Hanwei Gustav Rapier (Antiqued)
May 9, 2008 16:26:50 GMT
Post by Brendan Olszowy on May 9, 2008 16:26:50 GMT
Review of Hanwei Gustav Rapier (Antiqued version) by Brendan O., Western Australia
This is my first experience with Rapiers so I really don’t want to presume to know what I’m talking about. Fencing is a huge sport, and one which I may take up. But right now my level of knowledge is barely above zero.
This Rapier is reviewed here, at My Armoury by someone who knows a heck of a lot more than me about what he’s handling. For anyone who practices fencing that would be a more valuable read. It also includes some historical background, which I’ll neglect to plagarise here. However here is a pic of the original sword upon which this one is based. It belonged to “Gustav II Adolf, more commonly known by his Latinized name of Gustavus Adolphus, ruled Sweden from 1611 until he died in battle in 1632”
My impressions are from a fit and finish perspective, and initial handling. I got her today.
Purchase:
I bought this sword from SBG’s Mike of Shumi Swords Notoriety. If anyone in Australia wants to buy ANY type of sword, from any manufacturer, they should contact Mike first. He was very good to deal with, quick and thorough communicating, and very fast to ship.
The sword came thoroughly mummified in bubble wrap and cardboard. It was disassembled for handling reasons. But that’s good coz it gave me an excuse to play with it and weigh the bits before I put it together.
First Impressions:
The sword is light, pointy, and sexy. It has beautiful filigree which I am not at all opposed to. The deep hollow grinding of the blade immediately impressed me.
Assembly
As I assembled it I was interested to see how this huge guard would sit secure, without rattling. If you imagine the wide extremeties it has a lot of leverage which could wobble it. Well the core of the guard has a kind of bump outward which locks into the guard. At the same time the guard presses into the shoulder of the blade. The leather of the grip ricasso overlaps the tang so that the pommel can screw on tightly compressing the whole thing together. The braided knots on the grip also overlap between the pieces to hold it in place.
Stats
Cut from My Armoury. The only difference I found was the POB at 20mm from the ring guard, rather than 12mm.
Weight: 2 pounds, 4 ounces
Overall length: 45 1/2 inches
Blade length: 39 inches, including 2 inch ricasso
Blade width: 3/4 inch at base, tapering to 3/8 inch
Grip length: 3 3/8 inches
Guard width: 8 inches
Point of Balance: 1/2 inch from guard (1/2 inch from where finger rings end)
Center of Percussion: ~26 inches from guard (24 inches from finger rings)
A.V.B. Norman typology: Hilt Type 66
There is also a noticeable distal taper. I’ll try to measure that for ye tomorrow.
Blade:
The blade is more flexible than I thought it would be for a stabbing tool. Though Jason at Arms of Valour has mentioned they are far stiffer than Windlass Rapiers, and that he likes them. He’d know better of their suitability than me. It flexes well and returns to true. To pierce plate armour you’d have to have the weight perfectly balanced behind the point, for it not to just flex wildly. This blade would not be suitable for assaulting plate armour, like a cut and thruster would. However as a gentlemanly duel in civilian clothes, I would hate to be near the point of this. I’ll pit it against some bottles in the future.
The Point:
The hollow grinding is pronounced and even right through. If you look down the blade in the light you can see gentle bumps along the blade, as though it has been forged. I know Tsafa had claimed in the past that Hanwei Rapier blades are cast, but I doubt it.
The edge of the blade is blunt, plain and simple. It varies from 0.3mm to 1.3mm thick along it’s length. It is square edged. Still it cuts leaves and foliage no worries. And that means lots of fun for me. I wouldn’t try cutting a bottle with it even if it were sharp.
This blade seems to have a very VERY mild bow across the flat. I caught it on this pic. The shot’s pretty accurate. I have NO problem with this. As a blade maker I know too well that heat treating will bow a blade. And it’s ever so slight; I’m splitting hairs, it’s no worries.
*edit*
Ive measured it now against a flat edge. It has a "sori", or measurement of deviation at the middle of the blade; of 1.5mm. Flipped over the tip strays out 3mm. Like I said I'm hapy to accept that on this sword. I'd hate to try to get such a fine blade that straight.
Tang
The grinding of the shoulder is a bit rough. It's just been done for function, with no care for finish. The size of the tang is fine. The threading of the tang isn’t welded on. It's definitely ground round then threaded.
The Hilt Furniture
Actually this makes me feel good about the finish of my pieces. The guard’s quite bumpy and wobbly where the piece extends down to the pommel, and where the rods join. Apparently they are cast rather than individually welded.
The hilt pieces are stainless steel, which can’t be antiqued. Hanwei’s solution to that is to spray paint them with a textured black paint. It looks good on the guard where it is wearing thin. But where it has scratched right off is shiny. When it gets too scrappy I will sand blast it and heat blue it in the oven at max.
