Hello all,
I'm new to the forum. I'm pretty much a beginner, but very interested in the topics I see
people discussing at myArmoury.com. My period of greatest interest is 18c and 19c,
probably because I do know more about military history of that period than earlier times.
My collection consists of two swords now:

1. Ames "1862 pattern" cavalry sabre (bought from Ames Sword Co. in Ohio. I know
they aren't the "same" Ames company as the one in Chicopee any more (that company is still
around, and make very good hedge trimming shears, btw) , but there is at least some connection,
and there aren't that many original sword companies you can buy from that are still around.
The blade is imported, but the guard, etc. come from the original Ames molds, and
the final assembly and finishing is done at Ames according to the guy I talked to on
the phone.)

2. Paul Chen Practical Katana.

I hope to expand that as funds allow :-) Scottish basket hilts certainly have appeal,
as do French and British blades of the Napoleonic era. And real Civil War blades
are not that astronomically priced (well, the common Union patterns at least) , so someday I hope to
have one of those.

Anyway, I am learning a lot, and look forward to participating. One question: Does
Museum Replicas/Atlanta Cutlery have a showroom you can visit? I live within
driving distance of Atlanta, and everyone says the quality is very variable on their
stuff. But, there here is no address information on the web site.

Thanks,
RIchard

Welcome.

What are your thoughts on the Ames Saber? Does it seem well put together?

Regarding MRL, yes they have a showroom you can visit and most of their stuff is usually on display. I've also seen them at the Atlanta Blade Show, I think its in June on the North Side of Atlanta (google for details) which I recommend visiting. I went down two years ago (from Ohio) and I'm think about doing it again. Good fun.

Back to MRL, the showroom is in Conyers and you should be able to get hours of operation and stuff from their website. When we drove over traffic becase a complete nightmare, especially trying to come back to Atlanta. Plan accordingly and allow yourself plenty of time.

Aye , welcome aboard , Richard !

Mac