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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2008 18:24:12 GMT
Personally, I have always loved swords and historical weapons to have an aged, antique appearance. The prices on the genuine articles are so out of my league that wasn't an option so i went about finding pieces that were constructed as close as possible to the originals then modifying and treating them to have the appearance of original items. Looking at auction and antique seller catalogs i tried to figure out what they looked like and experimented with ways to get there. This is a cold steel Naval Dirk that I worked on and i would like to think it looks old. the first think i did was stud the grip since it was a bit blocky and needed a little detail. I found solid brass nails / pins and bought a drill bit that was the exact size of the shank. I cut a piece of graph paper and developed a pattern then transferred it to the hilt. Drilled the holes, then cut the shanks to size. I then put them in a plastic bag with a little bit of Gun-Bluing, gave them a shake and let them oxidize. After that, it was just tap, tap, tappa and they were in. Next i have to make sure that all protective coatings are off the other parts of the dirk. Sometimes it is a matter of just using acetone other Sometimes it is a bit slow to start but keep doing it. finally it will begin to get a brown oxidized look to it. Get everything as dark as you can. (you can also use liver of sulfur but you will have to order it from Dickblick art supply) next blue the blade. after instead of stopping the blue action leave it go. I then take a candle and rub it along the edges of the blade to protect them. then i spray it with vinegar and sprinkle a little salt. Leave it out expose to the air and keep it moist. (you can leave it in the bathroom if you like or as i do stick it in the gutter of the house) Once the blade is rusted well you are then going to clean it up. Steel wool works well. Surprisingly you will find that you have got a bt of pitting and dark spots in the blade. nothing that would destroy it of course but wen your done it will have an out of the armory kind of look. if its not to the degree you like, just do it again. I did this with acid before but i had mixed results so i think this is the safest. You can also water down the blue and speckle the blade then wool off too. After you finished and it is how you like it, use a quality wax over the blade and all steel parts. Buff this and it will give a nice and natural shine. I don't wax the brass parts because the oxidation on it tends to be a little fragile at first and really need a set in period. Also you want that to wear with your hands touching it to give it the proper highlights. Hope that wasn't too winded. Its a way i have done some items. Any other ways out there i would be interested in hearing about them.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2008 18:52:49 GMT
That's a very good job of antiquing. I like the dull browning of the scabbard parts and blade fittings. If your looking for good historical reproductions of that period, that are quite reasonably priced, you might want to look at these two place. www.gggodwin.com/swords.htmwww.militaryheritage.com/swords.htmThese are meant for reenactments, so they are quite accurate, and inexpensive too.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2008 19:19:50 GMT
thanks for the links. I like some of the sabers on the second site. Do you have any experiance with these swords? are they real swords or just for display?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2008 19:34:45 GMT
They are a very well respected reenactment supplier. Their blades are supposed to be quite well built. I would mind picking up one of their basket hilts, or this Mameluke scimitar. www.militaryheritage.com/mamelukesword.htm
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2008 20:59:57 GMT
Like with many replicas, the MH swords look fine, but lack in many subtle features. In my opinion this is a good thing since MH swords are frequently aged and sold on ebay as antiques.
They still knew about distal taper in the 18th and 19th centuries, and from what I have heard the MH swords tend to lack distal taper. Grip materials are often not true to the originals (leather instead of shagreen), and in the case of etched blades, the etching is not up to the same standards as their 19th century counterparts. They have confused their blade lengths in the cases of the British P1821 Light Cavalry Officer’s Sword and the P1821 Royal Artillery Officer’s Sword--the cavalry sword should have the longer blade.
That being said, MH in one of the only resources for anyone interested in replicas of European military swords. There is a thread at myArmoury on the CS 1796 LC saber in which Craig Johnson of Arms & Armor discusses how he modified a MH 1796 to look and perform more like an original.
You did a nice job with your dirk, BTW.
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Post by themaster293 on Feb 8, 2008 3:02:50 GMT
Personally, I have always loved swords and historical weapons to have an aged, antique appearance. The prices on the genuine articles are so out of my league that wasn't an option so i went about finding pieces that were constructed as close as possible to the originals then modifying and treating them to have the appearance of original items. Looking at auction and antique seller catalogs i tried to figure out what they looked like and experimented with ways to get there. This is a cold steel Naval Dirk that I worked on and i would like to think it looks old. the first think i did was stud the grip since it was a bit blocky and needed a little detail. I found solid brass nails / pins and bought a drill bit that was the exact size of the shank. I cut a piece of graph paper and developed a pattern then transferred it to the hilt. Drilled the holes, then cut the shanks to size. I then put them in a plastic bag with a little bit of Gun-Bluing, gave them a shake and let them oxidize. After that, it was just tap, tap, tappa and they were in. Next i have to make sure that all protective coatings are off the other parts of the dirk. Sometimes it is a matter of just using acetone other Sometimes it is a bit slow to start but keep doing it. finally it will begin to get a brown oxidized look to it. Get everything as dark as you can. (you can also use liver of sulfur but you will have to order it from Dickblick art supply) next blue the blade. after instead of stopping the blue action leave it go. I then take a candle and rub it along the edges of the blade to protect them. then i spray it with vinegar and sprinkle a little salt. Leave it out expose to the air and keep it moist. (you can leave it in the bathroom if you like or as i do stick it in the gutter of the house) Once the blade is rusted well you are then going to clean it up. Steel wool works well. Surprisingly you will find that you have got a bt of pitting and dark spots in the blade. nothing that would destroy it of course but wen your done it will have an out of the armory kind of look. if its not to the degree you like, just do it again. I did this with acid before but i had mixed results so i think this is the safest. You can also water down the blue and speckle the blade then wool off too. After you finished and it is how you like it, use a quality wax over the blade and all steel parts. Buff this and it will give a nice and natural shine. I don't wax the brass parts because the oxidation on it tends to be a little fragile at first and really need a set in period. Also you want that to wear with your hands touching it to give it the proper highlights. Hope that wasn't too winded. Its a way i have done some items. Any other ways out there i would be interested in hearing about them. I really like how you did that.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2008 4:11:13 GMT
Fine work, sir.
Now hang it over the mantle with a schooner in a bottle.
It would compliment a nautical theme.
Farmer
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2008 5:19:55 GMT
thanks guys. There are other tricks that i have heard about that i have an haven't done with different levels of success. I met a guy who did a repair on an antique firearm and he actually matched the pitting pattern pretty well by gluing a piece of sand paper onto the face of a hammer and then giving the weld he had just done a few taps. then he blued it over. I haven't tried it myself yet but i am sure at some point i will.
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