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R. D. Simpson
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 Posted: Sun 06 Mar, 2005 4:52 pm Post subject: MRL Late 13th Century Sword of War |
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Just wondering, has anyone handled the MRL Late 13th Century Sword of War? How does it handle? Is it worth buying, or would you recommend against it?
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Sun 06 Mar, 2005 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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Hey, R.D. As a newbie here myself, I'm still not that good at finding previously-discussed topics through the "Search" feature on this site, but I know there are a couple of threads pertaining to this, I just can't find them at the moment.   I'm sure somebody else will provide the links. Anyway, I remember reading mixed reviews of this sword. One guy said that there was some kind of epoxy filler in the crossguard to keep it from rattling. Doesn't sound too promising. There are a ton of threads here concerning Windlass Steelcrafts, the makers of MRL's swords. I have their Medieval Short Sword (no longer available) and have handled several of their other models. I currently have a sword and a dagger on order from them too. Overall, I like Windlass stuff. It's definitely "lower end" as far as swords are concerned, but functional and tough enough to be well worth the prices they charge(IMHO). By "functional" I mean that they are great for cutting pool noodles, beach mats, cardboard tubes, melons, etc. Some folks have even used them on harder targets with good results. They are fun and decent swords for the money, though if you are well-to-do, you could certainly find better from the likes of Angus Trim, Albion, and Arms & Armour. Again, I'm sure somebody more technically astute than I can provide you with some handy-dandy links to these manufacturers' sites. 
P.S. Welcome!
http://www.atrimasa.com/index.html
http://albion-swords.com/
http://www.arms-n-armor.com/
P.P.S. Whaddaya know? I figured out how to insert a link! Wasn't as tough as I thought.
By including these links, I am in no way trying to discourage you from getting an MRL sword, just giving you the chance to see some of the other stuff that's available if you can afford it.
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Sun 06 Mar, 2005 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, if you look at the very top of the home page and click on "Links" you will find most of the better manufacturers there.
Don't forget to explore the various tools : features, reviews, compare tool etc .... if you haven't already.
I didn't notice these also when I was new to the site.
Oh, and welcome, have fun, enjoy and contribute
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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R. D. Simpson
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| Posted: Mon 07 Mar, 2005 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the help guys. I wasn't having any luck with the search function, so your links to the threads were really helpful.
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Fri 11 Mar, 2005 11:24 pm Post subject: Sword of War Update. |
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MRL just changed the photo on their website of the Sword of War. It is now shown with a black handle wrap instead of red, and the pommel looks a bit different, though it may just be a slight angle variation or something  .Anyway, take a peek.
http://www.museumreplicas.com/webstore/showpr...osition=13
P.S. I went and looked at the pic in their most recent print catalog, and the pommel IS the same, the new pic looks to have been taken with slightly different angle or lighting. Sorry.  In any event, at least now if you get one, you won't have to shoe polish the grip black.
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Greyson Brown
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| Posted: Sun 13 Mar, 2005 6:10 am Post subject: |
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I got one of these through By The Sword about 6 months ago. It came with a light red (almost pink) suede grip. MRL may have changed theirs, and I hope they have, but they do also have the little disclaimer saying the leather colors, and things like that might change without notice. I don't have much of a problem with that, I just don't think I would get my hopes too high if buying one of these in the near future.
-Grey
"So long as I can keep the path of honor I am well content."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The White Company
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Wed 20 Apr, 2005 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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Funny....the more I look at this sword, the more I like it. Even the red grip is starting to grow on me.  Perphaps Grey can answer this question: is the tang peened, or is the pommel a thread-on?
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Bruce Wilson
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| Posted: Fri 22 Apr, 2005 9:39 am Post subject: |
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There were some pics of this around for a while that showed a red grip and a red scabbard too. I hate to say it but I actually quite liked that look - I seriously considered getting one for a while. In fact. if I could get the red I still would! 
I'm still finding no major problems with my Towton - nothing loose or rattling! I have spotted one or two minor wibbles in the fuller but nothing I'm gonna get upset about, given how little it cost me!
