Posts: 551 Location: flagstaff,arizona
Mon 04 Sep, 2006 11:06 am
Hope I'm not butting in...The fuller style is just something I have been working on. I have grown to dislike seeing a fuller either begin or end on a blade with a plunge cut, so I have been working on a style that continues into the tang section, as is common historically, and then simply fades out at the other end, as the blade's thickness tapers down to the thickness at the bottom of the fuller.
I made the blade first, then figured out the rest from there between Gordon and myself, after a I did a good bit of browsing on period examples as well as some of the nicer repros that are out there. I lean heavily towards making blades that will actually cut well, so I tried to design the blade to do this and also to have the thrusting potential that is emphasized in historical pieces. I am struck more and more by the similarities in outline, at least, to an example shown in the recent Spotlight on
rondel daggers from the Royal Armouries, Leeds, labeled (X-2). This was not entirely intentional although I did roughly model the shape of the grip after this piece.
The last picture is a bit misleading-the rondels are etched to a light grey, the lighting makes them look funky in the pic. I
I could comment on final specs but I prefer to leave that to Gordon, since the gloating is important when you get a new piece.....I am on my way out to the shop to do the final polish and mounting as I write this. This is the last time I get to play with it as I will be packaging it up right afterwards so I don't get any fingerprints or scratches on it. It will be going out Tues. or Wed, so you should have it by the end of the week, Gordon.
Cheers-
Justin