Making A Vimose Sword

[brennivs - tony drake]

Sorry for being away so long So I have started on a new sword ? Hmm.
The blade is in spring steel and the hilt is in Oak and Bone. I will be covering the pommel and hand gaurd in studs as to the grip still thinking on that one ?



The blade is 32" long with a long taper i will see if I can post pics of the origional D
Regards Brennivs

[brennivs - tony drake]

I have a question to all has anyone seen the finds from any of the bog finds especially the wood hand guards is there any evidence for a metal or organic plate to protect the the wood as most of my pics dont show this. Thanks to Conal for sending me some drawings
However this is a piece that I am missing, either it may have a insert? A piece completly covering the whole of the guard or nothing at all :?
Any thoughts D
Regards Brennivs

[Ulfric]

Hi Tony, great choice of sword to replicate!

... the hilt is in Oak and Bone. I will be covering the pommel and hand gaurd in studs as to the grip still thinking on that one ?

Surely there are surviving grip parts from Vimose? If not, the Thorsberg or Nydam deposits have plenty.
You don't say which pommel from the top picture you're doing ... the shape looks most like the top right with the grooves in it ... but that one's got no studs.

... is there any evidence for a metal or organic plate to protect the the wood ...

Mostly not, its quite a rare thing. I guess re-enactors and film makers like them though.

[brennivs - tony drake]

Thanks Ulfric D D D
Regards Brennivs

[brennivs - tony drake]

Will be starting on a new pommel next couple of days as, I have some better views of the type of studed ones that have been found
Hope also to start the studs themselves I will be useing brass and then silver them. So will post when I can. I am also interested in some of what looks like wood wheel chapes like below :

Or are these ivory ? Can anyone confirm this chears
Regards Brennivs

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

In this book is some metallurgical info on the Vimose sword.

http://books.google.nl/books?id=c947L8Y ... ds&f=false

M.VIB.M.

[Ulfric]

Tony those chapes as far as I remember are termed 'bone' in some archaeo reports : which I don't have right now. I'd be surprised if none of them were ivory : it is used quite a bit! I wonder what colour they all were originally, maybe some were even green!
I have a feeling they weren't wood : but only close inspection hands-on would confirm ... so who is going to the museum for us? Anyone live nearby?

[brennivs - tony drake]

Thank you Marcvs D ? roll: Hope to be a bit further ahead tommorow. Thanks again
Regards Brennivs

[noxia]

Hi,
the chapes on display are all out of ivory or iron. None seems to be out of wood.
Have a look at Engelhardts table. There is a similar guard piece.

Concerning metal plates for the guards there are two plates preserved in Thorsberg, out of silver sheet. All the other pieces show no traces of metal, but as iron is almost in no case preserved in Thorsberg perhaps you should have a look at other bog finds - Illerup for example.
Regards
nox

[brennivs - tony drake]

Noxia thank you for that close up of the hand guard D ? D D oops: :? D

The oak is well seasoned and I was on a while doing it :lol: :lol:

As you can see the gaurd needs to be a bit bigger and a little rounder but I can just put the other ones to one side for another sword.The sword is still at a ruff stage the shoulders need to be squared off and a bit more work on the blade

Regards Brennivs

[noxia]

Hi Brennius,
both pommel and hand guard with the plenty silver nails are of the rounded type and not the flat ones. Perhaps you should consider this.
A nice feature at the hand guard is the pressed sheet foil which might have been gilded (thats vergoldetes Silberpressblech) I am not sure about the term in english.
In Thorsberg there is a silver pommel with also this foil in the "channel". As pommel and hand guard seem to fit together the pommel might have had such an foil too.
The hand guard has to be turned for 90 degrees as the channel is always sideways as at the pommel too, but you will of course know that...
Regards
nox

[brennivs - tony drake]

Thanks Noxia D ? ? ????
Chears once again D
Regards Brennivs

[noxia]

Hi Brennius,
yes the guard has a rounded profile (at least i think, because i did no see the finds in reality) but i suppose that it is a hemisphere with the flat side at the bottom. Therefore it is the half of the pommel, if you understand what i mean.
If you have a look at your picture from the exhibition there you can see the channel foil a little bit at the side. It seems to be without gilding only of silver.
Looking forward to see your handgrip

[Medicus matt]

Hi Brennius,
both pommel and hand guard with the plenty silver nails are of the rounded type and not the flat ones.

At least one of the Vimose 'studded' guards is flat rather than round. I took a picture of this one in Copenhagen. Again, it's got a channel down the sides, running parallel to the edges of the blade.

[attachment=0:jwgli73j]<!-- ia0 studguard.JPG<!-- ia0 [/attachment:jwgli73j]

Just realised that it's the one in the line drawing from Englehardt. :oops:

[brennivs - tony drake]

No problem Mat excellent pic though D D
Regards Brennivs