The grip is a work of art on it’s own. The only short fall is the wire silver coloured is copper, and it’s showing through already, where it’s wearing. It’s painted black over the silver.
Pommel
I’m only mentioning it to say it has a rough lump as if to imitate a peen. Maybe for historic value. As mentioned it’s peened on. Otherwise very nice.
Scabbard:
It’s covered in brown leather with a crooked stitched seam up it’s length. It is rattly down the bottom, but the throat grips the sword enough to hold it all together, but not enough to hold the weight of the sword from falling out upside down. I’ll have to snug it up a bit. I’d love to see what Brian of DBK would do to spruce it up.
Testing/ Handling:
Haven’t tested it yet any further than some flexing, and some gentle use. I spent some time practicing thrusting at a 3” branch on a tree. I’m not a good shot. And I’m not fit for it – in that my shoulder and hip fatigued fast.
You can put one finger through the guard, or two even. It would be comfortable with fine gloves. But in bare hands all that metal rubs. Still I like the flexibility.
I did have some fun in the paddocks cutting up some Calla Lillies (infestation). I was using the tip to pick up a leaf, flick it up into the sky, and try to slice it once or twice on the way down. They’re big leaves but they fall fast and they are erratic, like the flight of a butterfly. It’s not easy but it’s fun, and the sword is fast.
I’ll do some thrusting on bottles and post some vids some tip, when I learn to handle it well enough not to look fully gumby in front of everyone.
*Edit to add a little video I made July 24th 08. I wanted to prove to the debaters that a Rapiers Slash is a thing to be feared in a duel, and that they are not purely thrusters:
Picture show:
Conclusion:
The sword is light, flickable and fun. It is not perfectly crafted, but the blade is quite suitable, and it still looks the goods. I don’t think the antiquing will wear very well. I’m still very excited about it just because this sword represents an aspect of the craft which I have neglected until now.
Historical Accuracy: 3/5 – minus 1 for the Blade being of a different type to the original, and minus 1 as the finish would not be suitable for a king as original. However it is historically plausible.
Fit and Finish: 3.5/5 Love the work in the grip. Pity about the materials. -1 Cast hilt. -0.5 Screw on pommel. -1 for poor materials.
Handling: 4.5/5, but what am I comparing it to? Really it handles awesome.
Structural Integrity: 4/5 – I have never had a Hanwei fail me before. The wear on the antiquing costs it a point.
Value for Money: 3/5 Depends where you get it. There are some on ebay. It’s a fine sword, and looks horn for the RRP of US$ 265 - $36 more than the shiny one (which would get 4/5). Get the shiny one and stick the parts in the oven at high temp.
OVERALL: 3.5/5 I really like it. You will too.
This is my first experience with Rapiers so I really don’t want to presume to know what I’m talking about. Fencing is a huge sport, and one which I may take up. But right now my level of knowledge is barely above zero.
This Rapier is reviewed here, at My Armoury by someone who knows a heck of a lot more than me about what he’s handling. For anyone who practices fencing that would be a more valuable read. It also includes some historical background, which I’ll neglect to plagarise here. However here is a pic of the original sword upon which this one is based. It belonged to “Gustav II Adolf, more commonly known by his Latinized name of Gustavus Adolphus, ruled Sweden from 1611 until he died in battle in 1632”
My impressions are from a fit and finish perspective, and initial handling. I got her today.
Purchase:
I bought this sword from SBG’s Mike of Shumi Swords Notoriety. If anyone in Australia wants to buy ANY type of sword, from any manufacturer, they should contact Mike first. He was very good to deal with, quick and thorough communicating, and very fast to ship.
The sword came thoroughly mummified in bubble wrap and cardboard. It was disassembled for handling reasons. But that’s good coz it gave me an excuse to play with it and weigh the bits before I put it together.
First Impressions:
The sword is light, pointy, and sexy. It has beautiful filigree which I am not at all opposed to. The deep hollow grinding of the blade immediately impressed me.
Assembly
As I assembled it I was interested to see how this huge guard would sit secure, without rattling. If you imagine the wide extremeties it has a lot of leverage which could wobble it. Well the core of the guard has a kind of bump outward which locks into the guard. At the same time the guard presses into the shoulder of the blade. The leather of the grip ricasso overlaps the tang so that the pommel can screw on tightly compressing the whole thing together. The braided knots on the grip also overlap between the pieces to hold it in place.
Stats
Cut from My Armoury. The only difference I found was the POB at 20mm from the ring guard, rather than 12mm.
Weight: 2 pounds, 4 ounces
Overall length: 45 1/2 inches
Blade length: 39 inches, including 2 inch ricasso
Blade width: 3/4 inch at base, tapering to 3/8 inch
Grip length: 3 3/8 inches
Guard width: 8 inches
Point of Balance: 1/2 inch from guard (1/2 inch from where finger rings end)
Center of Percussion: ~26 inches from guard (24 inches from finger rings)
A.V.B. Norman typology: Hilt Type 66
There is also a noticeable distal taper. I’ll try to measure that for ye tomorrow.
