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Michael Edelson
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 Posted: Sun 22 Mar, 2009 12:45 pm Post subject: A scabbard for my Talhoffer |
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This is the latest scabbard I made, this time for my Albion Talhoffer. It's a poplar core, covered in veg tanned leather, using Talbot's buckles and rivets from Revival Clothing.
The chape is a place holder I stole from my Windlass brass hilted rondel. Anyone wanna make me a chape? 
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Sun 22 Mar, 2009 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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Michael,
Nice! Where did the floral thingies come from?
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Michael Edelson
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| Posted: Sun 22 Mar, 2009 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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Thank Chad.
I bought the floral thingies from Revival Clothing, but I don't see them there now. I hope I can still get them...I love those things. They were like 25 bucks for a pack of 30.
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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Christian Henry Tobler
Location: Oxford, CT Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Posts: 704
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Michael Edelson
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Christian Henry Tobler
Location: Oxford, CT Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Posts: 704
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Michael Edelson
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| Posted: Sun 22 Mar, 2009 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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Not many, I'm afraid, maybe 10. And I need most of those to replace ones that fell off my Brescia Spadona scabbard.
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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Matt Easton
Location: Surrey, UK. Joined: 30 Jun 2004
Posts: 241
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Michael Edelson
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 8:40 am Post subject: |
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| Matt Easton wrote: | That's gorgeous, good work!
How do you shape the insides of the two halves, out of interest?
Matt |
Hi Matt,
Thank you.
I typically make the scabbards out of balsa and hand carve the insides using chisels and small planes. This one was different...I cheated, but the particulars aren't important. If I had more time I would have done the same thing for this one.
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 9:53 am Post subject: |
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| Michael Edelson wrote: | | Matt Easton wrote: | That's gorgeous, good work!
How do you shape the insides of the two halves, out of interest?
Matt |
Hi Matt,
Thank you.
I typically make the scabbards out of balsa and hand carve the insides using chisels and small planes. This one was different...I cheated, but the particulars aren't important. If I had more time I would have done the same thing for this one. |
Well, if I remember correctly balsa is very strong for its weight but sort of very soft: The leather covering should protect the outside but I wonder if the inside might be accidentally damaged if one put the sword back in the scabbard hastily and dug the point of the sword into the side of the inside of the scabbard ? Not that you would do this.  
Looks very good by the way and the above is just idle curiosity and probably just nit picking to make my posted comment more than just " nice work ".  
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Matt Easton
Location: Surrey, UK. Joined: 30 Jun 2004
Posts: 241
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Bill Grandy
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 11:29 am Post subject: |
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That's really excellent work, Mike. Bravo!
HistoricalHandcrafts.com
-Inspired by History, Crafted by Hand
"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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Michael Edelson
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 11:31 am Post subject: |
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| Matt Easton wrote: | I don't care that you cheated, but I am interested to know how you cheated?
Matt |
PM Sent.
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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Michael Edelson
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 11:36 am Post subject: |
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| Jean Thibodeau wrote: | Well, if I remember correctly balsa is very strong for its weight but sort of very soft: The leather covering should protect the outside but I wonder if the inside might be accidentally damaged if one put the sword back in the scabbard hastily and dug the point of the sword into the side of the inside of the scabbard ? Not that you would do this.
Looks very good by the way and the above is just idle curiosity and probably just nit picking to make my posted comment more than just " nice work ". |
It is very strong. You can snap it with your hands if you try, and it will snap if it gets caught between your legs, but I have four of them and I've yet to break one or damage it with the sword. And I did sit on one once.
It went "crack" and I said "oh no!" but then I couldn't find anything wrong with it...maybe there's a crack under the leather, but it didn't affect the scabbard at all. As you said, that's what the leather is there for.
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Michael -
Quick question because I'm not quire sure what I'm seeing in the photos: does the scabbard have a central ridge? if so, it looks like you either carved it into the core or glued something else in the center of the core to create it. Is this true?
Stylistically, it's a great effect whatever it is. I like it quite a bit.
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Michael Edelson
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Nathan Robinson wrote: | Hi Michael -
Quick question because I'm not quire sure what I'm seeing in the photos: does the scabbard have a central ridge? if so, it looks like you either carved it into the core or glued something else in the center of the core to create it. Is this true?
Stylistically, it's a great effect whatever it is. I like it quite a bit. |
Hi Nathan,
I bought a really thin hardwood dowel, planed down one side of it to make it flat(ish) and glued it to the core. Then I planed down the ends, partiuclarly near the tip, to make it blend so there's not an abrupt termination.
Thanks for the compliment.
Here are some pics of the dowel:
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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Sean Flynt
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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I'm confused. Is the core poplar or balsa?
I made a balsa gladius and scabbard a decade ago, painting everything with thinned wood glue in an attempt to add strength. I don't know how much that treatment mattered, but I was surprised by how sturdy the scabbard felt. Even after multiple moves that thing is intact and lying in a closet somewhere.
My main concern with making a balsa core would be that balsa can be too easy to work. It's so soft you can do much of the work with a craft knife and sandpaper, but the wood just flies off and it would be easy to remove too much. It can also take an impression easily and be deformed by pressure. Do you find any problems with that when using balsa scabbards with suspension?
-Sean
Author of the Little Hammer novel
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Hammer-Sean-Flynt/dp/B08XN7HZ82/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+hammer+book&qid=1627482034&sr=8-1
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Michael Edelson
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Sean Flynt wrote: | | I'm confused. Is the core poplar or balsa? |
Hi Sean,
THIS core is poplar, and it is not hand carved, at least not the inside. All of the other scabbards I've made used balsa, and were hand carved.
Yes, balsa is quite strong, and I think it's strong enough. It is also completely non-corrosive (to the sword).
As for removing too much...not a chance. I am a very lazy person, and when I'm working the balsa my attitude is "aww come on, is this done yet?", so I'm constantly checking for fit. Also, I always stop the hollowing when the sword almost fits but not quite. This compresses the scabbard a bit and makes the fit perfect once it wears in. I suppose there is a chance of removing too much from the outside, but I haven't run into that.
One interesting thing...the balsa is actually harded to shape out the outside than the poplar is. I use a small hand plane for my shaping, and poplar shapes real nice. The balsa tends to foul up the plane and require frequent cleaning.
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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Sean Flynt
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the clarification. The balsa idea intrigues me. Eliminating the leather, I could knock out "safety" scabbards of historical form for my collection much faster than I could make poplar equivalents. I don't do living history, so I don't need stitch-perfect scabbards, but I do need something to keep little fingers away from my sharps. This might be a good solution. I could paint `em or leave them natural and sealed. If they're all alike in finish, it would be obvious that they're just the means of safe display. In fact, I can imagine these kinds of light, uniform scabbards lashed to a poplar supporting frame so that they literally form part of the display. Hmmm.....
Dig:
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-Sean
Author of the Little Hammer novel
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Hammer-Sean-Flynt/dp/B08XN7HZ82/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+hammer+book&qid=1627482034&sr=8-1
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Michael Edelson
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| Posted: Mon 23 Mar, 2009 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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Sean,
Covering the scabbard in leather is the easiest part, if you're happy with a glued seam like this:
All you do is draw a line down the middle of the core, glue the front and half the back (the line is on the back), then fold the leather along that line and cut away the excess with a scissor. Then glue the other half, fold the other side along the seam and cut again. You end up with what you see above.
New York Historical Fencing Association
www.newyorklongsword.com
Byakkokan Dojo
http://newyorkbattodo.com/
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