Info Favorites Register Log in
myArmoury.com Discussion Forums

Forum index Memberlist Usergroups Spotlight Topics Search
Forum Index > Historical Arms Talk > New Darkwood Armory Rapier! Reply to topic
This is a standard topic  
Author Message
Dan P




Location: Massachusetts, USA
Joined: 28 Jun 2007

Posts: 208

PostPosted: Thu 02 Aug, 2007 6:05 pm    Post subject: New Darkwood Armory Rapier!         Reply with quote

Hello everyone, today I got my first custom sword- from Darkwood Armory- in the mail.
It is the same style of hilt that is reviewed here http://www.myArmoury.com/review_dw_papp.html with a few minor changes to the pommel, quillons, and handle.

I ordered this sword with a sharpened blade- since this is my first custom piece I wanted something that was "real". The blade is only 32" long, which I guess is short for a rapier like this, but I am more familiar with shorter weapons. Its thin, pointy, and is somewhere between stiff and flexible without being too much of either. One of the first things I did after inspecting the sword was to put lots of little slit-shaped holes and short, shallow cuts in the box it shipped in... and I really enjoy the speed and balance that Darkwood built this thing with.

The hilt itself is, in terms of finish, rough and gritty. I ordered it with the munitions-grade finish, so this wasn't unexpected. The welds are smoothed out but not cleaned up, the corners on the stock used to make the hilt bars are not completely rounded away, and the darkening on the steel is somewhat uneven. To me this is a plus; I like how this sword cannot possibly be mistaken for anything other than a weapon, and certainly isn't a "sword-like art object". The shells and bars are very solidly put together. I don't know how traditional this is but on a longer weapon I want a guard and pommel that can be used to strike at extremely close quarters, and this hilt seems to be more than sturdy enough to do that with. Of course I have yet to test that extensively, but it certainly "feels" right.

Thats another reason why I think a rougher finish is better for a weapon like this- its probably going to pick up a few scratches and dents as I practice. Having never ordered a custom sword before, I was irrationally nervous, but Darkwood really did a nice job on this one.
View user's profile Send private message
Joe Fults




Location: Midwest
Joined: 02 Sep 2003

Posts: 3,646

PostPosted: Thu 02 Aug, 2007 6:19 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Any Chance you can post some photos?
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
View user's profile Send private message
Steve Grisetti




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

Posts: 1,812

PostPosted: Sat 04 Aug, 2007 8:21 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Joe Fults wrote:
Any Chance you can post some photos?

Congratulations on your new sword. I second Joe's request for photos!

"...dismount thy tuck, be yare in thy preparation, for thy assailant is quick, skilful, and deadly."
- Sir Toby Belch
View user's profile Send private message


Display posts from previous:   
Forum Index > Historical Arms Talk > New Darkwood Armory Rapier!
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