is, but had he found it in a dumpster, my son would've most certainly brought it home and propped it against the wall behind my favorite chair and between my beloved sailboat paintings and antique coffee pots. (I'm just grateful that he left the rusty chain outside. Oh yeah - there was always a rusty chain.)

XL Twaggies Logo, just in case
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I saw this at a farm open to the public for kids while traveling through the south. It part of a fun exhibit they setup of furniture and tools made for insects living on a 19th century farm (they even had insect costumes for the kids to dress in), this was a ladder for the walking stick. It looks like it was from by someone thinking it was an actual antique, and put on display in their home.
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This is Edison's ladder; we all use the ladder designed by Nikola Tesla but that glory-hog Edison is the name taught in schools and on restaurant placemats. Edison spent years funding The Three Stooges Research Division to show how a ladder with the rungs placed too close will entrap a human, leading to further OSHA violations.
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Another reject from the Antiques Roadshow banished to a room with other misfit antiques.

All are destined for this Saturday's Street Garage Sale! 9:00 A.M. sharp

Paddle Faster - I Hear Banjo Music XL
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Most definitely the ladder that the BFG uses to get up to windows to give children dreams. (: Obviously his because it has largely spaced rungs for his long legs and also it's really narrow because he's really skinny!

"run ewok run!" size S, ladies fit! (:
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It is a War Stick, obviously. If you ever have to share a room with someone, like a sibling, you place this on the dividing line between your two territories. Often when placed, one will state, "Cross this line, and it means War!". The adjustable bolts widen the stick to increase the area marked as "No-man's Land". Often, when War is eminent, the width of No-man's land is adjusted to create a greater buffer between the two parties.

Force-Choked For Sure XL
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This is the official EvilBastard Trophy, given in recognition for mentally torturing others in a highly sadistic fashion and is an artistic representation of one particular Tetris piece

Thinking Man's Modern Dilemma XL
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Anker is correct. I worked as a brewer in a Bavarian brewery where these barrel rails (Fassschienen) are still used. The shape of the barrel itself helps to keep it centred on the wooden rails, so they are used as much as guides for rolling from storage to the filling station to cold storage as they are for loading and unloading.
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Ramp for rolling barrels such as chemical, beer, wine, whiskey, herring, or barrels onto anoter level or up or down a vehicle such as truck or a horse drawn beer cart...

I Heart Chemistry m ladie’s fit
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