You might find it advantageous, when taking something apart, to lay the parts out as you disassemble it. For instance, first piece on the left and proceed from there. To reassemble, go from right to left. Makes life much easier. I've also found it useful to lay all the parts on a clean rag or paper towel, less likely to roll away off the bench.

@Rapiersdelight

5 ай бұрын

Very good suggestions, thank you! I tried using a piece of leather in previous videos, but it was too dark when filming. I may have to use one of those containers goldsmiths or the lockpicking lawyer use :)

@kleinjahr

5 ай бұрын

@@Rapiersdelight Mechanics tray, just a shallow saucer with a magnet underneath. Any shallow tray will do the job though.

this type of grip can also be made of naturally hollow materials such as bamboo or bone shaped to be oval

@Rapiersdelight

4 ай бұрын

The use of bamboo is interesting, I wonder if it was ever used on colonial, or European-made swords

I am very grateful that you made this video because I have a sword that is similar in the form of the clamshell guard. It is flat like the one on your sword without the perforations or the rings that are often affixed. I was thinking that it had been salvaged from a damaged sword and repaired, so it is good to see one so much like it. The branches on my sword have the "knobby bits" and the guard has a thumb ring. The blade on my sword is also springy. One of the marks on the blade appears to be two crossed swords, but, I might have to do some cleaning to see more details. The mark does seem to be clear and "professional" beneath some rust and grime. Can you suggest a source that might help me identify the mark?

@Rapiersdelight

4 ай бұрын

Hey there, thank you for your comment! If it's a dutch sword you should be able to find references in Puype's book Blanke Wapens. I'd love to see some details of your sword. If you upload any pics somewhere, could you lete know?

I wonder if the original peen was cut to repair the grip long ago and that work was interrupted until someone more modern did the sloppy interim work.

@Rapiersdelight

5 ай бұрын

It's definitely a possibility. The peen itself doesn't look recently tampered with, at least as far as I can tell, however the "grip" is definitely modern, so your idea makes sense.

Very interesting, you don't often see weapons this old taken apart. Thanks for sharing! As for the marking I briefly looked around Staffan Kinman's book "European makers of edged weapons, their marks" and Lenkiewicz' "1000 Marks of European Blademakers". I found a few things that are frustratingly close but no cigar. Probably the closest is a mark from a 17th c Saxon miner's axe (page 109), but it is also not quite the same. I asked the guys on the vikingsword forum for their input. If you ever do decide to peen it over it would also be very interesting to see that process. Although perhaps it would be unwise to do so if the pommel button has a crack in it, it might exacerbate things. One other thing that would concern me is that moving the pommel a few mm down the tang would mean bending the sidebar and knuckle guard. It might be very slight but there is a danger there it seems.

@jellekastelein7316

5 ай бұрын

BTW 14:00 is there a D there on the shoulder on the other side of the blade, or is that just pitting?

@Rapiersdelight

5 ай бұрын

That seems to be just pitting

@Rapiersdelight

5 ай бұрын

Thank you! I figured some might find it rather interesting, glad you did. As for the peening, you make valid points I am concerned about too. On the one hand I would like to make the sword complete and sturdy again, but not at the cost of damaging it. The crack in the pommel is definitely a risk to be hammering over, and the extra pressure on the guard by forcing it into a tighter position is something I hadn't really put much thought to. Also, there is the reversibility aspect of the restoration. Peening it would be a bit of an invasive process i'm not sure I want to take. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced adding a new grip and fixing the pommel in place with tung oil, or some similar hardening oil that can be removed. I'll also get in touch with a few conservators and see what they think. I do have several other loose swords, though, so I might make a peening video anyway, at some point.

@jellekastelein7316

5 ай бұрын

@@Rapiersdelight Yes, and also a fresh looking peen is a red flag for collectors and can significantly diminish the value of the sword. I had been looking at an early 80 years war era sword... All old parts, in similar pitted and patina'd condition, fit together well... but then I asked for a picture of the peen and it looked completely clean, and moreover the seller denied that anything had been fixed. At that point it could easily be a composite, and the price was too much to risk it, so I let that one go. Well, kind of... I still kind of want it even now. 😅

@Rapiersdelight

5 ай бұрын

@@jellekastelein7316 hahahah, I understand the feeling, even composites can have a strong appeal

You mentioned re peening. Do you have any videos on that process?

@Rapiersdelight

3 ай бұрын

Hey! None yet, and I'm nin doubt on whether or not to try repeening this one. However, I'm planning a video where I repeen another, less historically relevant, sword!