[JE Sarge]

This piece belongs to one of my customers. After seeing my personal Windlass CYOS, purchased a one for himself and wanted it done up for wear with an HBO: Game of Thrones type ensemble.

The scabbard is crafted fom kiln-dried poplar and covered in veg tanned leather. It was given a single riser to keep the look simple and clean.

The stock grip was left as was on this commission.

The chape is made from mild steel and given a very simple design in order to accent the general look.

The suspension is a two-point baldric of my own design, which consists of two seperate tooling leather frogs with steel O ring pivots which attach to the shoulder strap. The color on the entire suspension is a deep oxblood, which I now mix myself (because the Tandy dye is far too purple). The strap has a Celtic-inspired buckle and tip and is adjustable for a number of chest sizes. This style of baldric presents the sword for wear at numerous angles (depending on how the frogs are spaced) and is exceptionally more comfortable than most production baldrics you'd find.

One final additon was that of a leather peace tie, which buckles at the back of the scabbard. I have been doing these for a few years with increasing popularity. Customers like to have their sword secured in the scabbard, yet accessible - without some stranger working an event risking damage to the grip wrap by using a hard plastic zip tie. The leather peace bond holds the sword securely until it's needed, and it's completely removable. I have carried my personal swords for years like this, and it's a very effective way of securing the sword, which looks good and has keep security staff's hands off my weapons.

[Luka Borscak]

Looks great. I would gladly buy one of these "make your own" Windlasses but I would like them to have longer blade. Most Xa swords on the market have 33" blades and I would like them a little longer, 34 or 35 at least.