This sword came to me as sort of an odd-bird from the Bruce Brookhart collection. It's an older model Del Tin, made from Krupp steel. The model is non-specific, as it combines elements from two of Del Tin's current production blades. The pommel and grip are from the DT2160 (German Hand and a Half Sword), whereas the blade and guard are from the DT5156 (15th Century Hand and a Half Sword).
Together, these elements make a rather quick and powerful bastard sword, with the blade being a solid Type XIIIa, while the hilt components indicate a later period. In my mind's eye, I'd like to envision this as a older blade which was re-hilted with newer furniture at a later date, such as Mr. Oakeshott noted happened from time to time.
The condition of these older Krupp Del Tins are always a bit rough, as in most cases the wood has cracked or shrunk to the point to where the whole sword is loose. In the case of this sword, the grip has three fairly significant cracks and loose furniture, including the top bolster on the grip. I filled the grip with epoxy, and as it dried,. I repeened the sword. After this, I filled the cracks in the grip with wood filler, then blended them to match the grip. The entire grip was refinished and stained a dark antique brown.
The blade was cleaned and refinished to a 600-800 grit sheen. Once clean, I must admit, this blade has some real charm. It's one of the nicest Del Tin production blades I have seen, with a nice crisp flattened lenticular cross section.
The pommel and guard were cleaned up a bit, with the most notable fact being that the peen was blended in. However, due to the natural age of the steel and the obvious casting occlusions, rather than try to file and buff the flaws completely out, I blended them into the design neutrally, so that they remained as part of the character of the sword.
The chape is made from mild steel, and antiqued to match the overall look of the package.
The poplar core scabbard was carved in two pieces to match the blade profile. These pieces were joined together and finished to the profile of the scabbard. Latigo risers were added to match the blade fullers. The piece was then covered with a smooth grain vegatable tanned leather, embossed, and dyed an antique brown with worn attributes of tan and black added in.
The suspension is a single point tied baldric done up in lightly weathered black leather. The baldric is a simple affair, which makes carry of the sword easy, but quite effective - as the sword could be drawn at the scabbard easily dropped off to the side as to not inhibit or restrict a warrior's movement in a melee.
The effect with this blade was not to make it look brand new, but to rather, enhance the effect it was genuinely old. The package now achieves that 'used but cared for' look which many collectors fine appealing. :)
