|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Jun 2, 2014 16:31:11 GMT
 Overall Length: 40" Blade Length: 32" Blade Width: 2 1/8" @ base; 1 1/4" @ profile taper (8" from tip); 3/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 5" Guard Width: 8" Pommel Dimensions: 2 1/2"L x 1 5/8"W The original design for my Type XXa entry of my Oakeshott series, this is one of only 9 designs from the original design that I like enough to consider posting in this thread; the XIVb "Goth" and Petersen Type L XIVc are two others. The XXa has always captured my fascination as it's a rather elegant looking blade profile, not to mention refined with its unusual fuller arrangement. The crosspiece on this example is a Style 9, similar to the one on Mé'aré, while the pommel is a teardrop shape modeled after the one found on the antique listed as XXa.2 on MyArmoury.  Overall Length: 45 1/2" Blade Length: 35 7/8" Blade Width: 2 1/2" @ base; 1 1/2" @ profile taper (3 3/8" from tip); 7/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 7 1/2" Guard Width: 8" Pommel Dimensions: 1 5/8"L x 2 3/4"W I've mentioned this before, but the main motivation behind the Dolan Type Xb is that I felt "two-handed viking", while accurate, didn't encompass the full spectrum it had to offer. I designed this sword, dubbed simply "Xb", to exemplify this line of thought. Though the blade is actually a Geibig Type 8, it still falls under the Xb category, while the curved Style 2 crosspiece (the same as on the Albion Yeoman) and the Type M pommel (borrowed from my Firenze design) hearken back to the older, transitional styles of Type Xs. The chape is meant to emulate the shape of a heater shield with the quarters recessed, but it didn't come out quite as cleanly defined as I had hoped.  Overall Length: 39 3/4" Blade Length: 31" Blade Width: 3" @ base; 1 3/4" @ profile taper (7 7/8" from tip); 1/2" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 6" Guard Width: 8 1/8" Pommel Dimensions: 2 1/4"L x 2"W This is the Monarch, a design originally from July 2012, and probably one of my lesser known swords, as I designed Wyrmfell and Drake almost immediately afterwards and, well, they kinda stole the spotlight. I call this sword the Monarch as, when I designed it, I just felt like designing a XIVa with the hilt furniture of the Albion Sovereign. The gold and purple color scheme, which is about as gaudy as I can bring myself to put on a sword, is a reference to the fact that, throughout history, purple dye was often so expensive to produce that only royalty could wear it. Beyond that, there's not much to say here. |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Jun 2, 2014 16:57:16 GMT
 Overall Length: 44" Blade Length: 34" Blade Width: 2 1/2" @ base; 1 5/8" @ profile taper (8" from tip); 3/8" from tip Grip Length: 6 5/8" Guard Width: 8 3/4" Pommel Dimensions: 3"L x 1 7/8"W Somewhat of an ahistoric design, my original XVIIIc entry in my Oakeshott series is nonetheless an attractive design in my eyes. The crosspiece is a variation of the Style 10, modified from a design I found online, which originally had a finger ring incorporated into it; the pommel is a Type U, which is an interesting type that many will recognize from the Albion Viceroy.  Overall Length: 40 1/4" Blade Length: 34" Blade Width: 1 1/2" @ base; 1" @ profile taper (7" from tip); 1/4" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 3/4" Guard Width: 5" Pommel Dimensions: 2"L x 1 7/8"W In October 2011, I made my first attempt at designing a Type XVIIId; it featured a Style 12 guard and a Type W pommel, both of which had been blued. Unfortunately, I also made the grip and scabbard blue, so it became something of a blue overload. It also had one of my infamously early fullers, which were always far too wide for the blade type. And that's all I'll say about that. Well, in February 2012, I was cleaning out my folder of old designs while preparing for my XVIII entry of my Oakeshott series when I came across that sword once more. I decided that, rather than create an entirely new sword to represent the XVIIId, why not update an old, forgotten design? This version is thematically the same as the original, minus the blue furniture, but with significant improvements. The guard is the same as on Ifearnán, while the pommel is actually a true misshapen wheel, as opposed to what I had before, and the fuller is now much narrower, more befitting an XVIIId. Combined with the grip, which is reminiscent of the one on my Shobu Sidesword, I think the end result is a very elegant design.  Overall Length: 31 1/4" Blade Length: 25 11/16" Blade Width: 2 1/2" @ base; 1 1/2" @ profile taper (6 5/16" from tip); 1/2" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 4 7/8" Guard Width: 4 3/4" Pommel Dimensions: N/A Originally, I didn't include a description with the Type XXII entry into my Oakeshott series, most likely due to the fact that I forgot about them for several days before posting them. Of the types of pommels found on the XXII, one of them is actually just a Cinquedea-type cap and, desiring something different, I decided to base the entire design around an antique XXII; XXII.4, to be exact. The main thing that sets mine apart from the original antique is my blade is hollow ground, where I don't believe the original was. |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Jun 2, 2014 17:15:34 GMT
 Overall Length: 41 3/4" Blade Length: 36" Blade Width: 1 7/8" @ base; 1 3/8" @ profile taper (5" from tip); 5/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 1/2" Guard Width: 6" Pommel Dimensions: 2" Let me take you back in time, rewind to, well, not '89, but how about '75? 1175, to be exact. The original version of the XI entry in my Oakeshott series, it is one of the few from that original run that I'm still fond enough of to post in the new thread. Despite generally not caring about the XI, as it is a greatly underrepresented type (after all, there's not much call for a cavalry sword these days), something about the simplicity of my design attracted me to it, even if the Type I1 pommel is a little anachronistic.  Overall Length: 40 1/2" Blade Length: 34" Blade Width: 2 3/8" @ base; 1 3/8" @ profile taper (4" from tip); 3/4" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 11/16" Guard Width: 6" Pommel Dimensions: 2 1/2"L x 2"W The original XIa of my Oakeshott series and, in a stroke of irony, it seems that it and the XI swapped hilts in my redesign of the series. Again, something about the simplistic design of the sword called to me even though the XIa is even less represented in modern reproductions than its parent type. The cross is a Style 3, the pommel a Type K with extended peen block, both in brushed bronze and rather fetching against the medium brown of the grip.  Overall Length: 45 7/16" Blade Length: 36" Blade Width: 2" @ base; 1 1/2" @ profile taper (5" from tip); 5/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 6 5/8" Guard Width: 7" Pommel Dimensions: 2 3/8"L x 1 3/4" Last of the original Oakeshott series that I'm still fond of, this is the Dolan Type XIb, which is vaguely Spanish in influence, owing to the crosspiece and pommel; the Style 4 crosspiece is based on that of the old Valiant Armoury Castille, itself based on a Spanish effigy if I remember correctly. The pommel, a Type L, is an uncommon trefoil type with only one extant example identified, which has caused it to be Spanish in origin. |
|
|
|
Post by Madmartigen on Jun 2, 2014 17:48:25 GMT
As much as I hate to hijack this thread, wow! And I mean it.
