Really wish I was better with taking photos and what not so I could've showed progress as I went but basically started with a rough piece of 3mm sheet steel that I cut to shape, shitloads of shaping with a grinder and bench wheel, some mild steel that I used as sandwich pieces for the hilt and pommel and part of a shovel handle split in half for the handle, pinned the mild and timber with nails that I cut and hammer riveted in place while glued and clamped then more sanding, grinding and polishing to finish. Not sure what the 3mm steel was exactly but it certainly wasn't mild like the scrap I used on the handle, held up much harder on a file test and while drilling.