[Lukas MG]

Hi guys,

next project: a handy and compact type XII that would be well suited for sword and buckler fencing. The blade was actually started on some time ago and is already heat treated so I expect quick progress. To give an impression of the finished sword, I put another guard and pommel on it, neither will be used for the actual sword so the appearance will be somewhat different.

Next step is shaping the guard, you can see the rough-out blank.

[Lukas MG]

Here is the XII blade final ground with 400 grit machine finish on the bevels. The fullers are already hand-polished to remove the machine marks.

Blade weight is 620g, length 77cm/30".



(No, that is not how I grind )

[Lukas MG]

Pommel and guard are rough-finished. There is a LOT of file work in that pommel... my fingers hurt but it was worth it. This is why custom work costs what it does.
You may notice that I slightly changed the pommel design, it's a type J now, not a type K. I liked the aesthetics better. The pommel tapers in thickness towards the (to be) peen block, a nice little feature that makes it seem less "blocky".

The guard is absolutely simple, just a short forward-turned cross. Still need to cut in the inlay for the blade shoulders. First, I need to polish the blade now though because the blade needs to be completely finished before I can do the final fitting of the guard.

[Lukas MG]

Guard, pommel and peen block are finished. The blade sits at 180 grit hand polish now, once I have taken it up to 1000, the sword will be ready for assembly.

Overall weight is 910g. The wooden grip will add a little but it is a beautifully light sword.

[Maciej K.]

that`s a very nice work Lukas! I like your way of creation. you are more and more precise and taking a good direction with design. the blade is very light - and this is very good for some types - I`m curious what thickness it has on the base?

[Lukas MG]

Thanks, Maciej!

Base thickness is 6mm. It has a very aggressive concave distal taper, 8cm further down it already is at 4.5mm. The rest of the taper is more gradual. Together with the slightly flared shoulders this moves mass towards the hilt and lightens up the point so-to-speak. A very efficient way of mass distribution for this type of sword in my eyes.

[Lukas MG]

The blade is polished, sharpened and all components are in place. Next step will be hot peening the pommel. That part will be a bit tricky with the peen block, it will be a challenge to keep it from spinning out of alignment. On the last one I made the slot rectangular which solves that problem but I wanted a round peen head on this sword.

We'll see

[Lukas MG]

I.33 single-handed sword



This sword is inspired by the swords shown in the oldest fencing manual we have, the I.33. It dates to around 1300 and depicts fighting techniques with sword and buckler. The swords presented there all share several characteristics: double-edged blades of medium length with a straight or sometimes almost concave profile taper. Fullers are present though their exact length is not visible in the drawings. The hilts generally are of very simple configuration (with a few exceptions).
Following the Oakeshott typology, these swords could be either type XII or type XIV, there are arguments to make for both and one should always keep in mind that most originals aren‘t clear-cut to fall neatly in one category.

Stats:
weight: 945g (2lbs)
overall length: 92cm (36“)
blade length: 77cm (30.3“)
blade width at guard: 5cm (2“)
grip length: 9cm (3.5“)
PoB: 12cm (4.7“)
CoP: 56cm (22“)
hilt node: 3cm (1.2) before guard in the handle
forward pivot point: 53cm (21“)



I wanted a handy appereance for this sword, not a long, slender weapon but a stout and fairly compact sidearm. This is a sword for unarmored duelling and self defense situations, easy to carry around, likely in combination with a buckler. The blade is light, with acute edges and lively in handling. It moves swiftly and feels, for lack of a better word, „snappy“, ready to lash out at a moment‘s notice. It is not without blade presence and can absolutely deliver a powerful blow. All in all a good weapon for sword and buckler fencing.



The fittings are unadorned, a short forward-curved guard and a type J pommel with small peen block. The pommel plays an important part in the handling of the sword. Due to the short grip (something that is very often not done properly on modern reproductions), the heel of the hand and the pinky by necessity nestle into the flare of the pommel. This has a noticeable impact on handling, giving a secure yet responsive and natural grip. My thanks go to Roland Warzecha (Dimicator) whose assistance and expertise on this topic was of great help.
I had plans to add a rain guard to this sword. However, I ran into problems and couldn‘t source suitable leather quickly enough (needed to finish the sword due to an up-coming event). I may still add a rain guard in the future, just for now it will stay as it is.





While the sword‘s blade geometry shows its bias towards cutting or slicing actions, the tip is absolutely suitable for thrusts into soft targets and the handling encourages such actions as well. The distal taper mirrors the profile taper with an agressive concave tapering over the first few inches that then gradually fades out. This puts more mass near the guard, lightening up the tip to result in a sword with an agile point that reacts well to small movements of the hand. In combination with the placement of the pivot points this makes it easy to orient the sword (back) onto the target during winding actions.
The blade retains enough thickness and width to give a fairly stiff upper half and allow for a bit „omph“ in the cut, considering how rather light and compact this sword is. This facilitates both offensive and defensive actions. Too light a blade is easily displaced.

As usual, you can later expect a cutting video.

The sword will be used for a cutting demonstration at the „Tag des Schwerts“ in Nuremberg on the 25th of June. Then it will be sent to Roland Warzecha (Dimicator) for a review. Roland is one of the most well-known and proficient sword and buckler fencers and intimately familiar with I.33. I am very interested in hearing what he will have to say about this sword

After the review, the sword will be put up for sale for an asking price of 3400 Euros.

Cheers and thanks for looking!

[Bram Verbeek]

Beautifully made! It is interesting I was theorising about that exact kind hand placement, I don't really think the hammer grip gives the agility needed for fine fencing, and think the handshake grip could well work with the pommel just beneath the fingers and the base of the hand resting on/against it. Seeing you subscribing to that same view sthrengthened my resolve to test it out.

[Richard Miller]

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

[Lukas MG]

Thank you!

As for cutting performance... silent cut on an empty tetra pack... nuff said

https://youtu.be/fPq3STtCv_8

[Ant Mercer]

Very impressive, Lukas! Both the sword and the cutting demo!

[Tomek Kowmal Ciupinski]

Perfection shape. Congratulations Lukas.

[Leonardo Fontenla]

Very beautiful, congratulations, thank you for sharing