Posts: 8,310 Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
Mon 31 Mar, 2008 9:10 pm
Thanks for the compliments and I'm very pleased with the look of it.
In discussions we mutually decided that the purity of the lines are so nice that any engraving would be TOO decorative and take attention away from the complex grind lines, so I decided to leave the surfaces clean.
The guard may have a little of bevelling around the edges.
Oh, for those who haven't read this Topic thread before you might look at the first few pages and in some subsequent pages at other pics of the sword ( the 3 previous blade attempts ) and at my concept drawing in Photoshop: The sword has evolved and the design has changed gradually during the process. In some ways it will end up a better design because all sorts of problems gave me time to evolve and change the concept.
The original design was based on the Pontirolo sword as a starting point but modified: In time the length of the sword was reduced from 40" blade to 36" and the point bevel design was changed to first shorten the elliptical section and to finally have the bevels go right to the point. The point should still be reinforced by having a triangular flat between the main bevels.
To not completely abandon the ideas I had about the engraving, the Wolf and initials pattern iconography may be used on the scabbard: Details of that still in concept stage.
I also want to thank Nathan Robinson for his opinion ( personal e-mail where I asked his opinion ) confirming that the sword would look better without engraving.
One last thing as a teaser: If you look at the last pics and review the original concept and progress drawings where would you guess is the POB at this stage ? You will probably not believe the actual number. ;)
By the way I'm not imposing on Mark a specific target number about POB: I told him to let the sword " talk " to him and for him to " feel " the handling when tweaking it. Mark mentioned that he is very happy about this because it lets him free to use his experience to make the sword true to it's character as opposed to try forcing it into being something it isn't !
One reason for this is, I think, that when one initially draws the outline and taper of a sword and them decides on the bevels and
distal taper the final POB is sort of pre-ordained and pommel and guard masses can only do so much to change it's nature. One can try to force it into being something else at a late stage of design, but that is not the way to get the best results.
Finally, a big thanks to Mark for being stubborn enough to get to blade #4. :lol: