ATrim Maker's Mark Type XII.1 Prototype
Dec 24, 2009 22:49:04 GMT
Post by ShooterMike on Dec 24, 2009 22:49:04 GMT
ATrim Maker's Mark Type XII.1 Prototype
The piece shown here is one I assembled using a blade and hilt components provided by Gus Trim. The way this came about was that Gus Trim owed me a sword. After hearing that Christian Fletcher was going to be doing a new Type XII called the "Prestige Line Antioch" I was very interested to try out one of the blades. Gus told me he had originally made three blades for the Antioch. One was a single-fuller, one a double-fuller, and one a triple-fuller. After putting the final finish on the single- and double-fuller blades Gus realized he was never going to be able to get the desired level of finish down in the very small triple-fullers. So, he asked me if I would take the blade and some leftover hilt components in lieu of a sword I was owed. I jumped at the chance. This was the end result.
The basic stats are:
Blade length: 30.1 inches
Grip Length: 4 inches
Overall length: 36.75 inches
Weight: 2.4 lbs.
Point of Balance: 4.5 inches from the guard
Center of Percussion: 20 inches from guard
The Blade
The blade is very similar to a double-fuller Type XII I bought from Gus back in 2006. The blade profiles are almost exactly identical, to the degree that the older scabbard fits this new sword perfectly. However, the weight and balance are markedly different. The difference in weight is about 3 ounces. This is all done with complex distal taper since the blade profiles are the same.
The finish is a fairly coarse satin grind that is typical of most better examples of ATrim swords of the past few years. The fullers are left blackened, and add a noticeable contrast against the blade flats.
The blade cross section is of a somewhat rounded hexagonal shape. I've seen this shape derided by some, however when looking through various of Oakeshott's writings about Type XII swords he mentions that many surviving examples have this same cross sectional geometry evident toward the tip. I haven't decided if I like it or not. If not, it's a simple matter to round into a true lenticular shape if I decide it's worth the effort.
The blade harmonics are superb. If the blade is struck into a hard surface, such as a cutting stand, in a way meant to cut with the edge there is no vibration whatsoever. No matter where the contact is made along the edge, from the tip to the guard, no vibration happens. This is a big reason this sword cuts so well, as blade vibration is the primary cause of "stopping the cut" as the edge loses contact in the target.
I'm a huge fan of Type XII arming swords. They are my most favorite type of sword. And this one is currently at the top of the pile as far as performance and looks to.
The Hilt
The hilt components I got with the blade were an unfinished Antioch guard and a "coin inset" pommel from a Prestige Line Seneschal Type XIIa Warsword. The very deep inset in the pommel's center allowed me to grind away steel from the outer edges until I got the balance just where I wanted it, along with insetting a pair of crosses made from Tandy leather stamps. I sanded a raw wood grip core I already had to roughly the shape of an Albion Knight. It tapers slightly on each end and has a slight palm swell. It was then wrapped with hide glue-soaked cotton twine. Risers were added at each end and in the center. Then it was wrapped in a thin leather covering that was overwrapped with nylon cord to imprint into the cotton cord underneath. The use of nylon cord for the overwrap is evident in the close-ups. I have since changed to using cotton twine for the overwrap to avoid the marks left by the twisted nylon cord.
The guard was final shaped and sanded to a satin sheen. Then the pommel was ground to its final shape and the inserts were ground into circles (they started as square leather punches) and affixed with JB weld. The guard and pommel were cold blued and brought to their final finish with a Scotch Brite pad.
At last, everything was ready to assemble into a permanent sword. Once it was all together, I filled the pommel and grip completely full of red loctite and finished the permanent assembly cold with my trusty heavy ball peen hammer. Then the tang was cleaned up and polished to get to what you see here.
I'm very fond of the German cross. Here is how it looks in a close-up of the pommel.
The Scabbard
No scabbard. Unless you order it separately from Christian Fletcher. However, my DBK scabbard for my old AT XII fits perfectly, so I am at least set in that regard. See the scabbard in Brian's DBK Scabbard Gallery here:
www.dbkcustomswords.com/custscabbs/MHAngusTrimXII.html
TESTING
When I got it all put together and did a bit of dry handling I knew this was going to be a special sword. It's hard to put into words. It's just a feeling of the sword moving by itself, doing what I wanted it to without any effort on my part. As soon as I had it together I had to share my impressions with Tom Kinder (ianflaer). I think I may have been a bit over-enthusiastic. My gushing on and on about how this sword handles motivated him to call Christian Fletcher and order one of the Prestige Line Antioch swords.
Bottle Cutting
Cutting plastic bottles and milk jugs is really no challenge. Even cutting two, three or even four bottles as once was not difficult. One of the real joys of using this sword is how well it cuts with the weak (back) edge. Making precision cuts on light targets is almost easier with the weak edge than with the strong edge.
Rolled Tatami Mats
I found the same cutting characteristics carried over to cutting tatami. Both the weak and strong edges slice almost effortlessly through rolled single and double tatami mats. Not until I tried cutting single and double mats rolled around hardwood dowel rods did I find how much more power the strong edge could really generate. Two 4' x 6' Hanwei mats rolled around a 1" hardwood dowel was not difficult to cut with this sword. I think if I'd had a three-mat roll with dowel rod it would have been severed as well.
Handling/Performance Video
As I was starting to get the tatami cutting on video it started raining, then it turned to snow. The resulting video leaves a bit to be desired. I was in a rush to get the cutting done before the targets froze and the camera blew away. Hope you can make it all out.
Bottom Line
This is MY sword. I put it together. I love it. It's unique, what with the mixing of hilt components and the inset crosses. However, after getting it all together and working with it for a while, I began discussing it with Gus Trim at every opportunity. I stressed how well I thought it had turned out and would he consider making this blade available in a similar configuration to the public as a Maker's Mark offering? After several discussions he allowed as how that seemed like a good idea. And just this morning he informed me that the first Maker's Mark Type XII.1 (triple-fuller) blade is on the mill being machined. So, if you have a desire to own an outstanding example of a Type XII arming sword, consider this blade offering from Gus Trim and Christian Fletcher. You could do a lot worse. But I can't really figure out how you would do much better.