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J.D. Crawford




Location: Toronto
Joined: 25 Dec 2006

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PostPosted: Mon 12 Sep, 2016 8:47 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean Thibodeau wrote:
Or sell the blade to someone wanting to use it for a DIY project ? A shame to waste a good blade and it could be mounted with a hilt and pommel similar to the Albion Knight the blade style that is was was borrowed from ?


Yes Jean, I plan to put the original blade up for sale here once I'm satisfied the project is complete (and I get it back!). There is also a very nice custom scabbard to go with it. Apparently it was the first custom scabbard that Valiant produced. There used to be a nice picture of this sword and scabbard (before I owned it) on the Valiant web-site but I can't find it now.
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J.D. Crawford




Location: Toronto
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PostPosted: Mon 03 Oct, 2016 1:57 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

A few updates on this one: the original blade is sold, the scabbard currently for sale on this site, and apparently the picture shown above was with the new blade and old handle just stuck together for the photo, but work's still being done on the handle to get it to my specifications. Hopefully done soon and more nice pictures to look at. Happy
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Greg Ballantyne




Location: Maryland USA
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PostPosted: Sat 08 Oct, 2016 12:57 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

JD, I've always wanted a Caithness, for similar reasons. I really like the blade type Albion uses for that sword. I also understand the motivation for your project, and expect the result should be quite gratifying. It would have been nice, at least in my opinion, to have both swords. I've often wondered if Albion would make a Caithness with a Laird guard. The grave slabs you posted and others I've seen pictures of mostly feature that shape guard.
I say a Caithness with a Laird guard, rather than a Laird with a Caithness pommel. The blades are very similar, but the Caithness blade is the nicer of the two......
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J.D. Crawford




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PostPosted: Mon 10 Oct, 2016 6:01 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Greg Ballantyne wrote:
JD, I've always wanted a Caithness, for similar reasons. I really like the blade type Albion uses for that sword. I also understand the motivation for your project, and expect the result should be quite gratifying. It would have been nice, at least in my opinion, to have both swords. I've often wondered if Albion would make a Caithness with a Laird guard. The grave slabs you posted and others I've seen pictures of mostly feature that shape guard.
I say a Caithness with a Laird guard, rather than a Laird with a Caithness pommel. The blades are very similar, but the Caithness blade is the nicer of the two......


Greg, I Understand what you are saying about the guard. The enlarged tips of the Laird guard are more typical of the originals, although they are angular compared to the somewhat bulbous guards depicted in grave art and on some surviving pieces.

So far as I know the Caithness, Laird, and Knight blades are identical, although the different hilts could affect the way they appear to the eye.
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Greg Ballantyne




Location: Maryland USA
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PostPosted: Mon 10 Oct, 2016 4:18 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The dimensions listed on the Albion website are different for those three, mainly in the width at the guard. Laird 2", Knight 2.0625", and Caithness 2.125". Length 31.5", except Caithness, listed 31.375". No great differences, but slightly wider with slightly shorter changes the proportions ever so slightly......
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J.D. Crawford




Location: Toronto
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PostPosted: Mon 10 Oct, 2016 6:22 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Greg Ballantyne wrote:
The dimensions listed on the Albion website are different for those three, mainly in the width at the guard. Laird 2", Knight 2.0625", and Caithness 2.125". Length 31.5", except Caithness, listed 31.375". No great differences, but slightly wider with slightly shorter changes the proportions ever so slightly......


I'm sure you're right Greg, but I don't know how much stock one can put into such small variations, even with CNC in the mix. I owned one Albion blade that differed in length from the listed length by one inch. That's not a criticism of Albion (they are probably the most consistent out there), it's just one of the realities of hand-made or hand-finished objects.
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Brian K.
Industry Professional



Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
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PostPosted: Mon 10 Oct, 2016 7:01 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

It's a fact, the three swords do in fact share the same blade.
Brian Kunz
www.dbkcustomswords.com
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Jeffrey Faulk




Location: Georgia
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PostPosted: Tue 11 Oct, 2016 7:54 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Yeah, the variations can be accounted for by the fact that while the blades are cut out into rough form with CNC, the finish grinding is done by hand. There's a thread around here somewhere on the Albion Knight where people were listing the dimensions of theirs and there was a pretty healthy degree of variation.
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J.D. Crawford




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PostPosted: Thu 20 Oct, 2016 5:44 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Here's an update, some stats and new pictures. Seems to be exactly the blade that I wanted. A nice, broad XIIIb and not too heavy for its size.

Specs:
ol: 40.25"
bl: 33.2"
bw: 2"
grip: 3.5"
COG: 6"
weight: 2.8 lbs/1277 gr

Craig says it's a cleaver.

