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Post by viece on Feb 26, 2018 22:09:57 GMT
Update: 3 days vinegar/salt spray, then 3 days buried in wet soil. I like the way it's coming along. Still a lot of bare steel showing, so I think I will do a little more vinegar.
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Post by viece on Feb 24, 2018 14:40:15 GMT
Thanks. I will try the baking soda at the end, and may unwrap the grip midway through the burial. I plan to turn and rebury a few times to keep it from being excessive on one side vs the other.
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Post by viece on Feb 24, 2018 1:54:12 GMT
Interesting experiment. I may try one at some point myself..if I can get the courage up to de-modernise a sword. However, personally..I think your "antique" would look more realistic if you stripped off the grip before antique-ing. You don't see many "genuine" viking-age swords with surviving grips ? You have a great point. I still want to be able to comfortably play with it, though. I'm not going to try to pass it off as a real antique, so I'm ok with logical inconsistencies in its fictional backstory...
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Post by viece on Feb 23, 2018 19:05:14 GMT
This post been incorporated into an article on SBG!
Hi all-- Here's a Deepeeka Viking sword I recently got in order to abuse. I find the real Viking field/river finds incredibly evocative but can't afford even the most fragmentary and beat-up examples, so I decided to make one. I recognize that some people will be offended by the whole idea but we all have our tastes (for instance, I love coconut but my wife can't stand even the thought of it). Anyway, the four panels in the picture show the original and then 24, 48, and 72 hours of white vinegar + salt spray. The hilt is covered with cling wrap and duct tape to protect it from direct moisture and vinegar and whatnot; I'll mess that up with dirt and sandpaper later. After each day of aging, I wiped off the surface grunge to expose the new pits, discoloration, etc. before re-spraying. It's now shallowly buried in wet soil. For whatever reason, the harsh LED lights in my garage make it look much more orange than it looks in person. It looks more dark brown-red. I'll post more after a week or two of marinating in the mud and see how that goes. For the end stage, the final cleanup and stabilization, I'm interested in suggestions about how best to clean off the chunky rust without polishing off the texture of the damaged metal underneath. In other words, I don't want to polish with abrasives or anything but just take it down to gray, pitted, unevenness like the incredible neo-antiques from Raven Armoury. Any tips? Thanks all!
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Post by viece on Jan 25, 2018 12:19:09 GMT
What is that one on the bottom? Guard looks like a Mensur sword, but the blade is much too heavy for that sort of work. Yes, isn't it an odd one? Stamped "garantia" so Spanish, supposed to be made for Latin American market. Heavy cavalry blade. The grip forces you to take a thrusty, fency thumb-up grip, which feels weird with this blade. I imagine the mensur shlager style made its way over with Germans and Austrians who explored and settled in Bolivia, Argentina, etc., or maybe with the Maximilian I regime in Mexico. I don't have evidence for that, just speculating. If anyone else recognizes this type and can provide additional insights, I would greatly appreciate it. Regardless of the origin, I love the look of the mensur basket -- huge, elegant curves.
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Post by viece on Jan 25, 2018 11:56:42 GMT
If you can remove the wooden grip panels, you may be able to better shim it. The guard is held in the front by the cross-piece running through the blade. Can check that to see if its bent? Though I can't imagine thats the cause. Likely some wear or shrinkage to the wooden grip panels. Check the condition of the grip panels and see that they are okay perhaps? Grip panels seem super solid. The movement is minor so I'm going to try to get some copper today and shim the guard. Thanks for the thoughts!
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Post by viece on Jan 24, 2018 23:43:31 GMT
Thanks for the clarification, bfoo2! The picture you posted is indeed the same kind I have. I probably mixed up the terminology with the British 1908 pattern. WWI era pointy stuff. Thanks also for the information about the construction. I definitely will not mess with the nut and will shim it as Jordan suggested. I've been working in the field away from my collection for a few days and look forward to making some progress on that. Speaking of collection, some pics attached. Attachments:
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Post by viece on Jan 23, 2018 15:04:45 GMT
The nut should have two small holes in it, and they should be fairly deep. In the past I've used two small screwdrivers in each hole to unscrew it, though it didn't have an effect on the guard looseness. I would advocate for copper shims sharpened like a chisel on one side, inserted into both sides of the guard on either side of the retainer pin. Thanks! I did not realize the two holes were so deep. There is enough gunk on this one that they appear to be shallow dimples. However, I will try shims before opening it up. On a side note, I'm surprised how floppy the blade is, for a thrusting weapon with a thick blade. It hasn't lost temper and will still return to true after bending. Floppy is the only word I can think of that fits.
