What is the best way to secure slightly wiggly quillons? -- myArmoury.com

Christopher B Lellis

I am assuming some sort of glue, but there are many glues.
The quillons on this particular sword of mine have a very slight bit of wiggle and I would like to patch it up as best as I can without paying to have the entire hilt redone.

Any suggestions?

David Lewis Smith

Christopher B Lellis · Posted: Fri 14 Feb, 2014 5:32 pm Post subject:

I don't know how to put photos on here, I've tried before with no success and I'm not about to mess with that again.

As for the sword it's actually 2 swords.

One is an Arms and Armor Grunwald, the quillons are not exactly "wiggly" but they do move slightly from side to side if I torque it with my hand, it won't move up and down. It seems the casting of the cross guard left a bit more space than it should have.

The second sword is an Albion Steward which is the only Albion I ever bought from Kult of Athena, originally I had noticed some sort of glue in that small gap between the cross guards and qullions, now it seems to have chipped off from use and the quillons slightly wiggle up and down but not side to side.

In both cases the play is within a millimeter.

David Lewis Smith · Posted: Fri 14 Feb, 2014 5:35 pm Post subject:

Christopher B Lellis · Posted: Fri 14 Feb, 2014 5:42 pm Post subject:

Mark Moore · Posted: Fri 14 Feb, 2014 5:57 pm Post subject:

If there's any tiny visible gap, poke a little shard of tanned leather in it with a pin or other small pointy thing, and put a single drop of Super Glue on it. Super Glue has a reaction with tanning chemicals in the leather, gets hot, then gets hard as hell. If you put enough of it on a larger piece of leather, it will literally start to smoke. Don't breath that stuff....it's baaaad. McM

Christopher B Lellis · Posted: Fri 14 Feb, 2014 6:21 pm Post subject:

David Lewis Smith · Posted: Sat 15 Feb, 2014 4:31 am Post subject:

Wedges as suggested are a good patch, my concern is a defect in materials mostly along the lines of 'shrinkage'

where do you live and is it very dry there?

the other thing one might try is tapping the pommel down and than repeaning to take up any slack

I find it odd that two swords guard moves side to side. I have well over 120 to 130 swords and have never had that happen.

Josh Wilson · Posted: Sat 15 Feb, 2014 9:53 am Post subject:

I have taken linen thread, like you find in the craft isle at walmart, and wrapped between the handle and the quillons and worked it in with an awl until they tighten up.

Mark Moore · Posted: Sat 15 Feb, 2014 10:06 am Post subject:

For up-and-down looseness, either a few hammer taps on the pommel (assuming it's peened), or some tightly wrapped fishing line onto the tang between the grip and guard has worked for me in the past, also. Or between the grip and pommel...wherever there is a small gap. I've seen that this is a common problem on a lot of Cold Steel swords, and due to shrinkage of the wood in the grip. Hope I've helped someone. Cheers......McM

Nathan Robinson · myArmoury Admin

Daniel Wallace · Posted: Sat 15 Feb, 2014 2:31 pm Post subject:

Edward Lee · Posted: Sat 15 Feb, 2014 2:39 pm Post subject:

Aren't those two swords peened? My del tin sword goes loose from time to time I just smack the peen with a ball peen hammer and it usually works. I have another sword made by hanwei, the guard became loose and no matter how hard to tried to peen it, I just couldn't get it fixed. The problem was the glued grip, and the del tin sword was not glued. I believe this is the difference. I'm not sure how A&A/Albion does it though.

James Arlen Gillaspie · Industry Professional

I have handled a fair number of very old swords, mostly 16th century, and I have never found any evidence that they cared about the 'problem', any more than they cared about symmetry. WTF?!

Oakshot's account of finding some shims in one of his is the only account I have read of such a thing. I suppose they might have used resin, which has since dropped out, but I have yet to find any traces.

David Cooper · Posted: Sun 16 Feb, 2014 12:05 am Post subject:

You might like to try dental floss wound into the gap. If you smear a little Gorilla Glue on part of the thread as you wind it in everything ends up rock solid.

Ralph Grinly · Posted: Sun 16 Feb, 2014 12:30 pm Post subject:

If the quillons are only *slighty* wriggly ..you could try a few centre-punch marks either side of the slot, close to the edge. This could expand the metal into the gap, just enough to cure the wiggle. Simple, easy..no need to fiddle with shims/glue, etc. Of course .. this will only work if the looseness is from side to side, not up and down.