Hats off to you sir, this is knowledge, passion and talent united. Epic work, thank you for sharing. Now where is your "Add karma" button?
|
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Jun 2, 2014 17:59:59 GMT
Thank you kindly for the compliments; it does me good to hear that people enjoy my designs. As for the Karma button, I actually opted out of it some years back, but I appreciate the sentiment. Also, you're not hijiacking the thread; I welcome people to comment on my work.  Overall Length: 26 7/8" Blade Length: 21 3/8" (Clip: 5 3/8") Blade Width: 1 5/8" @ base; 1 3/16" @ profile taper (3 11/16" from tip); 9/16" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 1/2" Guard Width: 2 1/2" Pommel Dimensions: 1 3/8"L x 2 1/4"W The predecessor to my Tilanzian Kromseax and borrowed from Mikko's old Migration Era Bowie, this isn't really a bad sword, but it's not relevant to my novels anymore. The hilt is made up of blackened iron and amarantia, a fictional mineral I had originally created for the story; the scabbard is based on historical viking-style scabbards, but with an innovation to make it a little different. Rather than the bridge running parallel to the blade, this one is set at a 45° angle, a design feature that I liked enough to carry over to the redesigned weapon, despite how markedly different the two are. The idea was that it could be worn at the hip or the small of the back, depending on that particular Tilanzian's profession, rather than just straight up and down like the rest of the swords in the setting.  Overall Length: 40 7/8" Blade Length: 32" Blade Width: 3" @ base; 1 3/4" @ profile taper (7 7/8" from tip); 1/2" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 6" Guard Width: 8" Pommel Dimensions: 2 1/2"L x 1 3/4"W Originally designed March 2013, I call this sword the Merovingian due to its roughly Gothic styling and the fact that the Merovingian dynasty happened to rule parts of Germany and the Goths were a Germanic peoples... At least, that's what I tell myself. Really, I just like the name. It has such a pleasant ring to it. Anyways, in its earliest stages, this sword was actually slated to be an XVIIIa rather than the Dolan XIVa it ended up being. I wanted to design an XVIIIa with a blackened half-wire wrap and a scentstopper pommel. The crosspiece, which you'll likely recognize as being shared by my Skülkivér design, was originally inspired by one on another forumite's design and it was one I wanted to try my hand at for some time. The two ideas just kinda mixed, but when I actually set out to render the blade, the XVIIIa didn't sit right with me and I came to the conclusion that the relatively slender XVIIIa blade just didn't really look right with this hilt, so I went with the wider XIVa and the rest is history. There's really not much else to say about this blade, except that the pommel is the same one I used in my Steward falchion, albeit with flattened surfaces rather than the scalloped ones on the Steward's pommel. The riser at the mouth of the scabbard is extra large for no particular reason than that it looks good, while I'm quite fond of the chape, difficult though it was to render (and probably harder still to make in steel).  Overall Length: 54 5/8" Blade Length: 42" Blade Width: 2" @ base; 1 9/16" @ profile taper (3 5/8" from tip); 3/4" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 10" Guard Width: 5 1/8" Pommel Dimensions: 2"L x 1 3/4"W This is actually the very last sword I posted in my previous thread and it's an interesting one with an odd story: in my fist novel, I have a character who, when introduced to the protagonist, is part of a crime family (for lack of a better term) and I've almost always pictured him using an exceptionally large sword. For the longest time, I've pictured him carrying a nodachi rested on his shoulders, but I got to thinking today and realized how out of place that would be; all the swords in this world are either European or European-themed fantasy blades, so a glaringly Japanese sword would stand out quite a bit. I started pondering how to give him the best of both worlds and this sword is the result of that. Unfortunately, one part of it didn't come out quite as well as I'd hoped, but, well, there's not much I could do about that with my skill. The blade is the same one used on my Sorin - Dai sword, the two-handed pseudo-Viking saber I designed some time ago for another character, albeit with an extra 8" in blade length; I also lengthened the grip by 3 1/4" to give it a bit more leverage (it's of a size with Albion's Tyrolean). The pommel is a modified version of the one found on my Vanguard sword, which I felt appropriate, as they're both intended to be Euro/katana hybrids, albeit of a different scale. The guard, which is honestly the focal point of the design, is also the part that didn't come out as well as I'd hoped, sadly. I don't think it looks bad, but unless you look extremely closely, it just looks like a squat, bulky crosspiece. The idea was to expand upon the side-ring only guard found on my Vanguard sword by adding an additional pair of rings, essentially making it the European answer to the lobed sukashi tsuba. Due to the length of the blade, I opted to forgo a traditional scabbard and went with a back scabbard modified from one I found through Google Images. Unlike most so-called back scabbards, which are ridiculously impractical, this design only requires you to draw the sword 8" before it is free of the scabbard. Additionally, there are posts near the hilt to lock in the guard (a feature of the original back scabbard this one was based on), keeping it from moving or bouncing out of the scabbard; in this instance, the posts slip through the fore-n-aft rings (for lack of a better term, since "side" rings refer to the rings along the flat of the blade), further locking it in place. Lastly, to avoid some generic name like "great saber", which was the first idea to pop into my head while trying to name it, I decided to name it in Japanese as a nod to its roots as a nodachi. As such, I call this sword Seitau, which translates, quite loosely I might add, to "Western Katana". In Japanese, the kanji for 'west' is 西 and is normally read nishi when on its own, but when part of another word, can be read as either sei (as in seireki or Western calendar) or sai (as in Kansai, the Western region of Japan where Kyoto and Osaka are located); following this is the kanji for 'sword', which is 刀 and is normally read as katana (yes, that one), but there exists a reading based on the Chinese pronunciation that is transliterated as "tau", which I decided to use because it's different (and the other option, to, would make it seito, a homophone for "student"). |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Jun 2, 2014 19:11:23 GMT
