Hi all,

I have a pair of questions about hilt and scabbard work...

1) Are there any historical examples of *European* sword grips being wrapped with braided cord (not wire) made of silk, linen, or cotton; without having leather wrapped over it?

2) I've noticed a bunch of Japanese saya, both historical and reproduction, tend to be extremely selective with regards to the wood type and grain. Scott Slobodian, for example, has made several saya from flamed maple (aka "tiger maple") which was then dyed. Honestly, I absolutely love the look of dyed and oiled wood. Would it be too big a stretch for some of the nobility to possess scabbards made of dyed and lacquered exotic hardwoods? Or did they all have a leather wrap?

3) Regarding hilt and scabbard woods-- Are there specific woods that were used in grips and scabbards? For example, Albion uses Birch in their grips-- is there any particular reason why Birch and not, say, Poplar or Alder?

Thanks in advance!

Bang on the money Geoff,
Albion's hilt description states stabilized birch,
For the hilt i think poplar being a softwood may not have been used unless that was all that was available,
I recently had a scabbard made that was'nt really historically accurate, visually.
But that said it is detailed plain wood that if i was to move the package on,
it is only a case of using the scabbard as the core, not a problem,
If you have a personnal preference, why not ;) your money after all,

Some woods, especially oak, have acids in them. Just wet some oak sawdust and watch the reaction on your concrete! I don't think pine would have been a good idea beacause of the resin in the wood. Poplar seemed to be a popular (pardon the pun) choice for the survuving medieval scabbards. It is light, dry and has a very straight grain for carving out the inside to fit the sword.