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Brian K.
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PostPosted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 4:09 pm    Post subject: Andy Davis "Angrod" Dagger Handmade Scabbard         Reply with quote

Hello myArmoury community,

I'd like to share my latest completed commission, the "Andy Davis "Angrod" Dagger Handmade Scabbard". This is a very unique piece, and as such a very unique scabbard was made.

Comments are welcome, and thanks for looking!







Brian Kunz
www.dbkcustomswords.com
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Jared Smith




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PostPosted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 4:24 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The scabbard is OF COURSE EXCELLENT (your standard of work.) The dagger itself, although not the subject of your post, is worthy of some comment. (Was it cable damascus, or hand forged and scraped/ inlayed? Species of wood on the handle?)

I am going to guess that this is intended as a straight vertical suspension for whatever belt the owner may happen to have. As we go down to this scale of implement, I am as of yet decided at what point one chooses a sheath over a wood core scabbard. I am curious to hear what drove you to your decision (owner's specification, whim, etc.)

Absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence!
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Brian K.
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PostPosted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 4:37 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks Jared.

I really have no idea as to the specifications of the dagger. Hopefully the owner will chime in with some details.

The suspension allows for the dagger to hang on the right side of the hip with a slight forward angle of the hilt, hence the slightly bigger loop on one side of the suspension. As for the sheath versus scabbard debate, I perfer wood core with blades over 10". It looks better in my opinion, and functions better for longer blades. This particular piece the customer requested a scabbard.

EDIT: I just got the some of the details.

Forged by Andy Davis, Angrod is a dark antiqued double edged dagger with a keen edge and a slender shape. The design is completely original, made to have functional flowing organic lines that work with it's user well. The blade surface is blackened and highly antiqued with a light texture, while the edge is cold, clean & shining. The grip is carved from slightly charred maple and the fittings from 80 year old iron.

Brian Kunz
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Patrick Kelly




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PostPosted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 7:06 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That's a beautiful combination of rustic detail and nice aesthetics. I love the textures in the blade, hilt and scabbard. The whole package screams "Robert E. Howard" to me.
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Brian K.
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PostPosted: Mon 09 Mar, 2009 8:36 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Patrick Kelly wrote:
That's a beautiful combination of rustic detail and nice aesthetics. I love the textures in the blade, hilt and scabbard. The whole package screams "Robert E. Howard" to me.


That's a big time compliment. Thanks!

Brian Kunz
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Paul Watson




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PostPosted: Mon 09 Mar, 2009 11:05 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Any idea why he called it the Angrod dagger? Angrod is a Noldorin Prince in Tolkiens mythology, so was this dagger envisiged as being possesed by him or was it just the borrowing of a cool sounding name? The name is derived from Angarato which is given to mean "iron-noble" or "iron-champion" so either way it seems to be a fitting name for the dagger..
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, but that which it protects. (Faramir, The Two Towers)
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Andrew Davis




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PostPosted: Tue 10 Mar, 2009 7:38 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

WOW…
This was definitely the last thing I was expecting to see today on myArmoury…
My own work getting an awesome custom made scabbard from DBK!

I am absolutely honored! Happy
Truly, this is such a cool thing to see and I am a huge fan of the work you do Brian!
Plus that scabbard looks about 1000 times better than anything I would have made for it! Haha



As for the dagger itself...

It definitely was a unique, almost freestyle piece while working on it in our shop.
I actually started forging it not really knowing what it would become, just letting the hammer and steel do the thinking.
And the way the blade shape turned out it definitely gave an ancient Noldorian dark feel, thus the blade texture and charred maple grip.

Quote:
"Was it cable damascus, or hand forged and scraped/ inlayed?" - Jared Smith


Thanks Jared,
the blade is not damascus. It was forged from 1075 carbon steel, and when the forging was done I shaped it with rough stones, sharp rasps and even forged some of the steel with a large rock instead of a hammer, all following in one flowing direction to give it the strange light texture on the blade. Then finished it by etching in ferric chloride and polishing with oil and steel wool.
The single rune letter "A" and the patterns following it on the blade were not meant to hold wire inlay in them, they were engraved in simply to be bold silver accents contrasting against the dark aged steel.

Here are the exact specs of the dagger:

Steel type: 1075
Fittings: 80 year old iron
Grip wood: lightly charred Maple
Overall Length: 15"
Blade length: 10"

And here are more details and photos as given on our website: http://maddwarfworkshop.com/Knives%20&%20Saxes/Angrod.htm


Quote:
"Any idea why he called it the Angrod dagger? Angrod is a Noldorin Prince in Tolkiens mythology, so was this dagger envisiged as being possesed by him or was it just the borrowing of a cool sounding name? The name is derived from Angarato which is given to mean "iron-noble" or "iron-champion" so either way it seems to be a fitting name for the dagger.." - Paul Watson


Thanks so much Paul!
You are exactly right, I loved the name Angrod as used by Tolkien in his mythology. So it only seemed fitting to name it after that simply. I suppose if you wanted to consider the dagger to once have been owned by him you could, but at the time I simply chose the name because it sounded right. haha


Bu yeah, again thank you so much Brian for sharing this! I had no idea the owner was planning on doing this so it was a pleasant surprise for me. Happy
Absolutely made my day. Thanks everyone!

