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Mark Moore




Location: East backwoods-assed Texas
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PostPosted: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 2:09 pm    Post subject: Blade catcher on early swords....         Reply with quote

Just now, taking out my pocket knife to open a package, something occurred to me. My pocket knife has a clip on the handle for holding it on a belt or in the pants pocket. You know what I'm talking about. Wouldn't something like this, running down the blade of a sword, make a great blade catcher? Are there any historical examples of anything like this? Just a ponderance..... Big Grin ..........McM
''Life is like a box of chocolates...'' --- F. Gump
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Timo Nieminen




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PostPosted: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 2:28 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

There are langets on early swords, e.g., Syrian and Egyptian swords, c. AD1000. Functionally, probably for securing the sword in the scabbard (like more modern langets) rather than sword-catching. But one could use them for sword-catching; see "Langet" on http://www.myArmoury.com/feature_glossary.html

If you catch their sword, they have caught your sword! It's not without hazard.

"In addition to being efficient, all pole arms were quite nice to look at." - Cherney Berg, A hideous history of weapons, Collier 1963.
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Mark Moore




Location: East backwoods-assed Texas
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PostPosted: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 3:23 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thank you, Timo.....I'm aware that it's rather a 'catch 22' question, as it were. But, did anything like this exist historically?............McM
''Life is like a box of chocolates...'' --- F. Gump
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Timo Nieminen




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PostPosted: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 4:32 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Like I said, langets, which could be used as blade-catchers, existed historically. On early swords, if early Medieval is "early" for you.

There are also various curved-towards-the-blade guards that could be usable for catching.

"In addition to being efficient, all pole arms were quite nice to look at." - Cherney Berg, A hideous history of weapons, Collier 1963.
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Mark Moore




Location: East backwoods-assed Texas
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PostPosted: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 5:09 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I w as just wondering if anything existed historically. I'm aware of langettes on some swords.Just wondering if the 'pencil in the pocket'-type clasp would have ever been used on ancient swords. Hell....it seems like a good idea to me. Laughing Out Loud .....McM
''Life is like a box of chocolates...'' --- F. Gump
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Radovan Geist




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PostPosted: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 11:43 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

i´m not aware of such swords, but parrying daggers with similar design have been used in 16th-17th century. see for example "Some notes on parrying daggers and poniards" by Leonid Tarassuk from the NY MET. It´s accessible only on MET website, or you could just google it using the title.
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Mikko Kuusirati




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PostPosted: Mon 16 Dec, 2013 1:34 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Some sword scabbards and pistols had "pocket clips" on them, so you could simply thrust them under your sash or belt, or into a frog, and they'd stay put (i.e. exactly like your modern pocket knife). Many maces and axes also had similar retaining clips in lieu of scabbards, and carbines often had either a loop or a hook for hanging from your saddle.

But I'm not aware of anything like a pocket clip used as a "sword catcher" - there are lots of strongly curved guards and similar protrusions used on parrying weapons, but nothing so narrowly closed as to resemble a pocket clip, AFAIK. After all, the narrower the opening, the harder it is to actually get the opponent's blade in there...

The closest thing I can think of would be the rare recurved prong on some jitte, the Japanese Edo period police baton. Even most of these have a straight prong with a curved inner edge, and it was actually used more for catching sleeves and even nostrils (ow) rather than blades...

"And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That's what sin is."
— Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum
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