[Alex Indman]

This is my latest DIY project, which came together sort of by accident. I visited the Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum in upstate NY back in August. This is run by a group of local volunteers many of whom used to be connected one way or another with the Shrade knife making factory there (closed several years ago). So they had a pile of blades for sale very cheap, various styles, in different states of completion, some obviously factory seconds or out of spec. And of course one of them asked me to take it home with me… It was obviously a blade for a US M3 knife (or M4 bayonet), heat treated and ground to almost final finish. Apparently it was put aside and left unfinished because the median ridge and point veered just a little off centerline, barely noticeable. Not good enough for a modern production item, but we all hear time and again about minor (and sometimes more than minor) imperfections found in handmade antique weapons, so I figured it would make a nifty little “sort of Landsknecht dagger”. I remembered that I had an almost finished nickel silver guard since I changed my plans for a previous dagger project, also not of quite historically correct shape. Also I’ve been thinking for a while about learning to make a wire wrapped handle, and was just waiting for a relatively simple project to try it on. Those Landsknecht (or bollock) pommels with a bunch of little projections gripping the handle were also something I never did and wanted to try.
And here is the result. 6 ¾” blade, 4 1/4” handle, pommel diameter 1 ½”, all fittings in nickel silver, handle wrap is 20 gage craft wire, “gold” single thread and “silver” two threads twisted.
The handle turned out pretty comfortable, actually. Limited gripping options because of the trumpet shape, but comfortable, wrap and all.

Working on the scabbard now, will post when done. It will be set up for traditional horizontal carry across the back, handle to the right and a little up.
Since the dagger is not strictly historically correct, I didn’t go for an all-out metal covered Landsknecht scabbard. It will be a leather covered wooden core, with nickel silver throat and chape.

Alex.

[Alex Indman]

One more picture - pommel engraving. Copied from an older rondel dagger.

[J. Nicolaysen]

Really nice job. DIY threads are always so impressive. Make sure you post your scabbard when it is done. I know it isn't much of a historical blade, but the shape works well with the faces. Pommel turned out well. Was the wire wrap difficult? Looks pretty clean!

[Alex Indman]

Found the design for pommel engraving in Bashford Dean's "European Daggers". I chose it because it looks nice but can be drawn geometrically. I am not much of an artist and wouldn't be able to draw anything good offhand.

Yes, wire wrap was rather hard to do.
First of all just twisting the two silver strands together was a pain (literally, in my wrists) and it took something like a couple of hours (2 rolls of 12yd each, produced enough twisted wire for 2 handles). Had to maintain tension and the angle/distance between strands while twisting, and slowly unroll the wire at the same time. I guess professional shops have some kind of powered contraption for this process. I just mounted the 2 rolls of wire on a piece of pipe about a foot apart and held it by the middle.
When actually wrapping the handle, the problem was maintaining constant tension on both wires in parallel. When I accidentally let it go for a moment, the whole wrap just sprung back off the handle and had to be redone.

[Alex Indman]

Posting the just finished scabbard.
Not all metal covered like it historically should be, with just a touch of landsknecht styling in the wider fileworked plates top and bottom. Heart cutouts to match the heart shaped guard.
A pic from the back to show how it is set up for almost horizontal (slightly handle up) carry on a belt.

The front picture got displayed as a download link for some reason, just click "download" to see it.

[Alex Indman]

And here is how it all looks together on the belt:

[Daniel Wallace]

excellent work on the wire wrap! looks fantastic.

[Alex Indman]

Thanks, Daniel! I kind of like the look and feel of this wire wrap myself. Will use the same technique in my next project (a short sword styled like a XVIc falchion/storta).

Alex.