Morning folks. We have initiated a blog on our website to describe some of our work, product and research in short descriptions and videos. It's a work in progress and we will be doing a bunch of different things so far we have posted up a variety of things from new features on existing pieces we make to brand new items. We will also cover some of our history as a company and how we do what we do. Check it out if interested. I will post periodic updates on this thread when we post things of interest to folks and we are always happy to answer questions.

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The new website is pretty snazzy! Will you bring back the in-stock list at some point?

We have a new blog post in our three part series on the points to consider when purchasing a training sword. In this post we look at hilt components like the guard and the grip. There are also a couple of new swords in our Special Offers section of the website (we use to call it the muster page). We hope to have a few more pieces up here over the next few days as well. Let us know if any of them need to be yours and we can set that up or you can just purchase online direct.

If you are in Michigan, Minnesota or Wisconsin we will be at three events this weekend. So if your able stop by at SparBQ VI, The Minnesota Renaissance Festival or the Bristol Renaissance Faire and check out some weapons and say HI!

Have a great day
Craig

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Our Third blog post about choosing a training sword.

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Click here for link to some of our newer blog posts.

We do some comparison between wear on a period trainer and a modern version of the sword, look at the Schloss Erbach Sword, discuss some maintenance tips and todays post a look at the Black Prince Sword part 1!

We hope this keeps you from being productive today :-)

Edited to fix my stupid link mistake. :\

Our Black Prince highlight post has part 2 up today.

Check it out here
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check out the video and how the sword met us for the first time :-)

This time of year we are out at events and fairs selling to the public. Well actually its much more an educational job than selling. We are trying to communicate the beauty, function and design of the original swords we replicate, the swords kind of sell themselves :-). Our post today on the blog starts a conversation about what is different between swords of the past and SLOs and what our approach to a sword entails.

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Our blog post today highlights our Special Offers Page many of you may remember the Muster Page and this is its new incarnation. We will have new things going up as often as we can including a new sword up today, These are as usual one ofs so once they sell they are gone. Hope it provides some interesting things for folks and we look forward to having some fun stuff up here as time goes along.

Check it out
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We have a couple new blog posts up since my last post. Today we are announcing our Pumpkin Destruction Contest! A fun way to spread some Halloween joy with you’re A&A weapons! All we ask is for folks to be safe and have fun!

We also have a highlight post on our Towton Sword. One of our preferred cutting swords. Rondel Daggers have been a favorite of the shop for a long time, here we cover some pieces we have made in the past and some historical info on this interesting side arm. We also have a couple of one of rondels available on our Special Offers Page.

Our research is always ongoing and at times we are able to support and enhance others understanding and knowledge of history as well. Here we describe an exhibit we collaborated on oakeshott-post" target="_blank" class="postlink">Swords and the Secret Life of Books with the Wangensteen Historical Library at the University of Minnesota and and The Oakeshott Institute. bringing old swords, old books and The Princess Bride all together :)

We have a couple new posts on the blog covering a range of things :-)

Today's post is all about what it takes to get started as a blacksmith. It's a craft that can be done on many levels and we encourage folks with a desire to give it a try. You can start small and cost should not be a barrier its your desire to hit hot metal that should get you started

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We also have had an interesting look at some of the material support and insight we share with experimental Archeology research

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If your starting to think about the upcoming gift season we also have a guide for the Viking on your gift list. In the spirit of inclusiveness we tried to include all the vikings we come across and being in MInnesota that means there are quite a few varieties :-)

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Holiday Tip:
Also don't forget to decide which sword you are carving the Turkey with early enough to get it sharpened.

You can check out all our blog posts here.

Pumpkin Destruction Contest

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We hope this brings a smile to your day !

Happy to help with anyone looking for adding to your arsenal for your next holiday weapons needs. :surprised: [/img]

A&A Update
We have a big sword up in our Special Offers section. Total length is ~65" and its about as long of a sword as possible without having to build new equipment :--)

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The weight is just under 5 and a half pounds, so she moves very very well in the hand but you would want to have some decent ceiling height. :eek:

We also have a couple of new posts you might find interesting. A discussion of what does "Battle Ready" mean. We put up a gift guide for your friends and family, so they can pick you out something nice for the holidays.

Today we posted some info and examples of Landskencht arms for those of you who like that kind of thing.

Hope everyone is doing well
A&A

Here is an image of the sword in hand

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Best
Craig

Craig,

Let me first note that I very much enjoy your blog posts - well done, Sir!

Next, I do have a technical design question regarding very large swords - hopefully it shouldn't be a bother to answer:

How much does the pommel contribute to cutting swords with blades exceeding 40"? It often seems that the largest swords, such as the Landsknecht zweihanders, seem to have proportionately small pommels. Though the pommel serves in part as a mass balance, it also acts as a harmonic damper. Does the mass requirement for the pommel actually drop as the grip gets longer in general?

Thank you, Craig,

It's certainly a nice pointer. At some point, I really just need to crack open a few books and run some numbers. When or where I'll do this, I cannot say, but it's really what needs to be done for questions like this. Thank you for your time!

Check out our blog for info on the Holiday Specials we have on the horizon. We also have a post with a video on our Oakeshott Sword Here and an interactive 3D model of the original.

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Best
from A&A :)