Only problem is that I'm not crazy about the grip wrap.



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Roger Hooper




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PostPosted: Thu 20 Oct, 2016 7:31 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I really like that XIIIb blade. Do you have any measurements on blade thickness?
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Greg Ballantyne




Location: Maryland USA
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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 7:39 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Great result, JD. The word "cleaver" appears to be good description based on the proportions and overall look. I'd say this is quite a unique example of the period as far as reproductions go.
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J.D. Crawford




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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 7:44 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Roger Hooper wrote:
I really like that XIIIb blade. Do you have any measurements on blade thickness?


Not yet Roger, but it has a lenticular cross-section and must be fairly thin. From my experience, swords with these dimensions are usually a bit over 3 lbs. For comparison, Albion Tritonia has a similar length and profile but slightly wider blade, and weighs nearly a pound more.

I think I can live with less extreme swords from now on. My physiotherapist says I'm 'strong as a bull' but at 53 the joints are starting to ache.

By the way, Craig is going to fix the grip to my specifications. That's one of the benefits of dealing with A&A.
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Kai Lawson





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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 2:14 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That's a good looking XIIIb! Love the regional flavor, and the sourced slabs....great stuff. Is there any particular reason you opted for the three very narrow fuller, as opposed to a single medium fuller or some wider double fullers? Are the three thin fullers depicted somewhere on more/other source material?
"And they crossed swords."
--William Goldman, alias S. Morgenstern
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Scott Kowalski




Location: Oak Lawn, IL USA
Joined: 24 Nov 2006

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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 2:27 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That blade is perfect for the hardware. I think that it was a good decision to go this route and as usual Craig and the rest of the A&A crew did a beautiful job. What are you going with for a grip?
Chris Landwehr 10/10/49-1/1/09 My Mom
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J.D. Crawford




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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 2:37 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Kai Lawson wrote:
That's a good looking XIIIb! Love the regional flavor, and the sourced slabs....great stuff. Is there any particular reason you opted for the three very narrow fuller, as opposed to a single medium fuller or some wider double fullers? Are the three thin fullers depicted somewhere on more/other source material?


Thanks Kai. I like to hold back my full praise until I get the sword, but I'm happy with the way its going. The triple fuller was a personal choice, as I like multiple fullers and already have a couple of swords with double fullers (Albion Vigil and another custom XIIIb). It seemed plausible enough since there are surviving multi-fuller examples from the XIII family in that time frame. As I mentioned at the beginning of the thread, the specific inspiration for the blade was Oakeshott Records, XIII.1
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J.D. Crawford




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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 2:45 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Scott Kowalski wrote:
That blade is perfect for the hardware. I think that it was a good decision to go this route and as usual Craig and the rest of the A&A crew did a beautiful job. What are you going with for a grip?


Scott, I've asked for a simple smooth leather wrap with no risers, darker brown/black, maybe with a reddish tinge (like one of their other swords), and riding up a little higher on the cross piece like the original Albion grip. I think that with all the detailing already present in the hardware, a simple grip is called for. I'm trusting that the space between the pommel and guard is snug enough that grip slippage is not an issue.
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Scott Kowalski




Location: Oak Lawn, IL USA
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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 4:37 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That sounds like it will look great J.D. I am looking forward to hearing about how it feels in hand. 2 inches does not sound that wide for a blade like this until you realize how little profile taper the blade has.
Chris Landwehr 10/10/49-1/1/09 My Mom
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J.D. Crawford




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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 4:51 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Scott Kowalski wrote:
That sounds like it will look great J.D. I am looking forward to hearing about how it feels in hand. 2 inches does not sound that wide for a blade like this until you realize how little profile taper the blade has.


Exactly. Looks like there's still a lot of blade near the tip.
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Bryan Heff




Location: Philadelphia
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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 5:35 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wow J.D. that looks great. I gotta think there is a lot if taper, distal taper on that wide blade. 32 inch with very little profile taper and still only 2.5 lbs....love it. I agree a no nonsense XIII blade absolutely works with that hilt furniture. The world needs more XIII swords...I think we can all agree on that Big Grin
The church is near but the roads are icy. The tavern is far but I will walk carefully. - Russian Proverb
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J.D. Crawford




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PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 5:53 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Bryan Heff wrote:
Wow J.D. that looks great. I gotta think there is a lot if taper, distal taper on that wide blade. 32 inch with very little profile taper and still only 2.5 lbs....love it. I agree a no nonsense XIII blade absolutely works with that hilt furniture. The world needs more XIII swords...I think we can all agree on that Big Grin


Hell yeah. And its 33 inches. Happy
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