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J Anstey
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 Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 2:21 am Post subject: Kingmaker review? |
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Hi there,
does anyone have a review of the Albion Kingmaker?
Am also interested if anyone has done any customisation or had a scabbard made?
Many thanks
Jason
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Nathan Keysor
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| Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 5:39 am Post subject: |
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I've got one on order with Abion with blued furniture and a magenta(?) grip. It should be here in early November so I'll post pics when I get it. Not to get off topic but I'm looking for a replica coin to inset in the pommel which is .85-.87 inch in diameter. Anyone have any ideas?
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 7:18 am Post subject: Re: Kingmaker review? |
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| J Anstey wrote: | Hi there,
does anyone have a review of the Albion Kingmaker?
Am also interested if anyone has done any customisation or had a scabbard made?
Many thanks
Jason |
We have one in the works. Stay tuned! 
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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J Anstey
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| Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 7:22 am Post subject: |
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ahhh,cool, I have just ordered one, but have not yet decided on the grip colour, am torn between ox blood and the light campaign brown??????????????? I changed my order from one I placed in July, so I am not sure what my turnaround will be, hopefully I keep my place in line?
I am in the process of getting some quotes on getting a coin made with my family grest engraved on it. Is the measurement you have given accurate, wonder if .85 would be the best bet? I was going to go for silver and probably chemically blacken and the rub to reveal silver highlights.
I will let you know what the price is when I get it.
here is the link http://www.irishjeweler.com/
if anyone has any better ideas please let us know?
Cheers
Jason
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Nathan Keysor
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| Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 8:21 am Post subject: |
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I asked Mike when I placed the order and he told me one number. Then someone on one of the forums quoted the other. I figure it is easier to downsize it than make it bigger so I would go with the .87
I was trying to find a replica coin from a similar period like a Henry V or something. The family coat of arms is a good idea though. There is a guy I have seen at a fair that does cut outs of different coins and then gold plates them. I'm going to check with him this weekend if he shows up at the arts and crafts fair here. This is his website:
http://internationalcutcoins.com/exhibits.cfm
PS if you are going for an antiqued look I think the campaign brown would look cool. I'm going to do that when I get around to ordering a crusade era sword.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"
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Roger Hooper
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| Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 11:49 am Post subject: |
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| Nathan Keysor wrote: | | I've got one on order with Abion with blued furniture and a magenta(?) grip. It should be here in early November so I'll post pics when I get it. Not to get off topic but I'm looking for a replica coin to inset in the pommel which is .85-.87 inch in diameter. Anyone have any ideas? |
For replica coins, take a look at the Armart coin replica site - http://www.antiquanova.com/index.htm - They make really nice stuff, though most of the coins are repros from the ancient world.
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Addison C. de Lisle
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| Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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Not sure if this is too off-topic from the thread, but how are you going to attach the coin into the pommel? Glue seems like cheating to me for some reason.... 
www.addisondelisle.com
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 8:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Addison C. de Lisle wrote: | | Not sure if this is too off-topic from the thread, but how are you going to attach the coin into the pommel? Glue seems like cheating to me for some reason.... |
Glue and glue-like substances were indeed used to affix things to pommels historically.
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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J Anstey
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| Posted: Wed 26 Sep, 2007 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Addison and Chad,
Thanks for both asking and answering my next question! 
Cheers
Jason
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Nathan Keysor
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| Posted: Thu 27 Sep, 2007 5:56 am Post subject: |
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Roger,
thanks for the site I'll check it out.
I just got the UPS tracking number from Albion and my sword is being delivered today!!!!! (Almost month and a half early)
And of course I'll be at work 
Tomorrow I'll take some pics of it and post initial thoughts
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"
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Aaron J. Cergol
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| Posted: Thu 27 Sep, 2007 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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Congrats on your new purchase.
just a matter of personal opinion, but why would one put a coin in a sword of such worth? surley a relic, or something more sentamental would fit better. that's just my take.
