Sword Appreciation Thread

[IronHills Dwarf]

Had a fun idea today, why not start a thread where we can gawk at amazing swords? Kind of like an painting appreciation thread but for swords. ;) So what I'll do is I'll post a new sword to the thread every week at least, or if need be more frequently. Then all of us can discuss it, what we like about it, what we don't, if we want we can discuss how it could possibly fit into our vision of middle-earth. So I'll mostly post swords from smiths who do allot of custom work rather than production pieces, but a few production pieces might creep in as well. PM me if you have a sword in mind that you think should be discussed next.

So to start... One the most amazing swords I have ever seen from a smith that does some out of this world work. I give you...

Farbauti the cruel striker by Jake Powning
http://www.powning.com/jake/images/1farbauti11.jpg

This is a two handed viking sword interpritation. While not a particularly historical piece to my eye it perfectly creates historically rooted fantasy. To quote Mr. Powning's site (http://www.powning.com/jake/):

"It carries the story of how the Norse God Odhinn gained the wisdom of the runes, the gripp has the trunk of Yggdrasil, the world tree, carved on one side with Odhinn's name carved on it. the pommel represents the crown of the tree and the guard and blade pattern represent the roots. set in the center of the guard is the one eye of Odhinn."

So this is also a blade with a story. Not just a piece of pretty steel. As you can see it's a pattern welded blade (and a very nice one at that!) with wood handle with some great carving, the guard and pommel are silicon bronze. Blade length is 36". It may sound like I'm raving but this is one of my favorite swords. The owner is one lucky man.

Some more pics:
http://www.powning.com/jake/images/1farbauti10.jpg
http://www.powning.com/jake/images/1farbauti9.jpg
http://www.powning.com/jake/images/1farbauti7.jpg

I have much more to say about this sword but I'll give the rest of you a chance to chime in with some thoughts and opinions.

[Elfdaughter]

OK - drool, drool, drool, drool and drool is all I have to say!!

One comment though - for me, the guard seems slightly small. That may just be because I'm used to fighting with basket hilts and cup hilts though....

[Cuiel Rilwen]

GAWD this is so beautiful!!!! :o The guard is pretty small tho I agree. Still an incredibly fine piece! :love:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Indeed, drool worthy and beautiful. :grin: About the guard - personally I've always disliked large guards. But if you compare this piece to historical viking blades such as these modern repros:

http://www.albion-swords.com/images/swords/albion/nextGen/huskarl1.jpg
http://www.albion-swords.com/images/swords/albion/nextGen/hersirfull.jpg

It's actually pretty much in line with other viking swords.

To my eye this sword would make an excellent Anduril. More and more my personal imagery of Middle-earth is going away from the film stuff and back to an earlier period and style.

[Elfdaughter]

That's true, the guards there aren't that large. It seems to me, that the further back you go in history, the smaller the guards become...learning from experience, perhaps? Or just a change in fighting styles?

I agree with you there, IHD - My view of ME is also rooted in history... ;)

[IronHills Dwarf]

Change in fighting style mostly. Guards don't start getting massive till greatsword stuff starts coming in, then with zweihanders they get huge but everything up until about the 1200s was pretty small. My guess is less two handed binds meant you didn't need the guard for binding purposes.

Well my ME imagery isn't exactly rooted in history (see the many sketches I've done of the years) but I do like an older "style" and less of the late Medieval feel. To me ME weaponry shouldn't be historical copies (i.e. don't just give Aragorn a type X and call it a day).

[Elfdaughter]

Good point.

Er...yeah...that's what I meant....hehehehe! :blush: Sorry, me and my lack of communication skills again.... :p

[Cuiel Rilwen]

I see your point...and the historical aspect ofcourse has to count the most. I really have no knowledge about this...yet...tho I have the feeling I might get that by continueing to read this thread! I must say I enjoy viking style weapons a lot but I also like medieval style.

[Laurelin]

Had a fun idea today, why not start a thread where we can gawk at amazing swords? Kind of like an painting appreciation thread but for swords. ;) So what I'll do is I'll post a new sword to the thread every week at least, or if need be more frequently. Then all of us can discuss it, what we like about it, what we don't, if we want we can discuss how it could possibly fit into our vision of middle-earth. So I'll mostly post swords from smiths who do allot of custom work rather than production pieces, but a few production pieces might creep in as well. PM me if you have a sword in mind that you think should be discussed next.

