[Benjamin Rial]

This is a bastard sword that is nearly finished. I wanted to capture the look of an early to mid period cutting sword, but the weight and blade length seem to indicate more of a bastard sword to me rather than a war sword. The blade is 33 3/4" long, 2" wide, and 0.189" thick at the guard with a gentle distal taper to 0.11" thick at 1" from the tip. The blade is 5160 and the furniture is 1020 mild steel. The grip is ash wound with cotton cord and then covered in leather. The pommel is wider and thinner than I usually make at 9/16" thick and 2 3/4" wide and 2 1/2" tall. The POB is at 4 5/8" giving this piece a strong blade presence but it is nimble and quick to recover. The over all length is just a hair under 44". All that needs to be finished with the sword is the blade sharpened and then peened together. The guard and pommel have very tight press fits on the tang. Then I will begin working on the scabbard. Comments and questions are welcome.

[J. Hargis]

Ben, another beauty in the making. I've always like the slighty out-of-round pommels. Let us know how she handles when all is said & done.

Cheers, Jon