 Overall Length: 90" Head Length: 13" Head Width: 8 1/4" Blade Length: 10 3/16" Blade Width: 1 5/8" @ base; 1 3/8" @ belly; 1 5/8" @ profile taper (2" from tip); 1 1/4" @ 1" from tip Side Blade Length: 3 1/8" Side Blade Width: 1 7/16" @ base; 2 1/8" @ prong (7/8" from tip) Haft Length: 75 1/8" Pommel Dimensions: 1 1/8"L x 1 1/2"W My single most ambitious design to date, I originally designed this near the end of October 2011 and I can safely say that the original version of this design marked a definitive leap in my skill level. Based on a 600 year old antique, this is the Chidori Jumonji Yari. Chidori Jumonji Yari means something like "cow-horns 10-crest cross spear" and you can see why: 10 ( juu in Japanese) is written 十 in Kanji, which is where this style of spear spear gets its name. A regular jumonji yari, however, is a rather simple spear design that has two shorter blades on the side which are quite straight, only curving slightly at the tips. Chidori, which in this case means "cow-horns", defines it as having the two extra kissaki-like points on the back ends; they're somewhat reminiscent of a cow's horns, hence the name. This design, unlike a regular jumonji yari, has extra hooking capabilities thanks to the prongs on the backs of the side blades, making it an even more versatile weapon. The shaft is a hefty ash with a dark maroon lacquer, a color I felt very appropriate for several reasons: primarily, it's a subdued hue, which goes with the Japanese penchant for more earthen tones in male clothing (and the yari was the traditional samurai weapon alongside the yumi). Second, red is the traditional color of courage in Japanese culture (rather than passion or anger as in Western culture), which is why you see a lot of old samurai yoroi that are a rich scarlet; in fact, one of the greatest heroes of Japan, Sanada Yukimura, wore crimson armor and supposedly wielded a jumonji yari in battle (the character had both in the Koei video game series Samurai Warriors, though those games are not noted for their historical accuracy; they are fun, though). While I am still quite proud of my original version, when I began preparing for this thread, I decided that I wanted to give it a major update and smooth out a few things about the design. And smooth it out I did. While the haft stayed virtually unchanged, the head changed a fair amount: the head is now wider overall (8 1/4" overall as opposed to 6 1/8") and the lines are much cleaner, more organic. The most obvious change to the head, however, is that this version is much simpler, lacking the darkened polish in the center of each blade that was featured on both the original antique and the previous version of this design. Though I still find that complex polish attractive, I wanted to make this more of an a weapon a warrior might actually carry into battle without fear of ruining the finish, so I gave it a plain satin polish that I actually think makes the spear even more attractive.  Overall Length: 23" Blade Length: 5" Head Width: 5 1/2" Haft Length: 22 1/4" Yay for new designs! From here on out, all the designs posted will be brand new. My second axe design following my redesign of the Gotland, I based the head off of a reproduction of a Viking hewing axe, while the haft, which features a rather unique subtle s-curve to it, was actually inspired by a modern short spear/war scythe design named the WMD that I found on KnifeDogs.com, which you can see here. It's also reminiscent of some axe shafts that I've seen adorning viking axes around the web, so I call this piece simply the Viking.  Overall Length: 20 1/4" Blade Length: 14" Blade Width: 1 7/8" @ end of thumb ramp; 1 7/16" @ belly; 1 1/2" @ profile taper (4 1/8" from tip); 5/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 4 3/16" Guard Width: 9/16" Pommel Dimensions: N/A In preparation for this thread, I decided to design a large knife that could fill a number of roles; primarily, I focused on something that would be pretty good for fighting, but something that could be used to baton wood or butcher an animal if absolutely necessary. The result was this design, which I call the Scimitar due to its shape, and it was actually a combination of elements from similar knives from around the web. The grip scales and extended tang are modeled after those from the Dervish Knives Duen-Tar, a really nice looking little knife, while the blade is inspired by the Sage Blades San Sibak, an older model of theirs no longer in production. To better fit the role I had envisioned for it, I added a jimped thumb ramp to the spine to allow the knife to be held securely in a saber grip and then added a more complete extension in the front to act as a guard and really lock the hand in place. |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Jun 2, 2014 19:39:06 GMT
