|
Post by viece on Aug 24, 2020 18:49:51 GMT
|
|
|
Post by viece on Aug 17, 2020 22:38:29 GMT
The top one in this picture is my favorite. It's a light, fast Continental (probably Italian) infantry broadsword from perhaps 1550-1600. It is in excavated condition, likely dug up many generations ago (I hope so, anyway; I would not want to encourage modern-day looting of archaeological and historic sites). It was clearly used hard before that, with lots of nicks and a period blade repair about a third of the way up from the tip. I had renowned leather craftsman Steven Huerta put a wood grip with a dark red/brown leather wrap over the bare tang, and that just brought it to life. Despite the heavy old rust (now stable and sealed with wax), it is a graceful little sword that feels wonderful in the hand.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Nov 26, 2019 13:35:46 GMT
I bought the customized Del Tin St. Maurice that has been a bit of a village bicycle here at SBG. Nicojo was fast and friendly with all communications and packed the sword more securely than any other purchase I've made. Sword arrived very quickly. The shipping cost went down somewhat from his initial estimate and he offered to refund a bit to square it up. I declined the refund but that speaks very highly of his integrity.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Nov 13, 2019 18:39:30 GMT
I don't hold this issue against the antique basket. Not its fault. I'm 6'5" and 250 lbs with very large hands. Probably not representative of the original user.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Nov 13, 2019 2:30:36 GMT
Grip length: 11 cm Basket width: 11,5 cm on widest area, 10 cm at 1/4 and 3/4. Space between grip and D-guard basket part: 5 cm Space for knuckles: 4-5 cm My palm width at knuckles: 9,5 cm My index/middlefinger knuckles are pressed against the basket, gloves needed. Awesome, thanks! That's almost the exact dimensions as the antique posted here: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/54967/antique-scottish-basket-hilt-broadswordWow, it sure is! FYI, that antique has now gone to another home, not least because the basket was so small it shredded my hands.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Oct 14, 2019 15:22:10 GMT
That's delightful to see! Cheers GC Thank you, pellius and edelweiss. It was a major collecting goal for me to acquire a custom EBE and the antique it was based on. Now I need a new goal...
|
|
|
Post by viece on Oct 14, 2019 1:34:42 GMT
I thought you all might enjoy this update. I now have E.B. Erickson's reproduction of the sword above. He made it in 2005 and it's gone through a couple owners but is now back with its antique sibling. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by viece on Oct 7, 2019 18:58:12 GMT
Stone tools, including dart points, can be much more sophisticated than they appear. Practices regarding modification/reuse/discard were based on many cross-cutting factors, but perhaps the most important one is availability of raw material. If you have nice chert or obsidian or similar materials around, sure, if a point or tool has even minor damage you'll let it go and make another one easily. But in areas far from deposits of such material, it's a different story; people used every scrap of stone and re-worked them a million times when damaged/worn.
I can address some of these issues in more detail another time. I study this stuff for a living.
In a hurry at the moment but I also just want to encourage forum members to please not pick up artifacts, especially on public land, whether state or federal. It's a crime but is often not really enforced, so people get used to doing it with no consequences. But as soon as stuff is picked up, it's out of context and no longer has meaning within the archaeological record. Think of any archaeological deposit like a crime scene; if you pick up the shell casings, it messes up the integrity of the murder scene...
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 18, 2019 0:03:25 GMT
How cheap is cheap ;]. I agree about the rusting being a bit much but its still great. There were some Windlass XIV on closeout at Museum Replicas around 18 months ago that kind of appeared out of nowhere. I alerted this forum and bought one myself, and I remember celegon (among others) was very interested, as the price after discount was a crazy $95 or something. I think that must have been when I got this one. Followed the tips... $85 total with SBG discount. Amazing deal.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 16, 2019 16:23:51 GMT
IMO - rust makes me crazy...hate it. And the grip looks better, but how comfortable would that be? I mean, it looks like it would cause blisters at speed. But great eye candy To each his/her own! I love decay and rust. To me, shiny, polished surfaces make weapons look unreal, like toys or SLOs. Caveat: I am an archaeologist, so I have a skewed perspective. The Most Real things to me, the things that tell the most compelling stories, tend to be the dirtiest, most patina'd.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 16, 2019 16:21:34 GMT
I like. The seam seems to have gotten away from Huerta in a spot or two, but all in all I like. No doubt it's more comfortable than the original. I did a simple cord wrap on mine and it made a big difference. It is comfy. Fatter than the original with the cord in there. I have very large hands so the original felt weird and tiny.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 16, 2019 13:41:03 GMT
Added some pics from Steven Huerta above.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 16, 2019 13:40:44 GMT
Also, Christain, if you or anyone else wants commission a replica, let's talk about building an economy of scale. Maybe if we get several of these from one craftsperson it will bring the cost per unit down.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 16, 2019 13:34:08 GMT
Adding some additional pics by Steven Huerta... much better than mine.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 15, 2019 11:02:25 GMT
Thanks all!
