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Gordon Clark




Location: Purcellville, VA
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PostPosted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 1:46 pm    Post subject: New custom rondel dagger (arrived)         Reply with quote

After the rondel feature early this year, I became very interested in having a substantial rondel dagger made. I wanted something that could be used in place of a sword as a backup weapon to the glaive for my 15th century man at arms. I talked to two makers about a possible project, Arms and Armor (where I had two previous custom orders that I was very happy with) and Justin King. In the end, I could not decide which to go with, so I had two daggers made.

The A&A dagger is not quite finished, but the one by Justin is done, and should be shipped this week. Some preview pics at several points in the process follow.

First two are the blade before and after heat treat (and being cleaned up with a rough polish).



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Last edited by Gordon Clark on Sat 09 Sep, 2006 7:29 am; edited 1 time in total
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Gordon Clark




Location: Purcellville, VA
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PostPosted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 1:57 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Next Justin assembled the components to get an idea of the overall look. We talked and he made some changes to the rondels, and changed the grip. The almost final and final shots are below as well. I think you will agree that Justin produced a stunning weapon! I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Gordon



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Joe Fults




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PostPosted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 2:17 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That is nicely done.

ROndels and grip are very visually pleasing.

"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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George Hill




Location: Atlanta Ga
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PostPosted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 7:38 pm    Post subject: Re: New custom rondel dagger         Reply with quote

That is amazing. I tend to think of the rondel as being very utilitarian and then you guys make this. Lovely.
To abandon your shield is the basest of crimes. - --Tacitus on Germania
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Jean Thibodeau




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 3:26 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Very nice: I really like the rondels and the file work on them. Simple and elegant and more interesting than plain disks.

How long is the blade ? From the picture on the anvil I would guess at between 15" and 20 " blade and the fact that you wanted something big enough to be a substitute to a sword as a side arm / backup weapon.

Any statistics about blade width and thickness at the guard ?

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Gordon Clark




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 6:05 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean Thibodeau wrote:
Very nice: I really like the rondels and the file work on them. Simple and elegant and more interesting than plain disks.

How long is the blade ? From the picture on the anvil I would guess at between 15" and 20 " blade and the fact that you wanted something big enough to be a substitute to a sword as a side arm / backup weapon.

Any statistics about blade width and thickness at the guard ?


Thanks guys - Justin did a great job. He has a really good eye, I think. He tried a few things and came back to this, which - as you say - is simple, yet very elegant.

The blade is just a bit over 15 inches. There are several historical examples of this length, and I just feel that is close to an upper bound for a "dagger". I don't have any other stats now, but I'll eventually bore you with every one of them.

Gordon
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Patrick Kelly




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 8:31 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Very nice Gordon. I particularly like the filework on the rondels, it adds a very classy touch. Did he take the blade design from any particular historic precedent? I'm especially interested in the fuller style on a piece like this.
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Justin King
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 11:06 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hope I'm not butting in...The fuller style is just something I have been working on. I have grown to dislike seeing a fuller either begin or end on a blade with a plunge cut, so I have been working on a style that continues into the tang section, as is common historically, and then simply fades out at the other end, as the blade's thickness tapers down to the thickness at the bottom of the fuller.

I made the blade first, then figured out the rest from there between Gordon and myself, after a I did a good bit of browsing on period examples as well as some of the nicer repros that are out there. I lean heavily towards making blades that will actually cut well, so I tried to design the blade to do this and also to have the thrusting potential that is emphasized in historical pieces. I am struck more and more by the similarities in outline, at least, to an example shown in the recent Spotlight on rondel daggers from the Royal Armouries, Leeds, labeled (X-2). This was not entirely intentional although I did roughly model the shape of the grip after this piece.

The last picture is a bit misleading-the rondels are etched to a light grey, the lighting makes them look funky in the pic. I
I could comment on final specs but I prefer to leave that to Gordon, since the gloating is important when you get a new piece.....I am on my way out to the shop to do the final polish and mounting as I write this. This is the last time I get to play with it as I will be packaging it up right afterwards so I don't get any fingerprints or scratches on it. It will be going out Tues. or Wed, so you should have it by the end of the week, Gordon.
Cheers-
Justin
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Gordon Clark




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 11:37 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks Justin - I am really looking forward to it.

Patrick,

I have not seen a blade exactly like this one on a historical dagger, but one of the reasons I like the rondel "form" is that there does not seem to be a real "typical" blade shape. For example, these two from the spotlight. the top one might have a fuller, the bottom one is very complex.

I wonder if Alexi ran across other fullered rondels in his research for that piece?

Gordon



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Steve Grisetti




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 12:17 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

It looks like Justin did some really nice work.
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Mark Millman





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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 12:48 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Dear Mr. Clark:

Mr. Goranov almost certainly did run across at least
one other fullered rondel dagger in his research, as
the Higgins Armory Museum has an example with a
complexly fullered blade very similar to the lower ex-
ample in the photo that you reproduce from his arti-
cle. I believe it's mounted with a composite wooden
hilt similar to those made in the Burgundian style.