So to start... One the most amazing swords I have ever seen from a smith that does some out of this world work. I give you...

Farbauti the cruel striker by Jake Powning
http://www.powning.com/jake/images/1farbauti11.jpg

This is a two handed viking sword interpritation. While not a particularly historical piece to my eye it perfectly creates historically rooted fantasy. To quote Mr. Powning's site (http://www.powning.com/jake/):

"It carries the story of how the Norse God Odhinn gained the wisdom of the runes, the gripp has the trunk of Yggdrasil, the world tree, carved on one side with Odhinn's name carved on it. the pommel represents the crown of the tree and the guard and blade pattern represent the roots. set in the center of the guard is the one eye of Odhinn."

So this is also a blade with a story. Not just a piece of pretty steel. As you can see it's a pattern welded blade (and a very nice one at that!) with wood handle with some great carving, the guard and pommel are silicon bronze. Blade length is 36". It may sound like I'm raving but this is one of my favorite swords. The owner is one lucky man.

Some more pics:
http://www.powning.com/jake/images/1farbauti10.jpg
http://www.powning.com/jake/images/1farbauti9.jpg
http://www.powning.com/jake/images/1farbauti7.jpg

I have much more to say about this sword but I'll give the rest of you a chance to chime in with some thoughts and opinions.
Cuiel just nudged me to look at this and both my hubby and I are stunned at the beauty of this blade! notworthy :thumbs: Stunning!!!

[IronHills Dwarf]

Thanks Laurelin. :) That was one of my purposes with this thread, to showcase the work most people, unless they are really into this stuff, will never see. Most of us can only afford the the production line repro stuff so that's all we tend to look at.

Cuiel, I love the Medieval stuff as well (my main historical period of interest for Western Europe is the 13-14th centuries) but there are days when it justs seems... well so typical.

[IronHills Dwarf]

Okay, time for a new blade to drool over. ;) This is currently one of the top ones on my list to someday somehow afford....

The Sword Alfric by The Lonely Mountain Forge
http://members.aol.com/gimlikhazad/a1.jpg
http://members.aol.com/gimlikhazad/a2.jpg

This is a "dark ages" style sword that is probably the most beautiful interp of the period I've ever seen. It's not a historical piece but rather a fantasy piece that reflects the LMF folks' interp of Middle-earth. Personally I love it, detailed and just plain yummy.

Blade length: about 30 inches,
Blade width: about 2.5 inches at base, tapering up to about 1.5 inches just behind tip
Blade thickness: about 3/16" maximum thickness.
Hilt length: about 8 inches
Overall weight: About 3 lbs

The version in the pics os the Alfric Sword of Glory, you can also get it in the Alfric Sword of War version that doesn't have the jewels or the sun and moon runes and can have a hammer texture finish to the blade if you want. This is actually LMF's version of Anduril and I seem to remember they originally debuted the blade under that name but of course the Tolkien estate is pretty strict about that sort of thing. ;) So it's got a new name, however for fans the runes and moon and sun symbols are a dead giveaway. lol

I love the pommel "reveal" that they've worked in. Amazing piece. LMF has always impressed me with their abilities, it's true I don't like some of their stuff but that tends to be the SCA stuff they make which tend to be cluttered up by SCA saftey requirments. However they have the skills to make items of outstanding quality as this sword shows. Good price on it as well if you go the LMF site.

[Laurelin]

Wow, that is truly stunning! :thud: Very nice IHD, thanks for sharing! :thumbs:

[Elfdaughter]

:thud:

*ten mins later, and after shaking the keyboard to get all the drool out....*

Me want! That is just...STUNNING! I think that is one of the nicest fantasy swords I've seen in a long time. Too many fantasy swords are just... well, impractical - but this looks like it could well have been used....

*goes back to drooling*

:thud:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

This is nice too...tho i don't particularily like the...thing...on top. (Sorry for being such an ignorant and not knowing the right term! lol I'll learn them eventually I'm sure!) A bit fussy for my taste. From that point and down it's very nice tho.

[IronHills Dwarf]

Do you mean the brass/bronze plate on the pommel Cuiel?

