I found a really interesting swordmaker from cech rep.at www.ludekkalny.ic.cz
English version available,pics.of many rapiers-sabres ,of renaissance-17th.cent. periods.
I suggest to check it out.
Andrea Scattolin

There are some very interesting pieces on this maker's site. I wonder how difficult it would be to order and have delivery to the United States. I am often fearful of reliability from makers so far away from me. Many times, I prefer to deal with a middle-man such as Arma Bohemia who uses many makers. This certainly isn't a critique of any maker, but more a comment of my level of comfort. I guess I've found it useful to have people from this community order things and then share their experiences with me to give some reassurance about the experience.

I'd very much like to see first-hand more items from many of these excellent makers located in the Czech Republic. There appears to be some really top-notch talent living there.

Hello Andrea,

very interesting site, also the other one you posted. The fotos look great. I often get the impression that Czech or Polish or Croat swordsmiths deliver very attractiv pieces, I just never heard of those makers before. My own fault probably.
As Nathan already said, it would be great to see and handle some of these items (oh, I would love to have more time to travel around... the Czech Republic is not so far away if you are living in Germany) or to find people who own or have handled one of these swords and can give a statement on things like historical accuracy, weight distribution, blade hardness etc.
So I hope there are people in this community who have got experience with products of Luděk Kalný and others and kcan tell us about it.

Mark

Thanks for checkin this new armourers.LUDEK KALNY,i know for sure,is sellin some selected pieces trough FABRI ARMORUM.
There are 2 FABRI ARMORUM,one is very basic munition grade products,then,there is one in Italy,near Vicenza,in the north(that is why i know him),that does very expensive,but fit for museum-style ARMOURS.I will post is maillater,and this guy,is proposing,some of the PAVEL SKIRYJA ,and some swords of LUDEK KALNY,i believe,he is the MIDDLE MAN,as Nathan said,and is the reason why yhere are somany makers in cech republic,some other very good and very cheap,but only some o these will reply you,and hey will sale to you.
There are some,in wich you will be surprise of their quality,and their prices.Some o them are really bad.
Anyway,i do not think they allgo so well,personally,i had problem with a pretty known maker in Cech Rep.
In Italy,and in Europe,we do not have such a bi choice,as you know.In Italy,unless you like DELTIN pieces,there is nothin' else,and it is surprising,cause,at least the renaissance started here,but,i believe,the problem,is more inn the italian mentality.There are reenactors,but it is a very restricted area of interest,if you compare to U.K.
Anyway,ihope you liked to have a look at these sies,i will post more.
Ciao
Andrea

In Cech Rep.,there are also many movie studios,where they do things as THE TUDOR,and now THE BORGIAS,that will be realised in Aprill 2011 by Showtime.
There are also a lot of companyes of people,that ,as work,they provides stunting services,as all battle scenes,in most of the movies where ther is an historical content,of medium badget,and some higher onesas well.
It is not so much for the wages level,between Cech Rep.,and other country.
It is in their roots,the fact of dedicating to metal works and leather works.
Of course,the fact that the economy it was in a limbo during the communism,it kind of preserved these activityes.
It his a part of european heritage,togheter with other types of better known form of art.
For me it is important,find new Arms & Armour makers,cause,even if i have several pieces from A&A from Minnesota,the dutyes are too high,plus,even blunt swords are stopped in custom,and it is not easy to get them out.
Furthermore,in my case,the custom makers i like and experienced,they all have 1 year waiting list,unless you have a special relation with some of them(wich is very possible...),and you buy quite a lot.
Of course could be dangerous order from someone,that no one i know has experienced,but it happened to me that a famous cech maker,holded my money for 7 months,and tryed to act if nothin ever happened,and did not want to give my money back or my sword,and i had topay all in advance(wixch i will never do anymore,unless it is someone really,really special).I had to ask another cech maker,where i had an order,to ask many times the previous,to give him the money on my behalf,but it was hard,and without this internal help,i would have lost my money.
Andrea Scattolin

Well, I have to say I appreciate you being on the lookout for new makers, I try to do the same here in the States and abroad as well. Often the talent is high, and the prices are low, but one has to be careful because as you say, they are an unknown quantity and you can get burned. I've been fortunate and had that happen only twice. Once by a guy in Australia, and once by a guy in the U.S. The U.S. guy did make it right eventually.

The Czechs have always been very good craftspeople; they were the armourers for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. S'koda not only makes good cars, but made most of the cannons the Austrians used in WWI were S'koda. The Dana 8X8 self-propelled howitzer is one of the best artillery pieces in the world. Their assault rifles during the era of the Warsaw pact were of a different design than the AK-47 family of rifles, and of a much finer finish.