Howdy folks!

These are projects completed within the last few days. First up is a scabbard for my Viking sword, a heavily modified Windlass Leuterit. It is oak tan leather over a poplar core. The core was made of laminated poplar this time instead of chiseling a recess and it went much faster - it could have been almost completed in a full day of work, with the exception of leather drying time. As is, I think it took 2-3 partial days. This is the first time I've experimented with risers and I liked the process more than I expected. The strap bridge was left with a knife-cut finish, rather than sanded smooth, and is fixed with stamped green straps. The leather dye covered very poorly again on this one - worse, even, than on the last scabbard. I did, however, expect it this time and used it with full knowledge of that. I think that it covered worse because of the excessive handling involved in molding the leather over the risers, so I believe it is the oils in my fingers getting on the leather that is causing the problems. I think something other than water-based dye in future will solve the issue - but on these two swords, I quite like the mottled look.

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The two together, to show the difference in finishes - this is with the exact same dye, applied to wet leather. And the leather was even from the same side.

The second is a regrip for the bastard sword. I wanted it to be a wee bit shorter to be of truer bastard sword proportions, and a wee bit more pretty. I still have not permanently affixed the grip (still attached with a nut) so I can put the oak back on if I so choose, but I shortened the tang by about 1/4" so I will have to shorten the oak grip, also. The grip is a poplar core with a dyed chamois wrap over a single riser.

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I also turned one side of the sword belt around so they both attach to the same side of the scabbard - I find this hangs better, and the belt is long enough that I can wear it as a baldric.

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Excuse the excess strap I have not trimmed yet!

Comments welcome, and thanks for looking

Pete

I'm surprised no one has commented on this so far. it is very good work. What kind of sword is that bastard sword out of curiosity?

Thank you kindly, sir!

The bastard is a Windlass "Sword of Roven" (now simply branded "Longsword" I believe) - I haven't the faintest where the name came from.

More technically, I believe the blade to be of the XX variety based on the general proportions and fullers, and possibly XXa based on the taper of the blade - however, being out of my primary area of interest, I'm not sure whether the taper is sufficient to push it into the subcategory. Ultimately I prefer to cut with my swords and jab with my spear, so I think this is about as tapered as I would like a sword to be.

I have to say, given that I generally prefer one-handed swords, this is a joy to play with and I'm attempting to expand my area of study to include two-handers. More space to customize, too :D

I actually prefer longswords as I am much more proficient with them. I should of known it was the Windlass Roven. I may still have to get one of those someday for a project, everyone keeps saying how good of a sword they are for the price. Great work.

The green is very striking against the brown! Good looking job!

Steven - Aye, the Roven is much nicer than I really thought it would be, even for a project sword. The stock furniture is certainly much more usable than the Leuterit sword shown here also (heavily modified). Thanks again!

Thanks Josh! It was actually my wife who suggested the green, which I was against until I saw a couple fantasy swords done in green and brown - should have listened to her from the start, it was a nice pick!

Very nicely done on both of them.

I am trying to figure out how you did the attachment of the belt on the longsword and I just can't quite picture how it is done. A little hint?

Thanks Dave!

Do you mean belt to scabbard? That is just a knot, though a knot I have a great deal of trouble with - I couldn't grasp it without pictures, which I found here:

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=6361

I still find the knot a pain to do - difficult to get tight, difficult to get even and very difficult to keep the stamping intact! In the above thread, it seems to be done with dry leather whereas I used wet, which may be the source of my problems - I possibly should have used a lighter leather, too. If it weren't such an attractive knot, I would likely find another solution, but I shall try and perfect my technique! It does use a LOT of leather - I think in the region of 25".

As for the rest of the belt, I suppose that I took a somewhat unconventional approach for a sword of its size in that I didn't use straps hanging from a belt, but rather the belt itself attaches to the scabbard. I find this to be a nice compromise between some of the ultra secure, high-riding scabbards common for one-handed swords, and the typical two or three point suspension for a longsword, which I find bounces around too much.This belt hangs in a kind of gunslinger style, with the right side resting just above the hip and the left side a bit lower, providing good security while still allowing for movement and a comfortable draw for a longer blade.

Hope this helps!

Pete