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Forum Index > Off-topic Talk > DSA saxon fittings modificationDIY Project Reply to topic
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Etienne Hamel




Location: Granby (QC) canada
Joined: 09 Sep 2006

Posts: 443

PostPosted: Fri 21 Jun, 2013 4:47 pm    Post subject: DSA saxon fittings modification         Reply with quote

i made this a while ago but didn't have batteries to take picture so today i decided to snatch some from my brother temporarilly for this purpose.

what i did, i cleaned the pieces with rubbing alcohol then hammered it lightly to have a subtle texture. after that i wrapped the fittings in dripping wet news paper for three evenings (woke up at 10 am wrapped them and let them rest until after supper) to create a spot patina (partial patina). after the partial patina process i boiled it in black tea for about 20-30 minutes and after the pieces were cold i used car wax to wax the piece (i used what i had Laughing Out Loud )

here'S the result:






thanks for watching Happy
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Mark Moore




Location: East backwoods-assed Texas
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Likes: 6 pages
Reading list: 1 book

Posts: 2,294

PostPosted: Fri 21 Jun, 2013 9:31 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That's neat as can be. Gotta try that on some loose fittings I have laying about! Very unique!.......McM
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Isaac H.




Location: Northern California
Joined: 06 Jun 2010
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PostPosted: Fri 21 Jun, 2013 10:41 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I commend your creativitiy. It can be hard to get a convincing patina,and it's easy to over do it. This is both simple a subtle,and no death inducing acids either ! Idea Thanks for posting...
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But wounded honor is only cured with steel.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
Each of us should please his neighbor for his good ,to build him up.
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Etienne Hamel




Location: Granby (QC) canada
Joined: 09 Sep 2006

Posts: 443

PostPosted: Sat 22 Jun, 2013 7:17 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

thank you for you kind words guys, i'm in the process of aquiring some material for the grip, if all goes well and come out as nice as it is in my head it could become a real beauty. Happy
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Mark Moore




Location: East backwoods-assed Texas
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Likes: 6 pages
Reading list: 1 book

Posts: 2,294

PostPosted: Sat 22 Jun, 2013 8:42 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I'm excited to see your end results. Please do a 'DIY' of the whole process on your sword build! I think it will look outstanding!!!...........McM
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Etienne Hamel




Location: Granby (QC) canada
Joined: 09 Sep 2006

Posts: 443

PostPosted: Sat 22 Jun, 2013 5:08 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

i have to warn though, the blade is not historical since it is from a DSA squire ( see http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/images/DSA-Squire5.jpg ) , i also cut 1/2 inch of the shoulders to shorten the blade and give a longer handle to it won't dig into my wrist.

the handle will be 4 9/16 inches long (which is not completely wrong for a viking sword according to hurstwic)

i have two places to look for the materials, one for antler (which i'm not completely sure if i should and if i can make the design i want) and the other for exotic wood (burl would be simply too awesome Big Grin )

Edit: oh and forgot to tell that i rubbed the fittings with a canvas like cloth to remove loose rust.
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Mark Moore




Location: East backwoods-assed Texas
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Likes: 6 pages
Reading list: 1 book

Posts: 2,294

PostPosted: Sun 23 Jun, 2013 6:31 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

A big piece of elk or caribou(sp?) would be cool looking. If you're short on tools, I've been told that you can soak the antler piece in warm water for several hours, then just push the swords tang through the pithy area in the center. When it dries, it will tighten up and never rattle or loosen. I've done this on some small knives, but never on a thru-tang sword grip. You might give it a try. Big Grin The small knives I have made like this are solid as a rock. Big Grin ......McM
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Etienne Hamel




Location: Granby (QC) canada
Joined: 09 Sep 2006

Posts: 443

PostPosted: Sun 23 Jun, 2013 7:47 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Mark Moore wrote:
A big piece of elk or caribou(sp?) would be cool looking. If you're short on tools, I've been told that you can soak the antler piece in warm water for several hours, then just push the swords tang through the pithy area in the center. When it dries, it will tighten up and never rattle or loosen. I've done this on some small knives, but never on a thru-tang sword grip. You might give it a try. Big Grin The small knives I have made like this are solid as a rock. Big Grin ......McM


i heard of this too some years ago i think it was a post from Mikko Remes here on myArmoury. never had the opportunity to test it for myself and since my pommel is screwed on if i need to have it dismantled i'll probably need to soften the antler again to remove it. and i need to shape it octogonal so i don't know if a antler piece can take all the shaping and still remain tough as bone.
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Mark Moore




