That second picture looks like an Albion Sheriff on steroids. :p

Wow, I really like both of the alterations you've made! Looks very nice.

Thanks first guys for pushing me in directions I might not have taken with this sword. I think what you see below is what I really like. I changed the quillons slightly from what you last saw and to me this gives the sword back its proportional size. Now on to a smith :D

Joel

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Final (I think) design! [ Download ]

I definately like the flared blade! As for whether the guard should be straight or curved, I like both for different reasons. With the curved guard that you have shown, it reminds me quite a bit of the Strider sword from the Lord of the Rings movies. There is nothing at all wrong with that, but I think the straight cross makes it special in that it doesn't borrow from any indentifiable source. I also like that the ends of the straight cross share a design element with the pommel.

Either way, I think you have a really nice design there, and I can't wait for the pictures of the finished product.

-Grey

Some interesting design variations! Now it will be time for me to sit and maybe knock out a few different ones to present to potential smiths who would want to take on this project. Out of repsect and courtesy, I will not start blurting out names here. I feel the contact with the smith is a highly personal thing and when you find one you like, whose work you like, then the relationship itself can turn into an enjoyable thing. I'll let you guys know when I decide on a final design and a smith to build it!

Thanks again,
Joel

Joel,

I really like the final design! Many blades of this type have profile taper that is much too acute for my tastes. The flow of the profile taper on this one is perfect!

I look forward to seeing the final product.

Joel;

One variant I would like to see is a short fuller maybe 10" to 15" long as I suggested early on: More for the aesthetics than any practical reasons. A bit like the Sempach but with the fuller converging on the center line without a flat hexagonal crossection like the Crecy fuller but much shorter.

I could do a Photoshop version myself but if you do it the artwork will be more consistent to your style of drawing. ( Also feeling lazy. :p :lol: )

Not pushing for this variant but with the very wide at the guard blade a fuller would compensate for your concerns about the blade being to heavy with a 3 1/2" wide blade: The width and depth of the fuller is another variable your selected smith can play with.

As the project progresses and after you decide who will get the commission it would be interesting if you can keep us in the loop about it: I assume that some aspects of your communications with the maker like price should be private and only revealed with mutual consent, but a lot of the design decisions along the way I find very interesting.

Really cool and appreciate that you are sharing some of the process with us (ME, ME, ME :p :lol: )

O.K. I lied. :p I did my own Photoshop of your sword + Fuller.

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[ Download ]

I'm glad this is your sword, because I would have a hard time making up my mind! I really like the short fuller (I think I prefer it a little on the narrower side, like in Jean's picture), and would strongly consider that with the curved guard. At the same time, the non-fullered version with the straight guard really appeals to me as well. I don't think I could chose just one, which for me is a really bad thing, as I don't have the money for one custom sword, let alone two! :eek:

Good luck with the decision making, and thanks for sharing/ letting us put in our two cents.

-Grey

Yeah Greyson, wouldn't it be nice to see both versions! I think this may be it. The more I look at this photo the more in love I fall. The longer fuller with the downcurved guard appeals to me in a BIG way!

Joel

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I think this might be it!! [ Download ]

Joel;

Just a graphic design opinion/ question/ suggestion: From your first drawing I notices that your shading translates as a light source coming from below based on the side of the central ridge that there is shading to show some hollow grinding.

Generally shading works better when the light source is imagined coming from above: The reason for this is that our brains are hardwired to assume overhead lighting when we see an object in isolation. If you take a sphere or a reversed sphere
( Like a moon crater ) if one assumes an overhead source the object that looks like a dome ( Convex ) could actually be a crater ( concave ) if the light is from a source below: With no other visual cues one can reverse the direction of the perception by willing the mind to consider light coming from above and then deciding to look at it as if the light is coming from below.

In general the " default " is lighting from above. ;) :lol: You can easily correct this by just flipping your image around the horizontal axis and I think all the graphics will work better. ( You might be surprised how differently your brain responds to the pics and a certain nagging feeling that something is wrong will go away. )

All the above I vaguely remember from my art history classes when I was taking fine arts in University.

Oh, I like that last one with the 50% length fuller.

It may have been said already and I've missed it. Any thought been given to rotating the pommel by 45 degrees?

That is damned big! Have you considered the stats on that. The Baron is a big sword, but this is a monster. Would have a bladewith of something like 4" to 5" and a blade more than a 4 feet long... jeeeezzz.... Hope you are a big strong guy if you wanna swing that Godzilla of a sword.