The Higgins blade's state of preservation seems to
be much better than that of the dagger above. The
details are very clear, including the reinforced tip,
which is somewhat difficult to see in this photo.

I regret that I don't have a camera and so cannot pro-
vide a picture of the Higgins weapon. I also couldn't
find any in a quick look at the albums here.

Best,

Mark Millman
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Patrick Kelly




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 12:50 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Gordon wrote:
I have not seen a blade exactly like this one on a historical dagger, but one of the reasons I like the rondel "form" is that there does not seem to be a real "typical" blade shape. For example, these two from the spotlight. the top one might have a fuller, the bottom one is very complex.


Thanks Gordon. I asked because I haven't seen a rondel with a blade like that and was wondering if he took inspiration from anything in particular. Looks great.
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Bob Burns




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 4:18 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Very nice Gordon! Ironically, the July Rondell special intrigued me to do the very same thing and order a custom Rondell. I have no idea what the finished dagger will be like except that the blade will be no less than 13 inches long. I gave Craig open license to do it as he liked, could run anywhere from stock price to upwards of $350.00.
It's a self ordered surprise, but I know I will love it!


Bob
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Russ Ellis
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PostPosted: Tue 05 Sep, 2006 7:02 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Justin King wrote:
Hope I'm not butting in...The fuller style is just something I have been working on. I have grown to dislike seeing a fuller either begin or end on a blade with a plunge cut, so I have been working on a style that continues into the tang section, as is common historically, and then simply fades out at the other end, as the blade's thickness tapers down to the thickness at the bottom of the fuller.

I made the blade first, then figured out the rest from there between Gordon and myself, after a I did a good bit of browsing on period examples as well as some of the nicer repros that are out there. I lean heavily towards making blades that will actually cut well, so I tried to design the blade to do this and also to have the thrusting potential that is emphasized in historical pieces. I am struck more and more by the similarities in outline, at least, to an example shown in the recent Spotlight on rondel daggers from the Royal Armouries, Leeds, labeled (X-2). This was not entirely intentional although I did roughly model the shape of the grip after this piece.

The last picture is a bit misleading-the rondels are etched to a light grey, the lighting makes them look funky in the pic. I
I could comment on final specs but I prefer to leave that to Gordon, since the gloating is important when you get a new piece.....I am on my way out to the shop to do the final polish and mounting as I write this. This is the last time I get to play with it as I will be packaging it up right afterwards so I don't get any fingerprints or scratches on it. It will be going out Tues. or Wed, so you should have it by the end of the week, Gordon.
Cheers-
Justin


Very nice work Justin (and good on you getting it too Gordon). Justin do you have a website sir?

TRITONWORKS Custom Scabbards
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Greyson Brown




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PostPosted: Tue 05 Sep, 2006 10:57 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Justin,

That is a really nice looking dagger. What size anvil is that in the picture? Is that your primary anvil or do you use another one as well? I'm mostly curious because I do a little blacksmithing myself, and have considered trying to do a dagger at some point.

-Grey

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Justin King
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PostPosted: Tue 05 Sep, 2006 5:33 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks very much for all the comments-I appreciate compliments as well as constructive criticism.

To answer some of the questions, I do not have a website up at this point. I simply don't produce enough volume of product to justify setting one up, maintaining it and answering endless emails-I would never make it out to the shop to build anything.

That is my only anvil in the picture, I believe it is about 85#. It is actually on loan from a friend and I will one day have to pony up and buy my own....generally, for efficiency, the rule seems to be 10# of anvil for every 1# of hammer you are using, although many would likely disagree with this.

Thanks again for the looks and comments. This is the first comissioned piece I have ever made, so feedback is very welcome.
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J. Bedell




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PostPosted: Tue 05 Sep, 2006 5:42 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That's a very nice dagger. I love the rondels, eloquent but still practical. I like that combination between utilitarian and decoration, you've done a great job with it Justin!

Congrats Gordon!

Justin,
What kind of price range are we looking at for something like this (I quite understand if you wouldn't like to answer this publicly, I am just wondering because I would eventually like a custom rondel, just wondering what you charge for your stunning work).

-James

The pen may be mighter, but the sword is much more fun.
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Gordon Clark




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PostPosted: Sat 09 Sep, 2006 7:03 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Well, I have the dagger in hand. It is just as nice as I had thought it would be from Justin's pics.
The width of the blade at the base is 1.1 inches, thickness just over 1/4, say .28 inch. Full stats and my impressions to come later, but some pics to allow others to enjoy Justin's great work follow.
Enjoy.

Gordon



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Geoff Wood




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PostPosted: Sat 09 Sep, 2006 7:36 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Mr Clark
Lovely looking piece! Is the handle oval in cross section?
Geoff
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Gordon Clark




Location: Purcellville, VA
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PostPosted: Sat 09 Sep, 2006 7:57 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Geoff Wood wrote:
Mr Clark
Lovely looking piece! Is the handle oval in cross section?
Geoff


Thanks Geoff.
Yes - slightly oval.
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