Posts: 5,981 Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Fri 04 Mar, 2005 7:44 am
I made a couple of quick snaps of my little family of swords last evening. The hanger will make a nice addition, and the Kern axe,
burgonet and dudgeon dagger will round things out pretty nicely. The close view of the
rapier rear shows the area that is giving me the most trouble. You can see the scratches and other flaws here and contrast them with the finish in more accessible areas of the hilt. It's a work-in-progress. The blueish tinge of this shot is the result of shooting outside after sunset. Digital is amazing, but not magic. The group shot is from only a few minutes previous, but the sun slipped over the horizon in the interim.
You know, it's only been a week and I'm already getting too fussy about the finish. A spot of rust! A fingerprint! I may be going back to the dark side. Or maybe I'll just let them age naturally and see how that works out. As you can see below, the backsword cleaned up pretty well considering the serious antiquing I did with the blade. It almost looks more antique now that it's been scrubbed clean.
Note that the point of the
rapier is jammed into the dirt of my back yard to a depth of a few inches, so the relative heights you see here are not accurate. The new backsword grip wrap is cord and leather, with three risers that fit perfectly between my fingers. It's amazing how a custom grip can change the feel of a sword.
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![family.jpg](files/family_325.jpg)
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![guard.jpg](files/guard_131.jpg)