[Cuiel Rilwen]

What's the pommel? :grin: :blush:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Okay for the benefit of all I guess I should do this... lol

from vikingsword.com

http://vikingsword.com/mainms.jpg

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Aw thanks hon that was very enlightening! Yes I mean the pommel! :)

[Elfdaughter]

*collapses in laughter* Sorry, Cuiel... *cough*

Yip, well done, IHD!

[Aletheia]

Eeep! What a beautiful sword!!!!! (all of them, but that last one especially) Work of art, really....Okay so now I want it.
Fantastic guide, too...thats quite useful. :thumbs:

Cuiel...lol :smooch:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Hehe, never feel bad about asking a sword question. :grin: Most of us don't have the time to spend all day on the sharp and pointy stuff ('cepting me who spent much of the day trying to translate Hungarian so I could read the website of one smith... lol). I think the LMF Alfric really captures the leaf blade almost perfectly. It's probably my favorite execution of a leafblade that I've seen anyway.

[Randiriel of Wilderland]

May I join in the :drool: over these swords also??
WOW!! HD!! You have found some fantastic swords to share! They are simply beautiful!! :thumbs:
Looking forward to seeing the next ones also....:drool: :hyper:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

lol you can giggle at me anytime hehehe I don't mind...and I'll be learning while we have a good laugh! Tell me now why is it called a leaf blade?

[Elfdaughter]

OK, a leaf blade is called that because the blade curves out, then tapers, like a leaf. The movie version of Sting is a leaf blade.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

But ofcourse. Silly me. lol

[Elfdaughter]

;) lol - no problem!

[IronHills Dwarf]

Alrighty folks time for another one... I give you....

Sutton Hoo Spatha by Patrick Bárta

http://www.templ.net/pics/a15av.jpg
http://www.templ.net/pics/a15bv.jpg
http://www.templ.net/pics/a15cv.jpg

Patrick Bárta is a Czech smith who in my opinion makes the most historically accurate replica swords available today. You can see his site and the process that he uses to make a sword here: http://www.templ.net/making_of_weapons/welded_steel.php

He quite simply does the process from start to finish, smelting to polishing. This sword I picked is only one of a great many pieces he has made that show his amazing talent. His pattern welding is out of this world as you'll see on his site. I happen to like this spatha in particular, the original dates from around 630 A.D.. The measurements of this sword are:

35.11 inches long

2.24 pounds in weight

This is a piece that deserves to a grace a museum. It's not fantasy like the other pieces I've posted but I think it's essential that people get the chance to view Bárta's work. It's simply the best in my own opinion. I have not seen one smith who creates western blades that exceed Bárta's work (though some do match his quality). Bárta is a smith in every sense of the word.

Enjoy. ;)

[Illuvatar]

*cough cough*

Hey ya IDH....could ya resize those last piccys so that the board doesn't scroll left to right? Probo wanna go with like 900 max width okay?

Oh...and verrrrrrrrrrry nice! :thumbs:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Yup, I'm working on it as we speak, didn't think they'd be so massive huge. lol

EDIT: Dang don't have PS on this machine... grrr, and my edit limit has expired anyhow. Would you mind editin that post for me and just making the last to images the URLs with no tags?

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Oh wonderful!! Such a fantasatic blade, absolutely gorgeous damascus fuller! Wonder what materials the tang is made from. His site is both well built and has a ood layout...and the blades are all magnificent!

[IronHills Dwarf]

Cuiel,

The tang refers to the end of the blade (it's literally an extension of the blade and the same piece of metal) which extends through the hilt. I'm assuming you're wondering about hilt material? Well the hilt is ebony wood with the rings being bone, pommel is garnets (semi-precious stone) set with bronze which has been gold plated. Oh and the blade is pattern welded not damascus, different things. ;)

[Illuvatar]

Thankyee mate! I edited it.....much betta! :grin:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Cuiel,

The tang refers to the end of the blade (it's literally an extension of the blade and the same piece of metal) which extends through the hilt. I'm assuming you're wondering about hilt material? Well the hilt is ebony wood with the rings being bone, pommel is garnets (semi-precious stone) set with bronze which has been gold plated. Oh and the blade is pattern welded not damascus, different things. ;)

