Custom HT Type X from Yeshua's Sword
Feb 19, 2012 22:49:59 GMT
Post by SwordLord on Feb 19, 2012 22:49:59 GMT
Custom Mounted Hanwei / Tinker Type X by Yeshua's Sword
Introduction
I had first come across Yeshua's Sword while browsing the web. I had done a Google search for sword scabbards. I was really attracted to the type of wood and stains that were used on both the handles and the scabbards. It was probably a month later when Ernie from Yeshua's Sword registered at UBC that had reminded me of the web site. I was itching for a viking sword, something late period viking and the one he had up on his web as an example for a custom H/T Type X just spoke to me. I decided to take the plunge and have him make one for me with almost the exact same specs, though I chose to have the grip a bit shorter.
Historical Overview
To be honest, I'm no expert in this area, in fact, the more I dig the more I realize how much I don't and didn't know. While there are no exacting historical examples to match this piece, I can say with some certainty that this sword could quite possibly have existed in the late viking era, around the 11th century.
The pommel is a rounded brazil nut style and similar examples can be seen on swords like the Knud or Valkyrja from Albion (Type B ?). The guard I believe would be classified as a Style 6? Again, guessing here by referencing other material I have found on the subject. Please educate me if I am wrong.
Full Disclosure
I purchased this sword with my own money and received no compensation from Yeshua's Sword.
Initial Impressions
Upon receiving the sword it was well packaged. Care was taken to be sure the sword arrived in excellent condition. As soon as I had made my way through the packaging and the sword was revealed, a big smile drew across my face. It was exactly as I had wanted. It came in an unglued scabbard core made of poplar (per my request) with enough extra room to compensate for the shearling I was going to line it with. Yes, I had decided not to have a full scabbard made this time around as I had some ideas about doing leather work for it (more to come on that).
When I picked up the sword for the first time, the fit in my hand was perfect for me and the guard and pommel style along with the grip length lent comfort to both the hammer and hand shake grip. The balance was just right. Not too tip heavy but enough blade presence to let you know you could do some serious damage with this piece.
Another thing that stands out is the peen on this sword. I'll let the pictures do the talking here.
Statistics
Blade Length: 78.3 cm / 30-3/4 in.
Blade Width: 5.5 cm / 2-1/8 in.
Handle Length: 17.8 cm / 7 in. (from tip of pommel to guard)
Overall Length: 95 cm / 37-3/8 in.
Guard Width: 11.7 cm / 4-1/2 in.
POB (Point of Balance): 10.8 cm / 4-1/4 in. from guard
COP (Center of Percussion): Approx. 51 cm / 20 in. from guard
Weight: I don't have a digital scale, but can put this around the 2 lb 8 oz range.
Components
The Blade:
As the title indicates, this sword is based on the Hanwei Tinker Type X bare blade. It doesn't stop there though. Ernie at Yeshua's Sword offers a 'regrind' option that removes imperfections from the blade as it comes from the forge. There is no longer evidence of the jittery grinder marks or a secondary bevel. It now has a satin finish with a keen single beveled edge.
The Handle:
The guard and pommel are custom milled from mild steel. They have a seemingly flawless satin finish. The grip is made of curly maple with some wonderful spalking (ink lines) and given a tung oil finish. This is my favorite part of the sword.
The Scabbard:
As I had mentioned earlier, my request for the scabbard was simple. A basic core made of poplar with enough wiggle room inside to allow me to line it with shearling. Obviously it could not be shipped glued together. Although Yeshua's Sword makes fantastic scabbards, I wanted to be able to do a leather wrap on this one.
I did have him make a belt riser / bridge in the same curly maple as the grip was made with and allowed him to have artistic freedom in it's design. As you can see from the picture, it turned out famously.
I will be commissioning Yeshua's Sword to make a custom scabbard for my Kris Cutlery Teutonic as I really think he does wonderful work and there are very few who offer scabbards of this type.
