Hello, I'm looking for a sword for Golden Age of Piracy (GAoP) reenactment purposes. I've been steered toward Armour Class (Scotland) but I'm not sure which of their styles would have been around during the GAoP, i.e. about 1690-1720. Advice from anyone familiar with Armour Class and with this period would be most appreciated. TIA!

N. Spencer

Although I hear Armour Class makes great swords, I'm not sure they quite fit the bill for the period you want. The 17th century shell and ring guard hanger or the tower hanger might actually work nicely, although it would be old-fashioned by 1700. If you don't mind a sword which might have had several owners before it was aquired by your persona, these would probably be the best choices. Mortuaries, full basket hilts, and rapiers are all likely going to be too long for use in tight shipboard melee conditions. I don't know if Armour Class will take custom commissions, but if so, that would be another good option; although more expensive, you could get exactly what you want. If you do decide to go the custom route,you could possibly also look at Darkwood Armoury, I know they have made cutlasses in the past and are very open to custom projects.
Hope I could be of assistance.

Shae

You could always try http://www.popinj.com/ as they make custom hangers, cutlass and other types of sword. Adam is a very decent guy to deal with and has asked everything I could ask of a maker so far. I've got a sabre/cutlassy thing hopefully on its way sometime soon.