[Michele Allori]

Have any of you photographs of surviving or drawings of different kind og sheaths from the XIII century? How were they usually suspended? Was there even an international custom or every region had its way? How were they decorated? Do we have examples of carvings on the surface? I'm tring to create a couple of sheaths for reenactment and every bit of knowlege is appreciated! ^^

[Craig Peters]

Start here: http://myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=30711&highlight=

[Michele Allori]

That's really interesting! But what were those chapes made of? And what was their purpose? It looks like they're some sort of continuation of the hanging strips that's then wrapped around the scabbard to make it sturdier. So they must be made out of the same leather as the belt, but I've seen chapes made by just glueing some cord around the wood and then covering it up with leather.

[Craig Peters]

Chapes are normally made of metal, like iron, steel or bronze. Their purpose is most likely to reinforce the bottom of the scabbard. However, manuscript evidence suggests that not all swords had chapes, so they are probably not essential. Certainly, chapes can also serve an aesthetic purpose.

[Michele Allori]

Uhm... I must have used the wrong term then. I thought the Chapes were those Cross shaped decors near the crossguard, my bad. I was asking about those lines... For the chapes themselves: thought they were used mainly to prevent the two wood planks that formed the scabbard from separating.