Hehehe...learning by mistakes that's what I am! Yes I mean the hilt...ebony and ivory...very pretty indeed! Tell me about pattern welding? :)

[IronHills Dwarf]

Ahh the age old problem of terminology and damascus... ;) Pattern welding involves folding a higher carbon steel around one with a lower carbon steel (you can see this process on Barta's site), this is often refered to as 'damascus'. Most tend to reserve the damascus term however for wootz blades. Wootz was a steel imported from India which gained the name because Damascus was on a main trade route at the time and the city produced a fair number of blades using the material. Basically wootz is a crucible steel that makes a pattern but it's really the same as the patterns of pattern welding. Tough one to explain I'm afraid. But that's the short version.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Hmmmm...I guess one needs a bit more knowledge to fully understand. I'll try to read some at that site and see what comes out of it.

[Lynx]

Wow..what a beautiful sword...I love anything dating from the Sutton Hoo era! My favourite pieces are usually from the early middle ages and before.

Very nice! Thanks for starting this thread IHD. And since you're the local weapons-master here ;), I'd like to ask a question -

What exactly is the purpose of the fuller on the blade? I've read somewhere that smiths use that to lessen the weight of the blade and keep it balanced, then read somewhere else that it serves as a sort of bloodwell...what's your take IHD?

[Cuiel Rilwen]

I've also heard the term "bloodfuller" in norwegian...so I'm interested to know this too!

[IronHills Dwarf]

Ahh the good old myth of the blood groove.... ;) The correct term is indeed fuller. The purpose was to remove weight. Specifically to remove weight without changing the edge geometry. So by fullering one can lighten the blade but retain the shape and rigid structure (as opposed to just making the whole blade thinner).

IIRC the term blood groove started to be used in the 19th century, is completely illogical and has unfortunately stuck in the modern lexicon.

[IronHills Dwarf]

Well it's Sunday and I'm bored... which means... its time for more fantastic swords! :cool:

Ravenbrand by JT Pälikkö
http://www.kp-art.fi/jt/miekat/img/22.jpg

This is a fantasy sword by an often overlooked Finnish smith. At a first glance Pälikkö's piece shown here seens to be a fairly typical bastard sword with a funky hilt. But his real talent for detail is better shown in this view...

http://www.kp-art.fi/jt/miekat/img/22b.jpg

Stunning eh? I thought this sword was a little boring till I took the time to examine it in detail. Now I'm sold and have yet another smith on the list of folks I'd like to someday order from. Plus I just like bastards... ;)

Basic stats:

overall length: 50 in.

blade length: 38 in.

weight: 4.4 pounds

[Laurelin]

Dear Eru! Another breathtaking sword. :thud:

[Stormcrow]

Wow! That is absolutely beautiful! :o

[Cuiel Rilwen]

The hilt is very long...is a two hand sword hm? It's overall design and proportions are very good...and I like a piece that is well enough crafted to draw my attention in its own self and not because of everything that's put on it. This designer certainly knows when to stop...a very important property! It's almost too pretty tho...looks very upperclass. What's this hilt made of?

[Stormcrow]

You certainly do know your swords, Cuiel! I love it. But I agree with you about it being 'almost too perfect' because the handle seems a tad too sparkly. The hilt in the second picture is interesting, as well.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

lol I don't know zit about swords! Just picking up terms from our dear dwarf here...and adding my opinion! It certainly is interesting tho! ;)

[Stormcrow]

Why, yes, yes it is interesting! :grin:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Pommel and guard appear to me to be blackened steel. The hilt wrap looks like ray skin to me. Ray skin is what is used for katanas but you never get a clear look at it because of the ito wrap that goes over top. Ray skin is pretty neat stuff texture wise.

[Elfdaughter]

*drool* Ooooohh, NICE!!! By the way, IHD, I love your new avvie! ;)

OK, my turn!! OK, so it's not a sword as such, but it's a nice example of a bollock dagger!

http://therionarms.com/reenact/therionarms_c618f.jpg
http://therionarms.com/reenact/therionarms_c618.jpg
http://therionarms.com/reenact/therionarms_c618a.jpg

[IronHills Dwarf]

Yours ED? Therion is a great guy to deal with. I ended up buying my longsword through him.

Who's the manufacturer for the dagger?

