Spur some discussion with your pics

C.S. Graves said:
Got to love darb/dha! :thumbup: I've got a small one myself:

:D:D:D:D oh, you mean the pic!

But seriously, thanks for the kind comment about the daab, yours looks very nice too, I have one around the same size, they balance is wonderful on those smaller daab/dha.

Will have to see if I can find a pic.

I like the other blades you have shown thanks for sharing.
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Duzzy said:
Okay, I'll bite again. Which of those Katana would I use if I wanted to face a car in epic battle?

Chuckinohio: See, now that's one thing that drives me nuts. In my mind a sword should not flex. I've never owned a real sword, and I've only held the swords that one would find in the possession of a "mall ninja". (You know, the kind of person who has a TV worth several thousands but thinks that his $150 sword is high end (and if you compare it to the $30 swords you can find in the same establishment it probably is...).)

I get that the spine should be "softer" than the blade for the purpose of shock absorption, but the flex just seems odd and out of place on a weapon. Of course, I'm also the type of person who looks at a knife made out of 1/8" stock and thinks that it needs significantly more metal.
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For the epic car battle, only the Stainless Steel Highlander Katana is recogknized as being suitable, and then only if manufactured from J420 stainless.:)

A sword needs to have a certain ammount of flex for shock absorption. Some prefer more flexible blades, and some prefer more rigid blades. The style of sword also dictates what ammount of flexibility there will be in the blade itself.

When I say that they will flex 6 inches for instance, that is putting the point of the sword on a wooden block and torquing the handle of the sword to the side to flex the blade. Holding the blade straight out in your hand and striking the pommel to find the center of percussion, I prefer a sword that flexes no more than an inch at the tip. That is a half inch to no more than inch from center line either way. I prefer a rigid blade.

Blades that are overly flexible are referred to as "WHIPPY" and I do not care for them at all. Swords manufactured by Windlass steelcrafts seem to suffer from this malady by and large with few exceptions. A whippy blade will give you alot of feedback in the grip of the sword and I do not care for that.

JParanee-
The Hamon of that Barret/Mills is phenomenal, it sets that blade apart in a very appealing way.

Anyone interested in Albion swords should look at Kultofathena.com. They have several Albions in stock and are top notch to deal with in all ways. Albions are pretty much top of the line unless one commissions a blade from a reputable smith.

Chuck
 
Armadew said:
A couple of Albions:
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Armadew- I've been drooling over The Munich since it was just a concept drawing on their site years ago. (when it could be pre-ordered for $900 :( ) How do you like it? What can you tell me about its handling?

I notice a couple blunts in that second picture. Do you study swordsmanship in one of the historical traditions?
 
the possum said:
Armadew- I've been drooling over The Munich since it was just a concept drawing on their site years ago. (when it could be pre-ordered for $900 :( ) How do you like it? What can you tell me about its handling?
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Albions always kick in the drool glands when displayed like above, hell it could be stuck into a cow patty and still get me to slobbering:D

Chuck
 
Actually only waited for the Munich. I pre-ordered it when it was just a concept and it took a few years before they went into production. The others I traded or picked up directly from them.

The Munich is awesome. :D it handles very well, but it's more geared for the thrust. It feels especially good when half-swording. I actually broke my first one :eek: because of a bad weld, but Albion shipped me another about a week later free of charge. The Munich is my favorite for looks, but the Talhoffer is the best handling sword I've ever picked up (besides antiques).

Yes, I practice swordsmanship. I've been doing it for about eight or nine years. I recommend both of those blunts highly.:thumbup:
 
Anstey said:
But seriously, thanks for the kind comment about the daab, yours looks very nice too, I have one around the same size, they balance is wonderful on those smaller daab/dha.

Will have to see if I can find a pic.

I like the other blades you have shown thanks for sharing.
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Thanks! I'd like to have one of the longer darb too... especially ever since watching Bang Rajan. :D For the longest time I considered Cozun, but read a rather harsh review of their blades on a site somewhere.