 Overall Length: 37 9/16" Blade Length: 30 13/16" Blade Width: 1 1/2" @ base; 1" @ profile taper (2 1/2" from tip); 5/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 5/8" Guard Width: 6 1/2" Pommel Dimensions: 1 7/8"L x 2 1/8"W For a few years now, ever since I stumbled across a forumite's custom katana mated to a Scottish basket hilt, I've had a minor fascination with katana blades paired with renaissance-era complex hilts. The first design born of that fascination was my Shobu Sidesword. Well, while preparing for this thread, I got to wondering what a katana blade paired with a schiavona hilt might look like. The schiavona is a particular style of asymmetrical basket-hilted sword most commonly associated with Venetian soldiers, and is found with single- and double-edged blades of varying length both with an without fullers. The hilt for mine was based, if memory serves, an earlier-style schiavona hilt made my Armour Class.  Overall Length: 43" Blade Length: 36" Blade Width: 1" @ base; 7/8" @ profile taper (3" from tip); 1/2" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 5/8" Guard Width: 8" Pommel Dimensions: 1 9/16"L x 1 3/4"W Let me preface this by saying that rapiers are not my preferred style of swords, so the blade on this sword is bound to look a little off when compared to most high-end rapiers. That said, I love the Pappenheimer hilt style; there's just something about it that speaks to me. Perhaps it's the German in me. Well, when I came across a meticulously detailed sketch of the style, rather than a photo of dubious quality or at an extreme angle, I just had to use it as reference to design my own Pappenheimer-styled rapier and I think it came out beyond all my expectations.  Overall Length: 44 3/8" Blade Length: 36" Blade Width: 1 3/8" @ base; 1 1/8" @ profile taper (5" from tip); 3/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 9/16" Guard Width: 10" Pommel Dimensions: 2 3/16"L x 1 7/8"W As with my previous design, the blade on this one might look a little odd to rapier enthusiasts. From the same sketch as the previous Pappenheimer, this hilt started as an experiment to see if I could properly render such a delicate hilt and I think I actually succeeded quite nicely. This one is based on a German style from the 1500's, which is a little amusing as I call this sword Espada, the Spanish word for sword; a reference to the fact that "rapier" was originally just the German word to describe a foreign sword. Perhaps if I can manage to design something of a Spanish style in the future, I might name it "sværd" as a joke. |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Jun 2, 2014 20:26:03 GMT
 Overall Length: 34" Blade Length: 5" Head Width: 6 1/2" Haft Length: 32 3/4" This axe, dubbed simply "Broad-axe", was inspired by a viking-style axe I found online, albeit without the Norse knot engravings on the head... Though not for a lack of trying on my part; the knot work was just too complex for me to properly render, despite how deceptively simple it appeared. Like its inspiration, this axe features a deeply blued steel head and a dark gray, almost black, stained wood haft. It's a very simple design, but I can imagine that a viking might have been proud to own such a weapon.  Overall Length: 84" Head Length: 14" Blade Length: 10 7/8" Blade Width: 1" @ base; 2 3/4" @ wings; 1 3/4" @ belly; 2 1/4" @ profile taper (6 1/2" from tip); 5/8" @ 1" from tip Haft Length: 61" Pommel Dimensions: 9"L x 2 1/4"W Here's a design I actually did about a week ago during some down time. This was inspired by a fantasy spear, except without the various fantasy trappings it exhibited, such as cutouts in the blade, both along the edge and through the center. Both blade collar and tassel were modeled after those found on the inspiration, as I felt they were what really made the design stand out from being just another leaf-bladed spear. I had originally planned on leaving this spear without a counterbalance to emphasize the Chinese influence, but when I thought about how heavy that spearhead might be, even with such a long haft (which was originally 70"), I decided it needed a proper counterbalance to it, so I designed something based around a an anime-influenced spear I liked. I call this the Feather Spear, certainly not because of its featherweight, but because the spear that served as this weapon's inspiration featured a feather-like pattern along its blade.  Overall Length: 88 15/16" Head Length: 18 7/16" Head Width: 33" Blade Length: 26 7/8" Blade Width: 3" @ rear hook; 3 5/8" @ profile taper (23 5/16" from tip; 1" @ 1" from tip Haft Length: 62 1/4" Mace Dimensions: 7 3/4"L x 4 3/4"W My last polearm design is, quite obviously, a scythe, a weapon that I have a fascination with that is almost completely inverse to its actual use as a weapon. While the scythe would allow for unusual attacking angles, as well as exceptional hooking capabilities, that's about it. Due to the blade being perpendicular to the haft, the reach is greatly shortened compared to a conventional polearm such as a spear or halberd, and since the edge is on the side of the blade facing the user, actually cutting with the weapon requires specialized motions. Despite this, I am still quite fond of the scythe as a weapon and would like to one day work out how to effectively use one (as I mentioned in my description of the Vengali scythe design from my novel, I feel this could best be accomplished by mimicking the techniques used on Dane axes and poleaxes). To that end, I set out to design a scythe that was actually a scythe rather than a fantasy poleaxe, as was the case with my Dreadscythe. Rather than a spike for thrusting, I gave the blade a second-edge on the outside, which would deliver hacking blows when thrusted at the opponent; it would also solve part of the problem of having the edge facing the user. While the point is directed more back at the user than straight away from the shaft, I feel this wouldn't be too great an issue thanks to the second edge and would aid somewhat in the hooking techniques. To the butt end, I added a full-blown mace head, both to counterbalance what would likely be a disproportionately heavy scythe head and to add in an extra option for attacking, particularly as I believe the movements needed for such a weapon would be circular. The spike atop it, which measures 1 1/8", would also be something that could be jabbed at the opponent, particularly the eyes. The mace was actually the hardest thing about this entire weapon to render and it is, consequently, the aspect I am proudest of; it was based on a piece offered by Lutel. The scythe blade was based on a greatly simplified video game scythe, specifically, that of the character Zasalamel from the Soul Calibur franchise of fighting games. Because I feel that this weapon would be deadly no matter which end you used, I call it the Reaper. |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Jun 2, 2014 21:01:44 GMT
