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I love the looks of that colichemarde! And I can speak from personal experience that the two hander is one cool monster, as I had it here for a little while before it was sent to the owner!

It's gold plated :)

Now that's an update!

I love that custom hand and a half. Now that is sweet work! Also the writhen rapier in gold :eek: droool!

Kenton

I have coveted the GV rapier for years... and now a gold-plated version. Be still my beating heat. :eek: :D :!:

I also really like that two-handed Katzbalger. I've seen pictures in books and here: http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/4133.html
but never seen one reproduced. Very cool.

Oooo my poor bank account. This hobby takes bigger chunks out of me every year.

Yeah, the gold plating is amazing. I'm not a huge fan of the Elizabethan rapier (it's gorgeous for what it is, I've just never been a fan of that design on originals)... seeing it with the gold plating, though, really changes my mind about it...

Although it did get me thinking about bronze fittings (Steve wasn't the only one who wasn't sure at first glance). Has anyone ever seen bronze hilted rapiers before? I've seen a lot of gilted ones, but I can't recall bronze.

Craig, does the gold plating make a noticable difference in handling? I'd imagine it would at least a little bit.

Part of it depends on how it's polished. A lot of bronze will look more like brass when given a high polish. Similarly, a lot of brass will look almost silver when given a high polish.

Bronze can vary in color a great deal. If the copper content is higher, you can get a more reddish hue. The bronze DT uses (or used to use) does that; I loved the bronze pommel on my old DT2140. A&A uses a bronze that is more yellow. I believe it's a tinnier bronze. The dagger and Henry V were very yellow but patinate much differently than brass. My ArmArt's bronze fittings are somewhere in between what DT uses and what A&A and Albion use in terms of yellowness. It's is normally a little more reddish than my Sovereign or A&A dagger but not as much as the DT I used to own.

It has more to do with alloy content and ratios than polishing I believe.

Evenin Guys

Yes the Bronze will vary by allow and really by batch as I will have some lots that are distinctly more red than others all using the same spec material. It can be difficult if you are trying for a very specific color.

The Gold can vary as well depending on what is used as far as the plating recipe 9they have a couple to try to match chrome gold to antique type gold and the polish under the gold affects the finished look as well.

We use a commercial silicone bronze which is very strong.

Bill the weight is not noticeable. The plating or the leaf is so thin as to weigh far less than the human hand/mind connection can detect.

Let me kow if I missed a question. Its a bit nuts at the moment.

Craig

I have a german branch sword from AA that they gold plated last year for me, and just as Craig said I honestly cant tell a diffrence in the weight between the same sword with bronze pieces and admittedly I can't tell the diffrence in steel either but I might not be paying close enough attention... and yes they are crazy over there I was there today to visit and was treated to watching several boxes of sword parts being born.. in wax at the moment.. maybe i should have cried, or been all warm and fuzzy inside :lol: but none the less they are going to be very busy little beavers over the next few months.
<insert Jedi mind powers here>
So order lots of stuff from them.

Some good stuff on this update! That huge katz is outrageous!

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Hey Craig,

I'm speechless. :cool: