[Dean F. Marino]

While it's not everyone's favorite.... see http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...cher+Sword for a few comparative specs?

A POB around 4 1/2" isn't too bad... and the photos might provide a little visual comparison re: guard width. I have one of these & like it - not my favorite sword, but certainly decent.

I don't know what the historical attributes were for an Archer's sword... I would guess this to be a serious BACKUP weapon (hey, the guy was an Archer). So, I guess I would ask: what would an Archer REALLY like to carry? I would expect him to be less well trained with a sword, desire mobility over power, and optimize his defenses more against foot soldiers than heavily armored nobles. But all this is a guess....

[Will S]

Yeah to be honest, it's swords like that, that are in my mind as a reference. That plus the Albion Poitiers.

Here's where I am at the moment - I have a Windlass European Sword that I've done a decent grip for, and that's a small, light, well-balanced sword that despite having the wrong blade shape for an up-to-date item (I think it's a century too early) might pass as a hand-me-down so could theoretically have been seen on the battlefield in 1415. This sword that I'm working on is screaming out to be left as a bastard sword - maybe it's better to leave it that way and do a good job on it with the spanky new cross and pommel and just be pleased to have a unique bastard sword that MIGHT be viable for an archer (although as a backup weapon for a poorly trained man seems unlikely)

The other option as it stands is to cut away some of the blade and turn that into tang. This will shift the POB closer to the hilt and will become a serviceable single hander, with a cross that looks slightly too long and probably irritates the bejeezus out of me, thus prompting me to pursue another project sword...

One further option is to take an aggressive file to the ends of the cross and remove an inch...

[Ben Coomer]

Taking a bit off the blade and making it part of the tang and shortening it a bit then filing the cross would be my choice, but I don't think any of your suggestions would be bad. It'd be a nice looking bastard sword for sure.

[Will S]

Thanks Ben. I really appreciate yours and everybody's help and opinions on this. I'm well and truly out of my depth here and while that's exciting as heck and I'm enjoying every minute of this, getting you guys to offer advice and direction is so valuable!

[Ben Coomer]

Heck. I'm watching your project with interest because I am planning some similar projects soon hopefully and experience is best when its somebody else's...

[Kai Lawson]

I think you could leave it as a bastard sword, and enjoy it tons, but it doesn't seem (to me) like it would fit as nicely in the personna you're creating, and you may therefore be more likely to sell it off as time goes on. That's not a bad thing, but I'd personally opt for a) shortening the blade at the shoulders or b) finding someone to take a bit off the other end and re-profile it a bit, and thin the wider cross down so that it looks more like flat-ish cross arms curving forward. The result could be something like a cousin to the Castillon swords, dated to 1420-1440 (though Oakeshott notes that they seem to be older or well-used blades at this point). You'd end up with something similar to this beauty by Mr. Julien M here:

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...w=previous

Taking from the tip would allow you to have that characteristic width found in these blades, while also making the overall profile look more XV-ish. If that sounds like too much work for what you'd like to put into it, remember that it's easier to change something now than later, but you also don't have to make it perfect. If you like it a certain way, then go ahead and do it--it's your piece!

[Julien M]

[Will S]

Thanks guys! That pretty much settles it for me, to be honest. I'll do as good a job on this as possible and hopefully end up with a nice bastard sword. Need to start looking for a blade for my next project now. The girlfriend is gonna be over the moon.... Ahem.

[Lafayette C Curtis]

An archer didn't always have to stick to a small and light sword. The Ordonnances for the regular troops of the French crown in the second half of the 15th century called for mounted archers (modelled after English mounted longbowmen) to have "two handed swords," which given the context probably implies longswords -- perhaps intended as their primary hand-to-hand weapon when fighting dismounted, which was also originally envisioned as their primary role (the horses were mostly for transport). However, it should also be noted that the English longbowmen weren't quite like the average European archer to begin with, and the French Ordonnance archers modelled after them took on certain peculiarities ontheir own (which eventually turned them into a lance- and sword-armed light cavalry force by the 16th century, becoming "archers" in name only).

In short, I don't think a bastard sword would be entirely out of place for an archer if you chose the right kind of archer as the basis for your impression. Just go ahead with it already.

[Will S]

That's very cool info, thanks Lafayette! Much appreciated.

And I am, I am!! Cross is being filed and smoothed with some emery cloth and I'll begin the aging process today - either perma-blue or salt/vinegar. Not sure which just yet.

