[Jesse Belsky]

"If any one of you is or ever was that masked man all dressed in black known as Zorro, reveal himself now!"

Just finished this one, and i'm so pleased with it i might just keep it for my self. I did my best to faithfully re-create the movie sword originally built by Tony Swatton for The Mask of Zorro with Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins. There are so many different disappointing replicas of this sword. I would have loved a good one one back when i was in high school.

This remains one of my favorite swashbuckling films. It has just the right balance of swash, buckle, schmaltz, humor and melodrama all executed with a real sense of style. Its a Disney-esque style to be sure, but I can still enjoy watching the movie and not be embarrassed about it. Amazing stunt work and fight choreography. History buffs won't approve, but I think The Mask of Zorro is Bob Anderson at his Hollywood best.

Enough waxing poetic about a movie from the late 90's....here is the sword:

36.5" Overall, with a 30" diamond schlager blade from ZWA. Based on my research, i think this is pretty close to the original props. The guard and pommel are steel. It weighs 1.75 lbs and balances right in front of the guard. The grip is leather covered hardwood with steel ferrules and nickel-plated brass tacks. Why nickel plated? Well, I had just the right brass tacks, and I learned to nickel plate for my last rapier project so I figured why go looking for new tacks when I can make my own? In retrospect the trip to Home Depot would have taken less time than plating tacks one by one.....

If the grip looks a little long, its because this isn't a rapier...there's no quillon to wrap your index finger over, so there needs to be room for a solid "saber" grip without your wrist hitting the pommel.

I was a little skeptical about how the tacks would feel, but the heads sink nicely into the leather and give excellent traction.

More photos at www.jessebelsky.com/stageswords

[Radovan Geist]

i love that! that pattern is fantastic - simple, but looking beautiful.