Aaron
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Alan H. Weller
Location: Palo Alto, CA Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 28
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| Posted: Thu 27 Sep, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Nathan Keysor wrote: | | Not to get off topic but I'm looking for a replica coin to inset in the pommel which is .85-.87 inch in diameter. Anyone have any ideas? |
I purchased the Windlass type XIV, and, like the Kingmaker, it has a coin-sized recess on both sides of the pommel. I started to wonder what was the purpose of that recess, historically speaking. Does anyone know if it was just for placing decorations, like stones or coins? Did it have a practical purpose, like adding more weight to change the point of balance of the sword?
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Thu 27 Sep, 2007 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Alan H. Weller wrote: | | I purchased the Windlass type XIV, and, like the Kingmaker, it has a coin-sized recess on both sides of the pommel. I started to wonder what was the purpose of that recess, historically speaking. Does anyone know if it was just for placing decorations, like stones or coins? Did it have a practical purpose, like adding more weight to change the point of balance of the sword? |
I think it depended on the sword. Some (many?) seem to have been left plain. Others were painted. Some had crests, badges, and yes, coins inset into them. Some functioned as reliquaries, holding sacred relics behind crystal or quartz.
My own guess is that the presence of the recess may not have had a huge impact on the handling/weight distribution in many cases. In some, though, it may have though you can debate whether the recesses themselves provided the change in handling or not. The sword of Henry V had recesses, but the recessed sections were hollow underneath and brazed onto a solid central disc. This allowed a very massive pommel but with less weight thana solid one of the same form.
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Nathan Keysor
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| Posted: Fri 28 Sep, 2007 8:24 am Post subject: |
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OK I have the sword in hand. First impressions: Nice fit and finish. The bluing has an almost antique look to it and is a matte finish. The hollow grind on the blade is more subtle than I thought it would be. If I hold it up next to my Agincourt I can see the difference in how the blade is ground but from a distance it's not that noticeable. The Magenta grip looks better in person than in the photo (not quite so purple). The seam on the grip is the best of any of my Albions and I had to look real hard to even find it. The blade is also the sharpest of any of the Albions I own. I have a Sovereign, Agincourt, Crecy, Gallowglass and St Maurice and I would put this one at the top on a scale of which feels the most deadly in the hand (although the Sovereign is right up there and has more blade presence). I did a rough measurement of the pommel recess and it seemed to be about 7/8" which could vary from sword to sword. Here is a pic.
PS Aaron, I would put something more precious if I had it but I thought a cut out gold coin would look pretty cool with the blued furniture. Just personal preference I guess...
 Attachment: 117.39 KB
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"
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Gary A. Chelette
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| Posted: Fri 28 Sep, 2007 8:31 am Post subject: |
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Looks great! I also considered putting something into my Windlass Type XIV like a stone or something. Never thought of a coin though.
Are you scared, Connor?
No, Cousin Dugal. I'm not!
Don't talk nonsense, man. I peed my kilt the first time I went into battle.
Oh, aye. Angus pees his kilt all the time!
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Peter Morwood
Location: Co. Wicklow, Ireland Joined: 27 Sep 2004
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Sun 30 Sep, 2007 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | My own guess is that the presence of the recess may not have had a huge impact on the handling/weight distribution in many cases. In some, though, it may have though you can debate whether the recesses themselves provided the change in handling or not. The sword of Henry V had recesses, but the recessed sections were hollow underneath and brazed onto a solid central disc. This allowed a very massive pommel but with less weight than a solid one of the same form. |
Chad - slightly off-topic from placing medallions, relics etc. into a pommel recess, but your description of the Henry V reminded me of an Irish-hilt sword in the collection of the Ulster Museum, Belfast which also had an apparently-massive solid pommel.
The spatulate cross finials were typical of the Irish type, but the characteristic ring-pommel had been turned into a more ordinary-looking Type G/H (who knows why? Fashion? A non-Celtic owner?) by brazing flat discs onto each side of the ring. These discs were thin enough that they can't have changed the balance of the sword at all - so thin, indeed, that close inspection of the holes corroded through them showed the pommel to be a ring-style after all.
