Reproduction Swords

[Trooper224]

What's the purpose (outside of aesthetics) of the half wire wrap, if any?

P.S.: it's beautiful work on a beautiful sword.

There are several possibilities. The lower portion of the grip is thinner and therefore weaker, so it could have been done as a means of reinforcing that area of the grip. With any two-handed sword, be it a longsword, great sword, etc., the forward hand controls direction and the trailing hand is responsible for power. Consequently, the wire will provide a firmer gripping surface while the leather will allow the control hand to shift more easily to direct the swords motion. Finally, since weapons were considered a form of man jewelry it's entirely possible they just thought it looked cool, or a combination of all of the above.

[Trooper224]

I had missed this exchange earlier, but stumbled onto Matts videos in general looking around. He has several vids about basic beginner movements and exercises to get the sword muscles in shape and get a feel for basic movements. May be some good places to look for those just
starting out messing with swords. I'm finding it helps my shoulder and back rehab somewhat. More interesting and fun than colored rubber bands.

I've known Matt since the mid 90's, when all of us sword geeks first found each other in the early days of internet discussion forums. He's always been pretty objective and analytical in his approach. In the early days there were some pretty huge egos involved in resurrecting HEMA (historic european martial arts), Matt's never been one of those.

A couple of other good Youtube sources:
https://www.youtube.com/user/warzechas
https://www.youtube.com/user/LondonLongsword

Twenty years ago I had my right wrist smashed. After reconstructive surgery, working out with a sword was one of the things that helped speed my recovery.

[Trooper224]

Wire wrap is supposed to be "grippier" than straight leather, especially when the pommel or your hands are wet (sweat/blood). That work is fabulously spectacular, I'm extremely jealous!

Fifteen or twenty years ago, swords like this didn't exist. Production made replicas were crap and custom makers were largely knife makers who decided to make swords and simply applied what they knew of knives to sword making. The typical result was an overgrown ten pound knife. You'd look at antiques and wonder where the disconnect was in terms of handling and construction. Companies like Albion changed all that. Their partnership with Swedish sword smith Peter Johnsson forced a quantum shift in the industry. I remember standing in the Albion shop while they finished assembly on the prototype for the first Next Generation Line sword. Howard Waddell, one of the company owners, handed the sword to me and asked what I thought. I replied, "You're going to need more employees." As someone who's been making a study of the subject for forty years, I can definitely say we're now suffering from an embarrassment of riches.

[Trooper224]

Were you using that sword to trim that funny looking plant behind you?

Sometimes that bush gets more comments than the swords.

[Malamute]

I've known Matt since the mid 90's, when all of us sword geeks first found each other in the early days of internet discussion forums. He's always been pretty objective and analytical in his approach. In the early days there were some pretty huge egos involved in resurrecting HEMA (historic european martial arts), Matt's never been one of those.

A couple of other good Youtube sources:
https://www.youtube.com/user/warzechas
https://www.youtube.com/user/LondonLongsword

Twenty years ago I had my right wrist smashed. After reconstructive surgery, working out with a sword was one of the things that helped speed my recovery.

Thanks for the comments and the links.

Ive enjoyed looking at Matts stuff, hes quite a student of history besides his sword use information. Quite fun to watch. I'll check out the other stuff in the links.

I can see how this could become a true passion or obsession.

[Trooper224]

Thanks for the comments and the links.

Ive enjoyed looking at Matts stuff, hes quite a student of history besides his sword use information. Quite fun to watch. I'll check out the other stuff in the links.

There's a lot of derp out there on the subject, as there is with guns, but there are a few gems available.

I can see how this could become a true passion or obsession.

Obviously, it is for me and has been since I was a child. I remember being a fourteen year old kid who managed to talk his way into the back rooms at a local museum, so I could get my hands on original antiques. The curator thought I was a bit weird for being so interested in the stuff, because most people weren't back then. Thankfully he recognized the seriousness of my interest and was very indulgent. It hasn't been the same since.

[Malamute]

There's a lot of derp out there on the subject, as there is with guns, but there are a few gems available.



Obviously, it is for me and has been since I was a child. I remember being a fourteen year old kid who managed to talk his way into the back rooms at a local museum, so I could get my hands on original antiques. The curator thought I was a bit weird for being so interested in the stuff, because most people weren't back then. Thankfully he recognized the seriousness of my interest and was very indulgent. It hasn't been the same since.

Yeah, I found a lot of derp, but when I saw Matts stuff I recognized it as quite good information.

Cool on the museum guy for letting you follow your passion. Ive been that way on old guns, but swords and other historical things have also been quite interesting to me. I could get goofy interested in medieval crossbows also.

[LHS]

Mein Gott...

I've shared this one before.......

..... but since I just had some work done on it, I thought I'd do so again.

I returned it to the manufacturer, Albion Swords, to have a half-wire wrap added to the grip. This is a feature commonly seen on swords of the late 15th-early 16th centuries, specifically on swords of German origin. Albion didn't offer this option when I bought the sword. I've always regretted that, but didn't want to pay the shipping to send this big boy back and forth. Well, I guess I just got tired of wishing it were so and finally did it. I think it really takes the sword to another level aesthetically. Kudos to Albion for turning it around in twenty four hours.

[Erik]

Over the last few days I've been really geeking out over the Matt Easton videos mentioned in this thread and spending a ridiculous amount of time poking around looking at 19th century swords in particular. I've got an inexplicable hankering for something along the lines of either the British 1845 pattern sabre or the American m1850 Foot Officer sword. Please don't ask me why. I just want one. And I want an original, not a reproduction. Among other things, it seems that there aren't any reproductions available that are as functional as the originals. I've done a lot of looking around. Other than Matt Easton, who's in the UK, I haven't been able to get a sense of who might be a reliable dealer or otherwise good source.

Rather than start a new thread, I decided to bump this thread back up because it has some very awesome content and see about turning it in a slightly different direction - towards originals rather than reproductions. So, can anybody recommend some good sources for original swords in good condition?

[Malamute]

...Other than Matt Easton, who's in the UK, I haven't been able to get a sense of who might be a reliable dealer or otherwise good source.
...So, can anybody recommend some good sources for original swords in good condition?

Is there a particular reason you are hesitant to contact Matt Easton about original swords? I dont know what import details there would be, but Id guess its not too complicated. He could probably tell you in any event.