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Post by davidoa on Mar 30, 2022 22:13:29 GMT
So! Some folks may remember I've been poking around the forums searching for a saber/messer-type blade to combine with The Printed Armoury's Swiss Guard+ Pommel. Happily, I was able to get my hands on a Ronin Katana #10 'Medieval Two Handed Saber' during their scratch-and-dent sale last month. I will definitely be buying from them again, I honestly had trouble discerning any blemishes on the 'scratch and dent' blade they sent me. Here it is laid out with the new hardware I received last month from RambleTree. Super fun blade to do test cuts with, though I'd prefer a bit of a thicker grip. Luckily, that's exactly what I have planned! After a fierce battle with the epoxy holding on the old pommel, a bit of angle grinding, a bearing puller, and old fashioned pounding, I was able to get the thing torn down to have a look at the tang situation. Hopefully this will come in handy for anyone looking to do custom work on this particular blade.
Next up was file and dremel work to make the new fittings... fit. The trickiest part here was cutting about a quarter inch groove into the top of the guard for the shoulders of the blade to slot into. This was my first time doing this task, but I'm pretty happy with how clean it turned out (definitely a tighter fit than the original guard). As you can see I've already got a grip shape roughed out in wood, and so far everything is fitting together (relatively) tight! In the next post I'll go into more of the aesthetic direction/vision I have for the final product, plus a vexing issue I've encountered RE the Printed Armoury hardware. |
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stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Mar 30, 2022 22:52:54 GMT
Wow that looks 100 times better, gj
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Post by skelley on Mar 30, 2022 23:05:06 GMT
Very impressive! Looking forward to seeing the finished product.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2022 12:47:56 GMT
Looking terrific! Nice job forming the shape of the grip. That's going to look great.
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Mar 31, 2022 13:12:11 GMT
Wow! Awesome! Do mine next?  |
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Post by davidoa on Mar 31, 2022 18:04:41 GMT
Thanks all! A lot of this is uncharted territory/learning process for me, so your comments are a definite confidence boost. The current plan is to have a leather grip wrap dyed dark green/jade with risers and embossing on the upper half, as well as blued hardware for the pommel and guard.
This was my first mock-up with all the components together, just to give an idea of what I'm shooting for.
Some grip sketches (That are likely too complex for my leatherworking skill level, unfortunately lol)
In any case- things have been proceeding pretty smoothly until recently when I hit a snag during the blueing process:
As you can see in the photo, the 'Swiss Complex Guard' took the Casey SuperBlue just as it should, with a nice dark finish. The 'Swiss Writhen Pommel' however, did NOT.
I do remember RambleTree stating on the forums that their current stock of Printed Armoury guards and pommels were potentially made from either stainless or steel alloy, however I didn't realize that applied to the Complex Swiss hilt+pommel as well (since they don't fit HT blades out-of-the-box).
I suppose it was my own misjudgement to assume that, since the guard and pommel were a set, they would both be made of the same type of metal!
As I work to finish up the grip, I'll have to decide whether to buff out the blueing on the guard to try and reach an even finish with the pommel, or purchase a specialty stainless steel bluing solution (likely 'Caswell Stainless Steel Blackener Gel Kit', based on my research), and hope it is an effective match on the pommel.
Decisions decisions...
Anyway, next update will likely be the finished leather grip- just need to practice my embossing and dyeing skills a bit first!
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AJGBlack
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"This world will stress you like Orson Wells on the radio." -RTJ
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Post by AJGBlack on Mar 31, 2022 20:08:15 GMT
That looks amazing!
Heat blueing is always an option.
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Mar 31, 2022 20:46:26 GMT
Also, you might be able to 'brown' them in coffee/tea
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Post by legault on Mar 31, 2022 22:12:24 GMT
Wow!!!! That looks frickin awesome! I'm looking into having my Hanwei Dark Sentinel turned into a Swiss Saber too |
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Post by snubnoze on Apr 1, 2022 17:20:45 GMT
Love it! Always liked the look of that blade, but like all RK the hilts are rubbish. This is way cooler.
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Post by RambleTree on Apr 1, 2022 20:59:29 GMT
Your project is looking awesome!
Sorry to hear about difficulties with modifying the finish. I'm also surprised to hear that these two parts are reacting differently.
