HIstorical Sword Making
Is Damascus steel better for swords?
The idea that so-called "Damascus" steel produces superior swords is quite common, but is it true? To be sure, ther...
Hunting Swords
In the Medieval period the hunt was seen as excellent training for combat and would often involve the use of hand we...
Arms & Armour History Conservation and Analysis
This volume brings together papers written by curators, conservators and scientists who have worked very closely wit...
The Wounds of Summer
This time of year is usually our busiest, and this year is even crazier than ever. What with unprecedented order v...
Sword of St Martin 15th C
This sword is based on a depiction in a Book of Hours from France dated about 1440. It is one of the earliest example...
The Xiphos
Today we look at the Xiphos, the classic double-edged sword of the ancient Greek warrior. It is a weapon that straddl...
What is a short sword?
Sword terminology is a complex mix of ancient terms, often misleading Victorian description, and modern pop-cultural ...
Distal and Profile Taper of European Swords
Alright, this post comes with a long video, so settle in and grab some popcorn or a beer. Among historical sword afi...
13 most asked questions from the Ren Faire
We are back to doing shows with customers, at least for the present, fingers crossed. We have done renaissance fairs ...
Anglo-Saxon Sword Spotlight
Our Anglo-Saxon Sword is a great example of the type of weapon wielded by the warriors of the late 10th and early 11...
Medieval Longword Edge Sharpness
Today we will look in detail at a specific surviving longsword's edge and how sharp such a sword would have been in p...
What is a gothic sword?
Today we examine what it means to call a weapon "Gothic". Though there is a subset of our readers who may have in min...