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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 0:22:52 GMT
Hey guys (and gals) ~ As talked about in an earlier thread, I'd had my eye on the MRL Archer's Falchion for some time now. When they went on sale, I decided to the time was right to buy. I placed an order online through the MRL website. Since I wanted to use it for cutting, I paid for their sharpening service. I also wrote into their comments section telling them what I'd be using it for. I specifically asked them to make sure that there was no looseness in the hilt, guard, or handle. Anyway, the falchion arrived today. I was all excited, opening the well-packed box and removing all the wrap. Guess what? The blade and guard are not just loose, but very obviously loose. The guard rattles audibly when handled even lightly. And I can easily wiggle the blade around inside the guard using only my thumb & forefinger. They obviously didn't make any attempt at all to check it out prior to sharpening & shipping it. AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! So I called MRL's customer service dept., (who, at least, were very good about it) and told them what the problem was. I asked about exchanging the falchion for another one. Second downer - They told me they are now all sold out of the Archer's Falchions. It's really frustrating, especially since otherwise the sword is superb. Nice lines, excellent weight and balance in my hand, bright finish, and just really nice to look at. Unusual for MRL, it even has a scabbard that actually seems to hold the sword when it's inserted. Would've been a great weapon. All this potental, completely wasted because somebody couldn't be bothered to assemble it properly. Not to mention, not bothering to follow up on something I'd specifcally asked them to check for. Sheesh! I suppose some expoy resin might fix the blade inside the guard, but I doubt such a solution would allow for any real cutting to be done. So now it's either just return it and get a refund, or see if there's something else worthwhile in the catalog. And while there's certainly other swords in there that I like, right now I'm sort of feeling pretty hesistant to take another chance with them. I was really looking forward to this one too. Meh.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 0:53:54 GMT
Not a problem. Go to any auto store or even Wallmarts auto section and get a pack of JB Weld. Mix the two compounds together and pack it into the slot with the blade centered up. Really pack it in there. I did this to an old MRL Drac a long time ago and it not only filled the gap but the blade has never come lose through any of the years of cutting I have put it through. Just be sure to clean the area with denatured alcohol and on a Qtip and then apply. It should'nt ever move again.
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Jun 5, 2008 1:06:45 GMT
I'm assuming this has a peened pommel? You havent mentioned any attempt to screw it up tighter. So try this: *Get a roll of 5-6lb fishing line. *Tie it to one wing of the guard to anchor it. *Then wrap it around the tang between the guard and the grip. You may like to pull the cross one way and then the other to open up the gap to really help you cram it. Pull it right in tight and keep wrapping it till it comes out of the gap. Then unwind it one lap. *Paint a bit of epoxy on the last bit to go in, then pull it in and tie it off to rest while it sets. *Once set come along and trim it all off with a blade.
You should find the cross is as firm as anything after that.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 13:01:16 GMT
My DT2142 got very loose after the first cutting, but I repeened it easily with a hammer. Just don't be scared to hit hard. :-) And stick the point of the sword into something soft.
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Jun 6, 2008 1:06:40 GMT
Unless the grip is glued on, then you'll break the bond on the grip and possibly further complicate things.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2008 1:54:57 GMT
Mine came nice and tight fortunately...sorry to hear about yours. I have used JB Weld with great results, but I still worry about bond breakage like Brenno said. So far I haven't had problems, but the fishing line idea sounds real good...besides, a sword MAKER suggested it so I would give it a try if you do not repeen it. Heck, use all those methods.
Again, sorry to hear about the problems...My son likes mine so much he is about to steal it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2008 2:35:58 GMT
Thanks to all of you for the replies and advice! And thanks for letting me vent my frustration here. Well, I had last night to sleep on it (not literally, of course. Ow!). I think if I had bought the falchion second hand, I would be fine with just following the exellent advice given in the posts above. But having gotten it factory-direct, (so to speak) I decided I'd rather return it to them, along with a polite letter explaining what happened. Not only since it wasn't in the expected condition, but also to hopefully call some attention to the quality-control problem. From what I've read, it seems like these loose guards and handles are an ongoing, although perhaps infrequent, problem for MRL. I do have to say that their customer service people were really very helpful and easy to deal with. It made a bad situation a lot better, not getting the run around, or having to argue with someone on the phone to get a solution. Anyway, I decided to use the credit I already have in the falchion, and get something else. So today I packed up the AF, gave it back to UPS, and ordered the Landsknecht Battle Sword (from a falchion to a two-hander, Oi! ;D) I'll keep my fingers crossed that there's no issues with the Landsknecht, and let you all know how it is when it arrives. BTW, if anyone wants a pre-sharpened Archer's, that needs some TLC, it'll probably be back at MRL by early next week. Maybe they'll re-sell it at an AS-IS price? And thanks again to everyone who replied! I'm going to try that fishing-line trick on one of my other swords that's got similar issues.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2008 8:35:27 GMT
Unless the grip is glued on, then you'll break the bond on the grip and possibly further complicate things. Could you please explain me what do you mean by "bond", I'm not sure what it could be so I would break it. I thought the wooden grip is just put on the tang and held in place with peened pommel and with hammering I just push a pommel a bit tighter on the grip?
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Jun 6, 2008 12:59:20 GMT
Many manufacturers including Gen 2, and Older Hanweis actually glue the grip to the tang. So by hammering on it you could break the 'bond' of the glue holding the grip to the tang, thus potentially loosening the handle.
