Wanting - Russian Sabre (shashka) commission -- myArmoury.com

J Anstey

Hi there

Am wondering if anyone here knows any makers of quality shashka?

My wife is Russian so I will have no problems in email communication so I would ideally like a Russian smith.

Does anyone know of any makers, websites or Russian sword forums, that I can browse through?

Also, is there a generic Russian word for "Stainless Steel" so I can include this is the "don't want" specifications?

Many thanks

Jason

Shahril Dzulkifli

Jason, I recommend Zlatoust as a major manufacturer of shashkas.

J Anstey · Posted: Thu 17 Jul, 2008 8:15 am Post subject:

Thanks Shahril

I appreciate your response very much.

Zlatoust was certainly the first place we looked at, but have found through research that they are now a primarily a name from the past being marketed to both domestic and international markets.

Most Items coming from there seem to be stainless steel. Good steel seems to be the last thing on their agenda (based on what I gather) having said that if you are prepared to pay in excess of 15K for a knife or 25K for a sword then I am sure you will get a very nice piece, albeit gilded to the max.

Cheers

Jason

Jean Thibodeau · Posted: Thu 17 Jul, 2008 8:39 am Post subject:

Quality I don't know but here is a Windlass version I found at Kult of Athena:
http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~5010...hasqua.htm

Now the quality is probably less than what you are looking for but Windlass sword are currently of decent quality as far as materials and assembly is concerned. The blades are carbon steel and usually have good heat treatment.

KoA can sharpen it at a modest fee and their customer service is AAAA as well there return policy is very good if you look at it and return it in the same shape you received it.

The other possibility is having one custom made:

Maybe Tinker if he is taking custom orders these days: http://tinkerswords.com/

OlliN might be able to tell you if they feel comfortable making one ? ( They are very good but a sabre blade would be something only they can tell you if they can make one as they usually work by stock removal and a highly curved sabre might be better done by forging a blade ? Although some sabre blade can be ground strait or almost strait and the curve happens during the heat treating process ).
http://www.ollinsworddesign.com/

Not sure if this helps much and there might be other customs makers who would be good choices for such a project.
With the amount you are ready to spend the list of high end custom makers could be much longer. Factors to consider are their waiting times for delivery being the most important factor and the specific skills and style of the maker that can make the sword you want in the right style you want. ( Not sure if you meant this 15k amount to be what you can afford or what someone with 15k can afford ??? ).

An antique sword might be an option if you can find one that fits your needs ?

J Anstey · Posted: Fri 18 Jul, 2008 3:12 am Post subject:

Chris Artman · Posted: Fri 18 Jul, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject:

One of the 3 or so projects I have with Ollin is the very long curved swiss saber... He has perfected his methods so I would go ahead with Ollin...

Andy Bain · Posted: Sat 19 Jul, 2008 12:23 pm Post subject:

Another talented fellow you could check with is John Lundemo of OdinBlades.

Shahril Dzulkifli

You know Jason, I also like shashkas especially with guards. I also like those with engravings on their blades.

J Anstey · Posted: Mon 21 Jul, 2008 7:15 am Post subject:

... yep, there are some really nicely engraved swords done there,. I also like some of the guarded Shashka, but it's the uniqueness of the guard less Cossack shashka that appeals the most to me right now probablt in the 1799 - 1814 period.

It also appears that there are two types of swords sold in Russia. Souvineer blades that can cost up to 4K and fighting blades that seem to start at 3k but you need a special license to purchase or own one (in Russia). I am pretty sure that by memberships to associations will allow me to get the license so it can be exported from Russia. Import is no problem for me.

The first type are not allowed to have a sharper edge than 1mm and a Rockwell hardness greater than 25! THey seem to be either alloy or a stainless steels called 65X13, 40X13 and 95X13 It does get a bit complicated, but I am in contact with a master from the guild and learning as we go.

Cheers

Jason

Shahril Dzulkifli

Jason, if you had bought any shashka can you post its photo here? We would like to see that.

J Anstey

Shahril Dzulkifli

Alright Jason, we at myArmoury will wait for your shashka photo to be posted in this thread.