I Like Knives

[The Vyper]

*snip*

Those are some nice swords, Vometia. Very nice collection. I don't have a Paul Chen katana myself, but I do have a Shinwa on the way.

True enough, but in the case of my Armour Class Mediaeval (in the above picture) you can see it wouldn't make a very good stabbing sword! The balance may be on par with some sort of epee/rapier type thing, but it's really a slashing sword.

But my point was really that swords aren't all that heavy: just that they feel heavy when you're waving them about. I blame some of this on Oblivion's encumbrance system which has often been erroneously described as "lbs" rather than an arbitrary unit of burden perhaps better expressed as "inconveniences": a Dremora sword has more unit inconveniences than a steel sword for example because it has lots of nasty sharp pointy bits and tries to steal your soul while you're carrying it, but its physical weight is probably the same.

Ok, I get what you're saying now. Good point.

Thought I'd post a few images of one of my decorative swords:

Dragon Katana Sheathed- the sheath looks like it has scales on it. Nice touch.

Dragon Katana Unsheathed- The blade looks...a bit different.

Handle Closeup- Love the dragon head, complete with teeth and tongue.

Blade Closeup- Like I said, a bit different. Cool pattern, though.

[WillieSea]

I don't have a decorative sword, more of a used sword.

[Jheuloh]

Swordsman Willie!

[PacificMorrowind]

15 lbs?!

well it is an oldish hand made one... but really nothing to swing around (have I mentioned that I toss 15ft tall trees all the time?)

Pacific

[vometia]

I acquired a new scabbard today, this time for my Albion Kingmaker - and if any of my swords needed it, this one did with its vicious and scary pointy bit! I'm really pleased with it. As with the Chevalier, I gave the scabbard maker the vaguest of instructions and told him to basically do it as he saw fit. Glad I did as he came up with something I'd never have thought of! Here are some pictures:

The scabbard.

The scabbard and a naked sword - how rude!

Details of the leatherwork.

Clicky for bigger image etc

I'm really developing an appreciation for scabbards: without one, a sword does feel rather incomplete. It's like a tasty sandwich without the bread: however good the filling is, you know there's something missing. True, the blades are nice, but I reckon I'll have a "sword of the week" that I'll put on display and the rest can be safe (and look smart!) in their scabbards. A well made scabbard really is a thing of beauty, too: I'm becoming increasingly surprised that so many swords (and especially high-end ones) are sold scabbardless. Good scabbard makers are quite hard to find, too; at risk of increasing his workload (well, risk to me that is!) this one was done by Tod of Tod's Stuff. His website's well worth a look even for those not in the market for anything since there's a whole bunch of interesting, aesthetic and curious-looking stuff on there.

Oh, and that picture of Willie a couple of posts back is scaring me.

[InsanitySorrow]

Very nice

[Joben]

That is a beautiful knife and scabard Vom. Love it.

Look what i have heading my way from some place in Canada.

A custom, hand made sheath for my tomahawk. I won it in a giveaway on Bladeforums.

The guy sent me these pics last week.

I can hardly stand the wait for this thing to clear customs and get down here.

[vometia]

That is nice, especially considering it's a freebie. Waiting's such fun, isn't it?

[Rowan]

I thought I'd take the liberty of posting a picture of some of my swords, since I've already got away with posting one of them without anybody complaining.

wow, I'm impressed. You have a very extensive and quality collection there.

I've always been a blade lover, but the two that I got early in life broke because they were cheap decorative weapons and I didn't treat them like cheap decorative weapons. I used them while trying to film my own fantasy film called Rowan - hence my alias.

Then I got this:

http://www.museumreplicas.com/p-300-sword-of-roven.aspx

I'm sorry I don't have my own picture of it...

My dream weapon would be made by one of these guys:

http://www.odinblades.com/

http://www.castlekeep.co.uk/

I would love to apprentice under a master sword maker and forge my own swords though. It will happen someday! I swear.

[Vouivre]

Whenever I get my camera I'll post my modest collection, my father has the better collection of older blades. Including decorative blades, a small tanto (real old dunno the era, the metal part beneath the handle has notches in it.. edo period maybe)

What I do have- My replica claymore(flimsy metal.. BAH) which I when I was in highschool could wield one handed and swing very well(been wanting to get into swordplay)

Forged shortsword(crappy looking, why someone gave it to me I dunno..) solid steel, with just a cord wrapped handle.. nothing fancy

Forged dagger- cloth wrapped handle with wire wrapped around that. For show but if I wanted to use it.. it's enough.