Handling Characteristics
Although this viking sword is made from an H/T type X, the handling is noticeably different than the HT viking. With a POB of about 4-1/4 inches vs. the 5-1/2 inches I measured from my HT viking, it is much more comfortable to wield. Not to mention the entirely different hilt makes it that much more comfortable in the hands.
Being a person of slight build (5'9" - 160lbs), this makes a big difference for me as far handling is concerned. I've only owned four viking swords (this being number four), a KC viking, Windlass Sticklestad and an HT viking and this is by far the most comfortable for me.
Test Cutting
The sword arrived paper cutting sharp. Again, the regrind option lends to a nice finish and the sword is razor sharp without a secondary bevel.
Please forgive my poor form. I am more of a collector than I am an actual practitioner of any sword art. Obviously I enjoy using my swords, but I just don't do it enough to become very proficient. Don't let my lack of skill deter from this swords capabilities.
I only made up two targets with 3 beach mat rolls and a couple of bottles. It was cold and I only had limited time to do this. Yes, I edited out my bad cuts. Full mat cuts including flubs below.
Conclusions
I am very happy with my purchase. The sword grows on me more each day and next to my customized Kris Cutlery Katana 26A...it is one of my favorite pieces.
Pros
- Beautiful curly maple grip.
- Custom milled hilt components.
- Great balance and handling.
- Well executed peen and very solid construction.
Cons
Honestly, it's hard to find any faults in this sword. It is exactly as I had expected. Everything was done as I requested and the communication from Ernie at Yeshua's Sword was amazing. Updates via e-mail on progress and any questions he had that may have come up to be sure I was getting exactly what I requested. I was also able
to watch the progress via his Facebook Page. He gave me a 6-8 week time line and the sword was completed in about 5 weeks.
The Bottom Line
Would I recommend Yeshua's Sword? You bet! What's not to like? He will mount any bare blade with custom milled parts and beautiful wood grips and scabbards. The price point was very good and the service and customer care was exceptional.
If you're like me and don't like to own a sword that looks like a thousand others out there, then you would be silly not to consider Yeshua's Sword for a custom piece. I highly recommend them.
Yeshua' Sword
Introduction
I had first come across Yeshua's Sword while browsing the web. I had done a Google search for sword scabbards. I was really attracted to the type of wood and stains that were used on both the handles and the scabbards. It was probably a month later when Ernie from Yeshua's Sword registered at UBC that had reminded me of the web site. I was itching for a viking sword, something late period viking and the one he had up on his web as an example for a custom H/T Type X just spoke to me. I decided to take the plunge and have him make one for me with almost the exact same specs, though I chose to have the grip a bit shorter.
Historical Overview
To be honest, I'm no expert in this area, in fact, the more I dig the more I realize how much I don't and didn't know. While there are no exacting historical examples to match this piece, I can say with some certainty that this sword could quite possibly have existed in the late viking era, around the 11th century.
The pommel is a rounded brazil nut style and similar examples can be seen on swords like the Knud or Valkyrja from Albion (Type B ?). The guard I believe would be classified as a Style 6? Again, guessing here by referencing other material I have found on the subject. Please educate me if I am wrong.
Full Disclosure
I purchased this sword with my own money and received no compensation from Yeshua's Sword.
Initial Impressions
Upon receiving the sword it was well packaged. Care was taken to be sure the sword arrived in excellent condition. As soon as I had made my way through the packaging and the sword was revealed, a big smile drew across my face. It was exactly as I had wanted. It came in an unglued scabbard core made of poplar (per my request) with enough extra room to compensate for the shearling I was going to line it with. Yes, I had decided not to have a full scabbard made this time around as I had some ideas about doing leather work for it (more to come on that).
When I picked up the sword for the first time, the fit in my hand was perfect for me and the guard and pommel style along with the grip length lent comfort to both the hammer and hand shake grip. The balance was just right. Not too tip heavy but enough blade presence to let you know you could do some serious damage with this piece.
Another thing that stands out is the peen on this sword. I'll let the pictures do the talking here.
