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Leo Todeschini
Industry Professional
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 Posted: Thu 25 Apr, 2013 2:15 pm Post subject: Dura Dagger / Wallace dagger |
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I have just completed two very different daggers.
The first is a composite piece based on finds from Dura Europa. The front of the scabbard is a decorative bronze fretwork panel and holds a leather scabbard. The swelling at the base serves no purpose, but is a curious feature.
The blade has echos of kopis and perhaps the Egyptian sword. The find drawings show this blade as a chisel grind, but my client and I decided that perhaps this was a mistake as a chisel grind would be very unusual and indeed would rip the scabbard to bits first time it was sheathed
The pommel is also curious in that it uses the 'cocked hat' system as used on seaxs. The handle on this reproduction uses oak sourced from Roman pilings from the Thames.
The second dagger is one I have wanted to make for years and indeed this is the second I have made in recent months. The discs are hollow and brazed together, the tang extends full width through the handle and is covered on each side by bronze facings. The facings and the scales are rivetted through the tang and in the centre is a decoractive floret.
This dagger has a long hollow ground blade with a reinforced point, the other I made had a hollow ground blade with no reinforcement but with a chamfered back as per the original. This example has etchings on the discs (client request), the original was plain. A lovely man at arms dagger elegant in its simplicity.
I hope you like them.
Tod
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Kai Lawson
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| Posted: Thu 25 Apr, 2013 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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That top scabbard/sheath looks really neat! What an unusual design--seems to exude a 'fantasy' vibe. Diggin' it
Do you have any pictures or references for the pieces that inspired it?
"And they crossed swords."
--William Goldman, alias S. Morgenstern
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Philip Melhop
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| Posted: Fri 26 Apr, 2013 3:56 am Post subject: |
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Standard source for Dura-Europos is ' Excavations At Dura-Europos 1928 -1937, Final Report VII, The Arms aand Armour and other Military Equipment ' I.S.B.N 978-1-84217-371-8, Oxbow Books.
Phil
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Matthew Bunker
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| Posted: Fri 26 Apr, 2013 4:39 am Post subject: |
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| Kai Lawson wrote: | That top scabbard/sheath looks really neat! What an unusual design--seems to exude a 'fantasy' vibe. Diggin' it
Do you have any pictures or references for the pieces that inspired it? |
The metal plate is known as a 'thekenbeschlag' (I'm not aware of any specific term other than the German one) and they're a feature of 2nd-4th century Roman knife sheaths. There are a couple of hundred recorded examples.
Reference works include a paper with a few illustrations by Sellye Ibolya, which you can download here:-
http://epa.oszk.hu/02000/02007/00030/pdf/EPA2...45-063.pdf
Lovely work Tod.
"If a Greek can do it, two Englishman certainly can !"
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Kai Lawson
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| Posted: Fri 26 Apr, 2013 10:08 am Post subject: |
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I love the fact that I can encounter something I've never seen, and likely never would see, and get multiple sources of detailed information about it. Thanks everyone.
"And they crossed swords."
--William Goldman, alias S. Morgenstern
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J. Hargis
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| Posted: Fri 26 Apr, 2013 11:34 am Post subject: |
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Tod,
Thanks for posting these beauties. Your use of subtle detail is a signature of your work. Keep them coming.
Regards, Jon
A poorly maintained weapon is likely to belong to an unsafe and careless fighter.
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Mart Shearer
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| Posted: Fri 26 Apr, 2013 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | The find drawings show this blade as a chisel grind, but my client and I decided that perhaps this was a mistake as a chisel grind would be very unusual and indeed would rip the scabbard to bits first time it was sheathed |
While I certainly defend the right of the client and maker to do what they will and have no argument that a chisel edge might be unusual, I am intrigued why you might think it was a mistake or why it would destroy the scabbard more than another edge?
ferrum ferro acuitur et homo exacuit faciem amici sui
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Leo Todeschini
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Fri 26 Apr, 2013 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks guys.
Mart Shearer wrote | Quote: | | While I certainly defend the right of the client and maker to do what they will and have no argument that a chisel edge might be unusual, I am intrigued why you might think it was a mistake or why it would destroy the scabbard more than another edge? |
Well the client made the call and I would have been up for making it chisel grind as it would make an interesting piece even more interesting; part of this would be because it would be so unusual and this is where the doubts come in.
The reason it would cut the sheath to bits is that sliding a wide flat blade with a chisel grind into a scabbard would naturally dig the point into the leather unless it was perfectly aligned. If you did it carefully it would be OK, but in haste and it would cause trouble.
Tod
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