Fantasy longsword- griffon head pommel, with an interesting blade, one part is wavy like a flamberge, a smaller part is serrated on both sides, and the rest a normal blade

One blue scabbard and wrap katana- the first sword I ever got. Razor edge, for show not use(I so wish.)

one tanto from when I was in epcot, red scabbard and handle

one dragon headed dagger with sheath(ok.. more of a short sword)

And my black scabbard katana with a golden serpent and green dragon wrapped around the blade, I got this from smokey mountain knifeworks. down in... tennessee.

I also have a true damascus style dagger oiled and wrapped in plastic(to keep from rusting)

The stuff I REALLY want is illegal in massachusetts(stupid laws...>.<)There's some really awesome swords out there and daggers(especially the assassins creed bracer and wrist dagger which WORKS) that's illegal in mass... i'm so moving to a state where I can get all this stuff legally.. it's annoying me. Either that or I write to a representative and ask them to try changing the laws so we can get this stuff in finally. -end rant-

I have some.. boris valejo fantasy knives(fold up blades with pictures of women with next to nothing on... it's art! really!) and then I have a short sword from the same series on my wall.

What I really want to get is a dai-katana, naginata, true forged and of course a flamberge, greatsword and other large "twohanders" forged for actual use/function

Thats all I got.. maybe pictures will come... someday.

[Joben]

I got my tomahawk sheath. Did a quick review for my youtube channel.

[The Vyper]

I just got this image from OlliN Sword Design LLC:

It's a sword I designed some time ago and decided to get made. Right now, they're working on the guard and handle for me. I can't wait to get my hands on the finished product. Yes, it cost a pretty penny (okay, more like $2300 US ), but I'll be the only person on Earth with one like it.

[vometia]

but I'll be the only person on Earth with one like it.

And that's always a good reason.

It's an interesting thing: quite alien and vicious-looking, but rather cool all the same. So what have you got planned for the handle? Or will we have to wait and see...?

[The Vyper]

It's an interesting thing: quite alien and vicious-looking, but rather cool all the same.

Thanks! I was going for "vicious" and/or "Nasty". I even have a name for it: The B.O.M.Y.U. or Blade Of Mess You Up. The really cool thing is that, in addition to looking mean, it's also functional.

It's an interesting thing: quite alien and vicious-looking, but rather cool all the same. So what have you got planned for the handle? Or will we have to wait and see...?

I actually designed two handles that can be changed out as desired. One looks sort of like O==O==O (don't have any pics at the moment). I designed that one to provide me with an ideal (for me) two-handed no-slip grip. The other is a straight handle. They're working on those now.

[InsanitySorrow]

Hmmmm only thing I'll say is......I wants to model it

[The Vyper]

Hmmmm only thing I'll say is......I wants to model it

Do I sense another addition for The Arsenal V2?

[InsanitySorrow]

Do I sense another addition for The Arsenal V2?

Nope

.......Hmmmm....

[Joben]

Woho! Finaly got an ESEE HEST of my own. I love this blade, it's hardly left my side since i got it, largely supplanting my Izula and ESEE-3

It very thick and strong, but still quite light. It has several multi-functional features, including a pry bar and wire breaker notch, and a hidden compartment inside the handle.

[vometia]

My dream weapon would be made by one of these guys:

...

http://www.castlekeep.co.uk/

[ub3rman123]

Seeing the costs of some of these swords makes me really appreciate Blender.

[Si-Shen]

vometia, I am so jelous right now... I SO want that sword...

Si needs more moneh

[Khettienna]

I Like Knives

That's first on my list of things not to say on a first date...

...I generally save if for the second...

...So there you go...a few of my favorite things. What'cha got to say about that?

I think just say it on the first date to greatly increase the quality of girls who agree to a second.

Pretty, pretty weapons!

[Rowan]

I agree with Khett! If your girl doesn't like knives too she's probably not the girl for you!

[vometia]

Unwrapped my Glamdring yesterday (cue "ooh, I wonder what this could be?" when faced with some very sword-shaped Christmas wrapping ) and... wow. I think I was quite hyper and silly when I saw the photos; this was Part II of the same!

It's absolutely stunning. Rob from Castle Keep has done an amazing job with it. To reprise the lead-up to its creation, I'd dithered about exactly what I'd wanted for about 18 months, going through various indecisive incarnations of an "heirloom sword", then on to a TES:IV style ebony longsword (he was really interested in doing one of those, but the cost would've been astronomical: "£2,000 as a starting point" was way out of my budget) and finally settled on a Glamdring as featured in the Jackson version of LotR: don't think much of his "epic everything with added epic" approach to films, but whoever designed the swords knew their stuff. Rob took one look, trimmed off anything he viewed as superfluous crap (I wasn't convinced about stripping away the runes and so forth, but the point of getting someone like Rob involved is that they really know what they're doing: not just as a sword-smith but also aesthetically, which is where he's really making a name for himself) and within a short space of time he took me completely off guard having almost finished the thing. And with excellent timing it arrived a couple of days before Christmas.

