I think it was well worth the wait, wouldn't ya say :-)



Weight - 3 lbs. 2 oz., Overall length - 39 3/4", Blade length - 33 7/8", BW - 1 5/8", Blade thickness - a hair over 1/8 thick on the spine., POB - 4 3/8" out from hilt, Scabbard weight - 10 3/4 oz., basket - 1 lb. 1 1/2 oz., Pommel - 7 oz.( about 1 3/4 dia.), Grip - 3 7/8" (weighs - 1 3/4 oz.), Capstan - 1/4 oz. * The blade is a modified Del Tin that was reworked by Eljay.

** Based on an original piece by the great John Allan of Stirling, which currently resides at The Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.



You can view lots more pictures & detail of this piece at this link :
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=99...uid=717149





Many thanks to Eljay Erickson for all his hard work, dedication, & skill ..... incredible job, my friend !

Cheers, Mac

Virtual whistle here. :cool:

Oh my........ :eek:

I normally don't care for basket hilts that much but THAT is a work of art at the highest level.

Excuse me I feel the need to sit down.

Wow Mac that's a real beauty. It has exactly that rich yet understated appearance that I always prefer in my own stuff. I absolutely love it!

That silver inlay is just incredible and so is the file work. Is the basket a copy of a historical piece?

Brilliant Mac! Nothing short of amazing...... know you are quite chuffed with this addition.

Well done laddie...and much kudos to Eljay.

Bill

That is absolutely stunning. ElJay's work keeps impressing me. Every new piece I see coming out of that man's workshop makes me pay even more attention than I did previously. The body of his work is as impressive as any maker out there. Fantastic. Fantastic.

Pretty nice, Mac!

I took a few minutes to look at the various pictures, and thought about the methods he used to build this. All the design, the forming, the carving, inlay work, filing, polishing, finishing - and that's just the hilt components!

Damned fine at first glance, unreal when you take the time to actually appreciate the craftsmanship and skill.

Congrats!

That is really beautiful, Mac.

Who was Andria Ferara? the original swordmaker, bladesmith? It seems to have been spelled a number of different ways - on one engish baskethilt c.1620 it is Andria Fearria.

I saw this blade when I visited Edinburgh. This is a stunning piece you have Mac. So tell me, when does the McDonald Museun oepn ;)

Joel

*whistle*

Impressive sword. Ordinarily I'm not a big fan of post-Mortuary basket hilts either, but that looks like quite the weapon.

Now, I have a question about baskets. In the late 19th century, Highland regiments apparently started swapping out the elaborate basket guards on their swords for very simple cruciform affairs when they went to war (a practice which, so I hear, they still do), complaining that the basket was interfering with their swordsmanship and generally cramping their style. Is this a load of crap brought on by the general decline in swordsmanship around then, or do baskets really mess with you when you try to do certain techniques? I can see them creating a bit of a problem if you're trying to draw your sword in a real hurry, but the Scottish were never reknowned for their iaijutsu techniques so I'm doubting this was the reason. ;)

Hey Mac congrats on one heck of a basket :!: I got to check this basket out in M.B, jawdropping is what it is...You could put this basket in a glass top case on a cushion of silk it it would look just as amazing as it does with a blade..

I actually really like the red velvet covered liner in the original sword. Mac, do you have any plans to add a liner to yours?

Congratulations, Mac, on another outstanding piece of hammerman's art!