Looking for opinions on a Schiavona
Dec 23, 2011 17:38:56 GMT
Post by WMicke on Dec 23, 2011 17:38:56 GMT
He guys... I've always loved the design of the Italian (Venetian) Schiavona, and so I've finally decided to take the plunge and get one... Only there aren't that many models out there, and the ones that I do see haven't really appealed to my tastes... but then I was browsing over @ myArmoury.com and I saw the review of Vladimir Cervenka's Type 1 Schiavona...
www.myarmoury.com/review_cerv_schia.html
It was love at first sight... I instantly thought to my self "This is beautiful, I must have one" SO I've decided to take the plunge and order it (In fact, many emails have already been exchanged).
The only problem now is that NOTHING is ever that simple when it comes to my (admittedly small) collection (hey I'm just starting out compared to some of you guys!)... I always want to tweak things just a little bit to make my sword MINE, and different from the ones that anyone else could simply buy off of the internet. So I hit upon the idea of having a custom "cats head" pommel made... and an artistic friend of mine has a great design already. The next thing I'm going to do is have a resin/polymer model of my friends design made (it's terribly un-authentic/historical, but we're rendering the design in 3D and having it fabricated and the polymer model offers the most detail). Then I'll have to take it somewhere and have them make a mold for a lost wax casting.... The question/debate I'm having now, is what materials to use? This is where I'd love to get some opinions form some of you guys, because I'm having a hard time deciding.
Here is what I'm debating:
1. Traditional brass "cats head" (granted of the custom design) basket hilt is finished to a satin finish with a wire-wrap handle to include a spiral twist of brass wire as an accent that matches the "cats head" pommel.... This is the more "traditional" option, and arguably the cheaper option...
2. Discard the "traditional" brass, and go with a low-grade nickel/silver pommel. The basket hilt and main wire-wrap handle would be blued to a nice blue-black finish and a twist of silver wire as an accent to the blued steel wire in the handle...
So... those are my ideas... I'd love to hear some thoughts from my fellow forumites... not just on aesthetics, but I'd also love to hear any insights or potential problems with these ideas that I may not be aware of, since a lot of you have been collecting swords and sword knowledge for a whole lot longer than I have.
www.myarmoury.com/review_cerv_schia.html
It was love at first sight... I instantly thought to my self "This is beautiful, I must have one" SO I've decided to take the plunge and order it (In fact, many emails have already been exchanged).
The only problem now is that NOTHING is ever that simple when it comes to my (admittedly small) collection (hey I'm just starting out compared to some of you guys!)... I always want to tweak things just a little bit to make my sword MINE, and different from the ones that anyone else could simply buy off of the internet. So I hit upon the idea of having a custom "cats head" pommel made... and an artistic friend of mine has a great design already. The next thing I'm going to do is have a resin/polymer model of my friends design made (it's terribly un-authentic/historical, but we're rendering the design in 3D and having it fabricated and the polymer model offers the most detail). Then I'll have to take it somewhere and have them make a mold for a lost wax casting.... The question/debate I'm having now, is what materials to use? This is where I'd love to get some opinions form some of you guys, because I'm having a hard time deciding.
Here is what I'm debating:
1. Traditional brass "cats head" (granted of the custom design) basket hilt is finished to a satin finish with a wire-wrap handle to include a spiral twist of brass wire as an accent that matches the "cats head" pommel.... This is the more "traditional" option, and arguably the cheaper option...
2. Discard the "traditional" brass, and go with a low-grade nickel/silver pommel. The basket hilt and main wire-wrap handle would be blued to a nice blue-black finish and a twist of silver wire as an accent to the blued steel wire in the handle...
So... those are my ideas... I'd love to hear some thoughts from my fellow forumites... not just on aesthetics, but I'd also love to hear any insights or potential problems with these ideas that I may not be aware of, since a lot of you have been collecting swords and sword knowledge for a whole lot longer than I have.