 Overall Length: 46" Blade Length: 36" Blade Width: 1 7/8" @ base; 1 3/8" @ profile taper (4" from tip); 5/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 7" Guard Width: 8 1/4" Pommel Dimensions: 2 1/2"L x 1 7/8"W Prior to redesigning my Oakeshott series, I didn't have an XIb that I truly liked and wouldn't have minded owning, so I designed this to assuage that feeling. The pommel is a Type V, which is the same as the one I've used on several other times to honor the age old adage: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The crosspiece is the same as that of the Albion Sovereign, which I've also used on several designs, but this one is slightly reworked to be a bit smoother in spots. The chape, funnily enough, is from one of my other prominent XIb's: Dalun's sword. I call this sword the Lich, which is a type of undead creature in fantasy fiction that is most often a powerful wizard who used magic to cheat death; probably the most recognizable lich of the current day is the Lich King from the MMORPG World of Warcraft. Though not strictly designated as such, the Nazgûl from the Lord of the Rings franchise could be considered liches in the modern sense.  Overall Length: 31 1/2" Blade Length: 26" Blade Width: 3" @ base; 1 7/8" @ profile taper (7" from tip); 1/2" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 1/2" Guard Width: 7" Pommel Dimensions: 1 1/2"L x 2 1/4"W Like every other Type XIV design I've done with an ahistoric pommel, this one came about as the result of my curiosity. I wanted to see what a XIV would look like with the unusual and eye catching Type O pommel, a crescent shaped pommel with almost no surviving examples. The crosspiece is the curved Style 1 I've used on a few XIVs to date and, along with the pommel, is colored a bluish-green that, unfortunately, would likely be very difficult to replicate without the use of chemicals or paints, because I think it looks very striking. I call this sword the Crescent as a nod to its unusual pommel.  Overall Length: 39 3/4" Blade Length: 33" Blade Width: 1 5/8" @ base; 1 5/16" @ profile taper (3 3/4" from tip); 11/16" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 4" Guard Width: 6" Pommel Dimensions: 2 3/8"L x 1 5/8"W Another of those curiosity based designs, I actually designed this only a few days ago. Of the Type XIXs offered by Albion, the Doge is perhaps my favorite, aesthetically speaking; I just really like the crosspiece with the knuckle bow and the teardrop shaped pommel. I got to wondering how it would look paired with a saber blade and decided to find out. The answer? I think it looks pretty sweet. The blade is the same as the one I've used on virtually all of my sabers to date (I've simply adjusted the widths and lengths to suit the design), but with extra care taken to ensure the gradients on the fuller looked realistic, rather than petering out where the curve began like on my older designs, which required adding a second section to the fuller to which I could add a gradient, a technique I've used on my Quadara and Sorin designs. I call this saber Il Duce as homage to the Italian heritage of its hilt, but also to Billy Connolly's character from the 1999 action film Boondock Saints and its 2009 sequel, Boondock Saints: All Saints Day. And with that, ladies and gentlemen, I can safely say that I have finished uploading all of my designs to date. |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Aug 16, 2014 1:01:10 GMT
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have a brace of new designs to share with you, one of which has been burning a hole in my head for some time now, so without further ado, here it is:  Overall Length: 39" Blade Length: 32 5/8" Blade Width: 1 1/2" @ base; 1" @ profile taper (2 11/16" from tip); 11/16" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 3/4" Guard Width: 5" Pommel Dimensions: 2 1/8"L x 1 3/8"W For those of you who follow this thread, you may remember the design I've informally dubbed "Vanguard", which comes from my novel of the same name; the novel has a vaguely late-19th century setting and when I say "vaguely", I mean vaguely, in that various elements can range from as early as the mid-1600s to the late-1700s due to the technological disparity between the hemispheres of Shiran. One of the characters, Duncan Shaw, is a former solider turned policeman who is a bit old fashioned, so when it comes time to wade into battle, he carries his old infantry officer's saber alongside his pistols. This is that sword. Back in June, Matt Easton of Scholagladiatoria on Youtube (which I'm subscribed to) posted a video titled "Pistols, revolvers and swords in the mid-19th century". In it, he uses a British M1821 saber as a representative of the swords of the day. Now, generally, I don't usually like curved swords with a spear point, but this one caught my eye and I thought it would be a good blade to use in Vanguard. Since I didn't care for the asymmetrical three bar hilt (never really have), I decided to look for a different style of hilt to use and kept coming back to that of the M1742 Officer's Hanger, perhaps my favorite "early modern" (18th-20th century) style of sword. And, to tell the truth, I think the two actually look pretty good together.  