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Post by liammccabe on Apr 22, 2013 13:58:01 GMT
Hi guys, I only just joined this forum but I've been "collecting" so to speak since I was about 16. So basically, all my other sword have been display swords and that's been fine. Recently, and mostly prompted by reading A Song of Ice and Fire I decided I wanted something a bit more medieval/western braodsword AND it would be functional. So, after looking into it, and looking through all the available options and it's excellent review here on Sword Buyers Guide, I went for the Windlass German Bastard Sword. So, here's where it goes a bit arry. I started using it for some cutting, chopped up some plastic bottles filled with water , felt bad ass and proceeded to chop some twigs off a tree in the garden. Now, I understand people say don't use your sword to cut anything other than what it's intended to be used for - human flesh or a reasonable replacement (99 times out of 100 it'll be the flesh like medium unless your a vengeful cuckolded husband or the like). But these were, in all certainty, twigs and very thin branches which were half an inch in diameter at MOST. So the sword started to rattle after that, and since such times it'a gotten worse. The sword, if rotated in my hand, starts twisting from left to right, as does the cross-guard. Now even the handle can move and the pommel spins around too. The blade is fine as you would expect of a Windlass - it's great quality and the blade hasn't been damaged or warped. Now it IS a peened tang so used the method outlined on this website ( www.foxtail.nu/bjorn/bonk_eng.htm) to try and remedy the situation, but to no avail. Is it possible to fix the peen with a ball been hammer when it isn't heated - as I've tried - so do I need to heat the peen first to try and re-secure it? I've uploaded a video to youtube to try and display how it's rattling if that's any help to you guys - Also, there's a high detail picture on this website ( www.darkknightarmoury.com/p-9500-german-bastard-sword.aspx)that shows the peen on the pommel. Any help would be really appreciated!
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hhmoore
Member
Sneaking around once in a while
Posts: 656
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Post by hhmoore on Apr 22, 2013 14:04:36 GMT
I was under the impression that the pommel on that sword was threaded...though it might be peened now (that you've beaten it with a hammer).
Edited to add - I just checked on KOA, and it does show the Windlass German Bastard Sword as having a threaded pommel. Try tightening it, rather than trying to re-peen.
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Post by chuckinohio on Apr 22, 2013 14:13:37 GMT
It is threaded.
The peen block on the end of the pommel, is actually a threaded ferrule, the very narrow portion that looks like a bead on the end of the pommel, and is about 1/4 of an inch thick.
To tighten it, you will in all likelihood have to get on it with a pair of pliers or similar tool to tighten it down. Once you do that, you can then peen the end of the tang over to secure it in place. Taking pliers to the nut will mar it, but you can correct that condition with some file work, some sandpaper, and some cold bluing solution to bring it back into good shape visually.
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Post by liammccabe on Apr 22, 2013 14:21:50 GMT
See I've tried twisting it and it seems to get tighter to a degree but only up toa point, and then it stop's getting tighter. My explanation for this was that it was tighteing around the leather of the grip and then releasing but I'll give it another try.
...
Again, it seems to be getting a bit tighter but if it's threaded it seems to be slipping out. Bearing in mind that I did try to twist it BEFORE trying to fix the peen but unfortunately it was much the same! However, now that you mention it I seem to vaguely remember it being a tighter twist? regardless of that however, when I tried hammering it it did not yield a millimeter so even if it is threaded the difference would have been negligible, if not non-existent.
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hhmoore
Member
Sneaking around once in a while
Posts: 656
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Post by hhmoore on Apr 22, 2013 14:42:05 GMT
I don't know anything about Windlass' setups, so I can't offer any further advice. Hopefully somebody that does can chime in.
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Post by chuckinohio on Apr 22, 2013 14:55:23 GMT
Are you twisting the whole pommel?
If you are, twist the pommel until it snugs up, and then tighten the little nut on the end of the pommel to firm the while assembly up. That little bead looking piece on the end of the pommel is a separate part from the pommel and needs to be tightened in addition.
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Post by liammccabe on Apr 22, 2013 15:01:59 GMT
I see what it is you're getting at here and I am trying but when I use the pliers to try and get a good grip on the bead at the end of the pommel, all it's serving to do is scrape of the antique effect which I'm not too fussed about as it is such a tiny part of the sword and the blade..
I've tried to put some little bits of cardboard in between the gaps of the blade and the cross guard and it's successful in stopping the blade and cross-guard from wiggling about. I think if I could get this pommel tightened it would work a lot better and be as strong as I want it but I feel like I could be doing with a vice here, which is equipment I do not own.
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Post by chuckinohio on Apr 22, 2013 15:06:07 GMT
By trying to peen it, you may have squirreled the threads up enough to jam the small nut in place.
Next option would be to grind the peened portion off, remove the nut, and then directly peen the tang to the pommel. Is this within your capabilities or no?
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Post by Bryan Heff on Apr 22, 2013 15:12:18 GMT
What Chuck said, you need to really crank down on that ferrule piece, the pommel nut. Screwing the pommel itself won't do a thing as it is not threaded. I had a similar sword (windlass claymore) and my assumption is it has the same construction method. It the threads are wrecked though...that could make things tough.
You could try epoxy down the cross guard slot, it there is room to get it in there. I know some people of used this method to fix rattles.
Fishing line wrapped and forced down into gaps I have heard sometimes works (never tried it myself)
If you can't tighten the nut, can you take it off and maybe rethread the tang and get a new threaded nut.
Just some thoughts.
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Post by liammccabe on Apr 22, 2013 15:57:04 GMT
... I'm going to say no xD I have neither equipment nor metalworking skill in any capacity. But as I said, when I tried to hammer the peen it didn't yield a milimeter, could could the thread be damaged if the metal didn't move? If it is I'll be very surprised.
The rattle is essentially fixed by using the cardboard but the grip and the pommel are still shifting about, there in lies the need for tightening!
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Post by liammccabe on Apr 22, 2013 16:55:35 GMT
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Post by liammccabe on Apr 22, 2013 18:24:06 GMT
Never mind, I fixed it! Just took a lot more elbow grease and some pliers with more mean teeth but I got it tighter. Thank you so much for all the help and information or I'd have just kept hitting it with a frigging hammer. CHEERS.
Feel free to close the thread if necessary!
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Post by Bryan Heff on Apr 22, 2013 19:03:16 GMT
Glad to hear you got it tight. Those smooth ferrules are tough to get a grip on. It its all chewed up from the pliers and you want to make it look nicer, sandpaper and some elbow grease works wonders, or a light filing.
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Post by chuckinohio on Apr 23, 2013 0:33:33 GMT
Good that you got it to tighten up, I didn't want to keep repeating the same thing to you for fear you would think I was being pedantic, but no worries now!
As Findlithui mentioned, since you now are familiar with the disassembly of your weapon, maybe some time to correct its ills would be in order. If it comes loose again, I would shim the guard with some brass sheet, epoxy the grip core in place, retighten the pommel and ferrule, and then either peen it or Loctite it in place.
Congratulations and happy days!!
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Post by liammccabe on Apr 23, 2013 9:28:53 GMT
Aside from epoxying, pommel, ferrule and peen I have no idea what any of those other things mean and I don't think I would even begin to have a clue how to do them! Lord above. And as far as fammiliarty with the disassembly, I'm just as unaware as I started as I didn't have to disassemble it, I managed to fix it with needing to do that
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Post by Kilted Cossack on May 5, 2013 0:18:02 GMT
Nah, let's leave it open, so we can all laugh at you! (I'm just funnin' ya, man. We've ALL been there.)
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