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Steve Maly
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 Posted: Wed 15 Sep, 2004 7:50 pm Post subject: Regent and CF Scabbard |
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My Regent has returned with a new scabbard courtesy of Christian Fletcher! The scabbard is a beaut. I sent some very crude drawings general guidelines and Christian came up with a winner! I wanted the fittings to follow the lines of the Regent, and they certainly do! Even though it was difficult, Christian managed to match the color very well. Thanks Christian! 
However, my Regent did not return unscathed. It was apparently beset upon by ruffians in FedEx garb. There is evidence that the case had been tampered with and the Regent was removed from the guncase and was damaged (tip broken off).  It was then roughly shoved back into the gun case, cutting the foam padding. In fact, about 1/4 of the sword was thrust through the foam padding when I received it. Fortunately, it missed damaging the scabbard. I have filed a claim with FedEx, but have yet to hear back from them. I've already contacted Christian and Albion about this and I am waiting to settle with FedEx before I do anything else.
Until I can do anything else about it, I thought I'd share Christian's wonderful work! Enjoy!
 Attachment: 106.71 KB
Regent with CF Scabbard
Attachment: 112.29 KB
Regent Hilt with scabbard detail
Attachment: 107.07 KB
Chape with finial
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." ~A. Maslow
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Wed 15 Sep, 2004 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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Scabbard looks great but I hate hearing the rest of the story.
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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Geoff Freeman
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| Posted: Wed 15 Sep, 2004 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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Sucks about the FedEx goons, but that scabbard set is gorgeous! Good luck dealing with FedEx, though.
Geoffrey C. Freeman
Durendal Fencing Club
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Patrick Kelly
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| Posted: Wed 15 Sep, 2004 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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Congrats on the fine looking scabbard.
I'm sorry to hear about the damage. This is exactly the reason why I advise people not to ship swords in guncases. It simply draws too much unwanted attention. If you feel that you have to ship it in one of those cases, put the case in a box.
"In valor there is hope.".................. Tacitus
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Kenneth Enroth
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 2:52 am Post subject: |
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Sorry to hear about that. Why do these people break the tips off swords?
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Joel Whitmore
Location: Simmesport, LA Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Posts: 342
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 4:36 am Post subject: Broken Sword tip |
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This is the second such case of a sword tip being damaged. I am beginning to think that this may be STOP for shipping companies. I forget who had an Albion purchase a while back and the sword tip came thourgh the crushed box and was then intentionally bent and ground (if memory serves). This seems to be a problem with shipping companies. Kevin Cashen has a great way to ship swords hat are dismountable or narrow enough: he puts the sword in a PVC pipe and screws wooden blocks on the ends. From what I am hearing now, I think the next time I ship, I may construct a small wooden crate. The $7 in plywood and time may well save me an irreplaceable sword. It's sad to hear about such things.
Joel Whitmore
Last edited by Joel Whitmore on Thu 16 Sep, 2004 6:38 am; edited 1 time in total
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Nathan Bell
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 6:23 am Post subject: Re: Broken Sword tip |
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| Joel Whitmore wrote: | This is the second such case of a sword tip being damaged. I am beginning to think that this may be STOP for shipping companies. I forget who had an Albion purchase a while back and the sword tip came thourgh the crushed box and was then intentionally bent and ground (if memory serves). This seems to be a problem with shipping companies. Kevin Cashen has a great way to ship swords hat are dismountable or narrow enough: he puts the sword in a PVC pipe and screws wooden blocks on the ends. From what I am hearing now, I think the next time I ship, I may construct a small wooden crate. The $7 in plywood and time may well save me an irreplaceable sword. It's sat to hear about such things.
Joel Whitmore |
Yes it seems like the shipping companies perhaps intentionally grind off the tips sometimes. I remmeber the Albion viking, too. I guess their reasoning is that they assume the tip *will* poke through the container, thus would hurt them, the shipper, thus they get P.O.'ed and feel justified in grinding off the tip.
I think the wooden "sword coffin" with screws is a good idea. I got an Al Massey sword this way, and my Barta sword came that way. Mark Morrow shipped me a blade in heavy carpet tube, with thick wooden pieces flush in the end holes and screwed through the tube. Inside, the sword was wrapped, and then taped to a piece of particle board. All these came through OK, are easy to open, and it's clear to the shipper that the tip will *not* go through 1" or so of wood.
OTOH, I had an Armart sword shipped to me in a wood and particle board container, and it looked like customs(or USPS?) just knocked a huge hole in the end and side, and then re-sent it, without even taping the broken pieces of wood back on. It arrived with a big gaping hole in the side, open for the weather and for all to see....I don't know what about that wooden crate caused it to be trashed.
