Windlass C-&-T Redone "Indian Style"
Jul 25, 2009 2:27:20 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2009 2:27:20 GMT
So here's the story on this one...
It's currently in the keeping of an old student of mine. At times in the past decade or so I've gone into inner-city charter high schools in Minneapolis and other parts of the American Indian community as a science teacher. It would seem to be far removed from my interest in swords, and particularly Euro swords, but appearances can be deceiving.
First of all, it was less uncommon than many people think for Indians to be armed with swords. Still rare, but not unheard of, especially in the Plains. Swords, especially blades of the 1796 pattern, were not unheard of trade items, and a number of noted chiefs armed themselves with them as prized weapons.
Often rehilted, BTW. In our stereotypes about cultures the difference between assimilation and appropriation is often overlooked. Any number of beautiful firearms customized by their new Indian owners exist as artifacts--and one of the things we rarely hear about when it comes to Little Big Horn and Crazy Horse's leadership is that he not only had Custer outmanned and out-reconnoitered--Crazy Horse had him outgunned. The "advanced" U.S. Cavalry still had their men with single-shot carbines as standard issue, while Crazy Horse made sure as many of his troops as possible had lever action Winchester and Henry repeating rifles.
So, when among those students I frequently incorporated swords and swordsmanship into lessons, from having them try out fencing to going over matters of metallurgy, etc.
In these times, about ten years ago, I picked up a closeout "Cut and Thrust Sword" from Windlass/MRL. Both a wonderful sword and a piece of sh*t. POS because its brass furniture not only was ugly and not a very preferable material, but because it's solid brass pommel, screwed on to a welded threaded rod, was about the crappiest hilt assembly you can imagine.
As long as the blade was kept perfectly sharpened (yes, yes, the dreadest Accusharp was the culprit) 2L bottles were no problem. But if I forgot to keep the edge up ... batting a bottle caused the pommel to snap.
Now, had I been then who I am now, I would have immediately rehilted it in a simple but effective way. But I was, well, afraid. If I didn't have a hilt that looked like a Euro C-&-T, would I be a joke? Would the lack of a complex guard make the sword drastically inferior? Would lack of a pommel as counterweight make the sword unusable, or give me "bad habits" in using in properly?
So I fixed the old hilt. With a lot of epoxy, and creativity, though it was pretty fugly. And it worked.
Until a few years later I got sick of looking at it and decided what the hell, and rehilted it simply as you see here.
The hilt is all organic BTW. Leather and sinew. When it comes to leather handles most people think of the Ka-Bar knife and the washer routine. I went in a perpendicular plane: layers of saddleweight leather scales, glued and stitched and finally tacked together. A small drill hole in the tang and a larger up on the ricasso provide where hidden rivets hold the scales firmly. Sinew wrapping finishing it off.
Did the balance point shift without as much weight in the hilt? Eh. Maybe an inch. It actually makes for a great ability to go drop-point, Patton sword style. Plus with a blade that was only a pound, balance point becomes moot, it is so lively and fast in the hand it's frightening. (Who says you have to give up your edge, smallsword style, to be this quick?)
Oh, and why was it a wonderful sword every bit as much as a POS? Because once freed of that stupid, badly made, horrendous hilt, I realized the blade itself is a gem. Both light and strong--and as far as I have tested, as much as anyone can want from steel.
It's currently in the keeping of an old student of mine. At times in the past decade or so I've gone into inner-city charter high schools in Minneapolis and other parts of the American Indian community as a science teacher. It would seem to be far removed from my interest in swords, and particularly Euro swords, but appearances can be deceiving.
First of all, it was less uncommon than many people think for Indians to be armed with swords. Still rare, but not unheard of, especially in the Plains. Swords, especially blades of the 1796 pattern, were not unheard of trade items, and a number of noted chiefs armed themselves with them as prized weapons.
Often rehilted, BTW. In our stereotypes about cultures the difference between assimilation and appropriation is often overlooked. Any number of beautiful firearms customized by their new Indian owners exist as artifacts--and one of the things we rarely hear about when it comes to Little Big Horn and Crazy Horse's leadership is that he not only had Custer outmanned and out-reconnoitered--Crazy Horse had him outgunned. The "advanced" U.S. Cavalry still had their men with single-shot carbines as standard issue, while Crazy Horse made sure as many of his troops as possible had lever action Winchester and Henry repeating rifles.
So, when among those students I frequently incorporated swords and swordsmanship into lessons, from having them try out fencing to going over matters of metallurgy, etc.
In these times, about ten years ago, I picked up a closeout "Cut and Thrust Sword" from Windlass/MRL. Both a wonderful sword and a piece of sh*t. POS because its brass furniture not only was ugly and not a very preferable material, but because it's solid brass pommel, screwed on to a welded threaded rod, was about the crappiest hilt assembly you can imagine.
As long as the blade was kept perfectly sharpened (yes, yes, the dreadest Accusharp was the culprit) 2L bottles were no problem. But if I forgot to keep the edge up ... batting a bottle caused the pommel to snap.
Now, had I been then who I am now, I would have immediately rehilted it in a simple but effective way. But I was, well, afraid. If I didn't have a hilt that looked like a Euro C-&-T, would I be a joke? Would the lack of a complex guard make the sword drastically inferior? Would lack of a pommel as counterweight make the sword unusable, or give me "bad habits" in using in properly?
So I fixed the old hilt. With a lot of epoxy, and creativity, though it was pretty fugly. And it worked.
Until a few years later I got sick of looking at it and decided what the hell, and rehilted it simply as you see here.
The hilt is all organic BTW. Leather and sinew. When it comes to leather handles most people think of the Ka-Bar knife and the washer routine. I went in a perpendicular plane: layers of saddleweight leather scales, glued and stitched and finally tacked together. A small drill hole in the tang and a larger up on the ricasso provide where hidden rivets hold the scales firmly. Sinew wrapping finishing it off.
Did the balance point shift without as much weight in the hilt? Eh. Maybe an inch. It actually makes for a great ability to go drop-point, Patton sword style. Plus with a blade that was only a pound, balance point becomes moot, it is so lively and fast in the hand it's frightening. (Who says you have to give up your edge, smallsword style, to be this quick?)
Oh, and why was it a wonderful sword every bit as much as a POS? Because once freed of that stupid, badly made, horrendous hilt, I realized the blade itself is a gem. Both light and strong--and as far as I have tested, as much as anyone can want from steel.