A Danelli Cup-Hilt Rapier

As promised, here’s my latest addition to the armoury. This is a cup-hilt rapier by Marco Danelli of Danelli Armouries [External Link]. It’s a fairly standard design for him and you can see an older sibling here: [External Link]. However, I have a few difference slight differences from that version, not least that it comes with an off-hand dagger…

As I’ve mentioned before, rapiers are … Continue reading

(Hanwei) Federschwert

This is a Federschwert (Wikipedia article: [External Link]) bought second-hand from a friend at fencing:

Federschwert0

Yeah, there’s pretty much all I have to say – other than you wouldn’t believe the difference a metal blade makes to training in comparison to a plastic waster. For obvious, physics-y reasons, the metal blade is heavier and … Continue reading

More Adaptable Wasters!

Well, here’s the latest pair of additions to my Knight Shop [External Link] collection of wasters:

I bought the new wasters as a falchion (top) and a messer (bottom) with some extra pieces. The Knight Shop / Dave Rawlings continue to use a modular design, so my pair of new blades and assorted extras can be put together in four combinations. I’ve put the two new wasters together with the … Continue reading

A Paul Macdonald Smallsword / Cleddyf Annwyn

You may remember my smallsword from Macdonald Armoury [External Link] had some damage.

Well, it now has a new hilt wrap courtesy of Joel MASON of Jacob’s Armory [External Link]:

You may notice this is the Cleddyf Annwyn pattern ([External Link]) which means it’s now a matching set with the Jacob’s Armory Spadroon I bought at the Smallsword … Continue reading

Jacob’s Armory Spadroon / Cleddyf Annwn

While at the 2012 Smallsword Symposium, I ran into a guy by the name of Joel MASON who runs Jacob’s Armory [External Link]. He had his loom up and was making sword grip wraps and selling a few he’d done earlier. Here’s one of them:

Joel tells me the sword is from New Mexico (he doesn’t make them, he simply wraps the hilts) but can’t tell me any … Continue reading

Adaptable Wasters!

You may remember I recently bought some Basket Hilt Wasters from The Knight Shop site [External Link]. Well, last week I ordered the cross-guard and pommels necessary to change one of them into a single-hander or a bastard sword (a hand-and-a-half, if you’re feeling more polite than I am), and they arrived on Wednesday.

I’ve mentioned in that earlier post that the Knight … Continue reading

Two Knight Shop Basket Hilt Wasters

Actually called “sparring swords” on The Knight Shop site [External Link], these synthetic wasters are intended to take the place of metal swords – blunt or otherwise. They’re quite heavy but only a proportion of the weight a real basket hilt would be.

I bought them to try them out as sabre replacements. While someone with small hands (i.e. me) can just about … Continue reading

A Paul Macdonald Smallsword: Update

You may remember my smallsword from Macdonald Armoury [External Link]. Well, here’s a more recent photo of the hilt. Spot the difference.

No, it hasn’t been through any wars – just some drills and a few free-play bouts. The cause was a change of blade because my opponents were finding the shortened blade I had bought it with too stiff. I’d better add that I specifically asked for … Continue reading

An Armour Class Pappenheimer

As promised many moons ago, here’s my Armour Class [External Link] Pappenheimer – a type of late German rapier (I think).

Rapiers are long swords. While mine is not as long as they get, it’s still the longest sword in my collection with a 93cm long blade. You may also note the “stopper” on the end. This is a fencing tip from Darkwood Armory [ Continue reading

A Paul Macdonald Smallsword

I ordered a smallsword from Maestro Macdonald [External Link] and, as you can see, it’s arrived.

The hilt is bronze with a wire wrap of brass and copper. It has a few marks but that’s because the original, which was used to make the cast the bronze parts, has them. The blade is a double-wide épée – a modern sports fencing blade that’s double the width of a normal one – and is … Continue reading