[Hadrian Coffin]

Hello,
I got an original bauernwehr a while back as a gift. It has been a goal of mine to get a replica done of every original in my collection. I figured I would start with this one. I contacted Leo Todeschini (www.todsstuff.co.uk) as I have always been a big fan of his work. Communication was top notch, and the turn around time was very quick. I wanted as exacting as a recreation as possible so chose to send the original bauernwehr to Tod.
The original is quite an interesting piece. It is a stray find from the 15th century and was found in Yorkshire, England. The knife though is clearly of German origin. It is interesting to think of the various ways in which this knife could have come to England. The mundane (and probably most likely) reason is that it was simply imported. It is fun though to imagine some of the more unlikely, but plausible, scenarios.
The replication process was very fun; the knife has many unusual and unique features. The blade has a long single bevel (chisel ground) back edge. The handle has a step down from the blade and angles down a bit. The nagel is in place and remnants of the wood grip remain stuck to it... the knife had no bolster. The biggest assumption that had to be made on the replica was the addition of the pommel cap. In examining the original the end of the tang appears to have a nipple to it as though it was once peened over a pommel cap. In examining other original bauernwehrs from the period Tod and I found several dozen with pommel caps. Perhaps not a common feature, but I believe this original had one. The wood used on the replica is box.
The scabbard, by-knife, and pricker are simply additions that the original may have had accompanying it at one point.
I am very pleased with the whole set.
Cheers,
Hadrian

[Hadrian Coffin]

A few examples with pommel caps.
http://vectir.webpark.pl/pics/rugger5-8.jpg
http://www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/hhm48...at48_1.txt

[Jeremy V. Krause]

Hadrian, thanks for sharing your new beautiful bauemwehr and this facinating process!!

I have to ask though. How did you pack the antique to avoid damage? I looks to have some fragile points and UPS can be. . less than kind to packages at times. . .

Really, that is a great piece and to couple it with the original really takes our hobby to the next level. This allows for a stimulating study of form and proportion related between antiques and reproductions.

[Zach Gordon]

That is AWESOME! I really like it when you can see an original right next to the recreation, it they look identical except one is new and shiny
Thanks for showing this!
Z

[Ben Anbeek]

Tod has done a superb job as always.
looking verry spiffy

[Andrew Maxwell]

That is a beautiful reproduction.

As a matter of interest, how large is the nagel (on the original or the reproduction)? I'm curious as to how they compare to the ones on the larger Messers.

[Leo Todeschini]

Hi All,

Thank you very much for your support and thank you very much to Hadrian for this comission.

I have never before made a replica from an existing object that is in my hands and it was a really good experience. Part of this I think is that the piece was quite degraded so although I could see what it once was, I could not get a full picture. I discussed what I could see with Hadrain and we settled on what we both thought the details had been and so I made that.

This allowed me to actually see the object coming to life from the slab of oxide to the finished knife and that was great. There were also small suprises in that the blade is 8mm thick at the hilt (heading for 3/8th) so the overall feel is really substantial. It is a simple piece, but I really like it and perhaps this is in part due to having the original there.

As hadrian says there was no knife set associated to this piece, but it was pretty normal so he decided to have one and also there was no scabbard, so we do not know the details of this, but I have opted for a very typical construction and a 'low budget' chape. These are simply cones of metal crimped at the end and these are very prevalent in finds and to me this cheap solution fitted with the fairly utility knife.

I have added a small amount of tooling at Hadrians request and so these pictures show that.

Regards

Tod

[Hadrian Coffin]

Hello,
I think the tooling looks lovely!
From memory I'd say the nagel is approximately 2cm long (somewhere between 0.5-1 inches). I believe I put the knife into a cardboard tube, and then in a box with paper padding. Shipping was much cheaper and easier then I would have expected. It was about $7 without insurance, about $30 with. The insurance was expensive, but necessary.
Cheers,
Hadrian

[Hadrian Coffin]

Hello,
I got the bauernwehr in the other day. It is even nicer in person. There is a bit of subtle detailing to the tooling, and a few other small details, I hadn't noticed. The weight and balance are all spot on. It has a definite hand-made appearance, that is quite lovely. It has areas of perfection that can only be achieved by hand, and subtle human characteristics a machine would be unable to match. One of the most historically accurate pieces in my collection. I also purchased a few belt fittings, buckles, etc. from Tod's Foundry, all were crisp, neat, and well-finished.
Dealing with Tod was wonderful, correspondence was prompt and answers thorough. Everything came in a very timely fashion. In the end I found dealing with Tod in the UK easier than dealing with many manufacturers stateside.
I give my highest praise.
Cheers,
Hadrian

[Christian G. Cameron]

Great artifact, fine recreation,a nd good thread. I love stuff like this.