[Elfdaughter]

One of mine, yip. Agreed, I got my schlager through them as well. Manufacturer is Windladss Steelcrafts, not one I'm that familar with.

[IronHills Dwarf]

Ahh, good old Windlass. Sold through Museum Replicas usually. Well they're an Indian company that does okay work (I have a fantasy piece from them that I'll be taking delivery of around the middle of December).

Anyway here's the link to their page on the dagger.
http://www.museumreplicas.com/webstore/eCat/Swords%20and%20Knives/Historical/Daggers%20And%20Knives/Kidney%20Dagger.aspx

I have to admit it looks a little "gunky" on the blade in the Therion pics.

[Stormcrow]

Nice dagger, ED! :thumbs:

[Elfdaughter]

Thanks Stormy! IHD, yeah, I know what you mean, but on the blade itself, it looks fine. Thanks for the link! *goes off to drool*

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Pommel and guard appear to me to be blackened steel. The hilt wrap looks like ray skin to me. Ray skin is what is used for katanas but you never get a clear look at it because of the ito wrap that goes over top. Ray skin is pretty neat stuff texture wise.

what can you say about ray skin? Never heard of it I'm afraid. How does it get that sparkling looking surface?

Very nice dagger, ED! :thumbs:

[IronHills Dwarf]

well ray skin is such stufff as rays wear (meaning the ocean dwelling animals known as rays). It's got a pebbly texture, as for the sparkle I'm not entirely sure, some of it may just be the photography, or maybe he put glitter in it. lol

Anyways if ED can show off so can I.... ;)

Last Friday at around 4:00 PM I find myself staring at my Hanwei practical hand-and-a-half, it's boring, it's drab. Thus began the makeover.

(for those who don't know this is what the stock sword looks like (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/i_norm/sword%20makeover/longsword-KNIGHT.jpg))

The downside was I had a time constraint, I'd promised to bring the piece into a class so the students could see what a "real" sword looked like. So I had till Monday morning to finish. Actually I had till Saturday morning as I was booked solid Saturday and Sunday. This is the result.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/i_norm/sword%20makeover/1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/i_norm/sword%20makeover/8.jpg

First of all I decided to antique the blade. I used the vinegar method. Let it sit with a towel soaked in the liquid for about 5 hours. I was pretty happy with the result.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/i_norm/sword%20makeover/11.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/i_norm/sword%20makeover/14.jpg

I still haven't put a good polish on the blade but sometime I'll get around to it. Next it was time to redue the scabbard. This is where the fun started, getting the metal fittings off was a chore. But overall not to difficult, getting the leather on with the pattern. Problems started with getting the fittings back on and getting the leather under the fittings (fittings where pretty tight to start with just on the wood). It isn't perfect (there's a little roll at the top, the bottom went alright). If I had the choice of doing it again I'd probably just take the time to make a new scabbard. So not perfect but a definate improvement over the plain wood.

Next came the hilt, I sanded off the central ridge that divided the grip (the sword always gave me handling trouble with two handed use), did a cord wrap with leather and ridge pattern to follow. I actually love doing hilt wraps and this one turned out pretty good.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/i_norm/sword%20makeover/2.jpg

So overall I'm a happy camper, one boring sword transformed into something I actually enjoy looking at, and a sword that handles better.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

:drool: THIS I like! And wow...what a transformation! I thought the wooden scabbard looked fine in fact...but this is very nice! :thumbs: And the hilt became beautiful too! I too like the antiqued blade...say do you call this a fuller too? Very good job!

I guess the ray-skin could be naturally bumpy and treated with some wax, then polished to look like it sparkles.

[Elfdaughter]

*mouth drops open*

IHD!!! She is GORGEOUS!! Actually, I'm thinking of covering my scabbard, the wood does tend to scratch easily, which means unless I'm careful, I end up with a rather dull, battered scabbard. So far, only got a couple of dents in it, I'm pretty good with sword-care.

Hanwei's a good make, though - all of mine are by Paul Chen. Apart from my foil, that's Leon Paul, but we can't count toothpicks. ;) lol

Say, IHD - do you name your swords?

[IronHills Dwarf]

Thanks guys. :blush: I haven't named it previously but now that I feel it has some character I think I will... hmm, it's gotta be something Elvish I think. Any suggestions?

