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Post by Alex.Moranz on Feb 13, 2014 11:45:18 GMT
Hello everybody,
So I am looking for any information and pictures of scottish broadswords. If you guys have any lengths, weights, pictures of the basket hilts and so forth I would greatly appreciate it. Until then I shall continue to scour the internet and find all that I can.
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Feb 13, 2014 16:53:09 GMT
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Post by Alex.Moranz on Feb 13, 2014 21:46:02 GMT
Ulahn, that is more than helpful,thank you. I'm going to save those to my computer. See several I really like.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Feb 15, 2014 22:15:02 GMT
Alex:
Sorry winter storm has played hell with my work sked and finally have time to chatter.
Are you more interested in original two handed warswords (Claymores "Great Swords" ) or the 17-18th Century baskethilted highland swords which inherited the claymore assignation?
Uhlan has walked you thru the many european options for baskethilt, pallasches.
George SIlver and the Bolognese school of fencing basically refer to these as their weapon of choice.
Highland use typically included the "targe", roundshield.
Amorclass of Glasgow makes some excellent highland broadswords with a range from 400-1000 in price. Wait time is 6-8 months to get one though. KoA got some last year but their stock is mostly out. Most folks are happy with what they get from them. I had such an outrageously bad experience dealing with these bonnie bubbas I swore I'd never own one of their pieces. (The KoA connections sofened my opinion; I'd buy in stock from Chicago.)
Backswords, so called because the back blade remained at or tapered down from the greates width of the blade, the baskethilt pretty much made a two edged blade superfluous, except for the foible. Other tendency of the backblade was to narrow the width of the blade because the structural spine would take the load of strikes; end result was usually a more nimble sword more adaptable to point work and allowing smaller, tighter motion of the arm to cut.
The Hanwei entry level highlands are good for starters. Their mortuary sword is too light of blade, but a good training piece. A number of private smiths, like Isle of Skye, do Highland swords of heirloom quality.
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Feb 16, 2014 0:01:49 GMT
Do not forget the Cold Steel Scottish Broadsword. Also good for starters. Some say it is too heavy, but I find it does well. Excellently made ( by Windlass ? ), good blade. Remove the basket liner and the glitzy bluing and you will have a good sword, although I advise to buy second hand, as Cold Steel prices are somewhat inflated, to put it politely.
Bought my Hanwei Backsword second hand also, for the same reason.
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Post by Alex.Moranz on Feb 16, 2014 0:45:02 GMT
Wow again thanks for the info. I guess I should let you guys kind of know where my head is at on this and what I am looking to do.
Backstory: A brother of mine is going to have a baby soon and I want to get/make them a gift. His last name is Scott, and his family is obviously from Scotland. He is not really into swords, more of a gun type, but he does have a deep appreciation for them. A family tradition is for them to get a certain type of knife from their father. Has something to do with his heritage but thats about all I know. Anyway I was wanting to get him a really nice Scottish Basket hilt for his family, something that can be passed down through the generations, or at least hung upon the fireplace.
Now I've got this H/T fullered bastard bare blade that I've been messing around with thinking of something to do with it. I had taken it to Ernie awhile back asking about how to properly polish it and what he would recommend doing with it. He had said they were great swords but he had always wanted to shorten one up a bit and make it a single hander. So as I sat there polishing this blade thinking of what I wanted to get my brother, the idea of turning it into a Scottish basket hilt hit me.
So thats where I am at in the adventure. Looking at some of the pictures posted I think it would be feasible to use this blade, maybe not 100% accurate but close I think.
What are you guys thought on this? Will this blade work for what I am thinking? Or should I pick up a different sword and start over?
Also I want to do as much work myself on this sword and not just send it out to get it done by someone else. I am going to have to send it out for the basket hilt but I think I can make the scabbard.
