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Thomas McDonald
myArmoury Alumni
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 Posted: Fri 29 Oct, 2004 8:07 pm Post subject: Re: Hilt Material |
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| Nathan Robinson wrote: | I think he's asking what the "silver" hilts are made from. They're made from silver.  |
Ahh confusing me, 'eh ......
Yes, these hilts would be silver .... how pure I am uncertain ?
I remember reading how at one time they suspected the Lochiel silver hilt, by Walter Allan & Goldsmith Colin Mitchell, of being silvered iron .... but with testing it turned out to be just good 'ol silver !
( * "thus rescuing Mitchell from the suspicion that he marked metal other than silver or gold" ).
*Stuart Maxwell,"Letters from Walter Allan, Armourer in Stirling, to Colin Mitchell,Goldsmith in Canongate,1741-1750.
Mac
 
Photo & Text: "Culloden the Swords & the Sorrows", National Trust For Scotland, 1996.
'Gott Bewahr Die Oprechte Schotten'
XX ANDRIA XX FARARA XX
Mac's PictureTrail
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Steve Grisetti
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| Posted: Sun 31 Oct, 2004 7:00 am Post subject: Silver hilts |
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Wow. Real silver. I guess that would make for a beautiful piece of artwork for a wealthy gentleman of the times to carry on his hip. But would a silver hilted piece like this be at all practical for a weapon? I would think that the hilt would have a lot of extra mass as compared to a steel hilt that offered the same protection. Of course, I suppose that such a wealthy gentleman would let his bodyguards do his fighting for him.
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Steve Grisetti
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| Posted: Sun 31 Oct, 2004 7:12 am Post subject: SW11 |
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And, by the way, I need to add my inadequate complement to Nathan's new piece. What a beauty.
I have been bitten by the basket hilts bug. The bite is itching, and I think that the resulting infection may be incurable! ...and expensive.
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Stephen A. Fisher
Location: Kentucky USA Joined: 17 Oct 2003
Posts: 455
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| Posted: Sun 31 Oct, 2004 12:20 pm Post subject: |
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That's awesome Nathan! Your collection of custom reproductions is very impressive & very unique. ( ElJay Erickson-Germanic Basket-Hilt, SW11 -Erik Stevenson- Sinclair Backsword, Floral & Venetian Side swords, Schiavona, Hand and a Half -Vince Evans- Lowland Hilt)
Does anyone have any pictures of an SW11 with the quillons still intact  I've never seen one.
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Thomas McDonald
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Sun 31 Oct, 2004 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Stephen A. Fisher wrote: | | Does anyone have any pictures of an SW11 with the quillons still intact I've never seen one. |
Hi Stephen
Here is an example that is very SW11-ish, complete with quillons !
* Sword, English or Scottish, late 16th century, Norsk Folkmuseum, Oslo (No. 998-24)
* Claude Blair , "The Early Basket-hilt in Britian".
- As reprinted in David Caldwell's "Scottish Weapons & Fortifications 1100-1800".
'Gott Bewahr Die Oprechte Schotten'
XX ANDRIA XX FARARA XX
Mac's PictureTrail
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Henrik Bjoern Boegh
Location: Agder, Norway Joined: 03 Mar 2004
Posts: 386
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| Posted: Mon 01 Nov, 2004 5:16 am Post subject: |
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My dear God! That's beautyful... You make me so envious...
-Henrik
Constant and true.
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Stephen A. Fisher
Location: Kentucky USA Joined: 17 Oct 2003
Posts: 455
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| Posted: Mon 01 Nov, 2004 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| Thomas McDonald wrote: |
Hi Stephen
Here is an example that is very SW11-ish, complete with quillons !
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Thanks Mac,
That is a nice crude example. 
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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| Posted: Fri 05 Nov, 2004 2:17 am Post subject: |
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| Stephen A. Fisher wrote: | | Thomas McDonald wrote: |
Here is an example that is very SW11-ish, complete with quillons !
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That is a nice crude example. |
I wonder how crude it really is. It's clearly corroded, but perhaps it was also crudely constructed when new. Hard to tell from that photo. Many early basket-hilts, particularly Continental types, seem to have been made rather crudely. Others, as we've seen with the later-period Scottish and English types, are extraordinarily ornate and finely crafted.