Glueing the whole sword together gives it that feel of being one single piece. Though there are benefits to being able to easily disassemble it. For a sword used in battle I'd want it all glued together. But as I like fiddling with my swords I prefer them to be pull apart.
I only have one windlass (The Narnia) which is pull apart, and thus not glued. Though the cross and handle pieces are lose individually, when the pommel is screwed on it feels perfectly tight. As such I've decided to make all my swords now with screw on pommels. Previously I had them all glued and peened, and when peening the pommels I had breaks in the solder holding the guard and so forth.
I have used the fishing line method very successfully on my Hanwei H&H, and one of my FBs.
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Post by Jeff K. ( Jak) on Jun 6, 2008 15:48:23 GMT
Hmm, looks like it was a screw on pommel hey? The thing you have to remember is, even if it is tight when you get it from factory, if you're actually gonna use it, it's gonna get loose no matter what. My Windlass 300 sword and Hanwei long sword need re-peening some times after long usage. And my Windlass sword of Guy I've had to screw the pommel tighter and shim it with a couple if thin washers that I ground to the shape of the grip. Whether you stretch the metal threads a bit with usage, break any bonding loc-tight, or even the wood in the grip may shrink over time, they're pretty much all gonna loosen up a bit. When I got my Hanwei longsword, it was completely rattly, even the tang moved significantly in the grip. I thought about sending it back but after talking to Shootermike, who also had the same problem, I realized it was a common flaw to that model. So i took it all apart and did an overhaul on it, following Mikes method. Worked perfectly, but while not everybody is willng to take such drastic steps, it does get you very familiar with your sword and even increases the respect for it. I was dissapointed with mine and although I liked looking at it, I didn't handle it much before I tuned it up. Now, it's the sword thats most likely to be in my hand...I love it! So dont be afraid to get in there and find out what makes it tick. Im sure all the swords back in the day needed to go in to the armorer for adjustments. Good luck with your Landsknecht. Cheers Jeff
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2008 16:34:48 GMT
Not to hijack the thread, but it sounds like I got lucky with my Sticklestad Viking sword. I have used the heck out of it and it has not loosened a bit. I hope that continues.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2008 17:42:57 GMT
Heya ~ The pommel on the Archer's Falchion was actually peened. I had checked it to see if it was screwed-on right away, and would've first tried to tighten it there if that was the case. I guess I was more upset that they'd either missed or ignored something I'd specifically asked them to check for. MRL obviously puts a lot of time, money, and resources into developing and manufacturing their swords. I just hope they will follow up with their quality control. I own several other MRL blades, Sword of Robert the Bruce, the Early Norman, the Classic Medieval, the Legnitz, the original Coustille, the Arbedo, the Towton, The War Sword, the Flared Longsword, and the two Majecowski Bible choppers. Except for the Arbedo, all of them arrived in great shape. Nice and tight, no looseness in them at all. And there was a reply to this thread that someone else had bought an AF, that arrived in fine shape. So I know they can put them togther nicely, well, at least most of the time. Hopefully, this was just a one-off. When the Landsknecht arrives, I'll let you all know how it is. Maybe actually try to do a real review as well (if it hasn't already been done?) Thanks again guys!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2008 12:38:45 GMT
Many manufacturers including Gen 2, and Older Hanweis actually glue the grip to the tang. So by hammering on it you could break the 'bond' of the glue holding the grip to the tang, thus potentially loosening the handle. Glueing the whole sword together gives it that feel of being one single piece. Though there are benefits to being able to easily disassemble it. For a sword used in battle I'd want it all glued together. But as I like fiddling with my swords I prefer them to be pull apart. I only have one windlass (The Narnia) which is pull apart, and thus not glued. Though the cross and handle pieces are lose individually, when the pommel is screwed on it feels perfectly tight. As such I've decided to make all my swords now with screw on pommels. Previously I had them all glued and peened, and when peening the pommels I had breaks in the solder holding the guard and so forth. I have used the fishing line method very successfully on my Hanwei H&H, and one of my FBs. Thank you, I understand you now. I think there is no glue in Del Tin grips and many people recommended repeening them simply with a hammer. It worked for me and after that it's tight even after a lot of heavy cutting.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2008 23:30:57 GMT
Sorry to hear about the Archer's Falchion but good to hear that you were taken care of by MRL. I guess I was very lucky that my falchion came in with no issues. Hopefully in the future Windlass works on their quality control issues a bit more.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2008 3:01:44 GMT
Hey Everyone ~ Well, MRL called after receiving the AF I returned, and offered to fix the problem. Since by doing so I could hold off on any more extra spending, I agreed. A week later I got the blade back. It's fitted up quite nicely now, very tight and trim, with no more looseness in either the handle, blade, or guard. No obvious signs of repair, like hammering marks or traces of glue, so they did an exellent job (or just sent me a new AF, it's hard to tell). Basically, just what I had wanted in the first place They were good enough to throw in a little freebie swiss army-style knife, and better yet, some coupons to put towards any future purchases. So overall, although it was a bit of a hassle, I have to say, MRL made good on their mistake and resolved the problem. Guess they'll continue to get my recommendation!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2008 4:48:24 GMT
Great to hear an outcome like this Anubis. Always nice to know a company has good customer service.
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