Poor old thing
Oct 7, 2018 2:56:16 GMT
Post by berntk on Oct 7, 2018 2:56:16 GMT
Hi all.
Through the last couple of years I have done a few half-hearted stabs at this "relic", but today I finally realised that, to bring it to a semi-presentable state I'd have to remove so much steel that there would be hardly any left. I decided to just get it shiny, oil it up and leave it slumbering in its scabbard. Before I do so, I'd like to know what it is... for the ones who will inherit it some, far far day in the future,
The hilt is clearly a Brit 1821 Light Cavalry, Officer, judging by the scrolls on the iron, the grip (when I got it it was almost totally rotted/ eaten away by bugs, although the gripwire seemed intact), Solid twisted centre wires, with silvered thin copper wire spun around that again.
I replaced that with my own attempt at shagreen; I used rayskin/same, but I didn't grind/polish/ stamp it thin enough to be taken for original, though I reused the wire. Please excuse that.
One picture shows the grip before my fat fingers attacked it. The one on a red background.
Anomalies: Grip/hilt clearly 1821. Blade just as clearly NOT an 1845 Wilkinson pattern, which has a spearpoint with a clear central ridge from the fuller forward. My relic has a clip point, and there's nothing indicating that it ever had a ridge.
Width at the ricasso: 1"= 25mm. Width at tip end of fuller; 3/4", ~20mm. Length, 31,5", 80cm. The spine tapers from 5mm at the rear to 3mm at 18", 46cm from the grip. Forwards of that it tapers to a false edge for the last 10", 25cm. That kind of taper I have never seen on anything not period. The fullers' ends at the ricasso are somewhat crudely done, looks like a tool overrun. There are traces of a counterpolish, a few mm above the ricasso.
The scabbard is a bit nicer, and seems to fit the blade, even though the inner throatpiece and any wooden slats have long gone. The length of this including the drag is 33", 85cm. Someone may have tried something with a polishing wheel at some time, as the fuller arrises ain't as defined as they should be (almost Windlass-y).
There are absulutely no markings to be found, nor on the scabbard. The sword handles very nicely, nimble, POB 4", 10cm; it's probably too light to have served as a fighting trooper sword, and has never been sharpened, just neglected... It's much lighter in hand than an 1861 Staff Sergeant I have handy.
So; before I consign this poor wee thing to well-oiled slumber I'd really like to have you most excellent knowledgeable gentlemen take a stab at identifying it... It's all steel/iron, the lighting in the last picture turned out a bit brassy... EDIT: I'm pretty certain the grip originally was covered in shagreen, there were a couple of tiny pieces that fell out when I broke the peen and took it apart.
Through the last couple of years I have done a few half-hearted stabs at this "relic", but today I finally realised that, to bring it to a semi-presentable state I'd have to remove so much steel that there would be hardly any left. I decided to just get it shiny, oil it up and leave it slumbering in its scabbard. Before I do so, I'd like to know what it is... for the ones who will inherit it some, far far day in the future,
The hilt is clearly a Brit 1821 Light Cavalry, Officer, judging by the scrolls on the iron, the grip (when I got it it was almost totally rotted/ eaten away by bugs, although the gripwire seemed intact), Solid twisted centre wires, with silvered thin copper wire spun around that again.
I replaced that with my own attempt at shagreen; I used rayskin/same, but I didn't grind/polish/ stamp it thin enough to be taken for original, though I reused the wire. Please excuse that.
One picture shows the grip before my fat fingers attacked it. The one on a red background.
Anomalies: Grip/hilt clearly 1821. Blade just as clearly NOT an 1845 Wilkinson pattern, which has a spearpoint with a clear central ridge from the fuller forward. My relic has a clip point, and there's nothing indicating that it ever had a ridge.
Width at the ricasso: 1"= 25mm. Width at tip end of fuller; 3/4", ~20mm. Length, 31,5", 80cm. The spine tapers from 5mm at the rear to 3mm at 18", 46cm from the grip. Forwards of that it tapers to a false edge for the last 10", 25cm. That kind of taper I have never seen on anything not period. The fullers' ends at the ricasso are somewhat crudely done, looks like a tool overrun. There are traces of a counterpolish, a few mm above the ricasso.
The scabbard is a bit nicer, and seems to fit the blade, even though the inner throatpiece and any wooden slats have long gone. The length of this including the drag is 33", 85cm. Someone may have tried something with a polishing wheel at some time, as the fuller arrises ain't as defined as they should be (almost Windlass-y).
There are absulutely no markings to be found, nor on the scabbard. The sword handles very nicely, nimble, POB 4", 10cm; it's probably too light to have served as a fighting trooper sword, and has never been sharpened, just neglected... It's much lighter in hand than an 1861 Staff Sergeant I have handy.
So; before I consign this poor wee thing to well-oiled slumber I'd really like to have you most excellent knowledgeable gentlemen take a stab at identifying it... It's all steel/iron, the lighting in the last picture turned out a bit brassy... EDIT: I'm pretty certain the grip originally was covered in shagreen, there were a couple of tiny pieces that fell out when I broke the peen and took it apart.