Uhlan
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Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Mar 14, 2015 18:19:28 GMT
I have this one for a couple of days now. It is still ,,dans son jus''. Loop hilts are a different kind of small sword as they have no shell plates. The only protection is the loop. This design caught on in the second half of the 18th century, round about the same time as the Spadroon, I think. The loop hilts are very light. This one clocks in at an astonishing low 275 grams with a total length of 95 cm / 37.4" and a blade length of 78,5 cm / 30.9". They all sport these beautiful lines and diamond facets on the iron hilt are a standard feature. This specimen still has engraving left too. The plate between the guard and the blade is also standard. The back is rather flat. A not perfect zoom shot of the engraving. The triangular profile of the blade comes out rather well. For the study minded: here is a link to a very good expose about the small sword: www.swordlinks.com/courtswords/intro.htmland a thread on SFI: www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?56806-Cult-of-the-Small-Sword&s=224d45f6c9832e69692bb0dda8421878The more I look at it, the more I see where the Spadroon is coming from, or vice versa. Cheers.
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Post by aronk on Mar 15, 2015 5:38:16 GMT
Very nice Ulahn! Much more a fighting sword than the others you've posted recently.
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Post by william m on Mar 15, 2015 13:11:08 GMT
That is a very elegant sword. Would had been quite lovely when it had its original wire bound grip. Is there any traces left so that you can see if it was silver wire or not?
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Uhlan
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Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Mar 15, 2015 14:34:07 GMT
Hi William. No, there is nothing left. The wood is very fatty and has a patine that points in the direction it had the wiring removed long ago. I have yet to take a good look at the grip to see whether there are channels for the wire, the start and finish points. Also, tell tale ribs where the wire cut - pressed into the wood. If those are not there than there was no wire at all. Not all grips were wired. But I think I will wire the grip and age it a bit, after I cleaned her up. Have a look at the last picture of this thread, on page 3: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/43757/19th-french-smallswords-continued-additionsIt may take a while though!
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Post by william m on Mar 15, 2015 15:03:23 GMT
This grip was almost certainly wired. You can tell due to the dip between the upper and lower section. This dip is where there was once a turks knot.
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Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Mar 15, 2015 15:53:48 GMT
Yep,the grip was wired. I found the two little holes for the start and end points. Also rows of indentations where the wire bit into the wood.
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Post by aronk on Mar 15, 2015 17:45:41 GMT
Any ideas as to what type of wire? I would suspect brass or silver given the construction of the rest of the blade, but I may well be wrong.
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Uhlan
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Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Mar 15, 2015 22:31:23 GMT
I do not know. It could have been blued steel, brass, silver, copper or a combination of these. Will have to look for Loop Hilts to find out what the taste of the times was. I think something simple but very classy, like a twisted silver and one blued wire?
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Post by mrbadexample on Oct 16, 2018 23:02:55 GMT
Necromancy! Did you ever finish this one Uhlan? I've always admired it.
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Uhlan
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Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 17, 2018 4:55:19 GMT
No, not yet. First I want to finish with the sabres. But I have wire for the grips and leather, wood and period fittings for scabbards already in the house.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2018 15:20:52 GMT
The foil and wire routine not uncommon in the period. That is a pretty loop.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Oct 17, 2018 15:22:08 GMT
I want to get a smallsword or spadroon and join the classy club (patent pending)
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Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 17, 2018 16:01:28 GMT
Edelweiss, you might be right.It may have had a foil and wire grip, but before I pin myself down here, I will study the grip under my 20X enhancer. Just to be sure. Downloaded some videos from Youtube on how to make Turkheads. Used those to make loops for leather sword knots. The principle is easy, but with springy wire this could be quite the hassle.
,, I want to get a smallsword or spadroon and join the classy club (patent pending)''.
Har!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2018 16:37:27 GMT
There are a couple of ways to do turks and one I found handy and period may seem cheating but how a lot of them were done. myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.23381.htmlI was fooling around with this using cord just recently but doing one the way a sailor would. I have been doing some monkey fist fobs as well.
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Uhlan
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Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 21, 2018 15:46:02 GMT
Thank you edelweiss. That is a very useful thread and I bookmarked it right away.
Those monkey fist fobs have a nice lead ball inside perhaps? 8-)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2018 20:11:21 GMT
No, no lead shot in my knots. I have been doing them for keys and knives, not as slung shot.
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