I like your Solingen scabbard Chad, and suspect it is a darn good "compromise" between something that definately looks believably period, but not might be easy to prove with multiple period paintings, etc.

I believe I will attempt it on the Sempach. My riser area is large enough to give me some latitude, but both strap attachments will end up low compared to the mouth. Unfortunately, I only have one "belt sized" buckle on hand. So it will be a few days.

I am contemplating ordering 2 "lyre" shaped buckles for roughly 1" & 1-1/2" wide straps to take care of the two different buckles needed for this type of arrangement. I have looked at quite a few antique "findings" listings and gotten the impression that there is actually pretty justifiable license with buckles styles (including very simple equivalents of modern plain ones) over a big range of time. I still like the "eared", "lyre" and "Maximillian" styles best though.

I am trying to work out the lacing of your Solingen (custom made by Aarron?), and have the hardest time invisioning the way the top strap tension of the wrap around the scabbard plus the buckle attachement are worked out. It almost seems like a separate piece of lace leather might be used to secure all strap attachments and the buckle at the scabbard.

A photo of the reverse side or any explanation would be appreciated.

That Sovereign Scabbard rig is a multi-artist affair. The scabbard core and cover were made by Aaron Schnatterly. The belt suspension and chape are by Kevin Iseli.

Here's the scabbard it's loosely based on. Since both the waist belt and scabbard belt are decorated simlarly, it's conceivable that they're not separate. I suppose. :)

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Here's a bad pic of the back. It looks like a single thong of leather is wound though the whole thing.

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That is a pretty neat legacy! (multi artist part.)

It looks like the top strap is split into two thongs that wrap around the buckle (top strap forms a fork where the buckle tongue is). These two thongs then weave throughout the top strap and lower strap. I suspect that if you see the coarse grained flesh side of the leather exposed on the top strap (outward towards observers while you are wearing it) that it is just two straps with no separate thong.

I have thought of splicing two pieces of strap with the later period harnesses (knotted attachment), just so that only fine grained (hair side) surfaces would be exposed while wearing the suspension. This splice would be placed at the beginning/end of tieing the top knot (one can predict it and control it by passing loops of knot starting from top..ending at bottom or vice versa.) It would not be tricky to pull off as long as one does not object to some modern saddle grade stitching at the splice!

I know this thread is a little old, but I had a question that I thought might be good to insert here.

Does anyone have any experience with a suspension system like this?

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I'm not asking so much because of the historical accuracy factor, I am just wondering if such a setup might be more comfortable (also perhaps more stable) than carrying the sword on your waist? It looks like a real spiffy setup to me...

Basically a baldric. Something that was used by a very wide range of cultures, across a very wide range of times, in one variation or another. So to know if its right with a given sword would require knowing what sword, and what the fashion was at that time. Without that context I can't really comment on the historical accuracy of that specific setup...I would need to see/know more about it all...but I'd guess less historical rather than more because of some of the other elements in the picture. That said, accepting what it is, and what I suspect it is not, I think the whole kit looks nice.

In my opinion there are two considerations for baldrics versus belt scabbards.

First is the draw length of the weapon in the baldric scabbard. You tend to see baldrics used for shorter weapons rather than longer ones. From personal experience, when drawing weapons from a baldric scabbard the baldric rides up over your waist during a weapon draw which makes drawing longer weapons a bit more difficult. Your setup with the waist belt over the baldric to secure it in place would solve this problem to some extent.

The other is weight distribution. Baldrics basically have all the weight supported on one shoulder so heavier weapons tend to be more uncomfortable to wear than lighter ones. Again, having the weight supported by the hips and a shoulder (three points instead of two for weight distribution) tends to make it more comfortable to wear, kind of like a Sam Brown belt in a way.

The only problem I see with this setup (baldric under waist belt) is that you have two separate items to adjust instead of one. As you move around a lot they may shift out of alignment. That would probably happen to a greater or lesser extent with any system you use though, so it probably wouldn't matter much anyway unless you are moving an awful lot.

A solution, would be to wear the baldric over the belt instead, and secure it to the belt with some ties or straps to secure it there. That way you can take off the baldric if you need to or adjust it without having to take the belt off as well if is shifts around. I would probably do that instead of the way shown in the picture.

Regards,

Bryce

You may all find this interesting.

I picked it up off a website somewhere (apologies for not having a credit) and some of it is rather fanciful in a Violet Le Duc kind of a way, but there is also some good stuff in it.

Have fun

Tod

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Tod, that's from
Arms and Uniforms
The Age of Chivalry Part 3
Liliane and Fred Funcken, 1982

at least my copy is, I've seen the same plates in other books though the years
I haven't looked at this for years, not since I was a kid really, but it's so obvious in hindsight how much this influenced many of my sword belt and hanger attempts over the years.

Liking the later replies, as they seem to be shifting toward the WEIGHT, BALANCE POINT, and general Physics of any given sword... as opposed to "what is historically correct, in minor detail".

I'll offer a bold proposition: No suspension is worth SHIT, for a particular blade, if it results in a weapon that can not be drawn fast, is uncomfortable for the particular owner, or in any way hampers that owner's ability to fight.

I believe MOST historical designs that were not applied to the cute dress swords of Noble Prancers will exhibit these traits :).

So - a roundabout answer... given your Albion Sempach (it's length, weight, balance), and YOUR particular height, arm length, weight, and physiology... what works for YOU? Do not be surprised, if you have never done this, to find that you MAY try, and abandon, several different suspensions. It's quite possible for YOU to try suspension 38C from a book, then discover that it looks good, and makes you trip every time you try to move. I would advise against something like that :) - it will bring praise from your peers for absolute historical accuracy ...

...then it will get you killed.

Although this is an old topic I figure it makes most sense for me to put this on this topic so that it's all together. I read this thread long ago and I've been unsatisfied with what is available on the market within my budget. I've looked at a lot of pictures of suspension systems along with a lot of effigies. This will be my utilitarian version and in time I plan to put my late father's leatherworking tools to work once I've learned the skill to my satisfaction. Anyway, I think this is reasonably historical, was relatively easy to make and it works amazingly well. No awkwardness in walking and adjustable in the way it orients the sword. It's a double wrap around and does a great job of holding my blunt Hanwei Tinker Pearce longsword.

Here are some pics.


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Steve[/img]