Pugio & Scabbard 1st attempt

[Charlie]

My friend and I have been tinkering around making some pieces. Here are a few images of a pugio and scabbard that my mate Jimmy has completed. NOTE this is his very first attempt at anything like this.
The scabbard is leather covered wood with a brass plate, with decorations influenced by the Velsen scabbard. Suspension hangers etc are brass with red enamel inlays on the rivets. The blade is mild steel and the hilt also brass. Deer antler on top of the pommel again with red enamel inlayed rivets.
My very good friend Brian Stobbs has been our mentor and an absolute gem in helping us along as we go....thank you Brian!


[attachment=7080]PugioScabbard1.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=7081]PugioScabbard2.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=7082]PugioScabbardtop.jpg[/attachment]

[M. Val. Naso]

I want to steal this, it is so beautiful. There are not so many things, which can incite me to commit crimes

[PhilusEstilius]

Phil.

Thank you very much for the compliments and now when I look at the finished job what can I say but fantastic, and indeed my very best compliments to Jimmy for this is just the start he certainly has a gift and this is as good as anyone will find in the market place.

[Pointer]

All I can say is WOW! If that is a first attempt... What will the second one be? I have seen companies on the Internet advertise an item as "Museum Quality" we'll this piece truly is in my opinion... A work of art! Did you also make the fastening loops?

[M. Demetrius]

Excellent work. Are the suspension rings cast, or tooled?

[Vindex]

A thing of beauty is a joy forever! What a skill to have - very impressive.

[Charlie]

Thank you all for your kind words, I'll pass them on to my friend.
Yes David the suspension rings are tooled.....all hand made.

[M. Demetrius]

Very much more impressive that they all look identical to the eye, based on the one photograph.
Astonishing work. How many hours involved in the scabbard?

How about some details about how the blade and hilt were constructed.

[Charlie]

No worries David, I'll post some details on the construction ok.

[Charlie]

David here are some photos of the handle jig and handles/hilt for the dagger. Also a write up from Brian Stobbs (permission granted to post) on the construction of the blade and tang. The benefit of the hollow handle is purely weight, as it is so much lighter than cast brass or solid steel handles, but equally as strong.
Brian might like to add some further information on the benefits and construction method.


[attachment=7084]handlejig2.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=7085]handles.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=7086]bladeconstruction.jpg[/attachment]

[M. Demetrius]

Great stuff! Thanks!

Did you make a negative form (like a socket, sort of) to bend the brass grip into, or was it formed around the handle of the pugio?

[PhilusEstilius]

The jig for producing the handle pieces is one made by Phil's friend and it does show just how much lighter a Pugio handle should be for it becomes semi-hollow, the blade of course can be ripped out with the method shown that gives the central rib to it.
The original rib on daggers may well have been made where the smith would have hammered the hot blade over a groove in a metal block, then when reversed the two halves of the blade would be also hammered down to produce the other rib. It may well be the reason why we find that on many blades thes ribs are offset from one another.

The type of small tang reflects the tang as seen on many daggers that have been found and is a type that I have used now for many years, the rest of the handle being of wood or indeed bone or horn.
If the handle is put together very neat and flush it only needs at times one rivet to hold it onto the blade, or indeed another two rivets can be put through the shoulders of the blade if one needs it to be more secure.

[Charlie]

David, the solid handle in the middle presses a sheet of brass through the jig to form the (handle shell if you like). Like a die set. Thanks Brian for the above explanation.

[PhilusEstilius]

As Phil has explained the solid bronze block which has a heavy T shaped piece braised onto it at the back is hammered down into the thick jig plate and creates the hollow handle, this handle has then to have the brass cut away from it and tidied up and is a match to the next one made. Then even with a complete solid tang to the blade it is still much lighter than cast solid bronze hand grips.

[M. Demetrius]

That is sort of what I'd imagined. Thanks for the explanation. Using that technique, one could make quite a number of pugio handles in the time it would take to repousse just one.