Statistics
Blade Length: 78.3 cm / 30-3/4 in.
Blade Width: 5.5 cm / 2-1/8 in.
Handle Length: 17.8 cm / 7 in. (from tip of pommel to guard)
Overall Length: 95 cm / 37-3/8 in.
Guard Width: 11.7 cm / 4-1/2 in.
POB (Point of Balance): 10.8 cm / 4-1/4 in. from guard
COP (Center of Percussion): Approx. 51 cm / 20 in. from guard
Weight: I don't have a digital scale, but can put this around the 2 lb 8 oz range.
Components
The Blade:
As the title indicates, this sword is based on the Hanwei Tinker Type X bare blade. It doesn't stop there though. Ernie at Yeshua's Sword offers a 'regrind' option that removes imperfections from the blade as it comes from the forge. There is no longer evidence of the jittery grinder marks or a secondary bevel. It now has a satin finish with a keen single beveled edge.
The Handle:
The guard and pommel are custom milled from mild steel. They have a seemingly flawless satin finish. The grip is made of curly maple with some wonderful spalking (ink lines) and given a tung oil finish. This is my favorite part of the sword.
The Scabbard:
As I had mentioned earlier, my request for the scabbard was simple. A basic core made of poplar with enough wiggle room inside to allow me to line it with shearling. Obviously it could not be shipped glued together. Although Yeshua's Sword makes fantastic scabbards, I wanted to be able to do a leather wrap on this one.
I did have him make a belt riser / bridge in the same curly maple as the grip was made with and allowed him to have artistic freedom in it's design. As you can see from the picture, it turned out famously.
I will be commissioning Yeshua's Sword to make a custom scabbard for my Kris Cutlery Teutonic as I really think he does wonderful work and there are very few who offer scabbards of this type.
Handling Characteristics
Although this viking sword is made from an H/T type X, the handling is noticeably different than the HT viking. With a POB of about 4-1/4 inches vs. the 5-1/2 inches I measured from my HT viking, it is much more comfortable to wield. Not to mention the entirely different hilt makes it that much more comfortable in the hands.
Being a person of slight build (5'9" - 160lbs), this makes a big difference for me as far handling is concerned. I've only owned four viking swords (this being number four), a KC viking, Windlass Sticklestad and an HT viking and this is by far the most comfortable for me.
Test Cutting
The sword arrived paper cutting sharp. Again, the regrind option lends to a nice finish and the sword is razor sharp without a secondary bevel.
Please forgive my poor form. I am more of a collector than I am an actual practitioner of any sword art. Obviously I enjoy using my swords, but I just don't do it enough to become very proficient. Don't let my lack of skill deter from this swords capabilities.
I only made up two targets with 3 beach mat rolls and a couple of bottles. It was cold and I only had limited time to do this. Yes, I edited out my bad cuts. Full mat cuts including flubs below.
Conclusions
I am very happy with my purchase. The sword grows on me more each day and next to my customized Kris Cutlery Katana 26A...it is one of my favorite pieces.
Pros
- Beautiful curly maple grip.
- Custom milled hilt components.
- Great balance and handling.
- Well executed peen and very solid construction.
Cons
Honestly, it's hard to find any faults in this sword. It is exactly as I had expected. Everything was done as I requested and the communication from Ernie at Yeshua's Sword was amazing. Updates via e-mail on progress and any questions he had that may have come up to be sure I was getting exactly what I requested. I was also able
to watch the progress via his Facebook Page. He gave me a 6-8 week time line and the sword was completed in about 5 weeks.
The Bottom Line
Would I recommend Yeshua's Sword? You bet! What's not to like? He will mount any bare blade with custom milled parts and beautiful wood grips and scabbards. The price point was very good and the service and customer care was exceptional.
If you're like me and don't like to own a sword that looks like a thousand others out there, then you would be silly not to consider Yeshua's Sword for a custom piece. I highly recommend them.
Yeshua' Sword