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Geoff Freeman
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 Posted: Tue 09 Dec, 2003 6:32 am Post subject: Darkwood rapier almost complete |
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Well, I just got word from Scott at Darkwood armory that the custom-hilted rapier I'd ordered earlier this year is nearing completion! I suppose that this post is an announcement of sorts until I actually get the sword, at which point I will do a review of it. It is coming with the Del Tin practice rapier blade with a blade length of 38" (past the guard).
I approached Scott earlier this year (mid-May, I think was when I first asked him about the custom hilt) about making a custom hilt with a good deal of decoration on it, and sent a design to him to look at and base his creation on (not truly replicate, you understand).
Well, this is the design that Scott chose, maybe even from the myArmoury.com albums!
Scott has been enormously friendly and helpful during the whole process, so for any of those that want a good practice rapier, Scott is one of the best options available.
As I said earlier, I will post a review of this sword when it comes in, which hopefully should be before the end of the year.
Best,
Geoffrey C. Freeman
Durendal Fencing Club
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Stephen A. Fisher
Location: Kentucky USA Joined: 17 Oct 2003
Posts: 455
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| Posted: Tue 09 Dec, 2003 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Geoff,
Scott does make some of the best practice rapiers. I have a pappenheimer that I got from him in 99', it's a great piece and has held up extremely well over the years. I'd like to see it when you get it.
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Last edited by Stephen A. Fisher on Wed 10 Dec, 2003 10:16 am; edited 1 time in total
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Tue 09 Dec, 2003 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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That does look nice.
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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Allen Johnson
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| Posted: Wed 10 Dec, 2003 12:32 am Post subject: |
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if its not too personal...how much is he asking for it? I know there are alot of people like me who really want semi-customs but just dont have the wallet for some of the big boys. Darkwood seems to be a really good middle ground as far as price goes.
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Ross McCarthy
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| Posted: Wed 10 Dec, 2003 3:13 am Post subject: |
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 Very elegant piece of work Geoff - hope you're happy when you get it - I love the rapier - the most elegant of swords !
R. McCarthy
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Geoff Freeman
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| Posted: Wed 10 Dec, 2003 5:58 am Post subject: |
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| Allen Johnson wrote: | | if its not too personal...how much is he asking for it? I know there are alot of people like me who really want semi-customs but just dont have the wallet for some of the big boys. Darkwood seems to be a really good middle ground as far as price goes. |
Hi Allen,
Well, I'd rather not say what I paid, so let's just say I could've gotten an A&A for roughly the same price. But then, I'm paying for a reasonable degree of detail with engravings and piercings, so that brings the price up. Plus, I ordered a main gauche dagger to go en suite with the rapier. And I was the one who set the price limit. Otherwise, Scott's prices are VERY competitive, and even a semi-custom hilt design probably won't run you too much more than a Del Tin or Lutel rapier.
Geoffrey C. Freeman
Durendal Fencing Club
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Geoff Freeman
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| Posted: Fri 12 Mar, 2004 7:55 pm Post subject: Complete! :D |
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Well, it's been just about 10 months since I ordered this, and today it arrived at my doorstep (via UPS, and early for that matter--it wasn't supposed to get here till Monday, or so said the tracking site  )! I had about a 20 minute conversation with Scott at Darkwood (mostly me thanking him so profusely) about the sword and the process that went into making it, and still, all I can say is that it is the most beautiful and amazing rapier I have EVER held in my hand! Simply stunning. Gorgeous, beautiful . . . adjectives fail me, really. It is very lively in the hand, the point tracing very smoothly and falling very nicely into place when I thrust. The guard is sturdy, built to be tough, even though it has some very gorgeous piercings in it. I took a few pictures with my dad's digital camera, but they turned out really shoddy, so I will take some more later with my own camera when its brighter outside. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this picture
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The original, as seen in the photo albums
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And the only half-way decent picture I could get this evening. It shows the piercings in the guard very nicely
Geoffrey C. Freeman
Durendal Fencing Club
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Stephen A. Fisher
Location: Kentucky USA Joined: 17 Oct 2003
Posts: 455
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| Posted: Fri 12 Mar, 2004 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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Geoff,
Wow, It looks great. I'm looking forward to some stats and more pictures. Your rapier shows the kind of work that Scott is capable of, if asked. Thanks for sharing this with us.
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Chris Holzman
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| Posted: Fri 12 Mar, 2004 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Stephen A. Fisher wrote: | Hi Geoff,
Scott does make some of the best practice rapiers. I have a pappenheimer that I got from him in 99', it's a great piece and has held up extremely well over the years. I'd like to see it when you get it. |
Not to hijack the thread, (and by the way Geoff, that rapier is extremely cool...) What blade is on your rapier there Stephen?
As far as Darkwood stuff goes, I had the pleasure of handling a Darkwood pappenheimer with a rebated blade...erm...last September, and was very impressed. it was a plain undecorated example, but it handled slightly better than my ArmArt S13 (which I love very much) in spite of the greater length and overall blade mass of the Darkwood.
Between Darkwood, Arms & Armor, and Phoenix Metal Creations and TEMPL, if a person can't find a rapier that appeals to their sense of aesthetics, they'll probably never find one. It's definitely a good time to be a rapier fan.
Chris Holzman
River City Fencing Club
Wichita, KS
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Bill Grandy
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Sat 13 Mar, 2004 12:15 am Post subject: |
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Sweet, Geoff!
I've been using a Darkwood with a practice blade for some time now, and have been very pleased with it. I've handled several other practice bladed Darkwoods, and I've also handled a couple rebatted blade ones, which I like even more. Darkwood is THE place to go for good, servicable rapiers for fencing.
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Stephen A. Fisher
Location: Kentucky USA Joined: 17 Oct 2003
Posts: 455
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| Posted: Sat 13 Mar, 2004 10:53 am Post subject: |
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| Chris Holzman wrote: | | What blade is on your rapier there Stephen? |
It is one of newer Hanwei practical 43" blades. They provide satisfactory performance, I've been meaning to replace them with Del Tins. But as of late, all I tend to concentrate on is the smallsword.
http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/displayimage....amp;pos=11
Last edited by Stephen A. Fisher on Sat 13 Mar, 2004 5:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Geoff Freeman
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| Posted: Sat 13 Mar, 2004 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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I managed to snap a couple more photos before my dad's camera's batteries died on me, but they look much nicer than last night's picture. It is bladed with the Del Tin practice rapier blade, which handles quite nicely and looks very good for a rapier dated c.1620. Here are some stats also:
Overall length: 46"
Blade length: 40" (from cross)
Blade width: 3/4"
Grip length: 3 5/8"
Quillon width: 9 3/4"
PoB: ~1 1/2" in front of guard
Weight: ~2 1/2 lbs.
Geoffrey C. Freeman
Durendal Fencing Club
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Sun 14 Mar, 2004 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Looks like you did very well on that purchase.
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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