Don't most MRL's come with a chappe? An easy solution. Would be to just use the old one and use a jewlers saw to cut in your design. Then you could use a blow torch and hammer to re-size it to fit the new scabbard shape.

I considered that option, but the factory scabbard is much thicker than the one I made. I figured I could make a custom chape easier than I could do what I'd need to do to retro-fit the Windlass piece. If my idea doesn't work out (especially if I can't get the convex profile right) I'll fall back on modification of the Windlass.

great job Sean,
same question:
is the blade hardening?
which you used to glue the wood? Epoxy?
Regards
Maurizio

The blade is properly heat treated, which is the case of all the Windlass blades I've seen. For the scabbard (and grip) I use ordinary wood glue. It holds extremely well. You have to work very hard to remove the leather. I use epoxy (JB Weld) only when assembling the hilt.

Any chance of a full scabbard shot?

Cheers,

J

And a full finished sword shot!!!!
What kind of scabbard suspension are you going to use?

Yep, I'll have lots of photos to share very soon. As for suspension, I'm using a narrow belt with the basic knot often used in this period. You'll often see swords of this length suspended by a single knot in a very narrow belt at the top of the scabbard. This is shown worn very loosely around the waist, with the right side of the belt resting at the natural waistline and the weapon low on the left hip. It's very simple and surprisingly comfortable.

Is a great satisfaction to see your finished work. If it is even more perfect.
Here we are all impatient to see the work complete.
Ciao ;)

Well...I'll call this finished although I'm still struggling with the chape. The sword is 2 pounds 4 oz. Sword, scabbard and belt together are 2 pounds 10 oz.

Here are a few quick shots and a couple of images of similar suspensions. (See better shot of hilt on the next page).

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Excelent work, Sean! The sword looks even better than I expected from the progress pics.

Sean, you never cease to amaze. I can't believe how well you transformed that sword. Wonderful work!

Thanks! I share your surprise at the way this turned out. :lol:

I forgot to post a photo of the original "Saxon Hilt Sword" that gave this project its pommel and (modified) blade. This has been MRL's "Deal of the Day" a couple of times in recent months for the price of $90. I think my total cash investment in this project is around $125. Labor is another issue altogether. :D

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By the way, the belt is a dog leash from a nearby pet store. :lol: All I did to it was cut off the original hardware and add the buckle and holes. The color is a perfect match. There's a slightly wider version of this "English lead" in the same color and finish, with the same subtle decorative lines. I think I paid about $12.

Holy crap Sean!

You raised the customisation bar higher with that project no doubt. Starting from period art is also on my to do list.

Very elegant and clean work all around, and the fact that you worked on budget material makes the all thing even more interesting to me. I'm especially impressed by the grip and cross work, very clean lines...and I was sure your first scabbard would turn very well (all in all, a simple scabbard isn't that hard to achieve).

Are you going to keep the rain guard as plain? It seems to beg for a stamp or light carving of some sort.

How does it handle, has the point of balance moved forward a bit? (there is more wood on the pommel side, but the guard now being much further down the blade...).

Anyway, congratulations!

Julien

That looks great, Sean. I'm especially happy to read through the topic and see the inspiration and then progress through the project.

Julien M wrote:

Are you going to keep the rain guard as plain? It seems to beg for a stamp or light carving of some sort.

Really, that type of thing needs to be done before dying and finishing. Doing it now would not result in crisp details.

Someone has wondered why so many of the paintings I've referenced here show infanticide. These are depictions of the Massacre of the Innocents (Bethlehemitischer Kindermord,) part of the Christian belief tradition (part of the Christmas story, in fact, although modern Christians don't dwell on this event to the degree our medieval European ancestors apparently did.)

Here's the long version:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents

Here's the short version: The famous "three kings" stopped in to visit Herod the Great, king of the Jews, on their way to pay their respects to the newborn "King of the Jews" in the town of Bethlehem. Herod didn't like the sound of that at all and ordered the murder of all infant males in Bethlehem, just to make sure the baby in question couldn't threaten his throne. The hero escapes, of course.

The story has Jesus, Mary, Joseph, anguished women, a violent Jewish tyrant, pious "kings" and horrifying bloodshed--what more could a medieval European Christian want in a religious painting?

So many of these have turned up in my studies because:

• Many (most?) paintings of this period depict religious themes, so no matter what I search for ("sword," "scabbard," etc.) the results usually come in that context.

• The Massacre of the Innocents is one of two religious themes in which you can expect to see bare blades. Depictions of the martyrdoms of saints are valuable for the same reason. Saint Catherine typically is depicted with a longsword in her hand--sometimes bare, sometimes in scabbard--so there's another avenue of research for you (saints are often shown with the instruments of their death). The other advantage of these images is that they tend to focus on a few individuals rather than a large crowd (as in crucifixion and battle scenes). This relatively small, "you-are-there" scale allows/requires the artist to include more detail of use to arms and armour students.

• Finally, the thugs shown in Massacre of the Innocents images are apparently low-status individuals, so these paintings might give us a better impression of what the ordinary soldier might have used. I'm interested in common infantry weapons, and that's what these paintings show.

I LOVE KIDS!

Absolutely outstanding work Sean, looks very professional, have you ever thought of going into business customising swords?

I like your use of historical sources too.