http://photobucket.com/albums/d199/drustynail/Scabbard%20Strap/ DAn on firestryker posted this how to on sword belts. i think its really cool blow by blow explaination. any idea on how period this is?

I don't know about the last two steps (the "belt loop"). I haven't seen that, but a hook was usually used to do the same thing. You can see an example by looking at the ones Albion offers for The Regent, The Viceroy, and The Brescia Spadona. Other than the loop vs. the hook, it is correct for 15th century swords. I think it was used in the 16th century as well.

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-Grey

P.S. That's a pretty cool tutorial. I kinda wish I had had that when I was trying to figure it out.

That's really useful; thanks for posting it!

I just noticed this, but Albion has an extra step in the way they tie theirs, right after Dan's 9th step (labeled "tuck below"). Rather than tucking the loose end through the loops and going along the belt portion, they bring it in front (over the top and then down), tuck it under the center strap, and bring it around behind. It then goes diagonally upwards across the back of the scabbard (I'm guessing it is threaded through the straps again) and finished by being the buckle portion of the belt.

I don't know which is right, or if it really matters. I do think Albion's method gives the strapping just a little more character. I like it from an ashtetic point of view. Historically speaking, I would guess that Albion's is closer, as their method makes more sense for having the buckle end of the belt protrude on the correct side, but I don't think that I have seen any historical artwork with enough detail to tell. Even the historical picture on the Viceroy scabbad page doesn't show the belt attachment well enough for me to be able to say with certainty. Now I'm really curious.

-Grey

Edited: I had originally thought that Dan's and Albion's were opposite (and posted to that effect), but I realized that the difference is actually in the extra step.

Very nice, thanks for that. I find it quite useful. In fact I think it would make a fine start for an article for myArmoury :)

Rod Walker just finished up his scabbard, and used a method close to the one that Dan uses. His scabbard uses three attachment points rather than two, so he doesn't have the buckle coming off the opposite side. Additionally, he crosses one band of the strapping over another. This also results in two of the bits that wrap around the loose end being directly overlapped. You can see his completed scabbard and suspension system on the second page of this thread. Here's one of the pictures from that post, though:

[ Linked Image ]

-Grey

I just made one other discovery:

The pictures that Chuck linked to are essentially backwards. If you follow the pictures exactly, the suspension is set up for a left-handed user. If you are right handed, all you really need to do is orient your scabbard the other way (so the tip points up and right, rather than down and left) then just do what the pictures show.

-Grey

Anyone have the pictures saved? The link doesn't work any more...

Just giving this a bump. I had seen buckles on the suspension of the late medieval scabbards in the DBK Custom site gallery of finished scabbards. I figure someone has a tied on suspension that can show how the back side looks and explain how the loose end from the completion of the wrap is brought out.