[Russ Ellis]

Here's my latest project that I just got finished...

[Lee O'Hagan]

Hi Russ,
Great looking scabbard mate,
Certainly adds to the whole thing so to speak,
Nice one,

[Mike Fletcher]

Hey Russ,

Thanks for sharing! The pics are nice, but how's about a little commentary?

Thanks,

Mike

[Russ Ellis]

Lol Sure Mike,

Well let's see, that sword was purchased through an ebay auction by a gentleman residing in England. It will sort of be a homecoming for that piece since it was made by Raven Armories. The unnamed gentleman (who can identify himself if he chooses contacted me to get something done for the piece before it shipped to England.

The scabbard is the result. He was not interested so much in historical accuracy as something that looked nice. He was wanting something in all wood, and the inlays are my idea pretty much. The core is poplar and the inlays are all black walnut. Just for the record that raven (that's what the bird is) was a royal pain in the tail to do. The raven is actually slightly raised above the surface of the core making it have a more three dimensional flare. I finished the whole thing with six coats of tung oil. The poplar matches the handle and guard nicely so it looks like one solid unit. I really enjoyed working on this project as it was a chance to do something a little different. Those are always the best ones.

[Scott Byler]

Nice job, Russ. The raven adds a lot to the visual punch, too. I've been tinkering a bit with raising copper shapes kinda like that by working with punches and such. It is fun to do, even if I don't have it completely mastered yet. Still, I can see making some of these things for scabbard fittings...

[Russ Ellis]

Thanks Scott!