Overall Length: 29 9/16" Blade Length: 24" Blade Width: 1 3/16" @ base; 1 1/16" @ profile taper (5 1/4" from tip); 9/16" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 4 1/2" Guard Width: 4 3/8" Pommel Dimensions: N/A So, sometimes I hate the way my brain works. I was reading a new book I bought for my recent vacation and one of the abilities demonstrated by the protagonist sparked an idea for a new story set on Shiran. And, the thing is, the idea that came from that spark is such a natural progression from Vanguard that I can't really ignore it, so I decided to expand upon that initial spark. So far, all I have is a basic outline and the two main characters. This is the sword of the protagonist, a young woman named Samara. Her story takes place close to one hundred years after Vanguard, but due to the (relatively) regular catastrophes that plague the Eastern hemisphere, technology hasn't progressed enough to the point where swords are completely obsolete. That said, swords aren't quite as commonplace as they used to be, but it's not exactly a cause for concern to see somebody wearing them. Most people carry smallswords or spadroons, since they're "more elegant", but I pictured Samara preferring something with a little more bite to it and decided to give her a cutlass. At first, I was going to just go with a British M1804 cutlass, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted something lighter and more agile, as well as something shorter; after some debate, I came across a really nice antique version of the US 1860 cutlass, but I'm not overly fond of the big shell guard, so I decided to modify it slightly. Her sword now is essentially a stock 1860 cutlass minus the shell guard, with a soft leather scabbard that has a small hook for sliding it through a belt or sash.  Overall Length: 13 3/4" Blade Length: 9 9/16" Blade Width: 1 1/8" @ base; 15/16" @ 1" profile taper (2 5/8" from tip); 11/16" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 3 3/8" Guard Width: 2 13/16" Pommel Dimensions: 1 1/8"L x 1 7/16"W The second character I thought up for this new story is Devadas Rohan, a member of the race responsible for those regular catastrophes, and the concept of his character actually predates this story by quite some time. Since their creation, his race has been little more than a vague bit of worldbuilding, but almost two years ago, I started fleshing them out a fair bit more; eventually, this made me want to write a story with them as the focus, delving more into their society, but I could never really come up with a plot. This new story actually provided me with the perfect opportunity to explore the race as a side plot without making them central to the overall story. When I first came up with Rohan as part of this new story, I pictured him wielding a knife or large dagger, but I couldn't find anything that I really liked and I got to the point where I was going to give him a mortuary hilt sword... Then, by chance, I came across an antique WWII knife that had been made from the tip of a US M1860 cutlass, which were still in limited use with the US Navy during WWII. It was a gorgeous knife that just ticked all the boxes on what I like in a knife and I was actually going to just use it as is, but the one thing that didn't mesh was the crosspiece; it had an s-curve like my design, but the rear quillon curved down towards the hand, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, so during the design process I flipped the guard and now I think it looks much better. That's all for now, folks. I had originally planned a couple more saber designs, but they fell through; maybe I'll give them another shot in the future, but until then: ja mata. |
|
|
|
Post by Deepbluedave on Aug 16, 2014 9:00:06 GMT
Very nice Vincent I really enjoy reading about the specifics of each blade, so hurry up and finish that novel so I can buy it.
|
|
|
|
Post by aussie-rabbit on Aug 17, 2014 10:23:30 GMT
I'd like to see what you would make of a "utilitarian" small sword  |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Aug 29, 2014 14:21:18 GMT
I'm doing my best, Dave, but I've been rewriting a small portion of the book to get it just right for so long now that I'm almost unsure as to how to proceed now that I've got it down. I've actually seen a few smallswords that are quite utilitarian in design, Aussie; the Arms & Armor Double Loop Hilt Smallsword is a particular favorite of mine. Dunno if I could get much more utilitarian than that.  Overall Length: 84" Head Length: 24" Blade Length: 21 3/8" Blade Width: 2 3/8" @ base; 2 3/8" @ profile taper (7 5/8" from tip); 3/4" @ 1" from tip Haft Length: 55 15/16" Pommel Dimensions: 5"L x 1 3/8"W Ever since I did my interpretation of Mat Cauthon's ashandarei from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, I've developed something of a fondness for glaives. Only problem is, most glaives are either ornate or feature a blade that has a drop point, or a very slender blade, etc. I wanted to do something simpler, something that really looked like the European counterpart to the naginata, something that would look at home in the hands of a common rank-n-file soldier. After looking around online, I came across a glaive head produced by Armory Marek in the Czech Republic and loved it; I also saw a rather simple pointed end cap that would look good on a number of polearms and just had to combine the two to make the rather utilitarian weapon you see above.  Overall Length: 38 1/8" Blade Length: 30" Blade Width: 1 7/8" @ base; 1 3/4" @ profile taper (5" from tip); 3/4" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 5" Guard Width: 5 7/8" Pommel Dimensions: 1 5/8"L x 2 3/4"W Here's an interesting fantasy sword that I've been wanting to do for years, but kept forgetting about until recently. I call it the Koinzell, after the protagonist of the dark fantasy manga series Übel Blatt by Shiono Etorouji, because the design was inspired by the sword wielded by the protagonist, albeit of more normal proportions, as Köinzell physically appears as a young human-fairy hybrid who can't be more than 5' or so. Köinzell's sword is one he forged himself, so it is somewhat rough around the edges, but not enough to be called crude; in place of a traditional crosspiece, the guard is of a piece with the blade, as you can see in this render. As you can also see, the pommel is a little on the small side. Anyways, about this sword: some years back, at a time when I had been reading Übel Blatt for a couple years