Windlass "1803 Flank Co Officers Sword"
Oct 22, 2018 5:22:12 GMT
Post by Jordan Williams on Oct 22, 2018 5:22:12 GMT
In September of 2017 Windlass released a very limited run of sabre bare blades that were based on the British Model of 1803 Flank Officers Sabre. This is a review of one of these sword blades, as hilted by yours truly.
BLADE
Here’s a curiosity – the sabre blade shown on the web page has aa very British blade, whereas mine has a blade of American iconography. Due to this, I refer to this sword now as a Federalist era cavalry officers Sabre as opposed to a British 1803 Flank Officers Sabre.
The blade starts out stunningly think for a replica, has a pleasing concave taper that leads to a very thin and sharp foible, which flares out into a broad hatchet tip. The foible though could be thinner, as it in my opinion begins too late in the blade. The fuller is broad and fairly deep, and the ricasso is excellently formed when compared to photos of originals. It handles nicely, and feels like it wants to move. Although due to the quick concave and then linear distal taper it creates an odd dynamic, and when performing moulinets it almost wants to pull the wrist out. The term “wrist – breaker” comes to mind. I would personally prefer a blank slate for the blade and do away with the very nice blue and gilt.
Speaking of which, the bluing seems sort of weakly done and has rubbed to brownish – purple in spots where I have handled it extensively. I also spilled epoxy on it, didn’t wipe it off in time, and now cannot clean it off as an attempt to do so with my usual method of hot water and dish soap started to lift it quite quickly. Bummer. The gilt has however not lifted at all and still looks very nice, if not a little cruder than the originals which is expected at a price of 99USD.
THE GRIP
It sucks, right out of the box it’s as thin as the tang and is just made of oily plastic. Trash.
In all seriousness, the grip is up to you. Some members hilted it with the Cold Steel spadroon hilt, and with the Windlass 1840 artillery sabre. I made my own grip and guard, and it’s as crude as a peasant child could do. How it handles in this regard and what era it fits into is in this regard completely up to you. Perhaps you could even make a WW1 – era sword, by hilting it on a nickel plated 1897 guard or 1902 hilt. I put a dumb looking D guard because I was frustrated by my failure to recreate the Austrian B guard I had made earlier but messed the tang slot up on. My grip is unfinished and needs wrapping.
STEEL QUALITY
It’s a Windlass. Not as hard as it could be, but stiff and very well tempered. It takes a nice edge and cut very well. I cut into a dry and hard cow femur and it put a nick into the blade, but I sharped the blade again and it cuts nicely again. It actually sliced into the bone to a degree – but the bone was free standing so it slammed into a wall and exploded.
HANDLING
Mine has had two hilts on it – the Windlass Revolutionary sword hilt, and my own. It felt vastly different with either on, but either way it needs a grip that can index a cutting edge easily. I modeled my new grip as a shapelier Prussian style, with a pronounced central “bump”. It feels nice, but like a wrist - breaker as said earlier. It also feels a bit neutral, and it’s hard to feel the last third when striking.
SUMMARY
BLADE
Here’s a curiosity – the sabre blade shown on the web page has aa very British blade, whereas mine has a blade of American iconography. Due to this, I refer to this sword now as a Federalist era cavalry officers Sabre as opposed to a British 1803 Flank Officers Sabre.
The blade starts out stunningly think for a replica, has a pleasing concave taper that leads to a very thin and sharp foible, which flares out into a broad hatchet tip. The foible though could be thinner, as it in my opinion begins too late in the blade. The fuller is broad and fairly deep, and the ricasso is excellently formed when compared to photos of originals. It handles nicely, and feels like it wants to move. Although due to the quick concave and then linear distal taper it creates an odd dynamic, and when performing moulinets it almost wants to pull the wrist out. The term “wrist – breaker” comes to mind. I would personally prefer a blank slate for the blade and do away with the very nice blue and gilt.
Speaking of which, the bluing seems sort of weakly done and has rubbed to brownish – purple in spots where I have handled it extensively. I also spilled epoxy on it, didn’t wipe it off in time, and now cannot clean it off as an attempt to do so with my usual method of hot water and dish soap started to lift it quite quickly. Bummer. The gilt has however not lifted at all and still looks very nice, if not a little cruder than the originals which is expected at a price of 99USD.
THE GRIP
It sucks, right out of the box it’s as thin as the tang and is just made of oily plastic. Trash.
In all seriousness, the grip is up to you. Some members hilted it with the Cold Steel spadroon hilt, and with the Windlass 1840 artillery sabre. I made my own grip and guard, and it’s as crude as a peasant child could do. How it handles in this regard and what era it fits into is in this regard completely up to you. Perhaps you could even make a WW1 – era sword, by hilting it on a nickel plated 1897 guard or 1902 hilt. I put a dumb looking D guard because I was frustrated by my failure to recreate the Austrian B guard I had made earlier but messed the tang slot up on. My grip is unfinished and needs wrapping.
STEEL QUALITY
It’s a Windlass. Not as hard as it could be, but stiff and very well tempered. It takes a nice edge and cut very well. I cut into a dry and hard cow femur and it put a nick into the blade, but I sharped the blade again and it cuts nicely again. It actually sliced into the bone to a degree – but the bone was free standing so it slammed into a wall and exploded.
HANDLING
Mine has had two hilts on it – the Windlass Revolutionary sword hilt, and my own. It felt vastly different with either on, but either way it needs a grip that can index a cutting edge easily. I modeled my new grip as a shapelier Prussian style, with a pronounced central “bump”. It feels nice, but like a wrist - breaker as said earlier. It also feels a bit neutral, and it’s hard to feel the last third when striking.
SUMMARY
Buy it if you find one, ten got made! It’s a fun opportunity to have a Napoleonic replica that handles nicely.
Pictures coming tomorrow.