H/T longsword blade with Pilsen rapier guard, how?
Jan 12, 2012 7:52:54 GMT
Post by Federico on Jan 12, 2012 7:52:54 GMT
I'm almost finished with my DSA Gothic/Windlass late European bastard sword project, and I have another one in mind. Basically, I want to create a complex hilt longsword by combining the blade from a H/T longsword with the guard and pommel of a Windlass Pilsen rapier. It would look somewhat like this.
As you can see, I want to "lengthen" the blade by letting the tang protrude for 1-2 inches, and the guard would be mounted lower on the tang. Why the Pilsen? It looks sturdy enough to be used for a longsword, and it looks plain cool. I have 2 problems. 1)The base of the pilsen rapier where the tang sits seems to be about an inch wide, and the tang of the H/T seems to be about .7 inches wide (though I'll be measuring it precisely this weekend once I borrow one). 2) The tang is straight, therefore there's nothing to hold the guard from sliding forward.
You can see what I'm talking about here (thanks kult of athena!)
My ideas on how to do it:
1) Enlarge the hole on the guard to .7 inches, drill a .2 inches hole through the guard and the tang and secure it with a rivet (kind of like on a bowie knife or a katana, but on the guard).
2) Slightly enlarge the hole on the guard, slightly reduce the width of the tang, and make a small set of shoulders on it that would sit on the guard.
What do you guys think? for option 1) Would drilling a hole through the tang, but not at the shoulders, weaken it enough to make this weapon unusable? Would there be enough material left on the sides of the guard hole to make it strong enough to properly parry sword strikes?
For option 2) Is the tang on the H/T wide or strong enough to remain strong after shaving off + - 1/8th of an inch in width?
I'm leaning towards option 1, but honestly any idea is welcomed (and hoped for, I'd really love to complete this project!). Also, the final result of the solution must be a sound and sturdy weapon, not an accident waiting to happen :mrgreen:
As you can see, I want to "lengthen" the blade by letting the tang protrude for 1-2 inches, and the guard would be mounted lower on the tang. Why the Pilsen? It looks sturdy enough to be used for a longsword, and it looks plain cool. I have 2 problems. 1)The base of the pilsen rapier where the tang sits seems to be about an inch wide, and the tang of the H/T seems to be about .7 inches wide (though I'll be measuring it precisely this weekend once I borrow one). 2) The tang is straight, therefore there's nothing to hold the guard from sliding forward.
You can see what I'm talking about here (thanks kult of athena!)
My ideas on how to do it:
1) Enlarge the hole on the guard to .7 inches, drill a .2 inches hole through the guard and the tang and secure it with a rivet (kind of like on a bowie knife or a katana, but on the guard).
2) Slightly enlarge the hole on the guard, slightly reduce the width of the tang, and make a small set of shoulders on it that would sit on the guard.
What do you guys think? for option 1) Would drilling a hole through the tang, but not at the shoulders, weaken it enough to make this weapon unusable? Would there be enough material left on the sides of the guard hole to make it strong enough to properly parry sword strikes?
For option 2) Is the tang on the H/T wide or strong enough to remain strong after shaving off + - 1/8th of an inch in width?
I'm leaning towards option 1, but honestly any idea is welcomed (and hoped for, I'd really love to complete this project!). Also, the final result of the solution must be a sound and sturdy weapon, not an accident waiting to happen :mrgreen:
