Info Favorites Register Log in
myArmoury.com Discussion Forums

Forum index Memberlist Usergroups Spotlight Topics Search
Forum Index > Makers and Manufacturers Talk > Hello and thanks! Reply to topic
This is a standard topic  
Author Message
Matthew Grzybowski
Industry Professional



Location: Madison, WI
Joined: 23 May 2005

Posts: 110

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 3:42 pm    Post subject: Hello and thanks!         Reply with quote

I was just invited to join the Industry Professionals group. I would like to send a big thank you to Nathan Robinson who has answered many questions that I've had about myArmoury before and after I've joined. I've very much enjoyed myArmoury and all those that I've met since joining several months ago.

I look forward to sharing with all of you announcements, press releases, promotions, and marketing information for OlliN Sword Design which is under the artistic direction of my friend and brother Mark Grzybowski.

I can't thank you enough and I'm very happy and excited to be here!

OlliN Sword Design
Handmade collectible arms, custom swords, and sculpture
www.ollinsworddesign.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Steve Grisetti




Location: Orlando metro area, Florida, USA
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Likes: 9 pages
Reading list: 28 books

Posts: 1,812

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 5:13 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Welcome, Matthew. Looks like some nice work in your edged collection. I like the nice, clean lines of your Phoenix Sun Blade.
View user's profile Send private message
Gabriel Stevens




Location: St. Louis
Joined: 02 Oct 2003

Posts: 145

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 7:47 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wow...the Soul Reaver in steel....it looks great so far. An icon from one of my all time favorite game series...can't wait to see the finished product.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
J. Padgett




Location: In a comfy chair
Joined: 17 Nov 2003

Posts: 137

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 8:06 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

You have some nice stuff on your site, and I love the fact you have a zombie survival kit for sale.
"The truth shall make ye fret."
View user's profile Send private message
Matthew Grzybowski
Industry Professional



Location: Madison, WI
Joined: 23 May 2005

Posts: 110

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 9:29 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

J. Padgett wrote:
You have some nice stuff on your site, and I love the fact you have a zombie survival kit for sale.


Hey thanks! We're all big zombie fans. The ZDC is our way of giving back in our own way. We've got 3 machetes profiled for the line right now. Hopefully we'll have them finished and up at the site before the end of the month.

OlliN Sword Design
Handmade collectible arms, custom swords, and sculpture
www.ollinsworddesign.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Matthew Grzybowski
Industry Professional



Location: Madison, WI
Joined: 23 May 2005

Posts: 110

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 9:31 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Steve Grisetti wrote:
Welcome, Matthew. Looks like some nice work in your edged collection. I like the nice, clean lines of your Phoenix Sun Blade.


Thanks Steve! Actually the PSB was one of the 1st pieces Mark made when we opened shop. It is a very cool piece indeed!

OlliN Sword Design
Handmade collectible arms, custom swords, and sculpture
www.ollinsworddesign.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Matthew Grzybowski
Industry Professional



Location: Madison, WI
Joined: 23 May 2005

Posts: 110

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 9:34 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Gabriel Stevens wrote:
Wow...the Soul Reaver in steel....it looks great so far. An icon from one of my all time favorite game series...can't wait to see the finished product.


It is really coming along. Mark's been working on this piece for a while now. The next step for us is to find a good caster. I can't wait either!

OlliN Sword Design
Handmade collectible arms, custom swords, and sculpture
www.ollinsworddesign.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Glen S. Ramsay




Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Joined: 10 Dec 2003

Posts: 91

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 9:56 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I also like the Phoenix Sun Blade, but the Elvish Mark I Sidearm is my personal fave from the site. A very nice scimitar-ish fantasy blade!
View user's profile Send private message
Jean Thibodeau




PostPosted: Sun 04 Sep, 2005 9:58 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Really nice designs: Good to see quality fantasy pieces that look as if they are put together in a functional way.

I like historically accurate stuff on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and I like good fantasy stuff on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Razz Laughing Out Loud

But seriously liking one doesn't mean you can't enjoy the other.

Prices look very reasonable. I'm bookmarking the site. Cool

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
View user's profile Send private message
Matthew Grzybowski
Industry Professional



Location: Madison, WI
Joined: 23 May 2005

Posts: 110

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Mon 05 Sep, 2005 5:31 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Glen S. Ramsay wrote:
I also like the Phoenix Sun Blade, but the Elvish Mark I Sidearm is my personal fave from the site. A very nice scimitar-ish fantasy blade!


Glen, I'm so with you. Actually, that is a new piece we just put up last week. I also love this one too. It turned out so well. We're going to have another sword hitting the collection later this week. I can't even describe this one. It's very different.

OlliN Sword Design
Handmade collectible arms, custom swords, and sculpture
www.ollinsworddesign.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Matthew Grzybowski
Industry Professional



Location: Madison, WI
Joined: 23 May 2005

Posts: 110

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Mon 05 Sep, 2005 5:37 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean Thibodeau wrote:
Really nice designs: Good to see quality fantasy pieces that look as if they are put together in a functional way.

I like historically accurate stuff on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and I like good fantasy stuff on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Razz Laughing Out Loud

But seriously liking one doesn't mean you can't enjoy the other.

Prices look very reasonable. I'm bookmarking the site. Cool


And I must say that they are. All of our blades made with 1075 steel and are heat treated.

Ha! I'm with you on that. To be honest, that was one of the reasons I wasn't sure if we were a good fit myArmoury. We have been asked from time to time to research and create historically accurate piece from our Custom Shop. But the bulk of what comes in is modern fantasy.

Hey thanks for the bookmark! We're just so happy to be here and doing what we love. I'm thinking that next week we're going to be running a myArmoury discount on our edged collection.

Thanks again.

OlliN Sword Design
Handmade collectible arms, custom swords, and sculpture
www.ollinsworddesign.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Jean Thibodeau




PostPosted: Mon 05 Sep, 2005 3:57 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Matthew;

I think that sometimes the makers out there get a reputation for very historically correct arms and others great fantasy ones: Some maybe prefer to do one or the other 100% of the time but I'm sure a lot of makers enjoy the challenge and change of pace of doing the opposite 10% of the time. And I'm sure some would love to do both equally.

If you have examples of historically accurate swords and other weapons having a few Picts on your site or even having a historical line might be good if you want to avoid people thinking that you only do or want to do fantasy.

It's much easier to market these two options as you are being discovered than years later when peoples image of what you do is set in concrete.

I think I remember a topic where customers of a top maker were quoting the maker as saying that he would love to get more commissions for historical swords but everybody has him stereotyped as A " fantasy only maker ".

Oh, I also like the way you create an atmosphere of participation in the designing of custom fantasy pieces and, as long as the client can make up his / her mind and not micromanage you to death after critical decisions and work has started: This should be a creative process for both you and the client.

I would imagine that some clients have a vague notion of what they want and need ALL your artistic skills to design something for them. Others with a good sense of design and the skill to make their own designs and clear drawings of them might have already a very clear idea of what they want. And others still, even with a precise design in mind, would be very receptive to a modified or better design.

Oh, finally: Having a sense of what would work I imagine you would make clear the difference between a pure fantasy design that wouldn't be also a good weapon and one that would be well balanced and usable.

Naturally if one wants a art piece and doesn't care about functionality that is fine too if there is NO confusion about what the design objectives are.

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
View user's profile Send private message
Steve Grisetti




Location: Orlando metro area, Florida, USA
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Likes: 9 pages
Reading list: 28 books

Posts: 1,812

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Tue 06 Sep, 2005 3:51 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean Thibodeau wrote:
...If you have examples of historically accurate swords and other weapons having a few Picts on your site or even having a historical line might be good if you want to avoid people thinking that you only do or want to do fantasy.

It's much easier to market these two options as you are being discovered than years later when peoples image of what you do is set in concrete.

I think I remember a topic where customers of a top maker were quoting the maker as saying that he would love to get more commissions for historical swords but everybody has him stereotyped as A " fantasy only maker "....

Matthew - I would like to re-emphasize this point made by Jean, and add a further comment.

A key point with the "historical" pieces is doing the research so that you know what you are doing is, indeed, historically accurate. Where you choose to vary from historical accuracy for a particular reason, it is important that the prospective customers KNOW that you are well aware of the deviation, and have made a deliberate decision to vary. One obvious example of a frequent variation by makers of historically accurate pieces is in the choice of modern steels, and this seems to be well recognized as acceptable by the collecting community. Also, use of modern manufacturing methods tends to be accepted by many. However, variation from other key parameters, such as form, balance, mass, and handling characteristics, is less likely to be accepted.

With respect to the 'top maker' mentioned by Jean in his post, a point that some people suggested was that the 'top maker' is a highly skilled smith/cutler/artist, but may not have done enough research to really know what is, or is not, historically correct.
View user's profile Send private message
Matthew Grzybowski
Industry Professional



Location: Madison, WI
Joined: 23 May 2005

Posts: 110

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Wed 07 Sep, 2005 10:01 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean,

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I think you have made a lot of wonderful points of which I can't disagree. We do a lot to encourage our custom customers to work with us on there design. And one thing that I think Mark is particularly good at is being flexible. There is as much back and forth with our customers as needed to give them the piece they are looking for. There is no ego involved. It really just breaks down to listening and communication.

Thanks again for the great post. Lots to think about.

OlliN Sword Design
Handmade collectible arms, custom swords, and sculpture
www.ollinsworddesign.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Matthew Grzybowski
Industry Professional



Location: Madison, WI
Joined: 23 May 2005

Posts: 110

Feedback score: None
PostPosted: Wed 07 Sep, 2005 10:07 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Steve Grisetti wrote:

A key point with the "historical" pieces is doing the research so that you know what you are doing is, indeed, historically accurate. Where you choose to vary from historical accuracy for a particular reason, it is important that the prospective customers KNOW that you are well aware of the deviation, and have made a deliberate decision to vary. One obvious example of a frequent variation by makers of historically accurate pieces is in the choice of modern steels, and this seems to be well recognized as acceptable by the collecting community. Also, use of modern manufacturing methods tends to be accepted by many. However, variation from other key parameters, such as form, balance, mass, and handling characteristics, is less likely to be accepted.

With respect to the 'top maker' mentioned by Jean in his post, a point that some people suggested was that the 'top maker' is a highly skilled smith/cutler/artist, but may not have done enough research to really know what is, or is not, historically correct.


Steve,

Great point as well! The use of modern steel, though accepted, is a variation. I hadn't thought of it in that way, but it very much is.

Thanks again!

OlliN Sword Design
Handmade collectible arms, custom swords, and sculpture
www.ollinsworddesign.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website


Display posts from previous:   
Forum Index > Makers and Manufacturers Talk > Hello and thanks!
Page 1 of 1 Reply to topic
All times are GMT - 8 Hours

View previous topic :: View next topic
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum






All contents © Copyright 2003-2024 myArmoury.com — All rights reserved
Discussion forums powered by phpBB © The phpBB Group
Switch to the Basic Low-bandwidth Version of the forum