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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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 Posted: Sat 27 Nov, 2021 11:08 am Post subject: New Tod Cutler items |
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Folks,
I just took delivery of some new toys from Tod Cutler. In addition to the bladed things below, there is a belt rig and chape that will soon be part of a scabbard project for my Albion Regent.  I had several items from Tod's previous production venture, The English Cutler, and they were great. These are even better. I've only had them a couple hours, but they seem well made and the accuracy is well above what you usually get in this price range. The fact that everything is 15% off through 12/5 doesn't hurt either. Expect more info and pics on these in the future...
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ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Mon 06 Dec, 2021 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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Just for fun, here is some more info/pics on some of these pieces. Expect full writeups/stats/pics at some future point.
Up first is what Tod calls the "Horn and Bone Layered Medieval Eating knife 14thC-Early 16thC." This is an updated version of a piece he used to sell through his venture The English Cutler (Tod Culter is a rebranding and fairly complete overhaul of that production lineup). You can see the old version here (http://myArmoury.com/chad_dagg_tod_ec_13c_eating.html ). I feel the new version below is an upgrade in pretty much every way. I like the blade shape better. The grip is more refined and more attractive and now includes a nice peen block. The scabbard is of a different historical type than the previous option, dyed a reddish color.
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ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
Last edited by Chad Arnow on Mon 06 Dec, 2021 4:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Mon 06 Dec, 2021 4:33 pm Post subject: |
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This is one Tod calls "Horn Handled Medieval Eating Knives -14thC - 15thC." This and a couple other knives he sells appear to be the same as those retailed by others. It has horn scales with brass liners and tubular rivets. The blade itself is stainless; for an eating/utility knife that will be used in entirely modern contexts, this doesn't bother me at all, though I understand that purists may disagree. The distal taper runs all the way from the "pommel" end to tip. The sheath has some decorative lines that I assume are stamped as one area looks slightly less deeply struck than the rest. As with most of his knives, you can get sheaths in a variety of colors or natural. This was natural and I dyed it brown.
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ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Mon 06 Dec, 2021 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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And now the big boy....
This is the "Brass handled Scottish Dirk" (he also offers it in bronze, but brass is actually more accurate IMHO). It appears to be a simplified version of the famed brass handled dirk (DK11) in Edinburgh. The hilt (apart from the pommel nut) appears to be cast in one piece. The single-edged blade is thick at the base (just under 1/4 inch) and tapers nicely. This thing is a brawler. The metal hilt makes it feel very solid and authoritative. The sheath is two layers of leather with a thong for tying to a belt.
It's fairly safe to say this may be the best non-custom dirk on the market. That's partially because it's so good and partially because there are not many high-quality non-custom dirks out there. The grip is totally appropriately sized, so it's not big.
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ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Dan Howard
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| Posted: Mon 06 Dec, 2021 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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Beautiful work. Elegant lines. That maker's mark is annoying. Would be better if it were smaller and close to the hilt.
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen and Sword Books
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Tim Lison
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| Posted: Mon 06 Dec, 2021 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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Love that dirk! Nice haul Chad!
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Travis Canaday
Location: Overland Park, Kansas Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 147
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| Posted: Thu 30 Dec, 2021 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Chad Arnow wrote: | | It's fairly safe to say this may be the best non-custom dirk on the market. That's partially because it's so good and partially because there are not many high-quality non-custom dirks out there. The grip is totally appropriately sized, so it's not big. |
Agreed on all points. What is it with the modern market wanting oversized grips (I'm thinking "viking" swords)? They made them a certain way for a reason. I just ordered mine from Tod earlier this week and I'm excited to get my hands on it. I guess I just missed the holiday sale, but even at it's normal price it seems like a steal. The bronze handle looks good, but brass does seem to be more the historical norm. I plan to put a light patina on the brass, just to cut down on the shine. Maybe just some fine steel wool.
I think the beauty of making a metal handled production dirk is that you don't spend the man hours on an ornately carved wooden grip. The later "basket weave" style wouldn't be too hard to reproduce, but the older deep cut styles requires some real wood carving skills. It would be great to see more makers doing metal handled dirks. Maybe a pewter handled one.
Travis
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Travis Canaday
Location: Overland Park, Kansas Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 147
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| Posted: Thu 30 Dec, 2021 2:13 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for the pictures Chad!
Travis
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This is a standard topic