News and Blogs
How to break your sword...
Today we examine how battle damage, especially edge on edge contact between sharp swords can lead to failure and brea...
Edge damage on historical swords
Today we take a look at two historical swords from The Oakeshott Institute Collection that show evidence of having be...
Resharpening damaged swords
Today we take a look at how to resharpen a modern sword in a manner consistent with the hints original swords give us...
Pumpkin Destruction 2022 Winners
This year we've had some really great submissions to the pumpkin destruction contest! All of the entries were excell...
St. Crispin, Agincourt and the Henry V Sword
Observation of St. Crispin's Day has just passed, 25th October, it is actually the feast day of two Saints Twins in ...
Did Medieval Europeans Use Poisoned Blades?
Poisoned blades are a persistent feature of fantasy literature and video games, but were they ever really used in med...
Pumpkin killing contest, death with spears!
Today we bring you a little lighthearted murder to get your competitive juices flowing for our Pumpkin Destruction Co...
What is a Sword Furbisher?
Our post today delves into the finishing of swords and hilts in the 16th century. In our previous posts on historica...
Medieval Hunting and Feasting
This weekend marks the beginning of the fall hunting season in Minnesota with the pheasant opener on Saturday, Octobe...
Pumpkin Destruction Contest 2022!
We hereby announce the return of the Arms & Armor Pumpkin Destruction Contest! Arm yourself. Form up your milit...
Chainmail vs Weapons with Historical Armor
Today we take a look at several pieces of historical chainmail from The Oakeshott Institute Collection as well as a c...
What we learn from Weapons vs Armor Tests - Whiskey & Weapons V
Our post about the Rondel Dagger vs Mail from Sept 26th we got a lot of great comments and suggestions, we also had m...