myArmoury.com - Viktor Berbekucz viking swords

Posts: 361 Location: Haifa, Israel

Fri 02 Jan, 2009 3:22 am

Luka, Viktor will take almost any custom order (there is a thread here covering a special custom project by him of a two-handed Claymore) or special request, especially if you can supply photos or sketches.
BTW, I think you should consider a visit to his shop in person, after all Hungary is just a few hours away by train from Kroatia, isn't it?

Profile PM Website

Luka Borscak

Quote

Posts: 2,307 Location: Croatia

Fri 02 Jan, 2009 3:34 am

Actually I might visit him. Hungary is just a few hours from me and I have some relatives of my grandfather near the border. Maybe in summer, I'm busy with studying now... I called my dealer and he told he has a custom order from Viktor for two messers, one handed and two handed, and he will send to Viktor my order too, I just have to make a sketch, dimensions and so... It would be a mistake to buy something that will not satisfy me and I will sooner or later need something better. Sa'ar, do you maybe know what are the average prices of custom orders from Viktor? Are they much higher then regular?

Profile PM

Sa'ar Nudel

Quote

Posts: 361 Location: Haifa, Israel

Fri 02 Jan, 2009 3:50 am

Well, I think that for small changes the price change will be marginal, if at all. The benefit of a personal visit is that you can show all what you want phisicaly. And you can bargain... From Budapest to where he lives is just half an hour by train. If you speak Magyar or German it will be easier for you.

Profile PM Website

Luka Borscak

Quote

Posts: 2,307 Location: Croatia

Fri 02 Jan, 2009 3:38 pm

This is one of the Viktor's earlier custom orders. I think it might be just the kind of sword I'm looking for. I just have to find out what the price would be. Would it be historical for such (type H) sword to have iron fittings that are blued? Or should I go with bronze pommel and guard?

Photobucket image

Profile PM

Andres M. Chesini Remic

Quote

Posts: 33 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fri 02 Jan, 2009 6:12 pm

This is a Vendel sword.
Of course, different model and 3 centuries earlier; but the decoration seems to be made by the same process: Iron inlays on bronze.

Greetings

Andrés

Attachment: 43.67 KB
vendel sverd .jpeg

Vendel svard

Profile PM Website MSN ICQ

Luka Borscak

Quote

Posts: 2,307 Location: Croatia

Sat 03 Jan, 2009 4:56 am

I searched for bluing topics and it seems it wouldn't really be historical for a viking age sword. I'll go with the hilt as it is in the picture, I'll just request a broader more parallel blade.

Profile PM

Bruno Giordan

Quote

Posts: 919

Mon 05 Jan, 2009 6:32 am

Luka Borscak wrote:

Bruno Giordan wrote:

Luka Borscak wrote:

Bruno Giordan wrote:

J.D. Crawford wrote:

That's understandable. I also hate paying customs taxes and prefer to support my local economy. But I'm surprised that you have to pay so much for Del Tins in Europe, I would have thought they'd be cheaper.

Just for the sake of comparison (or for someone else reading this) here are some similar swords (quasi H, or B,C?) on the lower end of the price range that are readily available in North America:

http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~IP03...+Sword.htm

http://www.darksword-armory.com/swords3.html

Windlass and CI don't seem to have anything in that line right now.

Croatia is outside EU so I guess he should pay taxes for getting Albions from Denmark or Deltins from Friul, despite the latter region being pretty close to Croatia.

he coudl still come to Maniago and then go back to Croatia via Istria passage .. cough cough

You're right about the EU. For a trip to Maniago, I don't have a car yet and there is no way I could talk my father into a trip to Italy just to buy a sword. He already says I have too much of them. I'm a student and I still depend on my parents. So what little money I have I'm forced to buy here in local shop. But my dealer could order a bit customized sword from Viktor, with a broader fuller and maybe some other details that would make a sword more accurate.
What did you mean by that they should be less triangular in geometry and fatter at the debole? I didn't quite understand it. :blush:

If you look at the blade, the two sides form a slight but evident triangle, while (earlier) viking blades had the two sides more parallel to each other, at least for most of the blade.

See this sketch for comparison. The blades of B's swords would be better suited to a late gaddjalt type.

[/b]

I think I understand, you are actually talking about profile taper, right? I agree that the blade is a bit more like later period gaddhjalts but I consider that a minor mistake as blades varied alot in width and taper so this one may not be typical but it is plausible. It can't be perfect for that money, right? ;)

Well, Luka, i understand your point about costs, but one of the blades has even a ricasso ... despite the pommel and hilt being nice.

