Soft storage cases for your swords
Hi everyone.

I don't know if you know this about me, but I have been known to have a lot of swords in my collection over the years. I don't like to have my swords out in the open, hung on the walls, or otherwise displayed. I'm just not into that. They're just not home decor for me. Now, if I had a gentlemen's Victorian-styled den I perhaps would consider having a fan of swords alongside a suit of armor, various taxidermied pieces, and other such things near my Chesterfield sofa and cabinet of fine Scotch. I don't have that, so the swords are all stowed away in boxes, under the bed, in closets or whatever else.

I happen to live in a dry climate that really isn't going to cause a lot of damage to these prized possessions, but a lot of you don't. Even in my hospitable environment, there's always dust and other gunk that gets on these things. I wanted to find something that would protect them in an inexpensive way but allow easy and fast access without having to use fabric wrapped around them or invest in expensive custom-made cabinets or some such things.

A lot of the swords I own have complex hilts that are too large to fit into padded gun cases. I needed something larger.

I found a product that works for me. A so-called mom and pop shop named Bore Stores makes some padded soft cases with velcroed closures that are treated with silicone and a rust inhibitor. The best part about it? They come in all kinds of sizes and aren't very expensive.

For example, consider this one: RC-1 Silicone Treated Gun Storage Case

[
Linked Image ]

At 36 x 10 inches it's perfect for the smaller single-handed swords and costs less than $17 US.

Or this one: SRC-2 Silicone Treated Gun Storage Case

[
Linked Image ]

It's 42 x 11.5 inches and holds some of my largest basket-hilts just fine and costs like $19 US.

And then there's this one: SSG Silicone Treated Gun Storage Case

[
Linked Image ]

It's 52 x 10 inches and is the perfect size for the longswords. It's about $21 US.

I've had these for several months and I really like them. I meant to share them but never got around to it. Perhaps they'll work for some of you, too.
Hi Nathan,

Thanks so much for this lead ... I'm going to use these inside both hardshell gun cases - the foam on some can leave dappled markings on some fittings - as well as in gun safes.

The silicone impregnation and rust-inhibitor are what really attract me to these.

I wonder if we finally have a solution for the legendary rust-prone Albion furniture? :D
These are a great idea!

I currently store most of my swords on the wall, but am drawing away from that due to the afore-mentioned dust and gunk build-up.

I can't seem to find these or an equivalent available in the UK, though. If anyone stumbles across them, please post a link.

Cheers,

Ant
For reference - I've used Bore Stores for DECADES on all of my rifles. These work VERY well, and have shown no ill effects on the wooden stocks. I do have one or two swords in them. They may also be purchased online from folks like Brownell's.
I bought some cardboard gun boxes, and polyethylene foam, and I make storage boxes just like the ones Albion uses to ship their swords.
Hi Nathan,

About a year on, I was wondering how these were working for you. Do they seem to help against rust?

Harry Marinakis wrote:
I bought some cardboard gun boxes, and polyethylene foam, and I make storage boxes just like the ones Albion uses to ship their swords


This is a great idea for bare blades especially.
Yeah, these are great. I don't have a problem with rust because I live in a mostly dry climate, but I'd bet they sure would help. They definitely keep the dust off the items and help them stuff unscratched.
I'll offer a plus-one on these ... great inside gun cases, not only as the foam no longer leaves impressions, but apparently gun case foam can actually trap moisture.

I've also found them useful on swords in gun safes, as they prevent hilt furniture rusting, as well as marring the surfaces of other swords.

There's also some accounts of gun users finding they have a certain amount of fire-resistance, which can increase the chance of them surviving a house fire.
Great feedback, Mark. I really do like these things. They're the best solution I've found and fit my particular needs perfectly. I have been known to pile swords up in boxes and trying to arrange fabric around hilts so as not to damage them. Screw that. It made it so I was always hesitant to take them out and look at them. It's much easier now to enjoy the collection even though it might be stored away.

