[Sonny Suttles]

Just finished this Angus Trim 1432 in the custom sword shoppe
We did a new grip and a custom made wood core scabbard with central riser, simulated blade riser, rain flap and chape.
Comments?

Sonny

[Michael MacLeod]

That is beautifull work.

[Ozsváth Árpád-István]

No offense, but you should change the pommel too. It looks like some cheap machinery part especially with this new, beautiful grip.

[Sonny Suttles]

We just did the work that we were commissioned to do. The post was meant to display the leather work.

Cheers
Sonny

[Keen Mark]

[Joel Chesser]

Very nice work!

[Keen Mark]

Back in April or May of this year, I ordered an AT1432 through Sonny Suttles of Valiant Armoury, with a custom scabbard and grip made by the Custom Sword Shoppe. It has arrived, and I can see why people love the AT1432 so much.

Overview:
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The AT1432 is made by Angus Trim, and all of his swords are known as 'Atrims'. Atrims are also known for their exceptional handling and cutting, as well as the ability to be disassembled with nothing more than a hex key.





They are also a very good base from which to build a semi-custom sword around (as I've done here, along with three other Atrims). Gus will be the first to admit that he builds a good sword first, with the polish generally coming later as an afterthought. That does not stop them from being finely crafted, well-balanced and marvellously heat-treated swords that are worth every dollar you spend on them.





This blade is a type XVIIIc, which has a broad blade for a little over 3/4 of its length, gradually tapering to a very sharp tip that is nonetheless still quite strong with all that metal backing it up. Looking at the blade from the top or side, I can see a key characteristic of the XVIII blades - that being a slightly convex profile with substantial width at the centre of percussion.



In comparison to my XII bastard sword (AT1518), the difference in blade profile and taper is significant, as is the difference in handling.

The AT1432 differs from the Oakeshotte typology only in the pommel and guard, which were typically wheel and s-curved, respectively. Even so, there must have been at least a number of XVIIIc blades that differed from the norm. Even Oakeshotte admits that the typology is not set in stone. Otherwise, it is the very model of a type XVIIIc blade - a superb cut-and-thrust bastard sword that can be used with one or two hands.

Impressions:
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I gave all the metal fittings a good polish with Peek, a paste-type polish that removes corrosion, light rust and dirt that otherwise can't be seen. The scabbard is very well made, The Custom Sword Shoppe did an excellent job with its shaping, the chape and the leather work.





I particularly love the scabbard risers on the face, which mirror the blade resting within, as well as the solid metal chape that is shaped around the scabbard riser for a nice touch. I've never before had a scabbard with a rain guard, and I must say it really adds to the overall appearance of it. There is a bit of wiggle room/play at the bottom portion of the scabbard where the blade can be shifted back and forth about 1/4" either way, but that's to be expected, and is not a problem at all. I'd rather have it a little loose than too tight anyway.





The grip (fine cord under leather, with bandings) is based off the VA Kriegschwert's grip, but with a flattened octagonal cross-section instead of a flattened hexagonal. Hats off to the CSS... the grip is superb. It is solid without being too fat, the cord and bandings both strengthen and add to the handling, and the leather is very well stitched and dyed. You can JUST barely make out the seam in one of the pics below. Any sword, no matter how finely made, is useless without a good grip, and this is an excellent grip on an excellent sword.



The pommel is a scentstopper with a thin groove running around the neck of the pommel, a nice decorative feature of questionable historical accuracy...but a hex nut assembly isn't historical either, so that's fine. The pommel is still too machined for my taste, but this is something I can fix at my leisure. The guard, which appears to be of mild steel like the pommel, is slightly spatulate at the tips, with small cusps intended to lock the sword into the scabbard. It is one of the more solid guards I've ever had, and I like it a lot. There are some machine marks in the blade slot, but that's normal for Atrims.

Moving onto the blade, there are zero machine marks on the visible portions of the blade, and it is a pleasingly smooth satin finish throughout. The blade is solid so there is no fear whatsoever of this blade failing under normal use - heck, I doubt it would fail even under great abuse. The pics make it look uneven, but that is not the case. I expected the tip to be very sharp, and it does not disappoint. It may look as if the tip is too fine and delicate, but closer inspection reveals that the two edges come to a very, VERY small rounded surface. So instead of a very fine needle point that will bend under the slightest pressure, it has already been 'set' so that it isn't fragile, but remains very pointy nonetheless.


Handling:

Like all the Atrims I have handled and owned, it feels awesome right out of the box. It has the broadest blade of all my Atrims, and is more solid and authoritative than the rest. The blade, which seemed so intimidatingly wide at first, tracks and moves with a high degree of precision. I've tried it in a number of guards and cuts and it works very well with all of them, transitioning between them with ease, working through the cutting motions with solidity and a sense that you're wielding a sword, not a stick. It isn't a featherweight...I'd say it's about one quarter again as heavy as my AT1518. , but it is not what I'd consider to be excessively heavy, and it is definitely NOT slow, especially in two hands. The grip is one of the most important components of a sword, and it greatly affects the handling of any sword. The VA CSS grip does not disappoint at all - it was custom made for this sword, and the level of craftsmanship shows.

Summary:

I'm extremely pleased with my newest Atrim as well as the custom scabbard and grip. The AT1432 fills a gap in my collection, a type XVIIIc with a substantially different blade profile and handling than my other Atrims. It possesses an elegant simplicity of form, that being a fine steel blade matched with a high quality and no-nonsense hilt. It is noticeably heavier than my other Atrim longswords, but the extra weight actually works for it rather than against it. You need only handle it for a few minutes to realize what the experts are talking - that here is the "very essence of a cut-and-thrust sword".

Stats:
- 34 1/4" blade (from the guard to the tip)
- 2" wide at the base, 1 5/8" in the middle,
- 8.4" guard length
- 7" grip (9.5" total length)
- centre of percussion approx. 20 - 23" from guard
- centre of gravity 5 1/4" from guard

Comparison pics:

[Zach Luna]

Absolutely lovely. Congrats!