Hello again.

I've been plotting a new design. It's a kind of extra-short smallsword/pillow sword, not really historical but I'd like it to be a functional sword anyway, and not flexible like a sport fencing sword. So I'm looking for a blade that's stiff enough and has some profile taper (actually probably a little more than in the draft). The length doesn't matter since I can cut it down, and I prefer a diamond cross section around 1 inch wide at the shoulder but those aren't musts.

---

 Attachment: 20.98 KB
[ Download ]

The only real difference between a fencing epee blade and a duelling epee blade (and some of the later triangular smallsword blades, for that matter) is the presence of the blunt point. The stiffness is approximately the same. So the simplest option is probably to buy a carbon steel unwired epee blade, cut it down to your preferred length and adjust the taper/pointiness from there. You should be fairly easily able to get something more than stiff enough.

Thanks.

Right now I'm looking at Rogue Steel's steel diamond schlager and steel epee. I wrote in and one of the proprietors said that their blades are already less flexible than sport fencing blades and that cutting a blade shorter will also make it stiffer. Of course, I'd prefer a slightly wider blade, but it's not a deal-breaker.

Ed.: Here's an edited draft with a 3/4" blade.

There is also the Hanwei practical rapier blade for quite a bit cheaper, but I don't know about its flexibility.

---

 Attachment: 20.02 KB
[ Download ]

All the brass hardware and some lovely white oak for the grips. Luckily The Rifle Shoppe sells a counterguard that's not exorbitantly expensive and Zen Warrior Armory sells a decent-sized pommel that matches the M6x1 threads on most fencing and stage blades. The rest is stuff I already had on hand.

I should probably replace the barrelled compression rings with fabricated straight-sided ferrules, but those are annoying to make.

---

 Attachment: 557.04 KB
[ Download ]

The Rogue Steel blade is in! It's... a little surprising to see how narrow it is in person. It also has thick rebated edges.

I have a custom blade for another project on order from Darkwood, which should have the same dimensions as I originally pictured for this one. Since the price difference is only $50, I'm thinking of holding off on modifying the Rogue Steel and seeing whether I like the Darkwood better for this project when it comes in (luckily Darkwood, Rogue Steel and Zen Warrior Armory all use M6x1 threading on their products). If so, I might order a second, identical one from Darkwood and sell off the Rogue Steel blade unmodified.

---

 Attachment: 724.62 KB
[ Download ]

Smoothed the recurved guard's edges, made a false ricasso from brass bar and fabricated a new shell guard that's not oversized. I've also decided the dagger will be a small whinger; now it's just a question of finding a small dirk-style blade for it (the double-edged one in the photo is a placeholder unless I can't find a single-edged one).

---

 Attachment: 585.68 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 566.18 KB
[ Download ]

Grip and lighter alternate pommel from Zen Warrior Armory. In its semi-complete state it looks dainty, but its current weight is 1 pound 6 ounces (a bit too much for a true smallsword if I understand correctly) and POB is 5-3/4" from the counterguard (way too far out).

Now I just need to wait for the Darkwood blade to get here so I can decide whether I want to keep the Rogue Steel one and just shorten it. I really would prefer a broader, more tapered blade.

Edit: Also, because I can, here's a preview of what it would look like if I shortened it. It actually looks rather stout for a smallsword, but that's just proportional, and it probably wouldn't be able to cut to any significant degree.

---

 Attachment: 428.79 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 268.05 KB
[ Download ]

The first Darkwood blade is in. It's definitely better-balanced and stiffer than the rapier and will be much less work to sharpen. So I've put the rapier blade up for sale and placed an order for another Darkwood blade that has no ricasso to use in this project.

---

 Attachment: 830.88 KB
[ Download ]

Pretty cool stuff Dan. Almost an epee du cmbat

Cheers
GC (we're back!)

Thanks, Glen.

WIP spare parts sword with the Rogue Steel blade. Being honest, I don't think it was going to sell, so since the listing went inactive, I've gone ahead and used it for a little U.S. militia sword loosely based on an 1840 Ames model.

---

 Attachment: 617.19 KB
[ Download ]

The grip's rough-shaped and fitted. I went with American walnut; I wanted to use white oak, but almost all the blanks I ordered have serious splits and one of the two that didn't have them developed them when I hammered on the plum blossom bit for the lathe.

Anyways, as is it handles very nicely for someone of my arm strength, and I think it'll be even better after I flatten the grip a bit and add spiral groves and varnish. Darkwood really knows what they're doing. I wish I had deeper pockets so I could use them for a bunch more projects. The grip looks quite long, but that's partly because the blade is quite short. There's just enough space behind the counterguard to hook my finger over the crossguard, though the lack of finger rings would make me reluctant to do so in an actual fight.

