Removing the pommel on a hand and a half sword?
I just recently bought this 15 century hand and a half sword on Ebay. The blade itself is actually very strong and after sparring with a friend for at least and hour the blade hasn't even scratched much, besides some nicks from a few edge to edge hits. The blade is made for cutting so it is quite thin. After all this, I've noticed the handle started to have some give to it, along with the cross guard. I'd like to remove the pommel so I can rework things, but I can't figure out how... I'm sure it's threaded, but it's on there good. Any advice?
Maybe if you posted one or two pics of the sword, someone here might be able to identify it and let you know if the pommel is screwed on or peened.
Yes, pictures would be most welcome. It might be screwed on AND peened, which'll make taking it off and putting it back on a bit of a hassle, or it might be simply filled with Locktite and won't budge because of that. If the whole handle, not just the crossguard, started rattling, it's usually a bad sign - don't fight with it any more, just in case it has a rat tail tang - sometimes, the blade is made OK, but doesn't gradually become less wide through the handle - it just becomes one rather flimsy thread of metal somewhere at the crossguard. Also, if you provide pictures of the sword itself, someone will probably be able to tell if they recognize the maker or if it looks like a display piece.
Oops! I tried attaching pictures from my phone but I guess they didn't attach.

Here's a picture of the hilt. I can get more if needed.


 Attachment: 238.44 KB
Took me forever to get the picture to attach. Kept having to retake it so it would be under 250 KB. [ Download ]
Re: Removing the pommel on a hand and a half sword?
This is not an answer to your question but...
Alec Wilkas wrote:
sparring with a friend for at least and hour [...] The blade is made for cutting so it is quite thin.

That seems terribly unsafe.

Regards,
It looks like the Strongblade Warspike to me. http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/strongblade.html

I don't own it, so I can't go by anything but the review, which is favorable but also shows the sword isn't exactly the most solid thing in the world, which you already knew.

As mentioned by others, I wouldn't want to engage in free-play with a sword intended for cutting and not bouting. (I drove my friend to the ER after slicing open his lip with a Cold Steel waster, so you can see where I'm coming from. You can easily do some cutting with even an unsharpened blade...)
It really isn't the best idea, but my sparring partner begged me to bout it out with him...
I'm in love with this sword, so I'm going to fix it up, but I can't seem to remove the pommel. I thank you Colt for finding my sword! Now i know for sure its only threaded. There must be a glue seal on it. Im hitting it with a hair dryer to try and break down the glue. Any other advice that may work better?
Thanks!
You need much more heat, you'll do nothing with hair dryer. :) Try blowtorch.
if you have access to a bench vise with rubber jaws, just firmly mount the pommel in that, blade pointing up, and use the cross as a lever, turning counter-clockwise. If it still sticks, tap the top of the pommel firmly with a hammer to see if that will break free the threads.
I'll break out the vise as soon as I get home! I figured it'd go in this direction; I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any magic to it first lol.

l keep you guys updated on my progress, as I might have a little project on my hands. I also gotta give it to the Darkspike. I love this sword! Feels great in the hand and I love the style.
Colt Reeves wrote:
You can easily do some cutting with even an unsharpened blade...)

At the risk of beating a dead horse here, I do have to chime in regarding the danger of bouting with a blade not intended for the purpose. I have a ca. 10cm (ca. 4inch) long and 0.5cm (0.2inch) deep cut in my thigh armour that demonstrates nicely that even a rebated and rather light sabre blade can leave some nasty cuts when nicked.
I would try a heat gun before I resorted to a torch. You know, like a hairdryer but stronger, used to remove paint? That might loosen the glue with less risk of igniting the grip.
The torch worked like a charm! I heated it for a good two minutes, and it twisted off with no resistance at all :) I also fixed the empty space inside the hilt and tapped it back in place with a hammer and repositioned the cross guard a bit. It's sturdy as a rock now.

I most likely won't be sparring much with it. If I do, it will just be light and predictable. Until I get a nice blunted sword for that purpose. I thank you all for your help!

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