myArmoury.com - Davis Reproductions Mainz Gladius

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Posts: 9,570 Location: Dayton, OH

Wed 26 Jan, 2022 12:18 pm

Davis Reproductions Mainz Gladius

I just took delivery of this. :) It's a Mainz gladius made by Josh Davis of Davis Reproductions. The pommel and guard are walnut; the grip is maple. The wood parts are treated only with Danish oil. The pommel nut and inset plate are brass. The scabbard is wood, covered with leather, with a brass frame. It's a simplified version of what you might have seen in the Empire, lacking tinning/etc. of the brass frame and lacking pierced plates and such. The scabbard tip was cast by Josh as was the buckle on the baldric. The buckle uses one of those fancy tongues seen on Roman artifacts.

First pic by me. The rest by Josh. Better ones to follow when I have time. :)

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The pommel and guard are darker IRL than this pic might show

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R. Robinson

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Posts: 51 Location: NE

Wed 26 Jan, 2022 12:27 pm

Is the grain on the forward portion of the hilt closed/sanded flush? Or is there a bit of texture to that still? The pommel portion (apologies, I have no clue on my gladius terminology) appears to be flush and I'm just curious if the portion above the grip is as well. Gorgeous gladius!

Thanks!

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Chad Arnow

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Posts: 9,570 Location: Dayton, OH

Wed 26 Jan, 2022 12:40 pm

R. Robinson wrote:

It’s sanded to the same finish on pommel and guard (or whatever they’re called). There’s a lot of variation in color and visual texture based on how the oil soaked into the various grain structures. They’re from the same piece of wood, but I think the grain of the “guard” runs a different direction than the “pommel.” I think it’s how the grain runs through that face of the guard that makes it look different. If that makes sense. :)

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Chad Arnow

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Posts: 9,570 Location: Dayton, OH

Wed 26 Jan, 2022 5:13 pm

I dragged the camera stuff out this evening. Here are some better pics. :)

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You can see some of the variations in grain and color on the underside of the pommel

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Josh's custom hand- made (cast and engraved) buckle

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Aaron Hoard

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Posts: 176 Location: Seattle, WA

Wed 26 Jan, 2022 5:54 pm

That's a great looking sword. What was the wait time to get it done?

I really need to add a gladius to my collection, but remain undecided which style. How did you settle on this style?

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Chad Arnow

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Posts: 9,570 Location: Dayton, OH

Wed 26 Jan, 2022 6:05 pm

Aaron Hoard wrote:

That's a great looking sword. What was the wait time to get it done?

I really need to add a gladius to my collection, but remain undecided which style. How did you settle on this style?

Thanks! It was just under 18 months, which is quite a bit longer than originally quoted and longer than any previous project with Josh. The pandemic seemed to really slow things down. Some of it was supply chain stuff.

For me, I wanted a form that was around at the turn of the millennium/rise of the Empire/time of Christ. That ruled out Pompeii gladii. The Fulham style is a little too angular for my taste. I like the curves of the Mainz. :)

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Lee O'Hagan

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Posts: 529 Location: Northamptonshire,England

Fri 28 Jan, 2022 1:23 am

Fantastic looking package,
very nice, :cool:

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