No photos to prove it at the minute: several cases, including the one containing the sword, were taken off display because of some redecoration and I haven't been back to the museum to see if the sword's on show again - but another example of a Great Big Heavy Pommel that's nothing of the sort...
"I care little for your Cause; I fight not for your Crown, but for your half-crown, and your handsome women!" - Capt. Carlo Fantom (from Aubrey's "Brief Lives")
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Jared Smith
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| Posted: Sun 30 Sep, 2007 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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The pommel insert coin might not have to be a regular circulation coin. During the 12th through 16th centuries there were lots of pilgramage and religious medallions made and sold. For several centuries, adding the status of having participated in crusade, or belonging to various elite orders seems to have been pretty important to politically powerful knights. I suppose an actual king would be that proud of having his own reign's currency. But, something other than currency might be more believable for the opposite side of the pommel if you already have currency on one of the sides.
According to Peter Johnson, a Catholic votive medallion remains in one side of the 15th century Bayerisches Museum sword pommel that inspired the Albion Munich. The pommel side exposed for display view (and commonly photographed) is empty and speculated to have contained a relic or jewel. http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...ght=munich
P.S. Gorgeous sword. Congratulations Nathan!
Absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence!
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Paul Watson
Location: Upper Hutt, New Zealand Joined: 08 Feb 2006
Posts: 395
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| Posted: Sun 30 Sep, 2007 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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As the discussion is about the Kingmaker hopefully this is not off topic.
Nathan Keysor, it amazes me that the Kingmaker is the sharpest of all your Albions. I assume you are talking about the blade edge and not simply the point.
As the Kingmaker is a Type XVIII (although single handed not a longsword) I thought the edge geometry would be very similar to that of a Regent, of which mine has an edge that I can easily run my finger down. This has been subject to some dulling through a polishing process I have subjected the sword to but even out of the box the Regent was nowhere near as sharp as my Knight. The Regent still cuts very well however.
At a guess I would have thought the Knight is more similar (not the same) to all of your cut oreintated swords and therfore they would be sharper than the Kingmaker. Would there really be that much of a difference between the sharpness of a single handed XVIII and a two handed XVIII?
I am not at all questioning your comparative assesemnt of the different swords sharpnesses but am simply confused as to the appparent difference between two swords (Knigmaker & Regent) that essentially have a blade that I would have thought would have the same or at least similar blade geometry and sharpness.
Nice collection of Albions by the way, some of my favourites are in there.
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, but that which it protects. (Faramir, The Two Towers)
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Sun 30 Sep, 2007 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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Paul,
My Regent is very, very sharp and was that way right out of the box. My guess is that it varies. My Sovereign wasn't terribly sharp when I first got it, but it came back from a blade polish/resharpen much, much sharper.
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Darrin Hughes
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| Posted: Mon 01 Oct, 2007 7:17 am Post subject: |
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Nathan.
If I could just ask, does the Kingmaker have much secondary bevel where it has been sharpened? I have the A&A Henry V with the hollow-ground blade, and the depth of the grinding, and secondary bevel from sharpening, are both very noticeable. As with your Kingmaker, the sword is very sharp, point and edge.
Also, as with your Kingmaker, this is the sword that feels most deadly in hand. I think that the Diamond section may deceive some people into thinking that these swords are primarily for thrusting, from my own experience with this sword I would say that is simply not the case. To me these are very effective cut and thrust swords, designed to deal with opposition regardless of the armour being worn.
One other thing that I am curious about is the balance. Although the Kingmaker is obviously based on the Henry V sword, I've noticed that Albion have given it a blade that is about 3-4 inches longer than the A&A sword. I would say that the Henry V is probably the quickest sword I own with regards to recovery after the cut, and this is from someone whos' first proper sword was an Albion Thegn, which is pretty damn quick! Do you have an opinion on the Kingmaker in this regard now that you've actually held it?
Cheers,
Darrin.
ps,
it was good to see the pictures of your swords' hilt. I recently ordered an Albion Reeve with the blued hilt and now I have some idea of what it should look like
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This is a standard topic