Oh and yes this blade does have a small fuller with leads into the diamond cross section.

[Lynx]

Wow - beautifull job making over the sword - it certainly does look more interesting now. I will have to remember the vinegar method for antiquing a sword. :)

[IronHills Dwarf]

If you ever use it I'm happy to give more info/walk you through the process if you want.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

How about you make a thread about that eh? i'm sure a lot of people would like to know about that...I can think of a few right now! ;)

[IronHills Dwarf]

Well my pleasure then... ;)

[Elfdaughter]

Thanks, IHD!

Hmm.... well, I've named my swords in a variety of languages: One's called 'Hope', another 'Eofenleohte' (Evening Light), and the other's called...*cough* 'Toothpick'. I've also named my longbow - 'Tincolindo' (Star Bearer)

[IronHills Dwarf]

Hmm, right now I'm thinking about Luadtâ'on

[Stormcrow]

I like those names, ED! Especially Tincolindo! ;)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Hmm, right now I'm thinking about Luadtâ'on

Sound of it is really cool...what does it mean? And what language is it? I should name my bow too...even if it already has one...I'm not even related to Beleg hehehehe! :grin:

[Stormcrow]

lol I think a nice elvish name would be good for your bow, Cuiel! And I love your sword name concept, Dwarf! Very awesome. But, as Cuiel said, what does it mean?

[IronHills Dwarf]

The language is Fyeblynen. Which is, uhhhh, my own. :blush: ;)

It means Moonfire. And my modified Hanwei shall now be officially called Luadtâ'on

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Wow...you made your own language! How cool is that! Did you tell Ithil or Laurie about it? How developped is it? Did you draw inspiration from any other language...gramatically or otherwise in construction? I bet there is a story behind this!

I suppose this is the wrong thread for that tho...:grin:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Well I wasn't really ready to go public with it or anything, but it's actually very simple. You take the first bit of the word from Russian and the last bit from Welsh. I'm really not up to making anything original. ;)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Sounds cool anyways! :)

[Stormcrow]

Yeah, it actually sounds like elvish! :p

[Lynx]

Yeah, it actually sounds like elvish! :p Sure does, Stormcrow! I guess that makes sense since Tolkien based some of his elvish language on Welsh.

If you ever use it I'm happy to give more info/walk you through the process if you want. Thanks IHD;) ...and as Cuiel says it might be neat to start a thread about it - more of a 'how to' area. I think there's lots of people who would like to know more about these things, as well as using a sword - stances, cuts, etc. and the types of swords associated with certain fighting techniques. You and Elfdaughter have first-hand experience in these areas...I think it would be interesting!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Yes, please! :grin:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Well I did make a thread on antiquing (http://www.warofthering.net/forums/vbulletin225/upload/showthread.php?t=9115). ;)

I guess in the fencing thread ED and I can probably whip up a basic chart or something with blades types and the typical fighting styles that go with each. (feel up for it ED? ;))

Oh and I'll browse around for a new beauty to showcase in this thread. It's been a few days.:o

[Lynx]

Cool - saw the antiquing thread, and also the one dealing with Swordplay and fencing in the ARMOURY area. Thank'ee!

[Elfdaughter]

I guess in the fencing thread ED and I can probably whip up a basic chart or something with blades types and the typical fighting styles that go with each. (feel up for it ED? ;))


((What am I getting myself into....)) Yip, always up for a challenge!!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Very nice, IHD! Thanks for setting this up! :thumbs: *Goes to look for the fencing stuff.*

[IronHills Dwarf]

New sword for discussion is....

The Svante Nilsson Sture Sword by Peter Johnsson

Rather than post all the piccies here, just go here: ;)
http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/johnsson/sword-museum-svante.htm

The muse is stunted today, so you'll have to come up with your own gushings of praise. Fine smith and a fine sword.

[Elfdaughter]

Sorry IHD - words fail me. She is gorgeous!!!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Oy! This sword is truly a beauty! I love the shape of the blade, and how the design of the pommel is kinda repeted on the little leather thingy which sits on the guard. Very good proportions! I'm not sure if I like the swirly shape of the guard tho...but that's a minor issue! Very nice indeed!