The only things I can think of:
- Because the guard and pommel have significantly different forms (as far as mass/volume/shape), they could have cast in completely separate batches, and a different alloy may have been used. -- even though they're in the same decorative style (and intended to be a set).
- At least to my eye, the Swiss Writhen Pommel has a higher level of polish than the Swiss Complex Guard. This could be due to many factors; different production batches, different types of planes/surfaces interacting with polishing equipment, etc.
I wonder if the level of polish would affect chemical applications (?).
My stock of these specific pommels do have some minor surface rust here and there (per the description), so that makes me think they're more mild steel than stainless.
I'll check in with Mike Jia who designed/sourced these parts. I'll advise him to pass our customer feedback (from you folks) along to the foundry.
We're hoping that the next production run will be more consistent across materials, finishes, etc.
Can't wait to see the finished sword!
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Kane Shen
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Post by Kane Shen on Apr 2, 2022 5:17:52 GMT
A terrific project. Looking forward to see the final result once you finish up the intricate grip work!
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Post by davidoa on Apr 3, 2022 13:18:42 GMT
Your project is looking awesome! Sorry to hear about difficulties with modifying the finish. I'm also surprised to hear that these two parts are reacting differently. The only things I can think of: - Because the guard and pommel have significantly different forms (as far as mass/volume/shape), they could have cast in completely separate batches, and a different alloy may have been used. -- even though they're in the same decorative style (and intended to be a set). - At least to my eye, the Swiss Writhen Pommel has a higher level of polish than the Swiss Complex Guard. This could be due to many factors; different production batches, different types of planes/surfaces interacting with polishing equipment, etc. I wonder if the level of polish would affect chemical applications (?). My stock of these specific pommels do have some minor surface rust here and there (per the description), so that makes me think they're more mild steel than stainless. I'll check in with Mike Jia who designed/sourced these parts. I'll advise him to pass our customer feedback (from you folks) along to the foundry. We're hoping that the next production run will be more consistent across materials, finishes, etc. Can't wait to see the finished sword!
Based on my experiments, the guard and pommel are definitely different metals.
I de-greased, buffed, and re-sanded both of them before attempting chemical blueing, so they both started at the same level of finish. The guard took the Superblue when it was simply brushed on with an old toothbrush, whereas the pommel wouldn't react even after I let it soak completely submerged for 10+ minutes.
Other than that though, I have to agree with everyone else's impressions of the hardware- really beautiful casting and definitely worth the price for a unique custom project. I sincerely hope the line expands sometime, even though it serves an admittedly niche customer base. Awesome stuff.
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Post by davidoa on Apr 3, 2022 13:27:20 GMT
That looks amazing! Heat blueing is always an option. This ended up being my solution! I'd never attempted heat blueing before, but I didn't feel like shelling out $35+shipping for specialized 'stainless steel blackener' that I'd likely never use again. I DO however have a Bernzomatic torch so I figured why not give it a shot? I was initially worried about uneven/splotchy coloration, but I found that as long as I kept the torch moving, and didn't quench the piece, it allowed the heat to distribute evenly. I took it outside and eyeballed the pommel under the torch until the hue was more-or-less a match for the chemically blued guard.
I think I got it to be a pretty close match all things considered! Happy with how it turned out. Excited to get my hands messy with the leatherwork next. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, all!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2022 13:57:42 GMT
I have a writhen pommel and a swiss twisted guard I am using for a similar project, and I considered bluing. THANK YOU for attempting the heat bluing, because now that I see the results, I know it will work for my project as well.
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Apr 4, 2022 13:37:25 GMT
You inspired me.
I bought a set of the same fittings...and plan to do a similar refit on mine.
I really like the heat bluing....wow.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Apr 4, 2022 17:04:15 GMT
This is extremely awesome. I might have to try this out myself come summer.
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pattyb0009
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Getting into antique sabers...
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Post by pattyb0009 on Apr 4, 2022 17:10:46 GMT
Soooo cool
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AJGBlack
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"This world will stress you like Orson Wells on the radio." -RTJ
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Post by AJGBlack on Apr 4, 2022 23:48:09 GMT
That turned out awesome! I'm glad you found a solution that worked!
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Post by pellius on Apr 5, 2022 18:02:03 GMT
Wow!
Gorgeous
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