Welcome to our Premiere Issue! SwordForum.Com is the Internet's first magazine purely dedicated to the discussion of the art, forging, collecting, and martial arts practitionary use of real swords from various cultures - both modern and ancient. This is where the sword lover and the master sword smith meet and where the next generation of connoiseurs are born. Gracing our Front Cover is a Viking Broadsword with gold Celtic Style detailing and a hand-forged blade of pattern welded steel by Kevin Cashen, American Bladesmith Society certified Master Bladesmith based in Hubbardston, Michigan. An active lecturer on bladesmithing and modern Damascus steel, Kevin is the author of this month's feature article: "The Road to Damascus" which explores ancient damascus and modern pattern welded steels! "The sword is a moment in a man's history, frozen forever, captured in steel." - Randal Graham.     Editorial Forging Forward - A word from the Editor of SWORD FORUM Magazine Online. Cover Article The Road to Damascus - Discovering ancient damascus and forging pattern welded steels for today's swords. By Kevin R. Cashen Cover Sword: January 1999 Custom Viking Sword - This month's cover sword is by ABS Master Bladesmith, Kevin Cashen, author of this month's Cover Article! Historical Swords Swedish Two-Handed Sword, 15th Century - When the grave of the former regent Sir Svante Nilsson Sture (1460-1512) was opened, a sword was found between the coffin lid and the corpse. No such find had been made in a medieval grave before. By Björn Hellqvist The Falcata - The Turkish Yataghan, the Nepalese Kukri and Kora, and the Iberia Falcata all have its evoluationary roots in ancient Egypt, yet prove to be one of mankinds deadliest swords today. By Dr. Jim Hrisoulas Swords: Then and Now - Many modern-made swords are a far cry of those of yesteryear. John Clements, director of the Historical Armed Combat Association (HACA) details the age-old relationship between swordman and swordsmith. By John Clements Japanese Swords Developing an Eye: Americanized Japanese Blades - The knife and sword industry is saturated with Japanese-influenced blades. Just which are truly worthwhile versus those that are mere approximations made to lighten your wallet? Written by Editor Togi: The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing - The methods of restoration, maintenance and polishing traditionally-made and antique swords. By Christopher Lau / Motoyasu The Shinto Katana - A forged and differentially tempered Japanese-style katana made by Paul Chen (Chen Chao-Po) in China. By Adrian Ko and Christopher Lau / Motoyasu Forging Basic Japanese Sword Forging - A simple how-to step-by-step intro into forging a Japanese-style blade with modern materials. Written by Editor Differential Heat Treating on Broadswords - Marrying the strengths of hard and soft steel for cutting power and shock absorbance for Western-style broadswords. Written by Editor The Annealing/Normalization Process - Lesser-known thermal treatments and their role in the creation of quality blades. By Christopher Lau / Motoyasu Cryogenics - A new industry fad, can the cryogenic process strengthen steel for swords? Written by Editor Metallurgy Titanium: Miracle Metal? - Since the dawn of time, Mankind has striven for means to create an indestructable sword. Is Titanium the miracle metal of our time? Written by Adrian Ko and Motoyasu Decorative Swords "Is My Sword Real?" - An examination of the swords of stainless steel from Spain and Taiwan, and an evaluation of their battleworthiness and construction. by Adrian Ko. At the Movies The "Musashi" Katana - A famous dragon-headed style sword by the prop-maker and designer of the sword used by Duncan MacLeod on Highlander: The Series. Reviews Del Tin 2162 - A German/Swiss style two-handed sword. An eye-catching weapon of striking appearance. By Atrim Del Tin 202-A Falcata - A recreation of a Bronze Age sword that saw service in the armies of Alexander the Great. By Karolus C.A.S. Iberia 069-PP War Sword - A slender diamond cross section bladed sword made in the Philippines by Iberia. By Atrim Del Tin 5151 Scottish Sword vs. C.A.S. Iberia 069-PP War Sword - A comparison between Del Tin and CAS Iberia swords against various performance tests. By Atrim Calendar of Events Events for 1999 The Final Point Raising the Standard - With a market saturated with swords, where is the line drawn between real and replica? Next Issue: March 1999 Copyright 1998 by Sword Forum Magazine Online. All rights reserved. http://SwordForum.Com. Editor: "Adrian Ko" - editor@swordforum.com SFMO is free to our readers and is a labor of love. We hardly make a cent!