In the past month, I came across and ordered the much cheaper Hanwei replacement sharp rapier blade, but it seems too flexible for my tastes and probably would be even if I shortened it.

---

 Attachment: 675.21 KB
[ Download ]

Grip shortened by half an inch, slightly flattened, grooved, sanded, oiled and varnished. While I haven't yet polished the blade or hilt parts, I'm putting that off until after I do the scabbard and belt.

The varnish does make the grip a bit slick and less sure in the hand, but I still feel it's useable.

---

 Attachment: 632.81 KB
[ Download ]

Bit more progress. The first scabbard core I've hollowed out entirely by chisel instead of by Dremel. I made a mistake in glueing up before final shaping of the exterior, since now I'm not sure how close the edges of the exterior are to the interior... Presumably because of tiny asymmetries in the blade, the core only fits the blade one way. Luckily the curved crossguard gives the sword a definite front and back, which should prevent confusion when re-sheathing. I've labeled the core so I'll be sure to seam the leather facing on the back.

An overnight glue test shows that hide glue does an excellent job binding garment leather to linden, much better than the rubber cement I used the last time I made a wood-cored scabbard. I'll have to waterproof the leather thoroughly after the facing is stitched up.

Lastly, the belt and keeper are done, but no frog until the scabbard's complete.

---

 Attachment: 614.03 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 216.4 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 697.48 KB
[ Download ]

Leather applied, chape assembled, main body of the throat done. As usual, the chape and throat are back-seamed and soldered. The chape is tipped with a 3/8" lampshade finial. The brass I used may be a bit heavier than I've used in the past because it took a lot of work and annealing to fit, and now the chape has little dents.

I'm having trouble finding photos that show empty scabbards from the top. Should the slot on an 18th-century throat plate match the blade's cross section or were the slots always rectangular, likely leaving a little of the scabbard's core exposed at the corners?

---

 Attachment: 344.82 KB



 Attachment: 336.48 KB

Locket, ready to be soldered to the throat, but I'm not going to do that until the throat plate is in place in case I need to do final shaping of the plate on the belt sander after attaching it.

I deliberately made the locket as similar as possible to the one on my cuttoe as if they came from the same factory.

---

 Attachment: 317.05 KB

The slot for the throat plate is filed out but I'm still a little iffy on whether this is a good idea. It seems like it has the potential to blunt the edges if I'm not extremely careful resheathing. I could file it a little wider, and will likely need to once it's soldered unless I'm able to line it up absolutely perfectly.. Whaddya think?

---

 Attachment: 328.79 KB

I filed the throat plate slot larger just to be absolutely sure it doesn't scrape the blade edges. Soldering both the throat plate and the locket were tricky, messy processes that got excess solder onto the throat, but I figure since it'll be hidden inside a frog it's not that important.

After the throat plate was added, the ends of the counterguard rim were now preventing a flush fit, so I ground and polished them down. There was still a significant gap, so I went for another first -- a leather washer.

At this point, the sword and scabbard are basically done, but I'll hold off on final assembly until after the frog is made.

And because I can't wind down one project without starting another, I'm now planning a lighter version of the same sword using smaller fittings, a thinner grip and a 3/4-inch Kingston Arms blade (which seems to have replaced the Paul Chen rapier blade on retail sites, although CAS Iberia tells me that they're not interchangeable with older hilts due to the tang shape and possibly different threading). This project is partly dependent on being able to get a proper smallsword pommel. I contacted Roy Najecki but, presumably because of the cost of casting, he only does them when he has enough people asking for one. So I'm on the waiting list.

---

 Attachment: 340.89 KB



 Attachment: 349.95 KB



 Attachment: 399.24 KB



 Attachment: 350.61 KB



 Attachment: 336.54 KB



 Attachment: 675.85 KB
[ Download ]

Bunch of delays with the belt, most recent being that my hole punch went missing and I was forced to go buy another one. And ever since I discovered edge beveling and burnishing, I've felt obliged to do it, which adds a ton of time. But it's done.

[ Linked Image ]

Main strap, buckle and linen thread from Crazy Crow, other leather bits from other sources, dyed with Fiebings, finished with Resolene, olive oil and beeswax. The strap is 1-1/2 inches.

Now I just have to finish sharpening and polishing the blade, and put it all together.

Finally finished up just an hour and a half ago.

[ Linked Image ]

[ Linked Image ]

[ Linked Image ]
The hilt is assembled with pitch glue, but it's held together mainly by the threaded pommel. Since the throat and chape don't have any mechanical attachment, they're glued with JB Weld.

[ Linked Image ]

[ Linked Image ]
I didn't notice at the time, but I didn't get a flawless coat of dye on the belt; there are some brown streaks where the leather's natural color shows.

Here's the fictional writeup.