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Post by viece on Jan 23, 2018 13:03:10 GMT
Too true but a grand less than MDL wants for their walloon on ebay. There's a Walloon on Myarmoury for 850. Lowest price I've seen for non-relic 17th century.
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Post by viece on Jan 23, 2018 12:23:59 GMT
Hi folks, I just acquired a Spanish Model 1908. Nice graceful lines but the guard is slightly loose. The pommel seems to be capped by a smooth nut with faint indentations. I've tried to turn it a bit but no movement either direction. I'm afraid if I use any tools to grip the indentations I'll scratch it up. Does anyone have experience taking one of these apart? Thanks!
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Post by viece on Oct 31, 2017 0:33:54 GMT
Great channel! I want to be this guy when I grow up. I must be in the wrong field!
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Post by viece on Oct 30, 2017 21:26:41 GMT
Yeah I heard they were from Texas. That’s where I live. I’m definitely interested in them. I will add to the short list. Thanks. Welcome! I just joined as well and am also in TX (central). Where in TX are you? Valiant is in Dallas and I'm looking forward to visiting them, and LG Martial Arts has some cool stuff in McAllen.
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Post by viece on Oct 30, 2017 2:09:43 GMT
Great point. My favorite sword in my little collection is a mid to late 18th c. smallsword with a cut-down 17th c. rapier blade. It's a mutt but works great, and was clearly carried by a serious dueller! Pics? That sounds awesome! Middle one in this pic. Second time I've tried posting a pic, hope it works.
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Post by viece on Oct 29, 2017 2:48:56 GMT
All -
Thanks for the tips and welcomes. I will be sure to check out Valiant next time I'm in DFW.
Also, I don't know why the text didn't come through, but the pic above is of a Napoleonic cutlass I'm patinating. 3 days salt and vinegar, then 2 days in soil so far. Some interesting patterns coming together under the crust.
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Post by viece on Oct 28, 2017 22:20:17 GMT
It's not as if historical people didn't do this, too. Great point. My favorite sword in my little collection is a mid to late 18th c. smallsword with a cut-down 17th c. rapier blade. It's a mutt but works great, and was clearly carried by a serious dueller!
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Post by viece on Oct 28, 2017 18:33:02 GMT
Attachments:
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Post by viece on Oct 28, 2017 18:17:49 GMT
Welcome to the forum - I'm from DEEEP S. Texas (McAllen, in the RGV) Hey, good to know! I work in McAllen, Pharr, Brownsville every few months. Was just down there enjoying the new Rabble Rouser brewery during a site visit; love what they're doing with Valley citrus...
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Post by viece on Oct 28, 2017 18:14:56 GMT
Thanks, I do watch his site and he seems like a good guy but given the lack of a store, I don't want to impose, i.e. "can you meet me in the Walmart parking lot with 20 blades so I can swing them around and maybe buy 1?"
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Post by viece on Oct 28, 2017 17:14:14 GMT
Welcome Viece! Have you heard of using mustard for a patina? It's common in the knife world (where I come from). Rick- Thanks! I have heard about mustard but have not tried. Also lemon juice. In your opinion, which method is best for an even, dark gray, finely pitted look? I have a (real) Civil War era Ames light cavalry saber that has this beautiful dark gray color with fine peppery speckles, and that's what I'd like to mimic on a future project. With a coating of Ren Wax it looks great.
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Post by viece on Oct 28, 2017 16:32:43 GMT
Hey, Viece....Glad to have you! I'm a fellow Texan! I can't tell you how many 'false antique' blades I've made. (Never advertised or sold any as genuine though!) I use the salt and vinegar method as well. That, in conjunction with burying the blade makes a pretty good 'archaeological find' after some restoration and conservation. I'll look forward to your posts in the future! .....Chris Thanks all! I am working on a Napoleonic replica cutlass right now. 3 days of salt and vinegar spray first, now 2 days marinating in some slightly acidic soil. I'll post pics of the setup at some point. Chris, do you know if there's any distributor of $200-300 sword brands (CAS, Windlass, etc) with a store in Texas (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio) where you can try out the feel of different blades? I know in the Austin area there's Therion Arms, but he doesn't have a brick and mortar store, just online sales (although it must be said, he seems great, from the limited correspondence I've had). I keep falling in love with various affordable swords based on online photos and descriptions, then finding reviews that say disappointing, fragile, too heavy, etc. I travel all over TX and Oklahoma for work and would like to wave some examples around before I buy.
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