Heya. If you're at SFI you know I've been contemplating this one for years, but I thought I'd take it here hopefully for some additional perspectives and because this forum is a bit more lively. Basically I'm trying to assemble a gentleman's hunting sword which would fit into roughly the turn of the 18th century to the end of the GAoP.

I'm trying to choose between two designs. The first is based on several swords that were auctioned online a few years ago. It would be built around an Albion long fullered dagger blade. I'm not totally confident about the date on these, as no citation was provided.

The second is more loosely inspired by several "Saxon" and German hunting swords that I first saw at the old Sword Links site (which appears to be down, but one of them is at the Metropolitan Museum). It might be modified from an Atlanta Cutlery D-guard bowie -- this is questionable, since I've seen so few original blades; all I really know is they were broad -- and use a guard from Weber Messer. If the side shell isn't appropriate, I'd just grind it off and add a counterguard.

I kind of prefer the first design, however I'd like to know whether anything else about either of these designs is conspicuously anachronistic.

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One of the auction blades [ Download ]

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Line drawings [ Download ]

There are a variety of blade types within that period. This one reminds me of your second option: http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...ing+Hanger

I see great examples in Swords and Blades of the American Revolution.

I think your second design is 19th century.

The first design is OK, but I don't think that the Albion dagger blade is a good choice, as it is too tapered, and rather short for a doubled edged cutteau blade. Double edged blades on hunting swords are a minority, anyway - most of the examples in Neumann are straight or curved single edged blades, the only exceptions being one with a double fuller and one with a hexagonal blade profile. Both have fairly parallel edges quite different in profile from the dagger blade.

If you aren't dead set on a straight blade, I'd suggest Albion's 18th century cutlass instead. Despite the lack of a fuller, I think it is a better candidate for a hunting sword than that dagger blade, if cut down about 10" to about 22" long. You might even try their type XIV with the fuller and lop about 12" off the tip, though since a double edged hunting sword blade probably shouldn't be wider than 1.375" wide that might not work. A lot of the earlier hilts seem to have a knuckle guard and a shell, BTW. Yours is more of a mid-18th century design, though I'm not positive about that.

If you haven't looked at Neumann's Swords and Blades of the American Revolution, I'd strongly recommend you do so. He illustrates quite a number of hunting swords dating from about 1680 to the end of the 18th century.

If you don't own, or have gone through Neumann's books and Blackmore's Hunting Weapons, I feel you are at a disadvantage in simply browsing and perhaps perusing the Bashford Dean catalog
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/catalogue_of_european_court_swords_and_hunting_swords

The Blackmore title, especially shares nice examples back to the 15th century, if not earlier. The broad spatulate blades were for cutting/slicing and some for chopping but the predominate forms are as described. Some of the forms almost timeless in general profile and some suited enough for military work, swords one would not expect to be.

The two blades you are proposing are anachronistic and danged if anyone is likely to convince you they truly are ill suited to comparison, regardless of century. That doesn't mean a composite is impossible but would always be regarded as such if found in an old example.

In the end, you have already made up your mind but I would suggest reprofiling the bowie blade, if that is the route you are going. Both hit me as meh, do whatever your heart desires. I'm pretty sure you already know you are trying the square peg in a round hole routine.

Cheers
GC

However, do you think that the Met sword is dated incorrectly? I understand that my second design may have the wrong blade -- one of the ones at Sword Links actually had a broad, spatulate point.

I missed the link to the Met sword.

The basic S-curved quillons date pretty early, I think. S-curved quillons with that kind of scabbard cover (don't know what the proper term is) and (particularly) that curved, spiral-fluted grip - that classic hunting sword hilt - is mid-to-late 18th century as far as I can tell from Neumann. I make no claim to being an expert on hunting swords, BTW. I just happen to have one of the standard reference books on the subject at hand, so I'd thought I'd chime in. Most of the blades in Neumann run about 22", give or take an in or two, with one (a curved, saberlike blade) at 16." A serious using blade on a hunting sword (i.e., not just a piece of jewelry) isn't too far removed from a small hanger in terms of size...As a matter of fact, I was going to suggest that you look at some of the repros of hangers to see if there isn't one with a blade suitable for your purposes. I've been looking with interest at the Hanwei Revolutionary Hanger and the Windlass/Universal Revolutionary Saber as possible candidates for reworking/rehilting for awhile now.

As for grinding, the Albion blades under discussion only milled and heat treated, so you are likely to have to do some finish grinding whatever one you pick. I've made a number of blades now doing my finish grinding on a 3x18" belt floor sander flipped upside down on the ground, about as primitive a setup as you can imagine, and as long as I cool the blade in water after every pass and don't try to make the belt cut faster by pressing down hard it works fine. I also don't wear gloves, so I can feel the heat in the blade. Follow up with sandpaper wrapped around a file to polish.

I hate to say this, but if you aren't a reasonably skilled metal-worker, making a classical-type hunting-sword hilt from scratch is going to be a really formidable project, any which way you look at it. At the very least you will need a good assortment of files and some skill in using them - even cleaning up a rough casting is going to require that. If you don't have enough experience to reshape a point and polish it, then filing out a high-end sculpted cross-guard might end up being a bit much. I don't mean to be discouraging, but do think through the work required.