Thanks.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Feb 16, 2014 2:52:39 GMT
I'm not a cutler. Concievably you coult match up a fairly less expensive Highland basket, like a Hanwei or Windlass, to your blade and modify as you wish. Details and cost factors for such a project I couldn't answer. You might want to move this topic over to a sword works thread where the cutlers are more likely to see it, so you can get some pro advise. :mrgreen:
I'd just send it to Christian Fletcher, then go rob a bank to pay for it.... :lol:
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Post by Alex.Moranz on Feb 16, 2014 3:45:22 GMT
Haha ya the thought of robbing a bank to buy swords has crossed my mind a few times. And I will most likely move this thread over here in a few days. I still have some planning to do and make up my mind on what I really want it to look like. Will also most likely send it to Ernie for the basket. I have plenty of time to figure this out so we shall see...
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Luka
Senior Forumite
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Post by Luka on Feb 16, 2014 8:30:09 GMT
Since Scots used all kinds of old blades for their baskets, fullered bastard should work well. If I were you I would search the cr*p out of myarmoury, there are loads of beautiful baskethilt images. I saved tons of them from there... Also, I would advise one of the earlier basket designs if you will go custom, they are often simpler, but very elegant and beautiful... Ribbon hilts are my favourites.  |
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Post by Rabel Dusk on Feb 16, 2014 9:44:27 GMT
Here is an English baskethilt from around 1620. E. B. Erickson made a very nice version of that hilt. Attachments:
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Feb 16, 2014 18:20:25 GMT
I combined this basket: www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... sh+Cutlass with a Jian blade. Worked well. See the picture: ,, Basket hilted Highlander broadsword, about 1600" above. You will find that all repro basket hilts are threaded, so swapping blades should not be that difficult. Windlass uses imperial thread. Most smiths should have them. Hanwei is metric. Read somewhere that in the 19th C. Scottish Officers used to swap their field blades for ceremonial blades when requiered. See this Officers model by Universal, the standard basket hilt in the British Army of today. Party blade can be swapped for a fighting blade in a jiffy: www.schwertshop.de/schwerter/mil ... hwert.html Military spec. Shame they ,, forgot" to insert the brass proof disk in the ricasso. You yourself, or a local metal worker, ( garage, smith ) should be able to the threading of the tang. It is not that difficult. Inletting the blade shoulders is not that difficult either. I see no need to send it off to a custom smith, when all these little things can be done at home. |
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Post by Belfigor on Feb 18, 2014 0:41:36 GMT
last year i bought a baskethilt broadsword from a well known manufactorer because it looked nice and it seemed oke at first when i held it,but later it just felt like a piece of dead weight or a chainsaw in my hands..
i just don't understand how they could have fought battles with such a sword, i mean strike and recover wise.
i was completely blocked with such a piece of heavy deadweight metal in my hands, an utterly waste of my good money it was too.
because i like the blade now i'm customizing it into a two handed sword with longer grip and a real pommel.
it handels much much better already but i'm not satisfied yet.
this baskethilt i will give as a present to a swordfighter i know. :lol:
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Post by Alex.Moranz on Feb 18, 2014 2:27:39 GMT
again thanks for all the information. Ya I have been scouring MA as well saving pictures and reading up on all I can. Ulahn I may have to go that route of purchasing another sword for the basket, or contact the manufacturer and see if I can just buy the basket separately. Also need to contact Ernie and see what his price would be. If you would rather sell that baskethilt, send me a picture and I may be more than happy to buy it off you.  |
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Post by Belfigor on Feb 18, 2014 3:01:37 GMT
Will not be worth it selling abroad due to transportcost and customfee thievery.
besides, a present is a present.
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Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Feb 18, 2014 4:53:08 GMT
Alex, I hope you will keep us posted on any developments and if you have questions we will do our best to answer them. That is what this forum is for.
Good luck, cheers, Ulahn.
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Post by Alex.Moranz on Feb 18, 2014 5:05:38 GMT
I most definitely will. Gonna be a little while until I take the next step and get the baskethilt...have to make up my mind and move a few things around to free up some funds. But I did finally finish polishing and sharpening the blade, so theres that.
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