[IronHills Dwarf]

I too am a fan of the leather flap. These flaps served a very practical purpose, they fitted outside the sheath so that dirt could less easily come in through the top of the sheath.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Weeeell ofcourse I had no idea of it's function! lol Not so surprised it has one tho. ;)

[Lynx]

A very noble-looking sword. Very elegant! Love the 'S' shaped cross.

[Stormcrow]

Yes, it certainly is exqisite. :) A very beautiful sword. I certainly wish I owned it. :p

[IronHills Dwarf]

Update time;

Early Persian Sword by Vince Evans
http://www.arscives.com/vevans/images/4.2-Early-Persian-Sword.jpg
http://www.arscives.com/vevans/images/4.1-Early-Persian-Sword.jpg

Vince Evans is a master smith from the US. Unfortunately he doesn't provide stats on this blade but it's "pattern welded steel, browned steel mounts, ray skin grip."

Visit his site here http://www.arscives.com/vevans/

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Wow this is very special...I've never seen anything like it! I like the solor of the browned steel...how does one go about making it so? There are so many beautiful swords on his site...I love the scottish knives!

[IronHills Dwarf]

Browning and blueing use a solution (not sure of the exact chemical makeup) that can usually be purchased from a gun shop.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

I betcha there isn't the thing you don't know about weapons! :)

[IronHills Dwarf]

That's a bet your sure to lose. ;) But I do know places to find things out. :p :cool:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Almost same thing dear! lol

[Stormcrow]

That is a very interesting sword! I have never seen one like that before. :)

[Megara]

Whoa.. cool! I love the way the hilt curves.. Persian swords have a distinct shape.. Somehow, i think that is what influenced the Haradrim swords..

[Stormcrow]

I think the Haradhrim were based on the Persians, full stop. Their attire, their complexion, make-up and weaponry. ;)

[IronHills Dwarf]

I'm not sure the Haradrim were based on a particular culture (book wise that is, movie wise they certainly weren't Persian, a mix of Polynesian and Indian rather). Tolkien didn't describe them very clearly. Persian, like any other culture, doesn't have a homogenous 'look' anyway.

[Stormcrow]

They looked very Persian to me. :huh:

[Megara]

Not wholly persian.. just likenesses.. anyways.. anymore swords?

[Lynx]

WoW, as usual what a great site, IHD! This is a beautiful sword. Yes, I do wish he had more information about the swords on his site though. What century do you think this is from? 11th century maybe?

The rest of his site is wonderful - I also like his Nepalese Kukri. I have a fascination with Kukris.:)

[IronHills Dwarf]

I think it's 9-11th roughly but I'm really not sure. It's certainly an early style that was common across the Middle-east at the time.

Kukris are great fun, I have a little bone hilted one I'm trying to get rid of right now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/i_norm/P1010022.jpg

[Stormcrow]

That reminds me of the elven dagger Galadriel gave to Aragorn. :p

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Nice one IHD! :)

[Lynx]

Kukris are great fun, I have a little bone hilted one I'm trying to get rid of right now.

Oh yeah? You selling it then? If so I might be interested.

[Mithwen]

I like the Rohhiric swords. I own a replica of Eowyn's sword. My dad is teaching me how to use it. He said he was going to give me his old belt knife because he got a new one.

[Rohirrim Warrior]

"Sting" is a great Sword... is very beaty :grin:
http://www.lordoftherings.net/legend/gallery/images/weapons/image2.jpg

[Elfdaughter]

Oh yes, a gorgeous short sword.... she is a beaut.

So's this one...

http://www.swordmark.com/eowyn2.jpg
http://www.swordmark.com/eowyn.jpg

[Cuiel Rilwen]

This is Eowyns sword yes? I just adore the rohirrim weapons...the design is beautiful and so well ballanced!

[Elfdaughter]

Yes, that's Eowyn's sword. I know, I'd love to own one!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Oh yeah...me too! Eomers sword is a beauty too! *goes to look for a piccie*

[IronHills Dwarf]

Time for something new from me. An antique sabre blade.

http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/12745/sabre/sabre-small-2.jpg

Roughly dated from 1830-80, is the best estimate I can come up with. I'm in the process of puting a hilt on it. It was originally from Germany.

