[Thomas McDonald]

Here's an old review I did (of a former piece that was in my collection) which never did make it to press !
I figure Michael deserves another nod for his fine work on this one ! - Mac


A Scottish ‘Clamshell’ Claymore by Michael ‘Tinker’ Pearce
A Review by Thomas McDonald

“On the morning after the battle - for night had thrown its curtain over the horrors of the scene, before the extent of the carnage could be ascertained - the field of battle and the ground between it and the river, extending as far as the pass, presented an appalling spectacle in the vast numbers of the dead which strewed the savage and unrelenting ferocity with which Mackay's men had been hewn down by the Highlanders. Here might be seen a skull which had been struck off above the ears by a stroke from a broad-sword - there a head lying near the trunk from which it had been severed - here an arm or a limb - there a corpse laid open from the head to the brisket; while interspersed among these lifeless trunks, dejectaque membra, were to be seen broken pikes, small swords and muskets, which had been snapped asunder by the athletic blows of the Lochaber axe and broad-sword”.

. Battle of Killiecrankie (1689)
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/killiecrankie.htm


An example of an original late 16th-or early 17th century Scottish hilt mounted with a late medieval blade.
- Photo: "Culloden The Swords & the Sorrows", National Trust For Scotland. (1996).

Introduction

* The earliest reference known for this form of sword was an article published in 1792 by William Charles Little on the Hammermen of Edinburgh. In 1583 it is noted that a Robert Lyal created for his admittance essay “ane pair of clam schellit gardis” .
From roughly the forth quarter of the sixteenth century, to about the second quarter of the seventeenth, this form of sword made its presence known on the battlefields of Scotland. It is thought to be the last development of the big two-handed swords, in Scotland.
Usually hand and half in length, and shorter than it’s Lowland predecessors, it utilized shells as the major defensive feature of the guard, developed for deflection as opposed to blocking. * Reference: Tony Willis, Scottish “twa handit Swerdis”.



Overview

Michael ‘Tinker’ Pearce is a well known bladesmith, from the state of Washington, who specializes in excellent, high-performance, swords and knives ! Having owned work by Michael, and knowing how well his swords handled & performed, I was thrilled to find this unique piece for sale.

I purchased the sword through a company called Blade Art Inc., based in Miami, Florida, http://www.bladeart.com/ who have a great selection of custom bladed weapons! At a cost of $600.00, plus shipping, the sword arrived in top shape, and proved to be worth every penny of the money spent!

As a collector of Scottish weapons the ‘clamshell’ claymore was a piece that my collection seriously lacked, and also one that is not often found in the reproduction market ….. Thankfully Tinker came to the rescue!

The swords handle is wood cored, with black leather wrapped grip. The hilt is dismountable.
The swords blade is protected by a formed leather sheath , sewn up the back, fitting the blade nicely .

Stats
OL – 49 ¾”
BL – 36 7/8”
BW – 1 ¾” ( 1 ¼” at tip )
Weight – 3 lbs. 9 ¾ oz.
POB – 3 5/8”
COP – 23 ½”
Grip – 11 ¼”
Cross – 7 ¼”
Shell dimensions - 4 ¼” wide x 4 ½” long ( inside width 5 ½” )
Fuller – 17 ¾”
Pommel – 1 ¾” diameter
Blade steel – 5160



Handling Characteristics

Everyone that picks up this sword has commented how light & lively it feels! The blade is quite flexible, almost whippy, but has proven to be an excellent cutter, fairing very well against some very tough ¾” inch plywood.
The harmonics are quite good, keeping vibration to a minimum, as the blade wreaks havoc with all manner of target.
The speed at which this sword can be swung certainly aids to its destructive power, its weight enabling it to be used one-handed, as well as two!



Fit and Finish

The fit and finish on this piece is very good . The hilt is tight , the welding of the shells to the cross are clean, and very solid. The blade is polished to a high level , as well as the fullers , all lines clean & crisp! The leather is good quality, tightly wrapped, and provides an excellent gripping surface! The dismountable hilt is constructed with care, all its pieces fitting together tightly, with top quality materials!



Conclusion

Michael ‘Tinker’ Pearce makes some very cool custom swords, and knives, with performance being key.
BladeArt .com is an excellent source for obtaining some of his unique works (as well as a host of other quality makers) and is a wonderful company to do business with. Do check them out!

[G. Scott H.]

Absolutely stunning! You're right: clamshells are not a common sight on the repro market. Beautiful work. If my eyes don't deceive me, it appears that the clamshell is lined with leather. I also like the hole in the pommel nut (very handy). It's these kinds of details that make a sword stand out above the rest. And for $600, it looks like a steal. Congrats!

[Thomas McDonald]

Hi G.Scott

Yes, the shell guards are lined with leather !

Michael did a very nice job on this one, no doubt about it ! Mac

[G. Scott H.]

Thomas, in the pics, it looks like the pommel just has a round hole all the way through (though there must be two different diameters, so the pommel nut has something to seat on). Is this the case? If so, does the pommel actually fit down somewhat over the rectangular portion of the tang, or does it just fit down over th threaded part? Just curious. Thanks.

[Allen Johnson]

I love the look of these blades but I've always wondered if those clamshells effect your technique any? I know when im doing longsword my grip shifts and slides and I would think the shells might hinder that. But I havent handled one so Im curious.

[Robert W. Betten]

Looks similar to this one, possibly similar inspiration to the historical example you posted?... http://www.armourclass.com/Data/Pages/Scottish_4.htm

But yours is executed perfectly, I'm not particularly fond of clam shell guards but this one is indeed very appealing! congrats on the new sword.

[Thomas McDonald]

[Lee O'Hagan]

That look's a fine example Mac,thanks for sharing,
did you keep it long and do you have a new version,
Tinker had mentioned that he was going to put up his own site , with favourable pricing for the collecter,but i havent heard any news as yet,

[Thomas McDonald]

[Thomas McDonald]

Ah yes, here it is ..... in the Dave Lannon collection ! Mac

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...+stevenson

[Lee O'Hagan]

Cheers Mac,
No doubt dave was happy it look's a nice sword,and as i remember you were more than happy with vince's piece that took it's place,
Davids sword from erik looked really nice,
Ben Sweet recently put up a thread about his new tinker sword,looked an excellent package too,
some of tinkers stuff looks really impressive,but if i'm honest i'd have to say the odd piece leaves me a tad cold,but that could well be down to the high polish finish,i'm not overly keen on too shiny,but that aside tink's one maker i would love to get to see his work up close and personnal,so to speak,
but i could say that about the other chap's mentioned too

[Dominic Dellavalle]

Beautiful looking sword there and definately a different design from what I've seen before. Then again my knowledge of swords is limited and still growing, albeit slowly

The shell guards certainly add something and give the sword a distinct look. Out of curiosity how prevalent a design was this? Honestly this is the first I've seen, again I haven't done a whole lot of research on it though.

Also, I happened to be putzing around Ebay as I often do and found this sword up for auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem...:1:1v_home

While I don't know enough to comment on the sword itself as to age, make, etc. I couldn't help but notice that it has a similiar clamshell guard on it. Just thought I would throw it out there.

Either way again a wonderful looking sword.

[Thomas McDonald]

[Steve Grisetti]

Mac,

This looks like another wonderful piece.

[Thomas McDonald]

[Steve Grisetti]