and shortly after coming across SBG for the first time, I saw the Cold Steel Two-Handed Greatsword. Well, me being me, I couldn't help but notice the shape of the blade and the secondary guard and how they resembled Köinzell's sword, so I got to thinking about how you could modify the Greatsword into something similar and, after so many years of forgetting about it, I finally rendered it. I started off by tracing out the entire blade, but rather than stick with the Greatsword's near spatulate tip, I cut about two inches off and shaped a new one. I added a 1/8" thick x 1/2" wide curved piece of metal below the now primary guard to make the grip easier to fit; it was also meant to interlock nicely with an exceptionally fantasy-looking scabbard that I scrapped because I couldn't get it to look right. The pommel is the same one from my Oakeshott Xa that was borrowed from Mikko's Lion's Paw design and actually manages to look normal sized on this sword.  Overall Length: 40 1/8" Blade Length: 32" Blade Width: 2 1/8" @ base; 1 3/8" @ profile taper (7" from tip); 3/8" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 5 1/2" Guard Width: 7" Pommel Dimensions: 2 1/4"L x 2"W Here's another anime inspired sword that you probably wouldn't have noticed unless I told you. One of my favorite anime series is Hataraku, Maou-sama! (officially translated as The Devil Is a Part-Timer!), originally a light novel series by Wagahara Satoshi; in it, Demon King (Maou) Satan attempts to conquer all of Ente Isla, a thoroughly fantasy world (intentionally so), but is pushed back by the great hero Emilia Justina and the forces of good. During the final assault on his castle, Maou Satan and his last remaining general, Alciel, escape through a Gateway with promises to return and conquer Ente Isla once more... Only, they land in modern Tokyo, Japan, where there is no magic and no magic = no Gateway, and they are forced to assume human bodies and live like normal Japanese citizens while researching ways to get back to Ente Isla. And it's not long after starting his job at MgRonald's (the lawyer-friendly cousin of McDonald's!) that he finds Emilia followed him in order to kill him. But, of course, she has no magic either, so the epic battle between good and evil, man versus demon, devolves into a free-for-all snarkfest between the two whenever they meet that is often mistaken for a lover's quarrel. As the series progresses, more characters from Ente Isla end up in Japan, including a former assassin from the Church, and a nice balance between drama, action, and comedy is achieved. Now, when the aforementioned former assassin's backstory is introduced, we're treated to a flashback; in it, some assassination targets (who only kinda deserved it) are poisoned during a meeting. The last one standing draws his sword on the assassin, only to succumb to the poison and be squashed by a hammer bigger than the assassin. Well, for whatever reason, that victim's sword kinda stood out to me, as it was actually a pretty normal bastard sword with no flares or the usual trappings of a fantasy series. I wanted to do a bastard sword of similar design, because I really enjoyed how simple it was and here it is. The blade is a Type XVIII, while the pommel is the same Type J as I used on my Oakeshott Type XVI, and the crossguard is inspired by something I found on Armory Marek which could be loosely called a Style 4. I put a little more effort into the scabbard than usual because of how fond I am of the design, but I doubt I'll be doing that style of belt again, as it's a right pain in the ass to pull off in Inkscape. Still, I love how the sword turned out and I'm reminded of the Sword of Albrecht II, a replica of which has been offered by Hanwei for years; that said, I think the shorter blade of this sword would make it more nimble in the hand and more versatile. In honor of this sword's inspiration, I call it the Ente Isla. That's all for now, folks. Ja mata. |
|
Aikidoka
Member
Monstrous monk in training...
Posts: 1,452
|
Post by Aikidoka on Sept 4, 2014 22:54:38 GMT
Perfect. That is how I have always envisioned it too. The reproductions that I have seen don't match the description in the book at all. I just now placed an order for this axe from KOA:  www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=IPAXE&name=Legacy+Arms+Medieval+AxeI wasn't really in the market for an axe, but once I saw it in the "New Items" section, I recognized that it was as close as I've seen to what I imagined. I like the look of your haft, but since Perrin wore his axe on a loop on his belt, wouldn't a straight haft be easy to remove in a hurry? Your Heron Mark blade is also absolutely awesome. Are you planning to have that one made into an actual sword? |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Sept 5, 2014 2:55:35 GMT
Perhaps; as I said, I mainly chose that style because I find unadorned straight hafts boring, so it was simply an aesthetic choice. That said, when it comes to hanging an axe, the benefit of a loop is that the fit of the loop isn't exactly critical as long as the haft can fit trough the loop. It wouldn't be hard (especially for a blacksmith of Perrin's skill) to make a metal ring to hold his axe that was wide enough that he could draw a curved haft through it no problem, but still small enough that no matter how be bounced around on a horse or whatnot, the spike couldn't slip through it.
I was, at one point in time. But when I got to thinking about it, I figured that custom swords are far too expensive for me to get any except the ones I want the absolute most made. Of course, with so many designs, trying to decide on the ones I want the absolute most isn't exactly a walk in the park and I currently have thirteen on that list, which is still a few too many when we're talking about custom swords. Anyways, while I personally will probably never have it made (unless I won the lottery or something), anyone else is free to take it to a custom swordsmith and have it made if they wanted.
|
|
Aikidoka
Member
Monstrous monk in training...