Cheers
Well I ordered a couple of them and though I haven't gotten them yet, it does sound like I'll be happy. I got one for a shorter sword and one for a longsword. Kind of a trial run so I can figure out what sizes will work.

This size might work for some of my beloved daggers. http://www.borestores.com/order_online.php?ca...od_id=5078

Once I get the other two I will probably order more.

Thanks.
J. Nicolaysen wrote:
Well I ordered a couple of them and though I haven't gotten them yet, it does sound like I'll be happy. I got one for a shorter sword and one for a longsword. Kind of a trial run so I can figure out what sizes will work.

This size might work for some of my beloved daggers. http://www.borestores.com/order_online.php?ca...od_id=5078

Once I get the other two I will probably order more.

Thanks.


Let me know what you think once you've had them for awhile. I'm curious.
Nathan Robinson wrote:


Let me know what you think once you've had them for awhile. I'm curious.


Oh I couldn't wait that long :lol: Just happened to get them in the mail today. I think these will work out very nice. I live in a very dry climate as well, but unfortunately a sword and axe developed some rust in the last month. Not exactly sure how, since all other swords including those without a scabbard were just fine. Anyhow, I will be curious how the bags work in the future once I take care of the rust problem.

Padding:
The bags are quite a bit more padded than I expected. Not that you can drop a item on the floor, but there's no danger stacking several swords in different bags on top of each other in a box for example. They will not hurt each other.

ID Tag:
There is a little ID tag at the velcro closure. Since these are made for guns, the id tag is for Maker, Model, Caliber. It's easy to tear off if you don't want it, but it is fine if you wanted to write, say, Smith or Maker Name, Sword name or Oakeshott Type and perhaps year bought or whatever. Not much more room than that, just three lines, but if someone has a lot of items they can easily reference that. I did not see the tags in Nathan's pictures so I don't know if he tore them off or if it is a new feature.

Scabbards/Sheaths?:
I do not know if I should or will put swords or daggers with scabbards or sheaths in these. On the one hand, the bag would protect the leather from scratches and also any exposed hilt and handles. On the other hand I don't know if the leather might interact in a way. I will probably test it on a dagger with a lower grade sheath than something like my seaxes from Ezell or Gullinbursti. Any thoughts here? I think it will be ok, just a nervousness.

Sizes:
I got the 36" model that Nathan linked to (RC-1 Riot Shot Gun 36") and it is the perfect length for my A&A Anglo-Saxon sword. It is very wide for that sword's hilt, but that doesn't matter, it's just roomy. I also got the SSG Scoped Shotgun 10'x52" which was absolutely perfect for my Albion Gallowglass, both width and length. However, all swords having a bit of a sharp tip (obviously), I had to be careful not to pierce the bag putting the swords in.

I'm going to order more of these. Amazon was decently quick but someone should look at the company's website to get a better idea of sizes since the Amazon pages don't have much of a product description. For example, I think the Scoped Pistol size will be good for most of my daggers, but the amazon page just has a product number, no measurements, etc. Bore Stores P5 page vs. Amazon P5 page

Also, the bore stores website sells some sizes in three packs, which is helpful depending on the depth of your addiction and size of collection...

Finally, I have used Gun Socks for some of my guns for short periods of time. These are far superior in every way. Obviously your standard gun sock is too narrow for a sword hilt, but the padding and overall construction of the Bore Store is far better. I'll probably get a few more for some of my firearms.

The only complaint I might have about these is using a sword or gun in a case and hanging it, like in my gun safe. But that is not really a design problem of the case, just a design mismatch.
I wanted to revisit this topic for people who haven't seen it yet. After having these for several years, they have served their purpose of protecting the swords from dust and inhibiting rust/patination. They're pretty great.
Thanks for bumping this & confirming you still like them. I had forgot this & will now get.
I ordered several in a few different sizes & just got them - Very nice, I really like this product. Thanks again for this topic & bumping it.

Page 1 of 1

Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum




All contents © Copyright 2003-2006 myArmoury.com — All rights reserved
Discussion forums powered by phpBB © The phpBB Group
Switch to the Full-featured Version of the forum