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Stephen A. Fisher
Location: Kentucky USA Joined: 17 Oct 2003
Posts: 455
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| Posted: Fri 05 Nov, 2004 10:49 am Post subject: |
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| Nathan Robinson wrote: | | It's clearly corroded, but perhaps it was also crudely constructed when new. Hard to tell from that photo. Many early basket-hilts, particularly Continental types, seem to have been made rather crudely. |
Hi Nathan,
I agree, there are many that appear to have been made crudely when new. Mac's example is a good one. Many American made swords during the 17th & 18th century were crudely made as well. (many examples can be seen in Swords and Blades of the American Revolution)
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Stephen A. Fisher
Location: Kentucky USA Joined: 17 Oct 2003
Posts: 455
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| Posted: Fri 05 Nov, 2004 11:05 am Post subject: |
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Here is another example of a basket-hilt with SW11 influence, complete with quillons. (Mac, is this one of your scans? I do not have any information on it.)
(scan by Thomas McDonald)
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Thomas McDonald
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Fri 05 Nov, 2004 11:19 am Post subject: |
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Hi Stephen
Yes, Eljay sent me that pic .... and I quote " Very interesting! Late 15 - early 1600's. The pommel, grip and blade are all ca.1800."
Eljay went on to say .... "Phillip's Auctions in 1985 had one of these with the quillons removed, but with original pommel & blade. Blade was a muti-fullered backsword, the pommel was large spherical, and made of two halves brazed together".
Vince sent me a picture of it from his catalogue (as Eljays was buried in storage)
Mac
'Gott Bewahr Die Oprechte Schotten'
XX ANDRIA XX FARARA XX
Mac's PictureTrail
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E.B. Erickson
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sat 06 Nov, 2004 4:06 am Post subject: |
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As long as we're doing SW11 variants, heres' a later one from about 1620. This one never had quillons, is fairly large with a grip length of a bit over 4", and is of fairly light construction.
--ElJay
 Attachment: 41.16 KB
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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| Posted: Sat 06 Nov, 2004 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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| E.B. Erickson wrote: | As long as we're doing SW11 variants, heres' a later one from about 1620. This one never had quillons, is fairly large with a grip length of a bit over 4", and is of fairly light construction.
--ElJay |
ElJay, what's your take on the grip on this piece? I can't tell if that is a turk's head at the top, leading one to believe that the bottom turk's head was in the middle of the grip with a missing base section. Or maybe that's not a turk's head at all at the top and it's missing its top section and pushed up towards the pommel?
I know I'm not looking at it right, so any insight would help.
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Thomas McDonald
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Sat 06 Nov, 2004 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Nathan
The guards on this one are not secured to the pommel, as they are free floating (no screws, etc!)
The capstan is a nut that screws to the tang,though !
Mac
| Nathan Robinson wrote: | And here is another sword of similar form, circa 1575.
This one is English and is mounted to a flamboyant blade which has a distinct central rib down its center. The grip is rayskin with turk's heads of silver. Notice the screws on the globular pommel just like on SW11. |
'Gott Bewahr Die Oprechte Schotten'
XX ANDRIA XX FARARA XX
Mac's PictureTrail
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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| Posted: Sat 06 Nov, 2004 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Thomas McDonald wrote: | Hi Nathan
The guards on this one are not secured to the pommel, as they are free floating (no screws, etc!)
The capstan is a nut that screws to the tang,though !
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Yep. i read the description wrong, huh? Weird that it says the pommel is threaded for "easy blade replacement". Wonder how accurate this statement is. Maybe it's possible that the flamboytant blade was for dress, with another blade for use. Either way, this is the same method of securement that ElJay used on the sword he made me.
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Thomas McDonald
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Sat 06 Nov, 2004 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Nathan Robinson wrote: | | Thomas McDonald wrote: | Hi Nathan
The guards on this one are not secured to the pommel, as they are free floating (no screws, etc!)
The capstan is a nut that screws to the tang,though !
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Yep. i read the description wrong, huh? Weird that it says the pommel is threaded for "easy blade replacement". Wonder how accurate this statement is. Maybe it's possible that the flamboytant blade was for dress, with another blade for use. |
I would say its probably as legitimate a statement as any, concerning this construction feature !
It's a heck of alot easier to replace a blade when all you have to do is unscrew a nut, eh !
Mac
'Gott Bewahr Die Oprechte Schotten'
XX ANDRIA XX FARARA XX
Mac's PictureTrail
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E.B. Erickson
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Mon 08 Nov, 2004 1:59 am Post subject: |
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Hi Nathan,
The grip on the one I posted is half rotted away, but both turk's heads have survived (well, I think they're original), and a former owner just pushed one up on the grip so it wouldn't hang loose. Makes the whole thing look wierd doesn't it!
--ElJay
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This is a standard topic
