Hello,

I'm trying to get a custom sword made, based on Albion Europe's Templar model. I was emailing Søren (of the aforementioned Albion Europe) about this, and he recommended I register here and ask. I'm not sure how exactly to go about this, so I will just make a list of bullet points here and hopefully one of you friendly souls will be able to think of someone who can help me with this! :)

• Based on the Templar
  
• Lion-head pommel (facing forwards, like this)
  
• Inscription on the blade (the Templar has a rather deep fuller, it might be better to place the inscription on the flat of the blade rather than down the middle, I guess)
  
• Must be able to ship to Northern Ireland (where I live)
  
• Hopefully can be completed fairly quickly. I'm willing to pay extra to accomplish this, if necessary.
  

Hello Robert, and welcome to myArmoury.com!

The myArmoury Links page has some good leads on swordsmiths, many of them custom (including production companies that also take custom orders, like Arms & Armor). Price points and personal styles do vary (even within the constraints of authenticity), however, and "quick" is not synonymous with "right."

Depending on how experienced and knowledgeable an enthusiast/collector you are, and what you want out of a sword, it may be advisable to hold off on a custom order and learn a little more about the field and your options. For instance, why do you want this sword? Why these specific elements? Is it for WMA (Western Martial Arts) practice / cutting exercises, or will it be more of a carefully maintained work of art? Is there a particular historical setting you wish to conform to, or are you more interested in a personal expression?

If you are relatively new to the field then I'd caution that aesthetic tastes and opinions on suitable decorative elements for a blade change most dramatically during the early learning period. Not that there's anything wrong with your requests; blade inscriptions and even sculptural/animal pommels have been done before, and any blade by Albion is highly authentic. However, custom jobs especially can run expensive and it's better to learn twice and pay once (to mangle an old adage) than end up with something you grow out of and may have difficulty selling on the used market due to more personal touches.

So, the more information you can share, the better the membership here can guide you towards a good choice. My favorite custom western-style smiths are not necessarily the smiths I'd point someone towards, if only for high prices and long waitlists. But there are plenty of options in that linklist alone worth considering.

Cheers,
Gabriel L.

Rereading my original post, it perhaps comes across as a bit impatient, but that's just because I was in a rush at the time of typing. :) I'm aware of the points you bring up, this design is something I've had in mind for some time, and it's certainly not a passing fancy.

I've taken a look through the list of links you pointed me to, and I found this fellow, who lives just across the water from me and does customizations. The piece shown is shorter than the Templar, but actually that's not as important to me. I think I'll drop him an email and discuss it a bit with him!

Hi Robert,
From my own experience I can confirm this would be an excellent choice, and as you underlined it Rob Miller lives just close to Ireland.

Jean