Hi Everyone ~

I'm a newbie at sword collecting, currently have just a few MRL blades in my small collection. I originally started buying them based mainly on the appeal of having a functional blade that was also very attractive. Lately, I've been trying to broaden my horizons by reading up on other activites such as practice cutting and basic swordsmanship skills.
(Also by joining this forum :D

I've been quite happy with most of my MRL swords with one exception: I have their Arbedo sword, and the hilt/blade has become loose. Not severly, but enough to preclude it from any cutting. There's no obvious damage; it's just loose.

I'd just leave it as a wall hanger, but it also happens to be one of my favorite pieces. The weight, balance, feel, and fit in my hand when I hold it is excellent. Plus, I just sort of find myself drawn to these wide-bladed, long handled-type swords.

I contacted MRL about a repair, but they will only do exchanges. And I've had this one much too long to do so. I haven't the slightest idea how to go about doing the job myself.

Can anyone here recommend a bladesmith, a shop, or even just someone who has some good experience making these kinds of repairs? Apart from the looseness, the sword is basically brand new, with no rust, damage, or hardly even any scratches. I would like to have it tightened, and then get the blade sharpened for test cutting.

I'm located in Southern California, in the Inland Empire area. Local would be best. But of course, I can mail the sword to anywhere.

Thanks! Any recommendations would be mondo appreciado!

http://bjorn.foxtail.nu/bonk_eng.htm
If you're not comfortable doing it yourself though send me a PM.
Dan

How is it assembled? If it is peened (the tang sticks all the way through the pommel and is hammered over it to form a rivet), you can use Dan's link above.

If the pommel is of the screw-on variety like many Windlass blades, you have to do it differently. It could be as simple as unscrewing the pommel and inserting some leather washers between the grip and pommel and screwing the pommel back on.

The looseness could be from other factors such as sloppy fit of the grip and/or guard (also known Windlass issues). Shimming the guard and using epoxy to fill in the gaps between the grip and tang (and adhere them together) could fix those issues.

Dan & Chad ~

Hey, thanks very much for your quick replies. The pommel is peened on, I can see where the tip was hammered flat through the pommel.

I checked the space between the blade and the hilt, ( which is kind of wide ), and that appears to be where the bulk of the problem is. I'll try carefully filling in the space with some epoxy. Any recommendations as to which epoxy brands work best with steel?

If that doesn't solve the problem, I'll try the method in Dan's link (Thanks Dan, that's one of the better DIY instructions I've seen on any forum, sword-related or otherwise).

Hi Jean ~

I had already picked up a tube of that Metal 5-minute epxoy, and I put it into the gap betwen the blade and the guard last night. A bit messy, but I've worked with it before, so I knew to clean it off quickly (Experience with all those Tamiya model kits I've built over the years pays off at last! :)

The color is slightly off, but it's not anything I can't deal with. It's not visible unless one looks down at the guard from the top anyway. I'll try finishing it a bit after it's cured.

I'm going to let it cure for a full 24 hours, then see how much looseness still remains. I do suspect i'm going to have to try Dan's pommel-peening method, as the grip still twists a bit when move it. My dad has a vise and tools over at his place, so I'll try to get over there soon.

Thanks to all of you for the advice! I'll let you know how it turns out.

There are two other things you can do-both will work, but there will be subtle diiferences in the results. JB Weld can be used if you can fit a plastic straw into the gaps-mix up the product and cut the straw in half for ease of handling, then scoop the JB Weld into the straw until it is 2-3 inches full. Then, clamp the sword blade up in a padded vise, stick the straw into the gap, and squeeze it between your fingers down to the end to fill the opening. Watch to see if it sinks, then fill in behind till it's full. Clean up with Gun Scrubber on a paper towel before it sets. This method will be solid and tight enough to make the blade sing when you pluck it. Another thing you can use, and probably the better way to go if most of the grip is now filled with epoxy, is white PVA bookmakers glue (also known as "Jade" glue) available at art suppliers or university art departments. It's like Elmer's on steroids-fill a pipette, like the ones Testor's makes for painting scale models, and squirt the glue into the gaps, refilling as necessary till the hilt is full. Clean up with water quickly, before it sets. This method is easier to do and clean up after, but the tang will be slightly cushioned due to PVA's flexibility and the blade may lose some of its "ring." Either way, the hilt will be permanently tight. Let the JB Weld set up for a couple of days and the PVA for at least a week.