God Bless
Andy D.
- the MAD Dwarf Workshop -

www.MADdwarfWorkshop.com


Last edited by Andrew Davis on Wed 11 Mar, 2009 11:10 pm; edited 1 time in total
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M. Eversberg II




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PostPosted: Tue 10 Mar, 2009 7:30 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

You're both excellent artisans and more than worthy of the spotlight!

Andrew, I'm sending an email your way with a few questions.

M.

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Allen Andrews




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PostPosted: Fri 13 Mar, 2009 10:30 am    Post subject: Simply         Reply with quote

Awesome, well done. I am a huge Tolkien fan, so any time someone attaches work to the names, I look pretty close. This is a good example of doing it right.
" I would not snare even an orc with a falsehood. "

Faramir son of Denethor

Words to live by. (Yes, I know he's not a real person)
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Brian K.
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PostPosted: Sat 14 Mar, 2009 10:47 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks everyone for the compliments. The praise makes it all worth while.
Brian Kunz
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M. Eversberg II




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PostPosted: Mon 16 Mar, 2009 8:55 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Brian, how long have you been doing this kind of leatherwork?

Also, may I get a shot inside of the scabbard?

M.

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Brian K.
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PostPosted: Mon 16 Mar, 2009 9:19 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

M. Eversberg II wrote:
Brian, how long have you been doing this kind of leatherwork?

Also, may I get a shot inside of the scabbard?

M.


I've been doing leatherwork & swords since 2007

As for the inside, it's long gone and I don't have any pictures of the mouth. Perhaps the owner will chime in with one as he is a member of this forum.

Brian Kunz
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M. Eversberg II




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PostPosted: Tue 17 Mar, 2009 9:02 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Only two years? You must be some kind of sorcerer...

M.

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Brian K.
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PostPosted: Tue 17 Mar, 2009 9:17 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I've been a craftsman working with wood most of my life, and artistic ventures come naturally to me as well.
Brian Kunz
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Jean Thibodeau




PostPosted: Tue 17 Mar, 2009 9:55 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Brian K. wrote:
I've been a craftsman working with wood most of my life, and artistic ventures come naturally to me as well.


Obviously a lot of crossover of skills there as your work is one of a mature artist/artisan who has been doing it for a very long time and seems to be getting better and better and more impressive with every project of yours that we see. Big Grin Cool

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Sean O Stevens




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PostPosted: Wed 18 Mar, 2009 6:12 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wow Brian... that is one of my favorites of yours to date, beautiful work.

Andy also... LOVE the dagger. I'm soon aquiring something from Andy... can't WAIT to get my hands on it. It's going to need a home (IE - Scabbard) at some point soon also... Wink
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Mike Capanelli




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PostPosted: Wed 18 Mar, 2009 7:58 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Brian K. wrote:
I've been a craftsman working with wood most of my life, and artistic ventures come naturally to me as well.


That's bull, he's a Sorcerer. I have his first scabbard to prove it! Again Brian really great work and with a piece from someone that's fast becoming my favorite smith.

Winter is coming
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Eric SC




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PostPosted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 4:58 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hi Brian,

Who came up with the design of the scabbard? It's sometimes hard to imagine how to dress up a scabbard without going overboard and ruining instead of complimenting the sword.

I'm kind of in the same boat with the commisions that you're going to be working on soon. I'm not sure what's the best way to compliment the sword vs. the danger of going too far versus staying too plain.

Of course the sword has to be detailed to the same level I would imagine for balance but colors and textures? I don't even know what is possible.

Eric
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Brian K.
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PostPosted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 5:14 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Eric SC wrote:
Hi Brian,

Who came up with the design of the scabbard? It's sometimes hard to imagine how to dress up a scabbard without going overboard and ruining instead of complimenting the sword.

I'm kind of in the same boat with the commisions that you're going to be working on soon. I'm not sure what's the best way to compliment the sword vs. the danger of going too far versus staying too plain.

Of course the sword has to be detailed to the same level I would imagine for balance but colors and textures? I don't even know what is possible.

Eric


This particular design is all mine. Usually the way it works is the customer suggests a theme they would like to see, and then turn it over to me to take it the rest of the way. Finding a balance of how much design work to put into a scabbard is part of the artistry. I have customers that have had fairly specific ideas, and some that just love what I do and want me to surprise them.

Typically when a customer outlines all of the options they would like from me, they then provide a theme and how much time I should invest into it. If it is really specific on a design it has to be determined if it is plausible. If there are ideas a customer would like to see it doesn't hurt to ask, the worst I can say is no. Otherwise, if someone is searching for ideas of what I can do for them, simply browse my portfolio Wink

Thanks!

Brian Kunz
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Eric SC




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PostPosted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 6:07 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Great, that actually works well for me since besides picking out the basic features I like, I only have vague ideas. From all I've seen so far of your work, it'll be in good hands. Exciting!


Eric
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