[Edit: I found the pic so I thought I'd add it in. I still kinda like this look ]
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Fri 22 Apr, 2005 11:47 am Post subject: |
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| Bruce Wilson wrote: | There were some pics of this around for a while that showed a red grip and a red scabbard too. I hate to say it but I actually quite liked that look - I seriously considered getting one for a while. In fact. if I could get the red I still would!
I'm still finding no major problems with my Towton - nothing loose or rattling! I have spotted one or two minor wibbles in the fuller but nothing I'm gonna get upset about, given how little it cost me!
[Edit: I found the pic so I thought I'd add it in. I still kinda like this look ] |
Yeah, sadly, the red scabbard appears to be a thing of the past. I emailed MRL about this sword the other day, and I was told that it comes with the red grip (despite being pictured with a black one now on the website) and a black scabbard, not necessarilly a deal killer for me, but I too like the matching scabbard better. If you look at the hilt close-up photo on reliks.com, the guard on this sword actually looks quite graceful (IMHO).
Bruce, have you dispathed any sparring partners with the Towton's sharp point yet, or have you blunted it? Good to hear the old girl's still doing well. Despite comments by the occassional smart-arse, Windlass swords can actually be very durable and effective (I now own 3 of them).
Take care.
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Bruce Wilson
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| Posted: Fri 22 Apr, 2005 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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No, not maimed any sparring partners yet - but I did inadvertently stab the palm of my own left hand with the point as I was returning the sword to the scabbard...! D'ohh!!  I decided that buying a proper sparring blunt would be best (when I have the $ or £!) - the blade profile on the Towton is all wrong for grinding off the tip: because it tapers quite dramatically, to take it back to a safe blunt sparring radius I'll end up losing WAY too much blade length! 
The Sword of War looks to have a suede grip (and scabbard?!) in the red colour scheme (note also the nice brass detailing on the scabbard and the grip which goes well with the red) and the black one appears to be suede too - but that could just be a trick of the light in the photographs. I notice the fittings appear to be all steel in the back version.
Given how easily the thick black polish/lacquer stripped off the Towton's scabbard just using a cloth and methyl alcohol it wouldn't be too tricky to re-dye they leather: underneath it appears to be just thick rawhide. I did put a coat of nubuck wax onto it to give a bit of a finish but I'm actually tempted to take that back off again and sponge in some blue ink before I re-wax the scabbard for a nice antiqued deep blue finish.
I guess it wouldn't be hard to do the same to the scabbard from the Sword of War and turn polished black leather scabbard into an antiqued dark red scabbard. If it's got a dyed suede finish that could be a bit more tricky though.
I'll have a go at this one when I have the time over the next few weeks. I'll go back to the Towton thread and post the pics there when I get it done!
And while I remember, here's the all-black version of the Sword of War too (I still like the red!):
[Edit: meant to point out that this is clearly just a photoshopped version of the original pic that MRL are now using - I read somewhere else that all the brass fittings have been changed for steel.]
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Fri 22 Apr, 2005 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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The sword apparently (from the email I got from MRL) comes as shown in the new catalogue (#85), which is: red suede grip cover with steel fittings (not brass), and a smooth black scabbard (like the Towton's). It appears from various photos that there have been several finish variations of this sword. I might just check with a few other vendors and see if any of them offer the one you pictured with the red scabbard (who knows?). I guess it would be fairly easy to strip down the black scabbard and glue some red suede over it. According to Greyson, his version has a grip that is almost pink rather than the deep red shown, so that may require a dye job as well. In any case, this sword continues to grow on me . I don't know, Bruce. Either we share the same excellent taste, or we suffer from the same dillusions! All the same, regardless of grip or scabbard color, I find the overall dimensions and lines of this particular sword quite appealing.
Cheers.
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Alexi Goranov
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Fri 22 Apr, 2005 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Nathan Robinson wrote: | | Do you guys like the ferrules? |
No ! None-the-less there are historical examples with these (one of the oakeshott Type XIII's).
I wonder if they are just rings around the grip (that is OK) or if they are more like washers that go under and over the grip (that is not OK).
Alexi
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G. Scott H.
Location: Arizona, USA Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Fri 22 Apr, 2005 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Alexi Goranov wrote: | | Nathan Robinson wrote: | | Do you guys like the ferrules? |
No ! None-the-less there are historical examples with these (one of the oakeshott Type XIII's).