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Timothy Gulics
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 8:48 am Post subject: |
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And I thought UPS was rough 
They savaged my Albion Gotland. The one end of the box looked like an accordian and the tip was broken (or ground) off.
How does it make sense to them that if THEY crush the box and force the end of the sword poking out they should then grind it off? It's their fault... do they think it will fly with the customer if they see what they did to their sword?
The sword is my companion.
Last edited by Timothy Gulics on Thu 16 Sep, 2004 8:56 am; edited 1 time in total
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Patrick Kelly
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| Timothy Gulics wrote: |
And I thought UPS was rough |
Unfortunately that seems to be the norm regardless of the carrier used. I've never had a bit of trouble with either UPS or FedEx. My only problem came from the USPS, and most others seem to hold them in higher regard. The Post Office broke a custom synthetic rifle stock I'd ordered last summer. The only thing holding the two pieces together was the kevlar lining. Knowing what kind of stress these things are designed to take, Lord knows what they did to it. A sword, and scabbard, would have undoubtedly been destroyed.
"In valor there is hope.".................. Tacitus
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 10:31 am Post subject: |
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| Patrick Kelly wrote: | Congrats on the fine looking scabbard.
I'm sorry to hear about the damage. This is exactly the reason why I advise people not to ship swords in guncases. It simply draws too much unwanted attention. If you feel that you have to ship it in one of those cases, put the case in a box. |
I often wrap the guncase in brown butchers paper when I use one.
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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Roger Hooper
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 10:37 am Post subject: |
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Sorry about your troubles with FedEX -
But that is a beautiful sword and scabbard combination.
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Robert Zamoida
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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That is a beautiful scabbard Steve! Sorry to hear about the damage to your Regent; sounds like it was a case of someone with a little too much curiosity and not enough common courtesy. If they have to look for safety reasons, fine, but don't play with it, damage it, and try to make it look like nothing happened and then fail miserably in the attempt. My parents always taught me to put things back the way I found them.
Rob Zamoida
"When your life is on the line, you want to make use of all your tools. No warrior should be willing to die with his swords at his sides, without having made use of his tools."
-Miyamoto Mushashi, Gorin no Sho
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David Stokes
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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steve, Your Regent has been one of the most beautiful swords I have seen on this site! sorry to hear about the damage, but Christian did great work!
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Robert W. Betten
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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definately an amazing sword with beautiful scabbard work...tis a crying shame that the buggers stuffed it up on you, I hope that can be soughted out with as little trouble as possible.
*!*
"If the people we love are taken from us,
the way they live on is to never stop loving
them. Buildings burn, people die, but real
love is forever." - Sarah 'The Crow'
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B. Stark
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Thu 16 Sep, 2004 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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I've worked for UPS in the past as apackage handler and although they stress hand to surface placement that isn't what happens all the time. One package is handled a minimum of four times in the shipping process. From out of the package car or straight into Sort which depending on where the package could be going are huge conveyor systems that packages regularly get jammed up on, especially oblong packages. $8.00 p/hr goons at the end of shift start to care less if a package is damaged as it won't come back to them directly in most cases. Sometimes I think there's a bit of perverse pleasure in slamming around anothers property not to mention outright theft ( although it's your A** in a serious way if your caught ). Unfortunately, management has alot of the blame as it's a numbers game, higher volume less time more money. Overseas shipping just annerves me in todays scaredy cat climate.
Me I try to wrap my tips in carboard flapping treble folded over with the tip actually a ways back inside the folds and tape the crap out of it, sandwiching the tip at the bear minimum.
"Wyrd bi∂ ful aræd"
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Kenneth Enroth
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| Posted: Fri 17 Sep, 2004 1:27 am Post subject: |
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| Timothy Gulics wrote: |
How does it make sense to them that if THEY crush the box and force the end of the sword poking out they should then grind it off? It's their fault... do they think it will fly with the customer if they see what they did to their sword? |
Yeah, you'd think it is more timeconsuming to grind off the tip than to simply fix the box. Even if they remove the tip off the sword the handlers can still get hurt if it's poking out of the box. It's not nice to think so but it may well be acts of spite. It's like they want to advertise their contempt for the property.
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Fri 17 Sep, 2004 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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Douglas G.
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| Posted: Sat 18 Sep, 2004 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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Steve!
Your scabbard is just way cool, and the match to hilt is extra cake.
It's just what I hope I'll get when Kevin at Albion catches up with the back
orders. Every sword I've received has had a box that was accordianed to
some extent, though I have been lucky regarding damage.
The best way to receive a sword through the mail is a wooden box inside
the cardboard the way Albion sends a Brescia. I hope you are made
whole by whUPS or FATEX.
Again, COOL SCABARD!
Douglas G.
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This is a standard topic