Location: East backwoods-assed Texas
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
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Posts: 2,294

PostPosted: Sun 23 Jun, 2013 9:08 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I wouldn't worry much about the antler. I've found that bone, unless very thick, is generally pretty brittle. Antler is very fiberous, and less likely to split or crack. In my experience, I've never had an antler push-tang split out on me---or come loose----especially after epoxy. You can shape and sand and carve the antler almost all the way down to the pith and it's still very strong. I made myself a Scottish sgian dubh with a push-tang in a piece of whitetail deer antler almost 30 years ago, and you CANNOT get the blade out. I used a file to cut grooves onto the tang and the pith of the antler expanded into them once dried. It's permanent. Just FWIW..........McM Big Grin
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Etienne Hamel




Location: Granby (QC) canada
Joined: 09 Sep 2006

Posts: 443

PostPosted: Sun 23 Jun, 2013 10:13 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

if i were to choose antler, should i use a drill to at least pierce a hole to guide the tang in?
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Jean Thibodeau




Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
Joined: 15 Mar 2004
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PostPosted: Mon 24 Jun, 2013 4:32 pm    Post subject: Re: DSA saxon fittings modification         Reply with quote

Etienne Hamel wrote:
i made this a while ago but didn't have batteries to take picture so today i decided to snatch some from my brother temporarily for this purpose.

what i did, i cleaned the pieces with rubbing alcohol then hammered it lightly to have a subtle texture. after that i wrapped the fittings in dripping wet news paper for three evenings (woke up at 10 am wrapped them and let them rest until after supper) to create a spot patina (partial patina). after the partial patina process i boiled it in black tea for about 20-30 minutes and after the pieces were cold i used car wax to wax the piece (i used what i had Laughing Out Loud )

here'S the result:

Happy


Etienne, as you already know, I really like using lemon juice to create a patina, but I like your idea of using newspaper soaked in water to do the same thing.

I wonder if you soaked the newspaper in lemons juice if you would get more etching of the surface like tiny pits plus the greyish finish the acid in the lemon juice seems to produce ..... more staining than rusting I believe than when people use vinegar. ( Usually a few hours of soaking is enough, follower by a cleaning and repeating until the amount of pitting or surface activity is what I want ..... the surface can at the last cycle of soaking be left more deeply patinated or polished back up to medium or light patination ..... or polished back to bright as if it was a weapon that had shown some rust after being in the field and polished back after a cleaning ).

Instead of newspaper I usually used soaked paper towel or toilet paper.

In any case nice work. Big Grin Cool

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Etienne Hamel




Location: Granby (QC) canada
Joined: 09 Sep 2006

Posts: 443

PostPosted: Tue 25 Jun, 2013 7:04 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

hey jean, can you believe there was no lemon juice in my fridge? :P so i had to use paper towels soaked in room temperature white vinegar for about 20 minutes to start the oxidation (it was more an experiment on what could work if you don't have lemon juice and i just saw that i forgot to write this process ^_^' )

and thanks for the compliments i appreciate it Happy

oh and by the way i heard that there was a good amount of salt contained in the news paper, don'T know if its the case with paper towels and TP though.
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Etienne Hamel




Location: Granby (QC) canada
Joined: 09 Sep 2006

Posts: 443

PostPosted: Fri 28 Jun, 2013 2:07 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Ok. so i've got someone sending my 5'' of antler and a piece of holly, i'll have to take a look at the particularities of both materials to make a choice but knowing me if both is in sufficient quantity i might make two handles Laughing Out Loud more round oval for the antler to keep most of the antler's characteristics and octogonal for the holly because i'm really curious about how the original idea i had in my mind would look in real Happy
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