Today we take a look at two custom longsword trainers that were designed to fit the needs of a client of ours who practices both unarmored and armored HEMA. The sword for unarmored combat, or blossfechten, utilizes the cross guard from our Black Prince sword and has a slightly elongated string wrapped grip and a disc pommel.We've designed the blade dynamics based on the requirements of the client.
Custom trainer for unarmored combat
The second sword is a dedicated armored combat training sword with a narrow tip for binding with chainmaille, a fancy wire-wrapped grip that will resist being destroyed by gauntlets, and the hilt and pommel from our German Branch Sword . The blade is very rigid and transitions from a diamond section in the strong of the blade to a hexagonal section in the week - a geometry that allows the blade to have a historical blade profile and weight, while keeping the edges thick enough that they won't get chewed up when contacting other blades or armor.
Trainer for armored combat based on our German Branch Sword, with custom wire wrapped grip
Wire wrap detail
To inquire about a custom piece please email us at aa@arms-n-armor.com
As always, our swords and other weapons are entirely made by us, by hand, at our shop in Minneapolis, MN. Sword blades are hand ground of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. All of our products are made to look, feel, and function just like the historical originals on which they are based. Arms and Armor is dedicated to quality and authenticity. For over four decades we have worked with museums, collectors, and scholars around the world to develop a deep understanding of European weapons; knowledge we use to make products that exemplify the finest qualities of the very best historic pieces. When we select historic items to reproduce, being pretty isn't enough, they have to move with grace and beauty, and beg to be used when in the hand. These are pieces that feel as good as they look, and that work as well as they feel. Our mission is to craft items that recreate the look, feel, and function of the best historic originals. Check out our website with all of our products, blogs, and upcoming events here.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at many HEMA events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies. Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985