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Post by Kilted Cossack on Feb 15, 2011 4:55:53 GMT
Gents:
Let us suppose that, while walking down the street on his way to chastise Saviolo, George Silver fell into a wormhole, or a complicated time travel paradox, and ended up here, yes, here, here at SBG, and decided that he was going to recommend a superb Silver-esque, SBG-level sword.
I know it strains the imagination, but still. Let us suppose.
In the realm of the sub-$500 sword, which sword on the market today would seem most natural, most fitting, and most appropriate to George Silver? It should, of course, be bottle, if not battle, ready.
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Post by Bigred on Feb 15, 2011 17:29:08 GMT
Well he was a cut and thrust man, eh? Hmmm... Hanwei Cromwell and Windlass Munich without a doubt. Now that the easy ones are out of the way, lets see what other ones come up :-)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2011 21:35:22 GMT
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Feb 16, 2011 3:24:45 GMT
My vorpal side (that's the one that's all snickety-snark) is tempted to respond, "Yeah, cause we're just tripping over SBG-level proto morts and walloons, ain't we?"
The rest of me (and that's like 80 percent, maybe 85) just says, "Thanks for the link!"
I was figuring that it would be a nice cut and thrust with a complex guard. I know SIlver mostly advocated the backsword, but I don't think he'd turn up his nose at a proper broadsword either, if push came to shove. Although the mortuary swords are more English Civil Wars era (and thus a bit late for Silver), I'll bet he'd feel right at home with one.
Armour Class has some nice stuff in that range.
Currently, my "Silverish sword" plans are for a hodge-podge, a frankensword. I've got a Cold Steel basket hilt----the blade is all ugh, dead in the hand, but with the basket stripped off, I may be able to fit it to an EMSHS blade. Fun stuff, if it works out!
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Razor
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Post by Razor on Feb 16, 2011 7:03:29 GMT
Silver favoured the broadsword with it's two edges. He said it should be "light sharp sword,to carie,to draw, to be nimble withall, to strike, to cut, to thrust both strong and quick." So a broadsword and backsword will work. Armour Class is real good and I want to get thier Basket hilt sword. www.armourclass.com/Data/Pages/17Century_14.htmDarkwood Armory as good training swords and I heard he can make sharps and or mount his baskets on a blade you send him. www.myarmoury.com/links.html?id=107The Hanwei Basket hilt backsword will work. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=SH2003NIt's true that Hanwei Cromwell is after Silver, but it still would work. I have one and I study Silver. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2011 9:19:09 GMT
Wow, it is always great when someone has already made up their mind and then asks for response. There is a sharky snark for you.  You are quite welcome as it was offered for a look at what Silver might have said. Armour Class and Darkwood do come to mind and I have seen some nice Silverish swords done up from Darkwood. The Armour Class Tower sword was what comes easily to mind. Wait times though might be an issue. Consider Silver's perfect length and I think you may find the Tinker blade falls a little short of the mark. There are longer bare blades though. Thirty-four, thirty-six inches of blade are a better Silver fit for me. Even the Cromwell and Tower guard swords seem a little short for me but all of these might make due and it really is a matter of what someone likes. There is the Windlass Scottish cutlass that might be a fitting hilt source. In roaming around I just saw an older Windlass Irish Basket posted up over at the evil empire SFI site. |
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Feb 16, 2011 14:35:31 GMT
Razor:
Thankee right kindly, sir! Now I am all flummoxed, trying to figure out where I got the notion that Silver (positively!) preferred the backsword. Maybe a lesson there for me about "primary sources," eh?
I've been eyeing Darkwood for a while now, idly wondering. (Idle wondering is what I do best, like bouncing is what tiggers do best.) I do quite like a number of their pieces.
As for the Hanwei basket hilt, to tell the truth, the hollow grip on the Renaissance side sword has left me a little hinky. Then again, even if the basket hilt has a hollow grip as well, well, that's why Home Depot sells poplar strips, isn't it? Although I'd hate to lose the pretty ray skin!
Thanks again for the information.
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Feb 16, 2011 14:50:33 GMT
Edelweiss:
And thank you, sir!
Having done this with pistols and kilts in the past, I know pretty much how I tend to proceed. I start off by flailing around wildly, all enthusiasm and no information, and try out a few low-budget examples to see how I like the taste, and while I work up my nerve to plunge deeper. And I think something Silverish is my next great enthusiasm. I mean, I like swords---all of 'em, even (gasp!) the Japanese swords, but somehow I always end up circling around the 17th century cut'n'thrusters.
Sidebar: I think the Sinclair hilts are monstrously unattractive.
The Armour Class tower hanger does have a no-nonsense look to it, doesn't it? And their Cromwell (both versions). And the basket hilt Razor posted, and . . . well, actually, I think I like most of their stuff, although some of the fancier basket hilts are a touch rococo for my taste.
I think in the interim I'll cobble together the EMSHS and CS basket hilt (umm, after finishing the 303 frankensword), and if it ends up, in the overall scheme of things, shorter than ideal, well, that will just suit it better for my daughters when they grow up.
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Razor
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Post by Razor on Feb 16, 2011 15:46:43 GMT
The Cromwell and the Basket bilt, don't have a hollow grip like the side sword. Silver's perfect length sword well be different for everbody because not everybody are different sizes. The Cromwell is the Perfect length for me. This is how Silver show how to find the perfect length sword. www.thearma.org/ARMA/ARMASiteIma ... arryi3.gif |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2011 5:35:18 GMT
I own an Armour Class mortuary hilt and I operate on the assumption that it's appropriate for Silver's style even though it's of a design after his time.
For the closest to what Silver himself might prefer to use I'd say the Hanwei sidesword, probably much closer to what was common in his time.
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Razor
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Post by Razor on Feb 18, 2011 10:15:02 GMT
It's true that he liked the sidesword better than the rapier, but he still didn't call a sidesword a true sword because it didn't have the hand protection that a basket hilt has. He would like the Hanwei backsword and cromwell but not the sidesword. The Hanwei basket hilt broadsword isn't balanced good, if it was he would pick that one out of the other two.
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Feb 20, 2011 16:15:35 GMT
Razor:
Thanks for the information, and my apologies for the delay in thanking you. Once I started clicking on the links, I got all carried away, and wandered somewhat far afield. It's funny, I'd simply assumed that by "short sword" Silver had in mind something of the length of a riding sword, more 30". I'd probably also forgotten that rapiers of the day were a good bit longer than the reproductions we have available now.
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