I think I've already overdone how excited I am by its appearance. It's nothing short of superb, and Rob's tweaking of the original design has resulted in something that's cleaner and better overall, in my opinion. Added touches like the sharkskin grip with the "eye" give it a bit of intrigue without making it look overdone at the same time as retaining the strong points of the original like the leaf-shaped blade and the crossbar.

Its looks are matched by its handling. Unlike my TES character I barely know one end of a sword from the other, but having handled a few of them now I'm starting to develop a bit of a feel for them, both in terms of what to expect and even building up my own preferences. This is a little heavier than I'm used to but its weight is perfectly in keeping for a sword of its size - 48" overall with a 36" blade. At 1,937 grams (erm... skulks off to work out the weight in real money ... 4 lbs 4 oz) it's getting on for twice the weight of my identically-sized Albion Gallowglass, though the latter has a very slender blade so that's unsurprising. Even in my inexpert hands it feels very agile even waving it about with one hand, and it feels absolutely superb when held with both hands. Unlike the Gallowglass with its hand-and-a-half grip, there's plenty of room for both hands on the Glamdring. Its centre of balance is about 4-5" from the crossguard which gives it a very lively feel.

Rob makes his swords from EN45, which is a standard designation for springy steel in the UK. It seems to have a bit of a mixed reputation on the forums, but having asked a few smiths about it they absolutely love using the stuff since it both works well and makes a very good sword: apparently it's not just very springy and tough (it's often used to make springs for car suspension, apparently) but it can be seriously hardened without affecting its, erm, boinginess (sorry, my knowledge of metallurgy is rather scant: if asked what metallurgy means, I'd probably answer "rust" ). Talking of rust, that's EN45's one negative: I'm not sure if it's any worse than any other non-stainless steel, but it can be a bugger for rusting if not well looked after. But, y'know, the answer to that is to look after them.

Anyway, this thing is amazing. It looks superb, and it's big, so it has a real presence. It's sharpened to a sort of medium sharpness, so it's not razor-sharp like some of my swords but it would certainly be capable of removing limbs and stuff so I need to be careful. That point is absolutely vicious, too: I think I've already left several holes in the carpet!

To finish the package, Rob's made a nice scabbard for it. Again nothing fancy but its real appeal lies in its understated quality: rather than a basic leather sheath he's gone for the proper wooden thingy which is nicely bound in leather and properly stitched. The top of it fits the sword's "neck" beautifully and it's finished off with belt loops (complete with belt!) and a nice silver casting for the pointy end.

So I'm delighted with it. I'll post my own pictures in time (being Christmas of course I have a cold, and I'm not in the mood to try and take its picture while I'm sneezing constantly!) but for now the collage I posted earlier will have to do.

[vometia]

Still no pictures to post yet: sorry. I'm chronically sleep-deprived and just can't get my act together to do anything artistic.

But that hasn't stopped me planning my next project! A few people will be aware of the official Dragon Age Grey Warden's sword that's been made by Epic Weapons; and perhaps more to the point that there's some controversy in that it's quite expensive at $400 but that its quality isn't necessarily reflected in its price: perhaps its collectability is, in which case it's not a problem, but a stainless steel moulding usually costs less than 100 dollarpounds at your friendly local mediaeval tat vendor and for this price you'd generally expect to see a proper steel blade of at least nominal sword quality. So I've decided that for my birthday I'll be having a Grey Warden sword made by an actual swordsmith: the design will likely be tweaked a fair bit as there's a number of features I'm not desperately keen on, but the end result will be something I'm a lot happier with.

Back to Glamdring, I have to say I'm still totally awe-struck by the thing. Even if not for its pedigree, I'm amazed that a two-hander actually feels so light and nimble and can function quite happily as a one-handed sword. Plus the fact that it looks astonishingly good: no photograph can do justice to what it looks like in person. Out of curiosity I had a look on TES Nexus, something I hadn't thought of doing before, and was interested to see a number of modellers had also submitted their own interpretation: the interesting bit is that they too had dispensed with the same extraneous detail that Rob had done away with, and IMHO looked better for it; admittedly I'm going to be somewhat biased, but I think it's significant that those of an artistic bent came to the same conclusion. Of course, biased or not, mine looks best of all.