a few pictures, post up your new stuff

[gregorio]

Thought I would post a few pictures. Been in the UK for months and this is as close as I can get to them till May. Sorry the pics might not be the best, think I’ll try natural light next time.


Here is a picture of the whole collection.

This is an old school Arms and Armour classic medieval broadsword. They stopped making this model a while ago; bought this one in 95. It was the first real sword I ever bought. It really resembles the kingmaker from Albion, but was purchased at a time when Arms and Armour was a little greener and their quality wasn't as good as they are today.

Here is a angus trim type XIV sword. This is a real wicked and sharp little bugger, handles great.

Here is a angus trim bastard sword. Has great balance and a bit longer of a grip than most two handed swords at about 10.5” with a 33” blade. Made the sheath on this one from poplar covered with leather.

Here is a Scheppers Forge cable bladed small sword. I bought it around 1997 at the Minnesota renaissance festival. I don't think he is in business anymore; at least can't seem to locate him on the internet. Next to it is a Jim Hrisoulas cable bladed dagger with cocobolo grip.

Jim Hrisoulas short sword with cow bone handle. A tad tip heavy due to the fact it is 1/4” thick, has no distal taper, and no real mass on the pommel but it’s built tough. Next to it is a muela hunting dagger with crown stag handle.

Jim Hrisoulas short sword with wire wrapped grip and matching hunting dagger. These guys are real fast and a nice set.

Jim Hrisoulas leaf bladed sword with wire wrapped grip and matching leaf blade dagger. The sword is a bit on the heavy side as it's about 3 pounds 6 ounces and is tip heavy. The blade goes from about a quarter inch thick at the base to 3/16” mid way and then back to a quarter inch thick near the tip I had these made custom and they took forever to get done.

Albion Poiters. This is my favorite. I would say it sacrifices a bit of cutting ability but for thrusting can't be beaten. Also the grip is a bit longer and fits the hand nicely. I made the sheath, been meaning to make a nicer one with a wood core.

Albion Knight. This is a great cutter. I just love the way albion puts their swords together. They are well worth the money and can’t recommend them enough.

Arms and Armour falchion I had made. It has a full tang grip and I think ash wood for a handle. It's quite light and fast with distal taper. Next to it is a Jim Hrisoulas hunting dagger with cocobolo grip.

 

[horseclover]

A nice brood of possibles there. I espy some other A&A pieces, such as Nordlund and Hungarian axes. Is that a Bark River hatchet to the left? I have a Nordlund here and it has come in handy around the home for fallen tree branches. I have an Arms&Armor Black Prince in bronze and the ubiquitous German Bastard. A couple of Gus' swords as well, a XIIIa and XIIa. Along with a passle of other medieval types, I have been concentrating more on 18th and 19th century originals.

This one is my latest and I am still breaking it in as it were. More than a spadroon and less than some of the big bruiser cavalry swords of the 19th century. I have some of those as well. This one a bit of a mystery to me and I had hoped someone would save it from me in auction. Thirty-four inches of blade, 1 1/4" wide at the hilt. I am having a hard time categorizing it in my mind. Lighter than the heavy cavalry types and less than two pounds (1lb 10ozs). The hilt appears to be a Bavarian 1826 type but those are usually curved blades and listed as cavalry. One similar is a bit smaller yet and with a Spanish blade. Marked to Horstmann, I can't exactly date it either. 1830s, I would think but maybe as late as the 1840s. I have never seen another from Horstmann and I watch a lot of Horstmann marked swords.

I have untangled what is left of the wire and that may have been an old repair to start with. I need to tighten up a couple of wraps. Pecards antique leather dressing. Some have disagreed with the stuff but I have been having good luck over a few years now.. The leather blade washer is likely a refit as well and is off for now (soaking up more Pecards). Shown above with a mounted artillery sabre that is just an inch shorter. The blade is much like a spadroon, with a broad single fuller. Not nearly as stiff as the 1854 dragon blade either. it may well just be a very large infantry type. I like it. Sharp on the back to the fuller.

There have been a few grand picture threads here the past few years and had hosted most of my own stuff in these galleries. There are many swords shown there that are not in my collection also but questions about any of them can be pretty much clarified. The Manville album will show a lot of stuff on the road, as it were. Serious passions are spadroons and eagle pommel swords of all types but am looking specifically for a couple in particular.
http://my.opera.com/3sails/albums/

It depends whether I count clockwise or counterclockwise for a true tally but with the hafted stuff (minus knives) is more than fifty space takers. I had recently also bought a second hand A&A Friedrich spear and in researching the original, find the original half again as big.

Scrolling through the pages in this board's sword section will find some of the brood pictures shared.

Cheers

GC

 

[BePrepared]

4th one from the right... jungle machete type

what's dat?

 

[gregorio]

A nice brood of possibles there. I espy some other A&A pieces, such as Nordlund and Hungarian axes. Is that a Bark River hatchet to the left? I have a Nordlund here and it has come in handy around the home for fallen tree branches. I have an Arms&Armor Black Prince in bronze and the ubiquitous German Bastard. A couple of Gus' swords as well, a XIIIa and XIIa. Along with a passle of other medieval types, I have been concentrating more on 18th and 19th century originals.

Yes, that's a bark river glen eagle axe, probably not to historical but quite nice. The Nordlund is one of the prototypes but I don't actually know if they were different than the final model.