Blade:
The blade is more flexible than I thought it would be for a stabbing tool. Though Jason at Arms of Valour has mentioned they are far stiffer than Windlass Rapiers, and that he likes them. He’d know better of their suitability than me. It flexes well and returns to true. To pierce plate armour you’d have to have the weight perfectly balanced behind the point, for it not to just flex wildly. This blade would not be suitable for assaulting plate armour, like a cut and thruster would. However as a gentlemanly duel in civilian clothes, I would hate to be near the point of this. I’ll pit it against some bottles in the future.
The Point:
The hollow grinding is pronounced and even right through. If you look down the blade in the light you can see gentle bumps along the blade, as though it has been forged. I know Tsafa had claimed in the past that Hanwei Rapier blades are cast, but I doubt it.
The edge of the blade is blunt, plain and simple. It varies from 0.3mm to 1.3mm thick along it’s length. It is square edged. Still it cuts leaves and foliage no worries. And that means lots of fun for me. I wouldn’t try cutting a bottle with it even if it were sharp.
This blade seems to have a very VERY mild bow across the flat. I caught it on this pic. The shot’s pretty accurate. I have NO problem with this. As a blade maker I know too well that heat treating will bow a blade. And it’s ever so slight; I’m splitting hairs, it’s no worries.
*edit*
Ive measured it now against a flat edge. It has a "sori", or measurement of deviation at the middle of the blade; of 1.5mm. Flipped over the tip strays out 3mm. Like I said I'm hapy to accept that on this sword. I'd hate to try to get such a fine blade that straight.
Tang
The grinding of the shoulder is a bit rough. It's just been done for function, with no care for finish. The size of the tang is fine. The threading of the tang isn’t welded on. It's definitely ground round then threaded.
The Hilt Furniture
Actually this makes me feel good about the finish of my pieces. The guard’s quite bumpy and wobbly where the piece extends down to the pommel, and where the rods join. Apparently they are cast rather than individually welded.
The hilt pieces are stainless steel, which can’t be antiqued. Hanwei’s solution to that is to spray paint them with a textured black paint. It looks good on the guard where it is wearing thin. But where it has scratched right off is shiny. When it gets too scrappy I will sand blast it and heat blue it in the oven at max.
The grip is a work of art on it’s own. The only short fall is the wire silver coloured is copper, and it’s showing through already, where it’s wearing. It’s painted black over the silver.
Pommel
I’m only mentioning it to say it has a rough lump as if to imitate a peen. Maybe for historic value. As mentioned it’s peened on. Otherwise very nice.
Scabbard:
It’s covered in brown leather with a crooked stitched seam up it’s length. It is rattly down the bottom, but the throat grips the sword enough to hold it all together, but not enough to hold the weight of the sword from falling out upside down. I’ll have to snug it up a bit. I’d love to see what Brian of DBK would do to spruce it up.
Testing/ Handling:
Haven’t tested it yet any further than some flexing, and some gentle use. I spent some time practicing thrusting at a 3” branch on a tree. I’m not a good shot. And I’m not fit for it – in that my shoulder and hip fatigued fast.
You can put one finger through the guard, or two even. It would be comfortable with fine gloves. But in bare hands all that metal rubs. Still I like the flexibility.
I did have some fun in the paddocks cutting up some Calla Lillies (infestation). I was using the tip to pick up a leaf, flick it up into the sky, and try to slice it once or twice on the way down. They’re big leaves but they fall fast and they are erratic, like the flight of a butterfly. It’s not easy but it’s fun, and the sword is fast.
I’ll do some thrusting on bottles and post some vids some tip, when I learn to handle it well enough not to look fully gumby in front of everyone.
*Edit to add a little video I made July 24th 08. I wanted to prove to the debaters that a Rapiers Slash is a thing to be feared in a duel, and that they are not purely thrusters:
Picture show:
Conclusion:
The sword is light, flickable and fun. It is not perfectly crafted, but the blade is quite suitable, and it still looks the goods. I don’t think the antiquing will wear very well. I’m still very excited about it just because this sword represents an aspect of the craft which I have neglected until now.
Historical Accuracy: 3/5 – minus 1 for the Blade being of a different type to the original, and minus 1 as the finish would not be suitable for a king as original. However it is historically plausible.
Fit and Finish: 3.5/5 Love the work in the grip. Pity about the materials. -1 Cast hilt. -0.5 Screw on pommel. -1 for poor materials.
Handling: 4.5/5, but what am I comparing it to? Really it handles awesome.
Structural Integrity: 4/5 – I have never had a Hanwei fail me before. The wear on the antiquing costs it a point.
Value for Money: 3/5 Depends where you get it. There are some on ebay. It’s a fine sword, and looks horn for the RRP of US$ 265 - $36 more than the shiny one (which would get 4/5). Get the shiny one and stick the parts in the oven at high temp.
OVERALL: 3.5/5 I really like it. You will too.