Imitation Arms and Armor-Part II
Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3
Three Fifteenth Century Swords
Ancient Weapons
Imitation swords, stilettos and battle-axes, put up as ornaments, will look well if they are arranged on a shield which is hung high up on a wall of a room or hall, says the English Mechanic, London. The following described arms are authentic designs of the original articles. A German sword of the fifteenth century is shown in Fig. 1. This sword is 4 ft. long with the crossguard and blade of steel. The imitation sword is made of wood and covered with tinfoil to produce the steel color. The shape of the sword is marked out on a piece of wood that is about 1/8 in. thick with the aid of a straightedge and pencil, allowing a little extra length on which to fasten the handle. Cut the sword out with a saw and make both edges thin like a knife blade and smooth up with sandpaper. The extra length for the handle is cut about 1 in. in width and 2 in. long. The handle is next carved and a mortise cut in one end to receive the handle end of the blade. As the handle is to represent copper, the ornamentations can be built up of wire, string, small rope and round-headed nails, the whole finally having a thin coat of glue worked over it with a stiff bristle brush and finished with bronze paint.
The crossbar is flat and about 1 in. in width. Cut this out of a piece of wood and make a center hole to fit over the extra length on the blade, glue and put it in place. Fill the hole in the handle with glue and put it on the blade. When the glue is thoroughly dry, remove all the surplus with a sharp knife. Sheets of tinfoil are secured for covering the blade. Cut two strips of tinfoil, one about 1/2 in. wider than the blade and the other 1/4 in. narrower. Quickly cover one side of the blade with a thin coat of glue and evenly lay on and press down the narrow strip of tinfoil. Stick the wider strip on the other side in the same way, allowing equal margin of tinfoil to overlap the edges of the blade. Glue the overlapping edges and press them around on the surface of the narrow strip. The crossguard must be covered in the same manner as the blade. When the whole is quite dry, wipe the blade up and down several times with light strokes using a soft rag.
The sword shown in Fig. 2 is a two-handed Swiss sword about 4 ft. in length, sharp on both edges with a handle of dark wood around which is wound spirally a heavy piece of brass or copper wire and held in place with round-headed brass nails. The blade and crossbar are in imitation steel. The projecting ornament in the center of the crossguard may be cut from heavy pasteboard and bent into shape, then glued on the blade as shown.
In Fig. 3 is shown a claymore, or Scottish sword of the fifteenth century. This sword is about 4 ft. long and has a wood handle bound closely around with heavy cord. The crossbar and blade are steel, with both edges sharp. A German poniard is shown in Fig. 4. This weapon is about 1 ft. long, very broad, with wire or string' bound handle, sharp edges on both sides. Another poniard of the fourteenth century is shown in Fig. 5. This weapon is also about 1 ft. long with wood handle and steel embossed blade. A sixteenth century German poniard is shown in Fig. 6. The blade and ornamental crossbar is of steel, with both edges of the blade sharp. The handle is of wood. A German stiletto, sometimes called cuirass breakers, is shown in Fig. 7. This stiletto has a wood handle, steel crossbar and blade of steel with both edges sharp.
In Fig. 8 is shown a short-handled flail, which is about 2-1/2 ft. long with a dark handle of wood, studded with brass or steel nails. A steel band is placed around the handle near the top. The imitation of the steel band is made by gluing a piece of tinfoil on a strip of cardboard and tacking it to the handle. A large screw-eye is screwed into the top of the handle. The spiked ball may be made of wood or clay. Cover the ball with some pieces of linen, firmly glued on. When dry, paint it a dark brown or black. A large screw-eye must be inserted in this ball, the same as used on the end of the handle, and both eyes connected with a small piece of rope twisted into shape. The rope is finished by covering with tinfoil. Some short and heavy spike-headed nails are driven into the ball to give it the appearance shown in the illustration.
A Russian knout is shown in Fig. 9. The lower half of the handle is of wood, the upper part iron or steel, which can be imitated by covering a piece of wood that is properly shaped with tinfoil. The whole handle can be made of wood in one piece, the lower part painted black and the upper part covered with tinfoil. A screw-eye is screwed into the upper end. A length of real iron or steel chain is used to connect the handle with the ball. The ball is made as described in Fig. 8. The spikes in the ball are about 1 in. in length. These must be cut from pieces of wood, leaving a small peg at the end and in the center about the size of a No. 20 spike. The pegs are glued and inserted into holes drilled into the ball.
In Fig. 10 is shown a Sclavonic horseman's battle-axe which has a handle of wood painted dark gray or light brown; the axe is of steel. The blade is cut from a piece of 1/4-in. wood with a keyhole saw. The round part is made thin and sharp on the edge. The thick hammer side of the axe is built up to the necessary thickness to cover the handle by gluing on pieces of wood the same thickness as used for the blade, and gradually shaping off to the middle of the axe by the use of a chisel, finishing with sandpaper and covering with tinfoil. Three large, round-headed brass or iron nails fixed into the front side of the handle will complete the axe.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century horseman's battle-axes shaped as shown in Fig. 11 were used. Both handle and axe are of steel. This axe is made similar to the one described in Fig. 10. When the woodwork is finished the handle and axe are covered with tinfoil.