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Christopher B Lellis
Location: Houston, Texas Joined: 01 Dec 2012
Posts: 268
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 Posted: Tue 04 Jun, 2013 10:26 pm Post subject: Bronze age sword recreations, anyone in America buy these? |
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I actually came across this gentlemen's page by chance, I was studying bronze age history "well internet studying" and happened to come across a bronze sword website. Low and behold, it's a man who makes and sells bronze swords.
Obviously, I immediately perked up. Never heard of this guy nor have I seen his work posted on this website.
http://www.bronze-age-swords.com/index.htm
Based in the UK. Has anyone here by chance bought this mans swords before, particularly in the U.S? How did dealing with him turn out? Were you happy with the sword?
Btw, I had no idea bronze swords were so shiny, I have only ever seen ancient antiques. Newly forged "or casted?" they are beautiful. I had no idea.
Last edited by Christopher B Lellis on Tue 04 Jun, 2013 10:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Mark Kalina
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| Posted: Tue 04 Jun, 2013 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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I ordered an Ewart Park sword from Mr. Burridge; it arrived (in California) in a timely manner. Contact was easy and prompt via email. There was a minor problem with the sword due to the shipper, but it was resolved in a very helpful manner, again via email.
The sword is very well made, lovely to look at and a very good cutter (for light cutting; I have not tried any heavy cutting with it.)
For myself, I can say that I am very happy with both the service and the sword I got.
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Christopher B Lellis
Location: Houston, Texas Joined: 01 Dec 2012
Posts: 268
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| Posted: Tue 04 Jun, 2013 10:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Mark Kalina wrote: | I ordered an Ewart Park sword from Mr. Burridge; it arrived (in California) in a timely manner. Contact was easy and prompt via email. There was a minor problem with the sword due to the shipper, but it was resolved in a very helpful manner, again via email.
The sword is very well made, lovely to look at and a very good cutter (for light cutting; I have not tried any heavy cutting with it.)
For myself, I can say that I am very happy with both the service and the sword I got. |
That's good to hear, makes me want one of his swords even more now. 
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Robert Muse
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| Posted: Tue 04 Jun, 2013 11:29 pm Post subject: sword |
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Neil's work is outstanding, I had one of his swords until I had to start down sizing. He is the only one to make them as authentic as possible using old methods. Great, fast responsive swords, plus Neil is a real gentleman to deal with.
Robert
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Geoff Wood
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 12:23 am Post subject: |
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I have a Ewart park from Mr Burridge. Lovely sword and honest decent man to deal with.
Geoff
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Dan Howard
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 2:14 am Post subject: |
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Neil's swords are currently the closest anyone today can get to handling the original items.
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David Lewis Smith
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 4:28 am Post subject: |
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I have one as well that is still in project stage but it is one of the finest swords I own
David L Smith
MSG (RET)
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Eric Sherwin
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 7:36 am Post subject: |
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I own two swords by Neil and I love them. He's great to do business with.
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Ian Hutchison
Location: Louisiana / Nordrhein-Westholland Joined: 27 Nov 2007
Posts: 626
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 9:40 am Post subject: |
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Mr. Burridge's work is well known here. He's knowledgeable and makes a good product. I was very happy with the piece I owned.
'We are told that the pen is mightier than the sword, but I know which of these weapons I would choose.' - Adrian Carton de Wiart
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Matthew Amt
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 10:06 am Post subject: |
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Oh, yes, we talk about Neil quite a bit here! Just do a search on "Burridge", for starters. He also has a bit of a fan club on the Bronze Age Center, http://z8.invisionfree.com/Bronze_Age_Center/index.php?
I must have 10 or 12 of his weapons, all superb, though I confess I have not yet finished them all. (Too many projects!)
There are actually a couple other places to get bronze weapons, notably Bronze Age Foundry. From what I hear, he also does good work. Certainly you should shop around a bit, but you really can't go wrong ordering something from Neil.
So join the bronze sword club! You know you want to.
Matthew
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Matt Lentzner
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 10:25 am Post subject: |
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Interesting that the swords don't have tangs. The handles are in one piece with the blade. Is this a feature of the casting process? Also seems a waste of very expensive bronze.
