Maker(s) of authentic edged weapons?

[Benedict]

Dear ACers,

I wondered if there are any makers of authentic edged weapons, e.g. officer's swords, cavalry sabers, etc. out there or if there are only the far eastern copies?

I am asking because over here in Europe, there are armorers/smiths who forge authentic edged weapons for all kinds of time periods, from various Medieval swords to Napoleonic era sabres.

Thanks for your replies!

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Maker(s) of authentic edged weapons?

Hallo!

Short answer... no.

In brief and to over-generalize- it is a matter of asking what are the best of the worst, or less poor than others.

For a while the so-called Ames remakes were the better of the poor.
Followed by the rare find of some of the stuff done for the Civil War Centennial.

Basically, the issues are:

1. lack of weight, balance
2. blades with no spring temper
3. cast in, or poorly done blade simulated acid "etching" or worse yet raised relief simulation
4. lack of detail and crispness in the sand cast brass furniture
5. leather wrapped grips rather than ray skin (can be redone for about $150ish)
6. heavy gauge brass wire grip/hilt wraps
7. NUG, an "India" ricasso stamp

Curt

[guad42]

Re: Maker(s) of authentic edged weapons?

I second Curt's assessment. Knives and Swords made with anything resembling authenticity or quality are hard to come by. If one's check book supports it, I suggest originals, especially for swords.

Knives can be found as there are people out there that make authentic looking bowies, trade knives, and various other types of decent enough blades. But even some of these should be scrutinized by comparison with originals.

-Sam Dolan
Who cares not for Indian/Paki knives, guns, or swords.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Maker(s) of authentic edged weapons?

I agree with the posts above. However, if carrying an original sword gives you heartburn, the current best alternative is The Discriminating General/Military Heritage. They have a number of better than average repros, one of which just arrived at Casa Wickett this evening. ;)

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Maker(s) of authentic edged weapons?

Ben, the problem is that CW blades were rolled or drop/die forged and not forged on an anvil. The fuller is the hardest thing to forge if you don't have dies for it. Actually there are still some firms in Solingen that were the actual makers of swords during the CW. Weyersberg is still making representation sword , even the ones of the US Marine Corps are made by them!
Unfortunately none of the period export swords are made any more. And their finish is modern with plating etc.
Searching for an original might be the best choice, unfortunately. German import swords are not so high in the price as American manufactured ones and for me personally have a certain charme as they are from "the old country":)