That is not acceptable for me, but you are free to do your choices, obviously.

It also depends from what one wants from a blade, and the environment.

reenactment in our area is still in a stage at which such problems are irrelevant, however I was able to improve awareness in my group and some people have started to delve into studying swords with pleasure.

Reenacting for me is more an occasion for historical study than a simple sport, but other people could have a different mindset.

Profile PM

Luka Borscak

Quote

Posts: 2,307 Location: Croatia

Mon 05 Jan, 2009 8:47 am

Bruno Giordan wrote:

Luka Borscak wrote:

Bruno Giordan wrote:

Luka Borscak wrote:

Bruno Giordan wrote:

J.D. Crawford wrote:

That's understandable. I also hate paying customs taxes and prefer to support my local economy. But I'm surprised that you have to pay so much for Del Tins in Europe, I would have thought they'd be cheaper.

Just for the sake of comparison (or for someone else reading this) here are some similar swords (quasi H, or B,C?) on the lower end of the price range that are readily available in North America:

http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~IP03...+Sword.htm

http://www.darksword-armory.com/swords3.html

Windlass and CI don't seem to have anything in that line right now.

Croatia is outside EU so I guess he should pay taxes for getting Albions from Denmark or Deltins from Friul, despite the latter region being pretty close to Croatia.

he coudl still come to Maniago and then go back to Croatia via Istria passage .. cough cough

You're right about the EU. For a trip to Maniago, I don't have a car yet and there is no way I could talk my father into a trip to Italy just to buy a sword. He already says I have too much of them. I'm a student and I still depend on my parents. So what little money I have I'm forced to buy here in local shop. But my dealer could order a bit customized sword from Viktor, with a broader fuller and maybe some other details that would make a sword more accurate.
What did you mean by that they should be less triangular in geometry and fatter at the debole? I didn't quite understand it. :blush:

If you look at the blade, the two sides form a slight but evident triangle, while (earlier) viking blades had the two sides more parallel to each other, at least for most of the blade.

See this sketch for comparison. The blades of B's swords would be better suited to a late gaddjalt type.

[/b]

I think I understand, you are actually talking about profile taper, right? I agree that the blade is a bit more like later period gaddhjalts but I consider that a minor mistake as blades varied alot in width and taper so this one may not be typical but it is plausible. It can't be perfect for that money, right? ;)

Well, Luka, i understand your point about costs, but one of the blades has even a ricasso ... despite the pommel and hilt being nice.

That is not acceptable for me, but you are free to do your choices, obviously.

It also depends from what one wants from a blade, and the environment.

reenactment in our area is still in a stage at which such problems are irrelevant, however I was able to improve awareness in my group and some people have started to delve into studying swords with pleasure.

Reenacting for me is more an occasion for historical study than a simple sport, but other people could have a different mindset.

Ricasso is definitely not acceptable. Actually, I decided not to accept any such mistakes and I'm ordering custom blade that will be historically acceptable and the hilt is probably going to be type H with bronze inlays I posted here, on the second page of the topic. And the price should also still be acceptable as I can see through other custom pieces Viktor made. :)

Profile PM

Luka Borscak

Quote

Posts: 2,307 Location: Croatia

Thu 05 Feb, 2009 1:22 pm

I decided to skip Viktor for now, I'm able to get a Del Tin 2070 bare blade for a relatively low price through my local sword dealer and I have found a local sword, knife and gun maker who will make me custom hilt parts also for a very reasonable price. All in all it's going to cost me less than a basic Berbekucz model. If anyone has a pictures or a link of some nice type B, C or H original hilts, please post. :) But I will make a new topic for that probably.

Profile PM

Jeroen Zuiderwijk

Quote

Posts: 740 Location: Netherlands

Fri 06 Feb, 2009 1:05 am

Andres M. Chesini Remic wrote:

This is a Vendel sword.
Of course, different model and 3 centuries earlier; but the decoration seems to be made by the same process: Iron inlays on bronze.

Greetings

Andrés

That's more probably gilded silver, with silver inlays. Mind there is a big difference not only in hilt style and construction but also in materials between the Vendel and Viking period. While in the Vendel period, pommels and guards were frequently made of bronze, gilded bronze, gilded silver, gold, gold with garnet inlays, iron with niello inlays etc., in the Viking period nearly pommels and guards were made of iron, with or without non-ferous inlays.

Profile PM Website