I wonder if they are just rings around the grip (that is OK) or if they are more like washers that go under and over the grip (that is not OK).
Alexi |
It's hard to tell from the photos (here's a close-up from Reliks: http://www.reliks.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=951&...mp;close=1 ), but they are described as "rings", and I would guess that that's what they are. I don't think they are "caps". I think they look OK, though, if they were absent, it wouldn't bother me.
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Alexi Goranov
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Fri 22 Apr, 2005 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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Good photo. I guess they are just rings and do not transverse the grip. That means that one can remove them if so desired
Alexi
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Greyson Brown
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| Posted: Sat 23 Apr, 2005 1:55 am Post subject: |
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Sorry for having been incomunicado. I don't have internet in my room (it's rather expensive here), and the library is closed Thursdays and Fridays. Now, lets see if I can answer some of your questions.
| G. Scott H. wrote: | | Funny....the more I look at this sword, the more I like it. Even the red grip is starting to grow on me. Perphaps Grey can answer this question: is the tang peened, or is the pommel a thread-on? |
I don't remember a peen block on the top of the pommel, but there might have been a groove where the tang didn't fill in the recess that they milled in the pommel (one of my MRL swords is like that, I think it is this one). I can say this much with certainty, my father recently sent me the grips to all of the swords that he could remove the pommels from. He did not send this one. So, given the caveat that I haven't looked at the sword since October, I am going to say peened.
| Alexi Goranov wrote: | | I wonder if they are just rings around the grip (that is OK) or if they are more like washers that go under and over the grip (that is not OK). |
The ferrules are just flat pieces of metal that are wrapped around the outside of the grip. The seam where they ends meet is uneven on mine, so it is pretty noticable. I did not think that they were uncomfortable at all (which I was concerned about at first), but I will probably remove them. I'll probably just redo the entire grip when I get the chance.
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Hope that helps.
-Grey
"So long as I can keep the path of honor I am well content."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The White Company
Last edited by Greyson Brown on Mon 02 May, 2005 9:12 am; edited 1 time in total
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Bruce Wilson
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| Posted: Sat 23 Apr, 2005 3:27 am Post subject: |
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| G. Scott H. wrote: | | Either we share the same excellent taste, or we suffer from the same dillusions! |
Ummm, thanks (!) You may have a point though...!
If the scabbard is the same as the Towton's I wouldn't bother glueing suede over it, just strip the black polish off the leather with your solvent of choice and then sponge in some rich red ink and re-wax the surface once it's dry - it'll give a slightly antiqued look with a unique colour. I guess a bit of a richer red for the grip would help too - it does indeed look a little "pink" in the pics from Reliks (they do use some great close-ups for their site, don't they?).
I admit I don't know how historically accurate they are, but from an aesthetic point of view I kninda like the ferrules - but I think that has more to do with the way the brass ones work with the all-red colour scheme. If it was just steel and black I think I could take or leave them. The botton line would be whether they cause problems when handling the weapon - last thing you need when wielding this thing is to find your gloves (or skin!) being nipped by a badly finished and ill-fitting ferrule!! 
Still not too bad for the cost tho...
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Greyson Brown
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| Posted: Sun 24 Apr, 2005 4:41 am Post subject: |
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Bruce,
I had the same concern about the ferrules, but they really aren't a problem, even with ends that don't meet exactly perfect. I guess it comes down to a matter of preference after that.
As far as the grip color goes, the picture from Relik is pretty much exactly what I have. I like those pictures, BTW, it does a good job of showing the ferrules, the seam in the grip, and (if you know what you are looking for) the peened tang. I think that color of red is rather light, but my calling it pinkish could be classified as exageration, too. Either way, I like that it adds a little color to what was previously a collection of black and brown gripped swords. Now that I know how to do my own grips though...
-Grey
"So long as I can keep the path of honor I am well content."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The White Company
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Phil D.
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| Posted: Sun 01 May, 2005 5:18 am Post subject: |
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The old style of this sword (with black leather work on handle and scabbard) is actually still available for only $129.95 through the Atlanta Cutlery division .
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This is a standard topic