Thank you Peter and Sean. Turns out, I HAVE been missing something. Not that my grips haven't rocked, but, they WILL rock more now! ;) :lol:

Murphy :cool:

Thanks for taking the time to post these photos and information Peter, especially given the time constraints you are under.

I managed to pop down to the arms fair today and got to see a few people which was great. One of those was of course Peter and his wonderful new sword.

I have handled a few of Peters swords now and everytime they impress with the obvious aspects of fit and finish and they do look great but they also always have those more subliminal aspects that are hard to put into words like 'feel' and balance and for want of a better way of putting it they just sit well in the hand in a way that is more organic than mineral. That elevates them well above just another really good looking sword.

This is another lovely piece and it was intriguing to chat (briefly) to Peter about it and how it fits with his thoughts on possible methods for historical sword design. I have the article and will have a proper read and think over the next few days.

Unforntunately it was a little rushed for me, but still managed a good chat with Soren from Albion Europe, Bob Savage from RA and Toby Capwell from The Wallace

Well done Peter, another beauty and intriguing thoughts on the design framework of swords.

Tod

I managed to pop along to the arms fair as well.
what a lovely sword , I found myself humming an unearthly choral tune when I picked it up ( It was singing to me).
I think it is worth mentioning something that a lot of us are aware of....

Peter Johnsson really is an asset to the sword world .

A living international treasure if there ever was one.


His innovative exploring's of the medieval mind set , along with his superb (and pretty much unrivalled) craftsmanship and an incredible effervescent and capturingly intense passion for the sword put him in a singular place amongst us all.

He has been incredibly influential to the way I see "sword" and the craft and us craftsmen.

Peter Johnsson I salute you!

Owen and Tod!

Thank you :-)

It was great to see you at the Fair even if it was brief. Glad you could make the time to come. It means a lot to me to have great colleagues and friends like you.

It was an intense fair with many good meetings.
I am still reeling a bit of the experience.

This sword (and the article presented) is spectacular. Congratulations Peter, I'm very envious of the new owner.

That's just one of the nicest swords ever :)
Love how it all came together. Now I need to buy that catalogue... :)

How did you finish the surface on the metal parts? Its a really nice and smooth finish that is matte enough to not look cheap (that I often find highly polished pieces).

What can I can say that was not already said...I had the privilege of documenting the original at Leeds so it was particularly interesting for me to hold Peter's reconstitution. Needless to say it's true to the original down to the mm, Peter's attention to detail and fine craftsmanship is indeed pretty much unrivaled. It pretty much feels like the original sword regrew its corroded part by some alchemical process, to be made anew...

Oh and on a side note, Soren had brought the Cluny sword has well. Unfortunately the sword is well above my price range, but simply put, this is the best handling longsword I have ever approached.

What can I say that hasn't been said before - except that again I'm late, spending too much time away from where interesting things happen...

Fantastic work, Peter. Both the sword and the article.

Cheers

Fab

Again, thank you guys.

There has been a bit of a pause in the completion of this sword. After the Fair in London we have been moving our home to a new house. It is one of those things that are supremely disruptive of everything. Frustrating not to be able to work when so much interesting and exiting is happening.

I have been able to get some more work on the scabbard however and hope to have it finished in the next few days. I shall post snapshots of this when I find in what box the camera is hiding.

About the finish of the steel: I resort a lot to hand rubbing. After grinding on the belt grinder I use emery paper of various grits, often from 120-600 or 800 in stages. I use cooking oil as lubricant. The final surface is achieved with emery powder of the kind used to polish stones. It can be had in different grit size. I find that 600 grit creates a nice balance between high finish, but still not mirror bright. I apply this with cooking oil and steel wool, felt, make up remover cotton pads or leather backed with wood. It is versatile so that you can get various kinds of sharpness of lines or blending. You also do not get quite the scratchy surface you would from 600 grit emery paper. It looks more like 800 or even 1000 grit. But misty.
It is possible to experiment with this method, using a combination of different grits, to get that not quite perfect, but still very refined surface you see on fine originals.

Thanks for your polishing info Peter. I had just picked up some 600 grit silicon carbide for katakiri polishing stuff... never even thought to use it instead of 600 grit paper on a blade. It's too coarse for hamon polishing... but it sounds perfect in the application you refer to....

Peter, it was great to have such a long chat and see the sword. Amazing stuff.
See you in Scotland later in the year hopefully!
Matt