Also liked looking at these:

Armadew said:
DSC00751.jpg
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Those extra pointy types remind one of those medieval paintings of long-limbed angels casting Lucifer and company out of Heaven, or more earthly execution scenes. I envy Albion owners!
 
Armadew said:
I actually broke my first one :eek: because of a bad weld...
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Uhhh... What? :eek:
I didn't realize there were any welds at all on these. I thought the blade and tang were all machined from one bar. Where is it welded? How did you break it?

Armadew said:
Yes, I practice swordsmanship. I've been doing it for about eight or nine years. I recommend both of those blunts highly.:thumbup:
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My former instructor (Scott Brown) had a pair of those Fechterspiels, and I agree they seemed pretty nice. If you've been to some of the gatherings over there, you might have even met him.
 
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C.S. Graves said:
Those extra pointy types remind one of those medieval paintings of long-limbed angels casting Lucifer and company out of Heaven, or more earthly execution scenes.
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Know what ya mean, but couldn't find any examples with some quick googling. There are several in Durer's works though.

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I think that if I were to purchase a sword from Albion it would be along the lines of The Sovereign or The Vassal. I like the idea of short and wide blades. They just seem more sturdy, although The Machiavelli looks pretty cool as well.
 
Here's my Albion Vigil

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Here is the new custom DBK scabbard, note my sword is not in this pic

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the possum said:
Uhhh... What? :eek:
I didn't realize there were any welds at all on these. I thought the blade and tang were all machined from one bar. Where is it welded? How did you break it?



My former instructor (Scott Brown) had a pair of those Fechterspiels, and I agree they seemed pretty nice. If you've been to some of the gatherings over there, you might have even met him.
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I know Scott! I'm hoping to see him again in Sweden next month. Anyway I was cutting a pretty hard target and the hilt bent just above my left hand. I'll see if I can round up a pic.
 
the possum said:
Uhhh... What? :eek:
I didn't realize there were any welds at all on these. I thought the blade and tang were all machined from one bar. Where is it welded? How did you break it?
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I realize now that I'm confusing two stories. The Albion broke because of a bad heat treat. It was an Arms & Armor that I broke because of a bad weld.
 
Anyway I was cutting a pretty hard target and the hilt bent just above my left hand.
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I'd be curious to know whether there was a problem with the heat treat, or whether they ever heat treated the tang at all. (did they ever tell you?) There is a strongly rooted idea among many sword smiths that the tang should be left dead soft. Not saying that's what happened in this case, but it's a perfect example why I think that's a bad idea, especially on a sword with such a long & narrow grip. A spring temper would be much more durable than annealed steel.


I know Scott! I'm hoping to see him again in Sweden next month.
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Cool! He sure does seem to get around, and he's a great instructor. I learned a heck of a lot from him. I still keep in contact with him & our club shares videos with him for feedback, but since he moved 750 miles away we don't see as much of each other.

Right now we're mainly focusing on German Longsword, after Ringeck, some of the "Goliath" manuscript, and a little bit with J. Meyer, but one of the guys has done some work with I.33 (with Scott), and someday I hope to branch out into messer as well. How 'bout you?

May as well throw in a picture of the aluminum blunt I use at class-
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There's more pictures & details on its construction here if you're interested.
 
Updated pics. I gave my Koga ninjato to my friend when he came back from Iraq so I replaced it with a damascus tanto.

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I believe chuckinohio was referring to my post about this forum being dead. ;)
Unfortunately, I only have two swords in my possesion right now, because I
just finished buying this:

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Here are my two swords:

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A Cold Steel Grosse Messer and a Musashi ss676. I have cut a few bottles
with the Musashi and a couple of phone books with the GM. I enjoy
both of them immensely and plan on buying either a higher end(around $300) katana, a CS 1796 saber or a "Viking" style sword next. I guess I'll know what I want when I get the money.

You guys have some real nice swords, can't wait to expand my collection..
 
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