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Jeffrey Faulk
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 11:27 am Post subject: |
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| Matt Lentzner wrote: | | Interesting that the swords don't have tangs. The handles are in one piece with the blade. Is this a feature of the casting process? Also seems a waste of very expensive bronze. |
This is historical. What you're seeing as the 'handle' is a 'full tang' or 'full profile tang', often with a flange around the edges that the grip material fits within (this varies by sword though).
Bronze is softer than steel by a fair bit, although you can work-harden it to a good degree. Nevertheless, if they had a tang as thin as a steel sword, they would snap off quickly enough in short order. There are a number of bronze pieces with thin tangs, but not very many; they probably date to the transitional period between bronze and iron, IIRC.
As such, a full tang is not a waste of bronze by any means, and while it was indeed expensive (pretty much all metal was back then, when you think about it) the extra material really isn't all that much compared to the overall mass of the sword. Those who could purchase such wouldn't have blinked at having to throw an extra goat or two into the deal :P
Although your query does raise the question of whether with modern bronze alloys we could do a tang like steel swords have... but with the cost of bronze versus steel, it'd be something like 2x-4x as much for the sword, never mind the tang size!
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Matthew Amt
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Matt Lentzner wrote: | | Interesting that the swords don't have tangs. The handles are in one piece with the blade. Is this a feature of the casting process? Also seems a waste of very expensive bronze. |
It's not a "waste", it's using the metal as needed. As Jeffrey says, if you can't afford the handle, you can't afford the blade! Plus, most bronze weapons ended up in graves or votive deposits, so they certainly didn't have the same ideas about "waste" or recycling that we do today. Huge numbers of bronze implements were made for the sole purpose of being put in the ground--to those folks, that was need and proper usage, not waste.
| Jeffrey Faulk wrote: | | Although your query does raise the question of whether with modern bronze alloys we could do a tang like steel swords have... but with the cost of bronze versus steel, it'd be something like 2x-4x as much for the sword, never mind the tang size! |
Well, most modern bronze alloys are not like ancient high-tin alloys, in fact most have little or no tin at all. They have very different mechanical properties, the same way that many steel alloys are not suitable for swords. So I don't know if there is a modern bronze which would be *better* for swords than ancient bronze. But the cost wouldn't be a problem--like a steel sword, most of the cost is in the labor, not the materials. Neil just gets copper and tin and mixes his own alloys, whatever he needs to match the originals. And even there, the cost of a high-end bronze sword (like one of Neil's) is a fraction of the cost of a high-end hand-forged steel sword.
Yea, bronze!
Matthew
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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Matt Corbin
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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And of course Kirk Spencer's stunning Mindelheim recreation which started life as one of Neil's castings:
http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...p;start=20
“This was the age of heroes, some legendary, some historical . . . the misty borderland of history where fact and legend mingle.”
- R. Ewart Oakeshott
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David Wilson
Location: In a van down by the river Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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I have a couple.... I can't add much to what anyone has already said, but basically, if you want a reproduction of a bronze age sword, Neil is who you go to. There are other producers of bronze swords, but they miss the mark in terms of weight and handling (really, these other bronze swords are boat anchors, for the most part. Neil's actually handle like real swords, which they are).
Neil is the King/Pharaoh/Chieftain of the modern reproduction bronze sword.
David K. Wilson, Jr.
Laird of Glencoe
Now available on Amazon: Franklin Posner's "Suburban Vampire: A Tale of the Human Condition -- With Vampires" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072N7Y591
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Matt Lentzner
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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Do they handle as well as iron/steel swords?
I ask because it occurred to me that without a tang you can't really have a pommel. This would make the sword tip heavy (I would think). I do see that some of the swords DO have a tang of sorts and can be fitted with a large wooden pommel.
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Dan Howard
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Matthew Amt
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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A few of my bronze swords handle like steak knives, with no significant weight in the pommel. Even with the heavier ones, they are short enough that the balance is probably not a major issue.
Matthew
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Christopher B Lellis
Location: Houston, Texas Joined: 01 Dec 2012
Posts: 268
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| Posted: Wed 05 Jun, 2013 8:44 pm Post subject: Re: Bronze age sword recreations, anyone in America buy thes |
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I wasn't looking for bronze age sword threads and don't remember ever seeing them. I've been so into medieval swords that I just didn't notice. Well, I feel kind of silly.
Thanks for those links 
Last edited by Christopher B Lellis on Wed 05 Jun, 2013 8:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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