horseclover
Basic Member
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2000
- Messages
- 2,776
It is quite true in viewing stuff without knowing the background. That first jian from my older exploits had been given to me (with some other stuff) from dumpster diving as Boston College students left for the summer. With no illusion that it was an important sword the thin brass fittings and rosewwood or light mahogany scabbard and grip made it pretty clear it was touristy. However, the blade had been hardened and tempered. A stick tang, the blade had the seven brass plugs representing Ursa Major (dà xióng zuò). I went on to slotting a very large grade 8 captive head boiler bolt and drilling for a couple of pins. A paracord grip and a brass nameplate cut out in an oval to form the guard. A grinder friend took offense of my always leaving it in a car trunk and rusting. Absconding it saying he would do a better hilt, I never saw it again except a blade surfaced on SFI a dozen years later bearing a truly uncanny similarity of pin locations and nicked blade. Even more ironically that it had surfaced in a neighboring state and found in a car trunk 
This had not been my first blade project and I guess that would go back to my first pocket knife by age six. Some years before the sword, I had hafted a fixed blade knife using oak floor board wood.
Finding my better picture of it defies me but on the top there. Chided again for reversing half a bowie guard, the same fellow ground the monster with the hole in the blade out of an A2 scraper blade. My old oak hafted knife actually sold a few years ago, as the guy grinning really had to have it. I had used the hell out of that knife and had always ended up being put away grimy.
Off topic, I'll shut up now.
GC
This had not been my first blade project and I guess that would go back to my first pocket knife by age six. Some years before the sword, I had hafted a fixed blade knife using oak floor board wood.
Finding my better picture of it defies me but on the top there. Chided again for reversing half a bowie guard, the same fellow ground the monster with the hole in the blade out of an A2 scraper blade. My old oak hafted knife actually sold a few years ago, as the guy grinning really had to have it. I had used the hell out of that knife and had always ended up being put away grimy.
Off topic, I'll shut up now.
GC
