I recently had the good fortune to acquire two amazing Vince Evans baskethilts for my collection !
(Yup, moss seldom has time to grow on 'ol Baron MacDonald ;-)

I've posted alot of pictures, stats, detail scans, etc., of these two new ones , on my PictureTrail site at the following url's !

Link to the 'brass & steel' sword: http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=99...uid=717149

Link to the S-hilt broadsword: http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=99...uid=717149

The S-hilt has gotta be the fastest, best handling, sword I've ever had the joy to swing ! A true marvel of engineering & design!

The brass & steel basket-hilt is such an incredible piece of workmanship that I truely believe it belongs up at Culloden next to the original (although being the greedy caretaker that I am they will have to wait for this donation at least a few generations ;-) Vince has outdone himself on this one and pictures just dont do it full justice..... it's beautiful !

*Special thanks to Alex McCracken for giving me first shot in getting this piece ..... "thanks, Captain" !
** A double big thank you to Vince & Grace Evans for not only doing what they do, but for being the wonderful souls that they are ..... "thanks for everything, guys" !

Here are a few preview shots ..... but please do stop by my albums and view the rest !
( dont forget to sign the Guestbook while yer there ;-)
I've also added a few new albums that feature some of my old favorites, so check them out too !

Slàinte, Mac

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Daughter Rachel demonstrates the ease in handling this piece !
(now imagine Big Daddy Mac with this one in hand, sans the pop of course ;-)

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S-Hilt
Overall length - 37 1/2" (including button), Blade length - 32-1/4" (double-edged), Blade width - 1 1/8" (tapering steadily). Single fuller - 9 1/4" x 3/8" (tapering), Weight - 2 lb. 5-1/4 oz., POB- 2 3/4" from hilt. Basket width - 3 1/2", Basket length - 3 3/4" , Basket height - 4 1/2", Grip length - 3 1/2" (including ferrules) 3/8" right-handed bias (off-set to grip). Grip material - rayskin over wood w/ braided brass wire & brass ferrules. Pommel diameter - 1 1/2" (approx.) filed flat on one side. Assembly construction - threaded & peened tang.
Scabbard is black leather over wood with steel fittings.

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Brass & Steel
Overall length - 39"(including button), Blade length - 33 1/4", Blade width - 1 1/4"(at hilt),Blade Thickness - 3/16" (at hilt), Fuller - 5/16" x 31 1/2", False edge - transition starts 13" back from tip steadily getting sharper to tip, Blade steel - 5160, Hilt steel - mild steel w/brass panels & wristguard, Weight - 2 lbs. 15 3/4 oz., POB - 2 5/16" (out from hilt), Basket width - 3 1/2", Basket length - 4 1/4", Basket height - 4 1/2", Grip length - 3 3/4"(including ferrules), Grip material - rayskin over wood w/ braided silver wire, Pommel diameter - 1 3/4" , Scabbard - leather over wood w/steel & brass fittings (weighs 10 1/2 oz.) Component weights: Hilt - 1 lbs. 15 oz., Blade - 1 lbs. 3/4 oz.(Pommel - 8 1/2 oz., Basket - 1 lbs. 4 oz., Capstan nut - 1/4 oz., Grip - 1 3/4 oz.). Construction assembly - Takedown hilt(theaded tang & capstan).

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Great stuff Mac!

I usually *hate* brass on a sword hilt. I simply can't stand it. However, once again Vince proves to be the exception to the rule. That one is another outstanding example of Vince's abilities as a craftsman. It definitely belongs in your collection. I love the clean simple lines of that s-hilt too.

Congrats Mac,
Fantastic swords, Vince never ceases to raise the bar,
Also great detailed write up,right down to the weight of the capstan nut,
Top man,
Thanks for sharing,
:cool:

Wow! Simply gorgeous. I will have to get my hands on a VE someday....

Congrats Mac! I'm extremely jealous now.
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:!: :cool:

Mac, those are some fantastic photographs of two fantastic pieces. Very nice work.

Thanks for the nice words, Lee !

Best wishes in acquiring your own VE sword, Geoff !

Hi Stephen

I hear ya .....
No matter how many pieces I acquire by Vince I still get a little envious everytime I see one get away ;-)

Thanks, Mac

Beautiful blades there Mac! Big 'ol congrats out to ya'!


Bill

Flashback

A few years ago I purchased a 'Stirling' hilt backsword from Vince ....
At the time I'd asked him a few questions about the process of making one of these complex hilts, so here, in flashback mode, is a bit of our conversation .........

Mac:
How long does it take to create a piece like this,scabbard included ?
( nothing to do with money in relation to the time factor, just the curiosity of "How long is the process, to get it this perfect" ?)

Vince:
How long does it take to build a basket hilt? I never really thought about
it since I'm usually working on 3-4 swords at once. If I were to work
straight through on a single sword, I would guess just over a week.
Building and cleaning up the basket is the most time consuming part, maybe
4 days. The scabbard is about a day's work using chisels and planes to
shape the wood. The blade takes a couple of days. When I first started
building basket hilts it took a lot longer with a lot more trial and error.
I'm getting more proficient with each one I do.

Mac:
I'm also wondering how a modern day smith might compare with a smith of old ,
given that he makes the complete piece ?

Vince:
I'm not sure how we (modern day makers) compare with the smiths of old.
I still do the blade first and then build a hilt to fit the blade, so that's similar to the olden days. Starting the hilt with a near finished blade would be similar to starting with an imported blade. I gas weld the components of my basket together. I've never seen anything in print regarding how the old hilt makers built their baskets. Some of the baskets look too delicate to have been heated in a forge and forge-welded. I hope to meet up with an American student who's going to school in Edinburgh -- he's studying smithing and the hammerman's guild. Maybe he can shed some light on the subject.

Mac:
What is the most difficult aspect of doing these basket-hilted swords?

Vince:
The most difficult aspect for me is getting the shape, proportions and size just right.(Of course, if you look at a lot of the antiques, you'll see a variety of shapes, sizes and proportions. The workmanship varies from poor to excellent.)

Mac:
Do you use a different (milder) steel for the basket ?

Vince:
I build my baskets from mild (low carbon) steel.

Mac:
Is the grip actually Manta-Ray ?

Vince:
The grip is sting ray skin. I'm not sure which genus of ray, but it's long and narrow.

Those are both beauties Mac. I especially like the brass and steel baskethilt. Now I just have to wait
for my opportunity to get a Evans sword to keep my dirk company. I have my name on the waiting list.
Just have to be patient.

Excellent stuff Mac, those are some beauties! Deadly Art...just waiting for a big group shot... :eek:

As was mentioned a few times above, these swords certainly transcend styles to appeal across the board. I generally approach the sword world from the Japanese/JSA end, but the *artisanship* of these pieces (particularly the dual-tone baskethilt embedded in this thread) is magnificent. I'm very impressed with the degree of detail on the pommel, and the subdued tones of the contrasting metals. Simply a gorgeous and sumptuous combination - both a lot of art and true craft in the piece. I may very well be expanding my interest in this direction - thank you for sharing!

Vince is amazing.

Gorgeous swords, Mac.

Mac,

Two??? Are you kidding me? You REALLY want to be in the lead doncha? Now *I* gotta get two more.

Seriously, though, congratulations on your latest acquisitions. Had no idea Captain Alex was contemplating letting the "Captain's Sword" go. Does this mean you joined the Officer's Mess?

Glad they went to a good home, but a damn shame Alex had to give up his prize.

I've not heard from him in a bit.

Is he doing OK?

I just can't imagine him letting that beaut go.