One thing that I will need help on from you guys is a question regarding gaps - the cross is pretty loose on the tang, and with the full length handle its not going to be possible to key the pommel - what's the best way to address these issues? The tang where the pommel will sit is currently perfectly round, and the hole drilled through the pommel is also perfectly round, but about 1/2mm too large so the pommel spins freely at the moment.

[Sean Flynt]

infantry bastard swords are all over the illustrations for the Chronicles of Froissart. I think the dynamics will be okay either way, but I'm a fan of bastard swords.

[Sean Flynt]

Assuming you're going to peen flush with the top of the pommel, you might be able to stabilize the pommel by using a shallow oblong or rectangular depression. Once you've hammered the end of the tang down into that it should lock the pommel in place, right? The trick would be keeping the pommel aligned during peening. I'd consider assembling with epoxy first, making sure that all the components are pressed down as tight as they'll go. It would be all the more important to make sure the tang at the peen is annealed because you won't be able to use heat once the thing is glued up.

Don't make the mistake of leaving too much tang. Better too much than too little, but if you're hammering hard without much progress you might want to pause and grind off a small amount of tang and have another go at peening. It doesn't take much of a lip to secure the assembly.

I really like the look of your project. It's making me rethink plans for my own Erbach blade. I have some wheel pommels on the way, so I'll have to try one on and see how I like it for a Froissart-era look (ca. 1480).

[Will S]

Ace, thanks Sean.

This is getting to the stage where the real work starts, I guess. It's one thing slotting bits together and thinking they look nice, but once I start getting funky with glues and peening, its tricky to go back!

[Chris Friede]

Just wanted to wish you good luck on the final assembly there. You designed a most excellent looking sword.

[Dean F. Marino]

You are doing a GREAT job - that's the first thing anyone should say about an adan that tackles a real build:). Yes, they can be interesting... especially the first one.

Now - two handed or single handed? In the end, what fits YOU? Try to mock this up a bit if you can... FEEL it. YOU will carry that sword - Richard the third will NOT (he is dead).

Historical accuracy is lovely - but this is YOUR sword. If it will be a useful tool, it must fit YOUR needs, physiology, and desires. Unless the target is a wall-hanger ... tune that puppy to fit YOU, single or double, so you can actually kill something .

[Will S]

Thanks Chris! Appreciate the comment mate!

Dean - it's gonna be a bastard sword! It looks too sexy with the full length handle, and the proportions work so much better like this. I've still got a year before I need the final single-hander for Azincourt, so this is just gonna be a really nice, unique bastard sword with my personal spin on things.

I really can't wait to get this assembled and see it with a nice leather grip!

[Will S]

I've hit my first proper snag here, so hopefully you guys can offer some advice.

The crosspiece is so loose on the tang that it rattles and moves at the lightest movement of the sword. There's probably a good 2mm of space all around the opening when it's in place. Does this need to be addressed before I assemble, or can it be super loose when I put everything together, and the peening will compress things enough to hold it in place?

I've tried little wooden wedges but because it's so loose they tend to shift it to one side or end up skewing the crosspiece at an angle - the blade isn't flat of course, it's diamond section so the wedges tend to find one face and push the cross towards that angle. Also, with wedges pushed in from the handle side of the cross, you can clearly see them if you look down the blade. Not sure where to go with this?

[Julien M]

Hi Will,

A classic headache

Wedges are one way to go. Wooden or rather metal. I will shape mien out of coins (copper) for a project I have, you have the choice for thickness there. I will shape mine as elongated triangles and will hammer them in place.

If you have access to a welder (or if your student does ) the best way I find is to drop a few dabs of metal on the inside slot,on both sides, then file to obtain optimal fit.

In any case, if you peen on like that relying on the compression from the wooden grip + epoxy it won't be enough to stabilize the guard durably.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

J

[Will S]

Ace, cheers Julien - most helpful!

I've persevered with some tiny wedges of ash and coated them in epoxy before pushing them down each side of the tang. It looks fairly solid so far - although the blade is maybe 1mm angled across the guard. I don't think it will be too noticeable once everything is assembled. I think I'll also drip some superglue into the gaps to really secure everything.

As a point of interest - when I took the original sword apart, the grip was packed with solid black glue that looked almost like plastic - I assume this is some type of epoxy but I've never come across any glue that sets like that. Does anybody know what it is? Made my Windlass, if that's any help.

[Julien M]

Yep typical windlass goo

Pretty sure it's epoxy. I guess it comes in various colors. Some cutlers add black powder to it to taint it black for instance. It's less noticeable that way and some like this finish better than the translucent yellowish typical color of such glues.