Flittie wrote:Suzerain, why do you want to make SCA swords at all? Why not stick with making custom swords for WMA people and reenactors, who seem to outnumber SCA folks in the UK anyway? The whole idea just seems like a bad fit with your skills and preferences.
I'd say its more a case that I'd like to be able to know the requirements if I am approached by bob random saying "could you make one for..." - and the same applies for all groups, societies, etc, be it WMA, Reenactment, Living History, etc etc. And of course, the potential of a wider customer base to advertise to is'nt exactly a disadvantage if I do start expanding my work from individual commission-based peices to having a small range of "in stock" too. (which may well happen after I recently found a different supplier who can make it far more cost effective to do small batch runs than it was.)
and lastly, someday I may grow sick of the grimy work involved in making the beautiful pretties and my hands may be finally recovered from the crippling RSI I've had for a few years, and I might return to work doing the other thing I love; virtual sculpture, for the computergame industry creating virtual worlds. if that's the case, then I will inevitably be relocating around the world, and there's a chance that I'd be local to the SCA then, and however much I'm being a cynic about the the rules systems I know fine well I'd enjoy sparring against the members.
(let me just emphasise, the "bah humbug" commentary I've made is absolutely not a "SCA is rubbish, the people blow goats, etc etc" tirade. )