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 15, 2019 10:51:36 GMT
Me too! Every time I think about a custom commission, though, I spend the funds on another antique.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 14, 2019 23:14:15 GMT
Hello all, Here is another recently acquired antique sword. The others I’ve posted are below: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/54967/antique-scottish-basket-hilt-broadswordsbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/54972/antique-german-basket-hilt-swordsbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/55158/antique-17th-18th-walloonThis next one is a continental European double-edged infantry-length broadsword with a sort of proto-basket hilt, probably Italian and likely dating to the mid-sixteenth century or maybe early seventeenth. It is the top one in the picture of 5 swords in a wall rack, and probably the oldest. E.B. Erickson has described the Italian as a “kind of like a rapier hilt split down the middle,” which captures the effect very well. Its overall proportions are similar to Del Tin’s so-called 17th Century Italian Sword (DT2176), although of course with a more complex hilt. You also find stortas and falchions with a similar hilt style. The sword is in excavated condition. When I got it in June 2019 it had several areas of active rust on the tang and lower third of the blade, since it had been in storage since the mid-1990s. I carefully removed that using WD-40 and synthetic and brass brushes, then cleaned the whole thing with alcohol and microfiber towels and sealed with Renaissance Wax. After stabilization I sent it to Steven Huerta, who created the grip you see here. I know some might find the combination of the restored grip and the excavated patina to be incongruous or even offensive, but I like it. As I’ve developed my small collection over the last few years, I’ve realized I am drawn to beat-up antiques that are not too precious to handle (see my other antique writeups for similar statements about other pieces). Handling these weapons is really the main way I connect with their rich history, and gripping a bare tang just doesn’t cut it. Apologies to any who object to this approach! Anyway, here are its stats. I suspect the overall weight/mass is slightly low relative to its original state due to metal loss prior to stabilization, but that degradation probably represents single-digit percentage loss. Weight/mass: 1.71 lb; 776 g Total length: 35.8”; 91 cm Blade length: 30.3”; 77 cm Guard max length/breadth (normally quillons; here to the outermost curves of the pas d’ane): 4.7”; 12 cm Max depth of proto-basket: 3.1”; 8 cm Grip length: 3.1”; 8 cm Blade max width (below ricasso): 1.5”; 3.7 cm Point of balance (from guard): 5.3”; 13.5 cm Distal taper of the blade: 0.2” or 5 mm thick just below the guard, tapering to 0.08” or 2 mm thick at 4” or 10 cm from the tip Tang measurements (since it was exposed at acquisition, and I thought some forum members scoping custom pieces may find these stats useful): 5 mm thick and 14 mm wide at the guard, tapering to 3.5 mm thick and 8 mm wide just below the pommel The blade has a shallow fuller in the first third or so, transitioning to a flattened hexagonal cross section after that. There is a weld repair near the tip but it seems to date to its period of use. When the sword came to me it had a pronounced bend, which I straightened out (mostly) using the dowel-and-clamp method Matt Easton has demonstrated on his Youtube channel. I do not undertake this sort of repair lightly—especially given the piece’s relic condition, which often comes with increased brittleness—and agonized over it for a while first. The bend bothered me enough I decided to risk it, with very gradual and gentle pressure increases until I got to the angle you see in the picture. I left it like that for about an hour, then released. I’m pleased with the result. Overall, I’m struck by how light and delicate it is. The crusty brown patina and wide blade make it look fairly chunky, but it’s lighter than my original late-eighteenth-century smallsword (second from the bottom in the wall rack picture). Very nimble in the hand. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks. EDIT: added some additional pics by Steven Huerta. Much better than mine! You can see more details of the proto-basket and new grip.
|
|
|
Post by viece on Sept 14, 2019 22:57:37 GMT
|
|
|
Post by viece on Aug 21, 2019 0:40:58 GMT
|
|
|
Post by viece on Aug 13, 2019 23:59:33 GMT
Great video, thanks for posting. Personally, I am drawn to beat-to-hell antiques. I prefer warts. I would love it if Tod and other master craftsmen would do rough-and-ready product lines using lower-grade steel, stuff that they could bang out in 1/10th the time of their fancier, perfect stuff. Cheap makers like Deepeeka often get the proportions wrong, while I imagine Tod et al. would keep all of that right even if materials and finish were low-grade.
|
|