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Dean Whitlock




Location: Thetford, Vermont
Joined: 24 Apr 2009

Posts: 26

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PostPosted: Thu 14 Jan, 2010 9:45 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Petr Florianek wrote:

Dean: ask me what you want to know, i will try to answer!


Here are a few that come to mind first:

What tools do you use most: knife, chisel, riffler, rasp, other? (Do you use a small seax? :-) )

How do you clean the bone: boiling, soaking in soapy water, mild bleach, ant hill burial, other? I have been boiling and scrubbing but worry about weakening the bone.

Do you soak the bone to soften it before you start carving?

When you use bone with wood, do you do anything to account for differences in shrinkage and expansion so the bone won't crack under the stress? Is that even an issue?

Thanks very much for sharing your knowledge,
Dean
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Dean Whitlock




Location: Thetford, Vermont
Joined: 24 Apr 2009

Posts: 26

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PostPosted: Thu 14 Jan, 2010 9:51 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jeroen Zuiderwijk wrote:
I'd like to especially add that this is one of the very rare sax reproductions that actually matches historical examples...


Jeroen or Petr,
Do you know if seaxes of this type and from the 6th century have also been found in England? And have enough whole hilts been found to support the shape and decoration that Petr has so wonderfully produced? All the pictures I've seen have shown very plain hilts with little in the way of guards, pommels, or even end plates. But maybe I have been looking at finds from an earlier era or different region. I cannot claim to be anywhere near that knowledgeable yet!

Thanks,
Dean
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Petr Florianek
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Joined: 01 Oct 2008

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PostPosted: Thu 14 Jan, 2010 2:41 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

[quote="Dean Whitlock"]
Petr Florianek wrote:



What tools do you use most: knife, chisel, riffler, rasp, other? (Do you use a small seax? :-) )
These and dremel, last part is always done by hand, sometime all the work

How do you clean the bone: boiling, soaking in soapy water, mild bleach, ant hill burial, other? I have been boiling and scrubbing but worry about weakening the bone.
I almost do not use bone, but antler from various animals, i dont like using bone its brittle and has much less character IMO

Do you soak the bone to soften it before you start carving?
No, but i soak it in diluted vinegar when finishing it

When you use bone with wood, do you do anything to account for differences in shrinkage and expansion so the bone won't crack under the stress? Is that even an issue?
No and No, as far as i know

Thanks very much for sharing your knowledge,
Dean
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
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Location: Netherlands
Joined: 11 Mar 2005

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PostPosted: Fri 15 Jan, 2010 5:03 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Dean Whitlock wrote:
Jeroen Zuiderwijk wrote:
I'd like to especially add that this is one of the very rare sax reproductions that actually matches historical examples...


Jeroen or Petr,
Do you know if seaxes of this type and from the 6th century have also been found in England?

6th century I don't know, but early 7th century narrow saxes existed in England. The bolsters and pommels on those for the ones I know are different though from continental ones. On continental ones, the bolsters and pommels (if present), were nearly always iron, with a flat ring at both ends of the grip and a simple curved or triangular iron pommel with the same width as the ring. I only know a few English narrow saxes with metal hilt components (and a few without). These have silver (probably originally gilded) fittings, that were more decoratively shaped. Here's such an example from Winchester, Hampshire:





Quote:
And have enough whole hilts been found to support the shape and decoration that Petr has so wonderfully produced?

So far I've only found enough evidence to support that leather wrapped grips were probably common on narrow saxes (several German examples with remains of leather and wood on the grip). The conditions aren't well enough though to judge if they were decorated or not.

Quote:
All the pictures I've seen have shown very plain hilts with little in the way of guards, pommels, or even end plates. But maybe I have been looking at finds from an earlier era or different region. I cannot claim to be anywhere near that knowledgeable yet!

Pommels and bolsters were fairly common on narrow saxes from the late 6th - early 7nd century (see for example this one from Nijmegen, Netherlands, which I'm currently making: http://1501bc.com/page/rijks_museum_oudheden/0214214a.JPG). On broad saxes from the mid to late 7th century, metal bolsters or rings still occur, but are fairly rare. On 8th century long saxes, metal rings only occur on a few rare examples. This is bases mostly on German saxes though. F.e. Lombardic broadsaxes (Italy), do have metal bolsters and pommels based on some examples.

Jeroen Zuiderwijk
- Bronze age living history in the Netherlands
- Barbarian metalworking
- Museum photos
- Zip-file with information about saxes
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Dean Whitlock




Location: Thetford, Vermont
Joined: 24 Apr 2009

Posts: 26

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PostPosted: Fri 15 Jan, 2010 7:02 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Petr,
Thanks for the advice, it's very helpful. Now to find time to practice it!

Jeroen,
Thanks also for the information and pictures. The lack of evidence in England is frustrating, but what there is, combined with the Continental examples you've shown, gives me good suggestions of what the 6th-century Anglo-Saxon seaxes might have looked like, and that's close enough for now.

Good luck with your current project. You're working from a very fine model, and I hope you'll show it off here when it's done.

Be well,
Dean
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J Helmes
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Location: Lanark Highlands Ontario Canada
Joined: 06 Mar 2009

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PostPosted: Mon 25 Jan, 2010 11:49 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hi Petr! not only is his work outstanding but he is a heck of a nice guy to boot.

Cheers Jeff
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional



PostPosted: Mon 25 Jan, 2010 1:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Frankish Narrow sax and intro         Reply with quote

Petr Florianek wrote:


Let me know what you think and if you have questions
Petr


Hey Petr,

Nice work! If I can ask is this pretty much your online prescence: http://my.opera.com/florianek/blog/

I found this through a link at Jake Powning's site. If it is I'll shoot you some more questions through p.m. if you have another site I'll look there first.

Thanks,

TRITONWORKS Custom Scabbards
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Petr Florianek
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Joined: 01 Oct 2008

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PostPosted: Tue 26 Jan, 2010 12:17 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Ok i am willing to answer any questions you might have!

Please shoot them
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Petr Florianek
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Joined: 01 Oct 2008

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PostPosted: Thu 11 Feb, 2010 11:04 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hello! i managed to have some work done, so i could make this scabbard. Core is linden wood and i covered with cow hide. Pattern is incised and tooled with antler tine. Flap is glued with bone glue as is the core. I had a crazy idea to dye the leather with french wine as it frankish sax, it worked out great. let the pictures speak:


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Ben Potter
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Location: Western Idaho
Joined: 29 Sep 2008

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PostPosted: Fri 12 Feb, 2010 1:15 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Beautiful work Petr, the "dye" came out really nicely.
Ben Potter Bladesmith

It's not that I would trade my lot
For any other man's,
Nor that I will be ashamed
Of my work torn hands-

For I have chosen the path I tread
Knowing it would be steep,
And I will take the joys thereof
And the consequences reap.
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Christian Böhling
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Location: Germany
Joined: 27 Jan 2010

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PostPosted: Fri 12 Feb, 2010 3:30 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Great work, Petr! I wish“d I had your hands and talent! And I am looking forward to see 3rd century stuff made by you with your abilities!
www.archaeoschmiede.de
www.eisenzeithaus.de
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B. Stark
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PostPosted: Fri 12 Feb, 2010 3:49 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Very good representation.
"Wyrd bi∂ ful aręd"
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