Nice couple of pieces you have there. That first one is quite light for the length, probably makes it fast and easier to use for long periods of time.

 

[gregorio]

4th one from the right... jungle machete type

what's dat?

That's from Chris Palmer of Scorpion swords and Knives; he occasionally has items on the exchange. Not really sure if I would want to use it for a machete as it is far to heavy, but I wouldn't mind using it to cut down small trees.

 

[horseclover]

The weight on later swords can be a bit deceiving. I had posted up a thread here back in January with my curvy stuff and only two of them are more than two pounds.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/914387-Some-Sabres-Sabers

http://files.myopera.com/3sails/albums/7892962/Sabres up 2011.jpg
http://files.myopera.com/3sails/albums/7892962/Sabres long 2011.jpg

In the picture earlier in the therad of the straight and sabre, the sabre is actually an ounce or so lighter. That is a mounted artillery sword I had picked up to share with others for cutting

In another comparision of weight and size are a generic "wristbreaker" with an 1854 French straight job. The sabre is just shy 2 1/2 pounds and the straight one 3 lbs 4oz (without scabbards.

With scabbards, those two are over four and five pounds, respectively. The reproduction sabre I have is also over the two pound mark.

I think I must also see an A&A javelin in your group shot as well. Another A&A I had really enjoyed and traded back and forth for awhile Is an Edward III blade that had been put together with Duke Of Urbino fittings. The current owner ground down the blade shoulders a bit to lengthen the grip, resulting in superb performance but a little less blade length. It had been a real handful with a grip shorter than the standard Edward III.

Before and after

I had originally purcahsed that from D. Guertin, who ordered it up from the A&A shop.

Cheers

 

[gregorio]

Hi Horseclover, thanks for the link to the older post. I have none of that type in my collection but have been meaning to find a decent reproduction, perhaps you have some recommendations where to look. I really like getting A&A to do custom work, they seem so easy to deal with and have great customer service. That two hander looks real nice.

 

[horseclover]

Well, the conundrum in suggesting reproductions hit me a few years ago when I bought the College Hill reproduction. A lot of it is going to depend on personal aesthetics and then purpose. To be honest, there are a good many sound antiques up through the 20th century that don't cost an arm and a leg. A fair number of the spread shown in those pictures were less than $500. For instance that generic 1840 wristbreaker took some time to clean up, is quite sound and I have actually cut with it on occasion. Most of my bargain buys have had minor issues, while most of them are sound enough for occasional play, up to and including cutting.

I hate to say it but right now for a sharp out of the box, the Cold Steel line (the military sword types manufactured by and large in India) may suit those looking for a general look and for cutting. Those brokering Weapon Edge swords can get them but they are not sharps. True also from the following http://www.gggodwin.com/ (look to the 1812 section for an eagle pommel type).

That leads back to custom or semi-custom offerings. Baltimore Knife and Sword works in the price range of some pretty nice looking possibles and there are other more expensive American makers, including A&A. A&A has tuned up some of the British 1796 light cavalry sabres and a friend had ground one as well to better replicate some of the distal properties. The problem there is that originals are often a good bit thicker stock to begin with, so the differences are still apparent when handled side by side.

Nielo, as a shop popped up on the horizon and is turning out some great looking "standards" at quite favorable pricing for now.
http://www.nielo-sword.com/inpage/about-us/

I am quite impressed with the Nielo stuff (visually) that came in through Kult of Athena as a vendor.I would jump on some of their stuff if looking for custom or semi-production. This one for instance.
http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=NS004&name=1775+British+Officer+Saber
On the scale of an American maker Old Dominion http://www.olddominionforge.com/swords.html but a fraction of the stratosphere some pricing will lead to. BKS is approaching similar qualities at times but the prices in the U.S. will be higher than Nielo for similar and tough to reach that bar of period authenticity.

Very true of the reproductions is the base cost vs value. You can find very inexpensive generic American Civil War swords but the quality can be quite lacking. There are often huge differences between a basic light cavalry sword from one source to another. Plan on spending $150 up for decent enough swords. Question the very inexpensive. Another truth of the early modern patterns even in their day is that they were not meant to be camp tools. There were shorter fascine type swords that were made specifically for that. The short artillery gladius, etc. Big fat short blade for cutting sticks up with still enough utility to be used for defense. The long cavalr swords and even infantry officer types were not meant to be beat up in the woods.

To me, I have a hard time considering the hundreds for reproductions when the period swords can be somewhat similarly priced for good swords. There is one of the last batch from Nielo http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=NS003&name=M1734+Prussian+Dragoon+Sword that is selling through KOA and I really have been considering similar but then come across real bargains at the same or less money in the antique sector. The Horstmann above a few dollars cheaper than this listed very nice Nielo offering.

I search ebay for the term "sword" and then narrow to militaria and then by time frame. I have half a dozen earmarked at less than the $500 mark and of those, most quite servicable as swords. I have many Ebay sellers I watch like a hawk and have an old master list of regular dealers I can share here.
http://files.myopera.com/3sails/files/Dealer sites.doc

It really depends on what specifically one is looking for before I could make a recommendation, either period or reproduction.


Cheers

GC

 

[gregorio]

Thanks for the advice Horseclover, much appreciated.