Posts: 1,452
|
Post by Aikidoka on Sept 5, 2014 3:13:37 GMT
Wow! That's a generous and tempting offer  I'll let you know if I get to the point where I'm seriously considering it. |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Sept 6, 2014 16:53:02 GMT
Welcome, my lurkers. I have three more designs to post, which is barely a dent in the backlog of designs that are rattling around in my head; it gets easier to think each time I finish one, there are so many. :lol:  Overall Length: 19" Blade Length: 4 1/4" Blade Width: 2" @ base; 1 1/4" @ 1" from tip Head Width: 8" Haft Length: 18 7/8" Starting things off is a new axe design, making this my fifth axe overall. I've spread out in my designs in the past few years, but I suppose swords will always be my primary design interest. Anyways, as should be readily obvious, this particular axe is a vast departure from my usual designs; the head is based on a custom replica of a spontoon tomahawk that I happened across while looking for reference material. I remember wanting to try my hand at it due to the relative complexity of the head, so I saved the image... And I promptly forgot about it. It's pretty easy to lose track of things since I apparently have 1,259 reference images, no doubt a number of which are duplicates. Well, that aside, I was originally going to give this axe, simply dubbed Spontoon, a somewhat curved haft like on my Viking Axe, albeit less drastic, but I didn't like the way it looked, so I settled for a straight haft and, because I'm not overly fond of the way bare wood looks aesthetically, I gave it the same wrap as on my Gotland Axe, but in black.  Overall Length: 29" Blade Length: 23" Blade Width: 1 1/2" @ base; 1 7/16" @ profile taper (4 5/16" from tip); 11/16" @ 1" from tip Grip Length: 5" Guard Width: 2 1/2" Pommel Dimensions: N/A This here is a design I decided to render mainly to satisfy my curiosity and to, hopefully, stop it from bugging me. I don't know how many of you have come across Miller Bros. Blades, but I'd recommend giving them a look; they make some really attractive tactical style swords and knives that, from everything I've seen, are tough as nails and will chew through just about anything you throw at them. In addition to their production line, they also take custom orders. I'm quite fond of their M-10, which is a real beast of a knife. Anyways, to make a long story short, I happened to be looking at the measurements of their M-11/12/13 series when a thought popped into my head; I've never been very fond of the M-11 & 12 because I just feel that the 9" hilt is too long for their blade length (18" and 23", respectfully), while I think the M-13's not too bad, but I'd prefer something more sword length, so I got the idea to combine the M-12's 23" blade with the M-13's 6" hilt. I call this sword the Omega 13 in homage to its roots and I think it came out quite nicely. As a bit of a personal touch, I added the MBB Spartan Helm logo to the ricasso.  Overall Length: 43 3/8" Blade Length: 36" Blade Width: 7/8" @ base; 1/2" @ profile taper (6" from tip); 1/4" @ start of swell; 3/8" @ swell (7/8" from tip) Grip Length: 3 7/16" Guard Width: 9 3/4" Pommel Dimensions: 1 3/8"L x 1 1/2"W I've saved the best for last. Next to the Pappenheimer-style, the cup-hilt is perhaps my favorite style of rapier hilt, but I've never been able to find one I liked enough to attempt in Inkscape. Then I chanced across a site on tumblr known as Art of Swords; it currently has 328 pages, each of which is packed with information about swords, as well as high quality photos of replicas and antiques. The amount of material I found thanks to Art of Swords is invaluable. One image set I came across while digging through this veritable treasure trove was a 17th century cup hilt rapier that was at once ornate and subdued. My recreation is vastly simplified, but I did attempt to capture the elements that made me want to recreate it in the first place; namely, the pierced cup which was quite difficult to replicate accurately. In an effort to make this sword look more like a rapier compared to my previous attempts (I still really like my Pappenheimer's blade, though), I borrowed the antique's blade in addition to its hilt, but with my own twist. To make it more unique, I added a Stromacione tip to the blade to really give it a Spanish feel; to borrow from Albion's description of their 90th Anniversary Zorro sword, "the swelling tip was developed on some sword blades of the period as an aide in performing Stromacione ( stramazone) - a quick, light slash or scratch tip-cut to the face, used to harass, blind, or distract your opponent during swordplay. This style of fencing from the Italian and Spanish schools of swordplay..." It's a small thing, but I think it looks quite at home with the rest of the sword. Now, after all that work, it didn't feel right to skimp on the scabbard, so I scoured the net for rapier scabbards, only to find most were plain leather with no real accoutrements beyond their often elaborate baldrics. Well, then I chanced upon a LARP rapier on DeviantArt with a scabbard that had a really sweet looking chape, so I adapted it to fit the much slimmer blade of this rapier and, in the interest of symmetry, further adapted it to the locket, which I think looks really nice. As promised, this sword's name is Svaerd... Taza Svaerd. :lol: Well, that's it for now, folks. Ja mata. |
|
|
|
Post by Anankai on Sept 7, 2014 19:08:03 GMT
That is some outstanding work Vincent! What is the software you are using for the drawings? I would like to try modeling some of your swords in a 3d software just for fun. Would you let me use your images as a reference?
|
|
|
|
Post by Vincent Dolan on Sept 7, 2014 21:55:34 GMT
I use the freeware program Inkscape; another member, Mikko (MOK on here), introduced me to it and he posted a rather in depth tutorial on it some years back. I started my previous design thread some time before his tutorial, so you can see my comparatively crude early attempts in that thread, which I posted a link to in the first post of this thread. As for using my designs as reference, I don't mind; I'd be interested in seeing them in 3d. |
|
|
|
Post by Anankai on Sept 7, 2014 22:10:58 GMT
Thank you very much Vincent! I'll be happy to show the 3D models! I'll attempt to do a quicktime object if it's possible, that would be cool...
|
|
