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Your interest in Salamander Armoury is greatly appreciated and we thank you for visiting. First a little background information on us, who we are, and what we do.

Salamander Armoury is owned and operated by Jim Hrisoulas, a full time bladesmith with over 50 years experience in hand forging finely crafted blades. All of the work pictured here on this site (and custom work as well) is 100% hand-crafted by Jim. From steel and material selection, to forging, heat treating, finishing and leather work, it is all done by hand with no mechanical set-ups or jigs. We feel this hand forging coupled with proper thermal treatment makes for a superior blade, one that will out perform any blade that is just ground out of a bar of steel.

Our Pattern-Welded and laminated steel blades (often mistakenly referred to as "Damascus") are all welded and built here, one at a time, forged from only the finest materials. Unlike a lot of other makers we do not use recycled leaf springs or any other material that we are not 100% certain as to what it is. No "Mystery Metal" is ever used. All welding is done by hand using a hand hammer. Pattern-Welding is the welding of dissimilar metals into a single blade. By stacking, bending, and folding this "Laminate" an unlimited number of patterns can be created. This process creates a blade, if done properly, which is much stronger and flexible than other blades. The techniques and methods used at Salamander Armoury have been used in dozens of cultures around the world for well over 15 centuries to create the finest One-Of-A-Kind blades fit for Royalty and Nobility.

Our Owner, Dr. Jim Hrisoulas has been referred to as one of the "Last of the Old School Bladesmiths" on numerous occasions in various publications world wide. It is a "title" that Jim takes seriously as he feels that although there is "always something new on the horizon" it is equally important to understand and preserve the "old ways" of doing things and we here are dedicated to both the old as well as the new. In doing so we are helping preserve this ancient craft

It is Jim's dedication to the art of hand forging blades that lead to the writing of his books. These works are now considered the "Standard Reference Material" for hand forging blades, something that not many other makers can say. He is currently working on book IV which hopefully will be done later this year.

We are now offering, in response to the multitudes of requests, a limited number of "Japanese Inspired" blades, so please look for these on our in stock pages. We have gathered some of the best materials and fittings from around the world for these blades from specialized sources. Real Samegawa and silk Ito for the tsuka, bronze or iron tsuba in various themes and motifs. Blades are welded and finished by hand. We are sure you will be pleased, however the series is now coming to an end and the last few pieces will be posted shortly so if you are interested in acquiring one of my Japanese blades, NOW is the time to act cause once these are gone, that is it! I have 2 numbers left and I will be filling those as time permits..

Thank you for visiting.

JP Hrisoulas

Jim can be reached at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

727-857-7784 (afternoons are best times to call...)

*This sword is Jim's personal sword. It has a 31 1/2" long blade, welded in his "Quetzalcoatl" pattren which is a wavy feather pattern. It is welded from a mix of meteoric iron and high carbon steel with twin fullers and a file worked spine, the grip is made of copal and the fittings are forged mild steel

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