[Radovan Geist]

This project has started as a search for suitable messer steel trainers. For a long time we have been using nylon and wooden wasters, but those are OK up to a point - working on blade is little clumsy and the mass distribution is usually not perfect. Some time ago we have started to use feder-shaped steel trainers from a Czech maker. They are fine, well-ballaned, durable and safe, but the feder-shaped blade has its limits: for some techniques it just lacks thickness.
Cut the long story short: I have decided to experiment and give it a try myself. This is the first result after a day of cutting and grinding with angle grinder. Blades were made from CSN 14260 spring steel, 5 mm thick. The longer one is 65, and the shorter 60cm long, with 5 cm / 4,5 cm width at the widest part.
Both blades are thinning to 3 mm some 15 cm from the point, then to 2 mm just behind the point. The point is left thicker for security (5 mm). To save some weight, blades have a concave cross-section, with stong back-rib (5 mm) thinning to 2 mm in the thinnest part close to the centre. Both blades are made blunt, of course:)
I still need to finalise the shape and clean them, then I will send them to a professional company for hardening and tempering. Will keep you posted about the progress

[Radovan Geist]

An update: both blades have been heat-treated, one of them partially cleaned. More to come soon

[Radovan Geist]

I took a short detour on this project and used another blade, made of an old torsion leaf spring that was lying in my workshop. The advantage was that the leaf was already heat-treated: I´m not sure about the hardness but given the rudimentary tests I could do it´s surely sufficient for a trainer. Needles to say, it´s also sufficiently flexible.
The disadvantage is that the material is only 4 mm thick, so the blade does not taper much towards the point.

The first picture shows the blade cut from the leaf, with front protective brass plates pinned:


A detail of the handle with a nagel:


And a finished piece with scabbard (wooden core, covered with leather):

[Radovan Geist]

Back to wide blades:

Guard and pommel for one of the blades roughly shaped:



and pinned

[Radovan Geist]

One of the trainers has been finished, waiting for some final touches, scabbard, and a by-knife.

[Radovan Geist]

One of the larger messer/rugger trainers was finished, here´s the whole set. All hilt parts were made from soft construction steel, messer & by-knife blades & pricker are from spring-steel. Handles are from walnut wood, with copper rolled pins.
Wooden-core scabbard, covered with black leather; decorative silk lacing.

[Radovan Geist]

Here we go with the second of the large blade. Again, the guard was made from a soft steel. This one should be little more "flashy" than the previous one, so I´ve added some brass inlays. The handle is made from a wood (I´m not sure about the type of wood, but it has a nice yellowish-reddish colour), with horn/bone intarsy in a central recess.



And the handle semi-finished, before final shaping & polishing

[Radovan Geist]

For some reason, pictures are no longer available. I cannot edit posts older than 15 days, so let me re-post at least some of the pictures.

Here is the first messer trainer, with scabbard and by-knifes

[Radovan Geist]

Another trainer, with a narrow blade.

[Radovan Geist]

And the third one, which is still waiting for a scabbard & by-knifes