[G. Scott H.]

This was split from This Post and moved here to better help the question get answered.

[Chad Arnow]

[Bruce Wilson]

Hi - apologies if I seem to be hijacking your thread but I haven't really intrduced myself since I registered and this looked to be a great opportunity. I'm in London and I've been a bit of a geek about all things arms and armour since I was a kid - Greek, Roman, migration Saxon/Viking, early-high-late mediaeval - I find the cultural significance, the technical development and the aesthetics of weapons and armour during all of these periods fascinating!

I love the look of the Towton and have seriously considered getting one as a starting point (importing into the UK could be a pain though). 15thC cut and thrust hand and a half swords definitely appear towards the centre of my interest in mediaeval swords but I'm in two minds about where to begin. If I had the finances to hand at the moment, I'd love to get my hands on Albion's Ringeck but I'll have to see how things are when they are released.

For those of you who are Towton owners, are they worth getting? It seems like a reasonable deal at that price (especially those that can be found for under $200 - but what is the build quality like and how do they handle?

Thanks!
B

[Andrew Fox]

There have been a few discussions about this sword here. I recently acquired one and for the money it's a very nice sword. A great starter sword, and really one of the better Windlass pieces that I've handled. Apparently Windlass's quality control can vary, but mine is very nicely put together. IMO It has a nice "historical" look to it that many of the other Windlass swords lack--they tend to look rather machine-made and a bit too "clean" in their design. I still have yet to strip all the protective lacquer off my blade, but what's underneath appears to be a typical high-polish Windlass blade. It has a little waviness on its surface, but nothing too bad.

On the down side, the grip on my sword seems to be a little off-center, and the otherwise nicely-done leather grip wrap is spoiled by a row of big, ugly stitching up the side, which is also a little uncomfortable. Again, considering the price these problems can be overlooked.

I've only really dry handled the thing, but it seems reasonably quick, though a bit blade-heavy. It responds very nicely to a two-handed grip.

Hope this helps.

[G. Scott H.]

Is it just the grip itself or the whole tang that appears to be off center? I hope it's just the grip.

[Andrew Fox]

[Bruce Wilson]

Thanks for the feedback, guys - keep it coming though!!

I think you may have sold me on this sword as a starting point; now I just need to suss out the import issues

Thanks,
B.

[G. Scott H.]

Andrew, I was under the impression that the Towton's tang was threaded, rather than peened. That sure looks like a nut at the end of the pommel. I guess they could have threaded the tang through the nut and then peened the end, but that seems kinda strange.... I guess I'll find out when it gets here. In any case, I know a lot of people redo the grips on their Windlass swords, so there's plenty of info out there on how to do it. I'm starting to feel the urge to do some grip work on my "Drac". Hey! that could be a new marketing term! Forget "Battle Ready". Windlass should start calling their swords "Project Ready"!

[Chad Arnow]

[G. Scott H.]

[Andrew Fox]

Many Windlass swords have threaded tangs and the Towton probably does, too, but it is definitely peened in place, as evidenced by the rather prominent cylindrical pommel nut in which you can see the peened part of the tang complete with hammer marks. I actually like the look of the pommel nut on the Towton, even though it's a bit crude. A few swords in the MRL catalogue seem to have a similar setup, and I think the pommel nut looks a little awkward on a lot of them.

[Sean Flynt]

You might be able to remove the nut with a pair of locking pliers. They'd bite deep into the nut, but might provide enough leverage to unscrew the nut over the peening, pushing the metal up as it goes. Even if that destroys the nut, it's a standard thread size, and would cost you only pennies to replace. I had to replace the pommel nut of an MRL rapier, and that project worked out just fine. details of the new nut are here:

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?p=34845#34845

You could also use a wing nut as I did, but right-side up to form a conical nut profile that might be more attractive than the original cylindrical nut.

[G. Scott H.]

Sean! You da man! Thank you for your fantastic response. You even answered a question I hadn't thought to ask, regarding Windlass tang threads being a standard size. That's good to know. The ground and polished wing nut is a great idea. Great suggestion too about getting the factory nut off. I think I'll give that a try.

Thanks,

Scott

[Sean Flynt]

By the way, save the final polishing of the new nut for AFTER you re-assemble the piece as you're likely to gouge it during tightening. You can use a piece of thin cardboard to shield the top of the pommel as you file/sand/polish away flaws in the nut.

[Bruce Wilson]

Well, I finally gave in and, on something of a whim, I've ordered this sword from 888KnivesRUs. Even including the shipping to the UK it comes in at less than the RRP/competitors prices so I guess that's not too bad. I have no doubt that HM Customs & Excise will command a hefty duty when it arrives but I don't suppose that can be avoided. If I suddenly find a UK dealer, however, I'll be pretty upset though!!

Do any of the regular posters from the UK have any experience of importing swords? Any problems you've come across...?

Oh well, at least I won't feel like a complete fraud for joining this forum anymore!

B.

[G. Scott H.]

Well, I ended up cancelling the Towton. I still like it, but I've seen a couple of other swords that are more in line with my taste. I did still get the Scottish Dagger from MRL. It's typical Windlass: pretty darn nice blade, and the cross and pommel are actually very well done, but the grip (wood covered with leather) is way oversized (internally, that is. The channel cut through the wood is much bigger than the tang.). Nothing a little PC-7 or JB Weld can't fix, though. This is going to be a perfect "project" blade. I've got the metal parts coated with Strypeeze as we speak, to remove the infamous Windlass clear laquer.

[Bruce Wilson]

Hi! Could you let me know how you get on with the laquer stripping? Thanks!
- I'm in two minds as to whether I should simply use a chemical stripper or just elbow grease and steel wool.

My Towton is likely sitting with HM Customs as I write (or at least I hope it is!). It's likely to become a bit of a project too, beginning with the removal of the laquer and scrubbing the gloss off the leather of the grip and the scabbard. A full re-grip with some work on the core and then cord and chamois, in line with Sean's techniques, is likely to follow - when I have the time.

I was toying with the idea of taking a whetstone to the blade too but I think I'll be better off keeping it dull for now. Overall, I'm hoping I can turn it into something pretty interesting - which I guess I'll be pleased with, given that I realise I'm starting with a what is essentially a budget weapon.

[G. Scott H.]

[Bruce Wilson]

Thanks - when the darn thing finally arrives ( !) I'll give it a go!

By the way, what the heck time is it in Arizona right now??!!

[G. Scott H.]