[Craig Johnson]

Hello from the Wintry North. The time seems to have flown by since the last update. As always one expects to do these kinds of things on a regular schedule but so far Nathan is the only one I know who can pull it off We finally have some snow and are into the January thaw for a few days so it finally seems like winter here in Minneapolis.

We have been working hard to catch-up on some of our custom orders and are also planning some new products. I hope to have some announcements on that area soon.

Below are two custom projects recently finished up. The first is a by-knife to be mounted with a sword of similar design hard wood grip and forged blade with steel pommel.



The second are a by-knife and pic set again hand forged and set with hardwood grips




Here are some items from a decor job done for a great hall in California. We worked with the interior designers to create some heraldic shields based on the family?s surnames and did them up in steel with hand painted detail to fit into the decor.




This chanfron was done based on one in The Met and is set in an alcove in the great room. They wanted a piece of armor that was dramatic but not to threatening and they were quite pleased with this.




One area of custom work that has been popular lately is the creation of heirlooms for customers looking to have something to pass down to future generations or mark a special event. Here is a modified Ed III sword done to mark the coming of age of a young man in a local family. The father intends that all three of his sons will receive a similar sword etched with the family crest and their names. The pommel is set with a raised cross in a field of black.



The demand for these types of projects is growing and we will be formalizing the process for customers interested in this type of project in the very near future. If you are interested just drop us an email.

Keep your eyes open for new items and some interesting custom projects that will be finished in the very near future and have a great winter.

Best to all from A&A

Craig

[Gordon Frye]

Wow! VERY nice things here! I have to say though, that I REALLY like that chamfron! The spike has to go though... I can just see my horse trying to rub someone (i.e. me) while wearing that.

The Edward III sword is gorgeous, too. Quite the heirloom indeed!

Gordon

[Joe Fults]

I know you have been very busy but there have beena stream of interesting odds and ends we sometimes get to see that I hope make it onto the site. I am always hungry for new thigs to look at from everyone.

[Patrick Kelly]

Great looking stuff Craig! Over the last year or so I've really been developing an interest in ancillary items like by-knives and etc. You guys are doing some really good work in that area.

[Randal Graham]

Awesome stuff Craig!
I love those knives, did you do the forging? nice-nice-nice...

[Craig Johnson]

Thanks for the comments guys. I have been trying to gear up to get more of this on the webpage and hope to have that going soon. Just so much to do each day :-) So best plan a day off work Joe :-)

Gordon yes the spike is definitely somthing to be wary of. When we used to joust I tried a short one on a chanfron early on. It lasted about 60 second before the horse was trying to nussel me and I nearly ended up looking like swiss cheese. Darn things get lethal when they have a couple hundred pounds of horse pushing them at you.

Patrick if your into the knives, if you have not already tracked down a copy, get a hold of "Knives and Scabbards" put out by the London Museum. Covers a great deal of small knives and edged tools and their scabbards from medieval finds along the Thames. Great book and you will be amazed how modern some of the designs look. I think boydell picked it up and publishes it now and ISBN is 0 85115 805 6

Randall good to hear from you my friend. Yes did them both, been working on the integral forged bolster you see so much in these types of pieces. There is just something so elegant about the shape and feel of them while still being very sturdy and utilitarian in use. I suppose its the tinkering part of me but the more useful something is the more appealing it is to make.

Best
Craig

[Gordon Frye]

Craig;

Just wanted to give you a short note here, but yesterday I picked up the Dresden "Rapier" from Nathan, and I am pleased as punch with it! Talk about a War Sword! The work is beautiful, as I would expect from A&A, and it has a definite heft to it! We went through a bunch of museum pictures, and Nathan showed me numerous examples of the same hilt being used on various blades, ALL of them serious War Sword blades, too! I suspect that Christian I, Elector of Saxony was well protected by his Bravo's wearing these swords!

Thanks for a great sword! Thanks to Nathan, too!

Cheers,

Gordon

[M. Taylor]

Hi Craig, Those knives look great. I love the work you guys do and I absolutely love my GBS. Looking forward to your next update.

Mark

[Edward Hitchens]

Awesome work, Craig! One day I'll own an A&A Ed III sword but there's this nasty little thing called tuition that gets in the way. Oh well. By the way, I still love my Black Prince; I got her last April. No visits to the ER yet!! No stitches yet!! (Schloss Erbach longsword; I'll save the story for a future topic). Keep up the great work Craig. Stay warm. -Ted

[Adam Lloyd]

I did not know that A&A did custom jobs!!!! Now I do and they look great. There is a whole section on their website with samples too...........excellent looking too