The Armour Archive

thought people might enjoy this... done for myself rather than a client, for once...

Bronze hilt components with a through tang and cord-bound grip (done to match a similar dated longsword), blade is forged carbon steel, appleseed reinforced tip for thrusting, scabbard with wool lining...

length of blade is 11 inches.

Dying is slightly blotchy under flash, but perfectly even under sunlight.
came out quite nicely, I think.

and the pics...

Front:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel01s.jpg

Back:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel02.jpg

Unsheathed:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel03.jpg

Reinforced tip:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel04.jpg

Peined through construction with graved lines:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel05.jpg

not too badly made, if I do say so myself...

someday, I need to get someone wanting hollowground triangular section rondels made. I'd rather like to make more of these...

How much was this, and how much for the one you want to make?

How much was this one?
hrm, would you beleive me if I told you that technically, about $10 - yes, that's not a type, ten dollars...

It was specifically made for myself for fun on weekends, using spare bits of stock - the blade was an offcut section and originally done as a practice peice in hot-working steel and basic shaping, since I usually use stock removal techniques.
The bronze plates were offcuts from a 16th C rapier hangar project that I had gathering dust, the scabbard chape was a section of scrap from a customer's chape, which was *just* big enough to squeeze a chape out of.
The scabbard core, likewise, were the offcuts of limewood from a single-handed sword scabbard that was done, and the wool core was two spare bits that were too small for sword scabbard linings.
The grip was a spare length of ash from when I was making pollaxes, sawn to size and bored through.
Even the leather for the scabbard was a bit left over from other projects that I'd had lying around and was of an odd shape I'd never really use for anything else.

Once I started realising I had most of the bits lying around as offcuts, I really started specifically trying to do it as a challenge for myself to see how high a quality peice I could make just using up stuff I had in my bits box, for the hell of it.

Only things I bought for it specifically was a reel of linen thread, as I'd run out, and a load of emery paper for the polishing work.



For the ones I'd like to make its dependant on details of course, but I'm suspecting that I'd go for EN45 steel with stock removal if it were a commercial peice, as that way I could have them heat-treated by an outsourced contractor, same as I would with longswords - far better than doing it myself as my heat-treatment kit is rather crude, and ensures absolute quality.
and then well, I'm sort of split between the really long bladed early 15th C types, and the shorter ones of the early 16th C. I'm tempted by doing an english black horn handled dagger with slab-sides riveted to a wide hilt, with 3-layer laminate blackwood and either silver or steel hilt components, with the basic proportions based off this one in the wallace collection... I'm guessing an approximate pricetag for that of around £180-200 depending on complexity and materials used. I'm hoping for steel or silver, as I'm getting sick of making bronze hilted stuff... I want some stuff that is'nt yellow!

sorry, I'm geeking now, I'll shut up.

erm, here's a pic of the wallace collection #A726 and #A729 daggers from the 1400's and early 1500's respectively that I'd like to base the blades off.

Very, very well done.

It's *so* well done that, one bladesmith to another, I feel comfortable giving you a little hell over it.

So seriously, what's with that choil?

You make this awesome weapon that looks like a period piece ...until you draw the blade? Nah, you know your archaeology of weapons too well for it to be sloppy research. So what happened? Finish the blade before you figured out what you were making?

Destichado wrote:Very, very well done.

It's *so* well done that, one bladesmith to another, I feel comfortable giving you a little hell over it.

So seriously, what's with that choil?

You make this awesome weapon that looks like a period piece ...until you draw the blade? Nah, you know your archaeology of weapons too well for it to be sloppy research. So what happened? Finish the blade before you figured out what you were making?

Heh, I think the phrase I'm looking for at this point is "it's a fair cop, guv'ner, you got me..."

I originally did the drawing out when I was just using the offcut peice for practice work, with no serious intention of making it into a peice, just the vague intention of trying to do the shape of an 16th/early 17th C scots dudgeon dagger, based off a couple of samples in the scottish national museum, which have a fairly pronounced choil/ricasso which was engraved and inlaid in gold.

I decided that the handle for that, made in fruitwood was a bit crappy, I was'nt getting the facets carved right, and decided if I was going to do a dudgeon dagger, I'd do it in boxwood, and make it right (also have a slightly thicker distal profile, I found on handling originals.

Hence deciding to just use it as a practice peice and use stuff lying around. I should've just done stock removal and taken the ricasso out when I decided to go for a rondel dagger (would've removed some messy marks on the flats if I had), but I decided it was better to keep it as it is, and I can always make something better next time

the fact that you say " one bladesmith to another" makes me laugh and feel utterly amazed, though. I'm no-where *near* being able to be considered in te same league as you guys, particularly for hot-working. that one is literally only the third one I've ever done with drawing out and my own heat-treatment. I know I'm semi-competent at stock removal and a good cutler for swordhilts, but I'm still a rank amateur at making blades.

the harsh critique is certainly appreciated!

next time I'm going to have to do a proper rondel... and a *good* dudgeon dagger too.

Suzerain wrote:thought people might enjoy this... done for myself rather than a client, for once...

Bronze hilt components with a through tang and cord-bound grip (done to match a similar dated longsword), blade is forged carbon steel, appleseed reinforced tip for thrusting, scabbard with wool lining...

length of blade is 11 inches.

Dying is slightly blotchy under flash, but perfectly even under sunlight.
came out quite nicely, I think.

and the pics...

Front:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel01s.jpg

Back:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel02.jpg

Unsheathed:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel03.jpg

Reinforced tip:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel04.jpg

Peined through construction with graved lines:

http://3dfolio.com/jge/Rondel05.jpg

not too badly made, if I do say so myself...

someday, I need to get someone wanting hollowground triangular section rondels made. I'd rather like to make more of these...

Alright, you have convinced me, SOLD!!!

sha-ul wrote:Alright, you have convinced me, SOLD!!!

actually, that rather raises a question I should ask for opinions on...

I'm in the process of getting a website up and running for selling stuff like this...

would people say its better to have samples of everything produced in the past, and sell products as "ask me for what you want made" comissions, or would it be good to have a few peices like this in stock and marked "For Sale" with price tags, as well?

dont really know for sure what looks best for such a site, so would appreciate opinions.

and meanwhile, one that's just having its hilt parts cast as I type.


http://3dfolio.com/jge/Nicky_Version2_Masters.jpg for a larger shot

Why the hell do you have to live across the pond? -_-
I love making blades, but I lose interest and drag out the project when I have to mount them. And you're so damn good at it!

I think it would be nice if you had a spot for in-stock items, but I certainly don't think it's necessary. If you're going to get into this, look at the best. That pretty much means Christian Fletcher, since he more or less broke in the idea of being a custom cutler to famous blade makers (ATrim primarily, Albion -and others- later).
He does have an in-stock page. There's not much on it.