[Carl W.]

This new sword is bothering me. I like it, but cannot love it. Its too perfect, looks like it belongs in surgery. Re-watched Gladiator's first battle scene. I read Sean's antiquiing feature few times, & searched myArm for threads about community's aging opinions. One notable, Jeroen said he prefers new, can go to museum to see aged. But gladii in museums are at most slabs of rust so this (otherwise useful speedbump) advice is not really applicable.

So I'm leaning towards doing something. But I'm not really sure the "sitting around in castle armory / museums for hundreds of years" look is what I want. I think I'd rather have "well used but well cared for by veteran owner" look.

Other than teleporting back to participate in a few campaigns (seems too dangerous on several fronts anyway :-), any advice? Still use Sean's technique's or... ?

(Including stop me if stupid. I thought I saw thread where Peter said why not age an Albion? But can't re-find it, plus maybe he just wants to sell another gladius after I ruin this one :-)

Thanks!

ps. background first sword wanderings with photos here...

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=15087

[Chris Boatcallie]

Personal opinion, but leave it alone. I love galdiator too, but would never use it as a basis for a "look" that is suppose to be historical by any stretch of the imagination. I love my Allectus just the way it is.

[Sean Flynt]

I'm out of the antiquing thing. It was fun and interesting, but....

I'd advise against doing anything irreversible. I'm facing the daunting task of abrading thousands of pits out of a blade.

If you just want the look of a weapon that's been on campaign but still properly maintained, you could degrease the blade and brass and just let it the piece age naturally. If you want to speed the process you could use ammonia fuming to turn the brass a deep gold/brown. Spraying the blade with vinegar will turn it a gray color pretty quickly--keep a close watch on it and clean off the vinegar quickly as soon as it has the look you want. You might also want to rub some very fine steel wool over the blade. If you don't like the effect, you can polish the blade back to bright. If you let the process go to rust, you'll have more work if you change your mind.

[Jean Thibodeau]

[Kirk Lee Spencer]

[Christopher Gregg]

Kirk, What is the sword in the last two pictures? Is that a pattern welded blade I see? Looks kinda feathered, or fern-like. Gorgeous!

[Tim May]

Carl, I have to agree with most of the above posters. I, too, am a tinkerer, I can't help but fiddle with my swords. For this reason, along with the fact that they're much, much cheaper, I generally (meaning exclusively) have bought Windlass. They are decently accurate, and I see them as Sean does, as kits, that are easily improved.

For example I've made a new grip and covering for my Sword of Auray, and I don't feel as though I'd destroyed anything in the process. An Albion is in another league, and as someone who's bought a sword, loved it, and decided later it wasn't really for me, I'd keep the Albion pristine so that if you decide to sell you can get a good price. Now that I've said it is sounds a little silly to "downgrade" to a Windlass, but I know that I'll have more fun (or at the least more freedom) with the Norwegian Viking I just bought on clearance from MRL for $130 than a $1,010 Thegn.

[Kirk Lee Spencer]

[Matthew Amt]

I'd say don't do it, unless you are very familiar with how a sword ages naturally on campaign. The gladius I've been toting to reenactments and school demos for about 17 years is a Del Tin. While this kind of lifestyle is nothing like regular marches in bad weather with a few battles thrown in, it has definitely come by its scars naturally.

Since practice and drill were done with wooden swords, a real gladius spent most of its time in the scabbard. Sure, a soldier would check it for rust once or twice a day, and there is some evidence that they liked to sharpen their blades--the stone slabs of the water cistern next to the latrines at Housesteads fort in Britain are worn into a line of wave-shapes, apparently by soldiers sharpening their blades while waiting their turns. So find a not-quite-suitable stone and sharpen the edge a few times, not being too careful about making stray marks on the face of the blade, and regularly rub it with ashes and oil to remove rust.

The guard and especially the pommel constantly rub and knock against the armor. This causes irregular scuffing, scratches, and gouges in the wood, mostly horizontal but not all. Small chunks can get taken out of the edges of the pieces. The wood weathers and dries, so hit it with linseed oil now and then, maybe after a quick sanding. I would say that if the finish of the wooden parts looks too perfect, there's nothing wrong with sanding them down to bare wood and treating with oil (or whatever else you like to treat wood with), but I don't think any stains or colorings should be used. I have heard that European woods tend to be paler than the American equivalents, though oil will darken wood over time.

Sweat and grime build up in any irregularities of the grip, as well as at the ends. The brass plate on the guard gets banged against the scabbard mouth all the time, and cleaning it will scour and darken the wood around it.

Well, like I said, I wouldn't try to do any of this artificially. MY Albion gladius stays on the wall, though that's largely because I haven't gone and made a scabbard for it yet. But I do believe blades were regularly maintained, especially in wet weather that might cause rust, so I don't think any russeting of the blade makes it look "used", just abandoned.

Good luck and Vale,

Matthew

[JE Sarge]

My $0.02:

Do it, but proceed with caution and much practice.

Buy a couple cheap Deepeeka gladii and experiment away until you have gained a proficiency in getting the effect you want. Once you are 100% certian you can do it properly, knock out your Albion. The process is not very hard and most of the things you do are so mild that they can be polished out.

I patina / blue stuff all the time, and to date I have never mess up anything beyond a restoration if I wished. There is a certain appeal to a sword that looks like it was actually used rather than put on display over ye olde castle mantle for the last eight centuries. Contrary to what others say, I myself don't find a pristine modern sword replica very collectible; regardless of manufacturer - these are implements of war, and therefore should look as such. A shiny new sword is just...well...ugly looking.

There is alot of good advice here on how to do this properly. I don't think you can go wrong. Good luck with your gladius!

[Carl W.]

(not to cut off thread if others want to comment on the fate of a perfectly good sword)

Just wanted to say I really, Really appreciate everyone's time & thoughtful advice! This is a great community.

ps. Kirk - excellent work, both hilt & the surprising layer trick! (Not sure what the more damaged pics are, other separate projects?)

[Jared B]

Hey Matthew, it's Nihonius from RAT. I have two forums to go to now lol.
My suggestion for anything Roman related is to ask the wise people like Matt at
http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat
I've learned alot about the Romans there. They got me really interested in someday re-enacting. So any Roman issues, try there. I've never heard of anyone trying to purposefully age a blade. I'd say that would ruin it unless it was a cheapy and you wanted it for display. I'm a bit against aging swords though because when your grandkids find it in the attic someday they will think it is an original and will sell it for like 10k on Ebay. I like buying stuff on Ebay and dont want to buy a fake