More pics:

ricasso (http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/view/12745/sabre/sabre-5.jpg)

fuller (http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/view/12745/sabre/sabre-25.jpg)

big overall shot (http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/view/12745/sabre/sabre-11.jpg)

attempt at an 'artsy' shot (http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/view/12745/sabre/sabre-12.jpg)[/quote]

[Lynx]

Very nice, IHD. But I wasn't able to view all the link pics - maybe the files are too big, or my computer is just slow. How far does the fuller extend down the blade?

Can't wait to see this with the hilt! :)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

I can't even see the pic you posted! mecry! I'll try again when i get home!

[IronHills Dwarf]

It works for me right now, sometimes my free picture hosting goes down. :( :-/

The fuller does extend the full length of the blade, but it gets much shallower at the tip.

[Elfdaughter]

That's a niiiiiiccceeee sabre! I can't wait to see the hilt you put on this beaut!

This is the rapier I'm currently lusting after... it's a Fiocchi.

Three-quarter swept hilt

http://www.fatchett.com/fiocchi/photos/rapier_three_quarter_swept_05.jpg

or this one:

http://www.fatchett.com/fiocchi/photos/rapier_in_stock_01.jpg

[Cuiel Rilwen]

I can see the piccies allright now that I'm on my home pc. Dunno why I couldn't at work. How come you don't upload it to the WotR PF instead?

The sabre looks way cool...has got the right antiqued look, I love how the blade looks...makes me wanna touch it! I like that last piccie too, very interesting angle! I guess I don't have to ask you to show it to us again when it's done? :grin:

I must be cursed tho...your images don't show ED. What's wrong with my pooter! *wah!*

[Elfdaughter]

heh..ok, I'll upload emto WOTRand post fromthere... odd....

[Laurelin]

Ok, now I remember this being a somewhat popular thread...so I'm trying to resurrect it. Anyone do any fencing, sword play, etc lately?? :huh: ;)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Nope...but we got a rather substansial order in with Arms of Valor at the moment...bows and swords galore! *shuts eyes and wishes for it to arrive soon*

[Ilmarë]

Is it wrong of me to dance around the room because I just got my hands on the fighting knives of Legolas????:whoohoo::whoohoo:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Wooooot!!! You lucky girl you! I'm green with envy!

[Laurelin]

Aww, man! I want those too! lol And the order from AoV. *sigh* I'm happy for you both! :yahoo:

[Ilmarë]

I now have the knives in my sweaty little mitts!! Oh Lord, they are beautiful!!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Where are the piccies!!!!!

[Ilmarë]

LOL... patience my darling, patience..hee hee:p

[Cuiel Rilwen]

*sulks* I don't wanna be patient. I want piccies. And I want my sword. Yesterday.

[Laurelin]

I'd love to see the knives too! veryhappy

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

Ohhhh...I want to see the knives, too!!:swoons:I want to buy them, as well!!!*sighs dreamily*

[Ilmarë]

I promise I'll get pics of them as soon as I can... then you'll have to guide me on how and where to post them:cool:

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Oh dear me have you been away that long! lol Didn't we even have a photoforum back then? I'll be sure to teach ya sweetie, don't worry. Illu taught me the tricks long ago, we'll have'em up there and even in here if you wanna. :)

[Ilmarë]

Oki doki hun. I'll try to get some this weekend but Shelley is poorly again, so she's priority for now

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Poor little dear....don't mind me, just hug her for me. :cuddles:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Dang forgot about this thread. lol Sorry to say I sold most of collection when I left for school, but lets see....

Well I'll bring your attention to four very important swords currently up at oriental-arms.com (excellent dealer)

All central Asian sabers. These are rare, in good condition and beautiful. Notice a couple of surviving guards.

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=2657

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=2649

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=2751

THe one in the third link is in unbelievable condition. This basic blade form can of course be observed right into the 18th century.

And if you can't quite work up that much enthusiasm for rusty old blades.... lol

http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=2533

And may I just say it's worth every penny of the price tag. ;) Truly a rare item that I wish museums would spend a bit of cash on getting.

Please notice the detail work on the hilt:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=2533

Luck would have it that it's a metal hilt and thus well preserved. The fact that it has a scabbard makes it simply a fantastic (almost unbelievably good really) piece.

[Laurelin]

Lovely piccies IHD! :thumbs: