Miran Krističič's stuff

[Cutlery Penguin]

I know certain countries cannot access Paypal, for those I tend to use Western Union, but there is no come back if there is a problem so you have to trust the person you are sending money to. The fee is about £5 each time.

[tabiris]

First, thank you all for the info on the payment methods. It's being looked into right now. Wester Union sounds very promising.

Second, the sabre is finished!



I can't wait to get my hands on it! It weighs 841gr, which is 39 gr less than the original; otherwise, the measurements are the same (to my knowledge). That means longer blade and less curvature.

This is my sabre (yay!) and as such, will be present on Dreynevent. Anyone who wants to try it out, will have a chance to do so. Also present to try out will be the first feder prototype (also mine) and maaaaybe rapiers (they will be there for sure, but i'm not 100% the guy who owns them will alow them to be used, as they are new). There will also be some other stuff, like the messer and katzbalger, so people have a chance to see the work and give feedback.
Just find AAD (academia artis dimicatoriae) - Roman has two dagger worshops, so we shouldn't be difficult to locate.

Best regards everyone!

[B.Hutchison]

I look forward to seeing/hearing more about these post Dreyn in that case.

[tabiris]

Well, the Dreynevent is over, and I'm back.

The sabres received a lot of attention. Surprisingly enough, the first model more than the second one - though that might be due to the presence of the Italian school of sabre fencing. There was quite some sabre sparring, and quite a few folks tried the sabre out, which makes me a happy camper. I hope they'll comment on how it handled in the topic too.

The rapiers received even more attention. The almost unanimous wish was for a stiffer blade (most rapiers present were somewhat whippier - which seems to be a problem with the rapier community) - and as there are some blades in the works now that shall be done. Some other feedback was present and very welcome - no button-tips (though this was expected), a less wide blade at the point, and the balance to be shifted a centimeter or two towards the hilt.

There was a tragedy with the feder, though. As i sparred on the last day of the event, i made a big no-no and apparently blocked the blow at 90 degrees at the last third of my blade (right about where the node is), and the blade flew off. The grain seemed good, and when i asked Fab if there was something wrong with the sword, he said that it seems that it was my fault it broke. I'm still angry with myself, especially since my other longsword might not have too much in it. Ah, well. When the 6mm prototype arrive, i'll be sure to give it a hell of a beating and report on how it did.

Well, that's it, and hopefully some folks who saw the swords will comment on their performance here.

[Thibault]

About the rapiers, don't forget that the handle needs to be a little bit shorter.
As I said, they interessed me, and with a few changes, I think they may become a good alternative to darkwood. (If they are safe enough)

[Reinier]

I too noticed that the blades were on the whippy side.

Additionally, I had the impression that the "basket" was rather large, and could be a bit smaller (comparably to how the hilt on a Hanwei Practical is rather large), but I did not have a chance to compare it to a Darkwood.

Overall, I thought the rapiers were rather nice.

I had a great time with the sabres, but don't know enough about sabres to properly comment on those (as I said there).

R

[tabiris]

Reiner, Thibault, thank you for the input. It has been passed on, and a new rapier blade will be in the making shortly - we're still looking at how to make the rapiers as cheap as possible - this mainly means the cup.

For all the sabre fans, here's a picture of the old and new sabre for reference - the old model will be reworked, as we received a blade to use as a reference point as far as lenght and curvature goes. The new sabre is quite simply awesome. It really feels like it packs a punch, and it guides you through strike because of the PoB (cca 13cm - original has it at 12,5), yet is completely safe for sparring.



A few more things: this is the first one:



This one is based on the sword of Henry V, and is very sharp.

Lenght : 86 cm
Blade lenght : 68 cm
Grip lenght (crossguard to pommel) : 10,5 cm
Width of crossguard : 17.5 cm
Weight: 1113 g
Width of blade at crossguard : 4.8 cm
PoB : 5 cm
Point of Percussion : 26 cm from the point

Lastly, two things regarding federschwerter: the new model is complete. It is somewhat heavier, and thicker in the base. Also, the material was changed (but this had been done a long time ago) from ck75 to ck60. As far as i could gather, ck75 holds a better edge but cannot handle that much punishment, while ck60 can take more abuse. The feder should arrive in a few days, so i'll keep you updated.

Best Regards!

[Arto Fama]

Really interested in the new Feder!

Is it possible to get some action photo's?

[tabiris]

So, got to handle the new feder a bit yesterday. Very nice. One milimiter in thickness makes quite some difference in the bind. Handles wonderfully, great balance, and most of all, feels like an actual sword while still being safe. Since it's 6mm thick at the base, it's also somewhat heavier.





It's 133cm long, 101cm blade. Miran said it weighs 1680, but it showed 1630 on my scale. I'll ask the guy who owns it to weigh it on a scale too. The PoB is 6,5cm from the cross.

As for the broken feder, it returned from analysis - seems nothing was wrong with it, the HRC throughout was 48-50, so the combo of a hard blow + edge-on-edge parry was too much for the poor thing. The higher-carbon steel might have had a bit to do with it too, though on that part i can't say for sure

Arto, I'll try and get some photos/videos of it in action. I ordered one for me as well, so you might get to try it out when we visit the Netherlands.

Cheers!

[tabiris]

Hello again!

There's been a lot of experimentation lately (tang construction, flex, crossguard assebly etc.). the feders are slowly going out of the prototype stage, but some more stress testing will be done. The sabres are now completely out of their infancy, and are freely available; the first was already shipped for Scotland, and we can't wait to hear how it handled.

The second, lighter type of sabre is now based on a model kindly provided by Zillinger, which means a longer and narrower blade, more suited for italian style of sabre. I'll post pictures and stats at the beginning of next week, i hope.

Now, for the new stuff: those who could try out the rapier protytpes said they were ok, but too floppy. Well, Miran experimented with the blades a little bit. As he experimented with the blades, he didn't put much thought into the hilt and just tried to make it as cheaply as possible. Here's what came out:



EDIT: i can't see the picture, so here's a direct link:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/miran0022.jpg/



EDIT: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/miran0032.jpg/

Again, this was just made to try out the blade, but a similar assembly could be used for an economy rapier that should cost less than 200eur. The stats for this one are 113cm, a bit under 1kg, and a PoB of about 8cm from quillons. This particular prototype will most likely be available to try out in Dijon, for those interested. As we don't do rapier (yet), input will be invaluable. What do you guys think of it? what changes would you like to see on it? So far, it's been decided that the blade should be longer and the handle shorter, with the PoB a bit more to the front. But, again, we're not rapier folks...

[admin]

I'm looking forward to seeing some of these in Dijon - please come and say if I don't first.

[tabiris]

Allright, just back from dijon, and i must say it was absolutely WONDERFUL. The amount of people who wanted to fight with the sabres was overwhelming, and my right arm is still aching quite badly... Was worth it, though

Now, it's time for some updates. Let's start with the smallest and move on up. First, there is the prototype of a sparring dagger which i can't wait to get my hands on and try out.





There is a real lack of sparring daggers, so I'm looking forward to this. Dagger sparring is insanely fun and fast, just the way i like it.

Second, a bit bigger, and very sharp: arming sword and a sabre.





Now, for some other news, for the rapier fans: There was an incredibly kind person which lent us a darkwood rapier so the smith can see what a rapier should actually feel like. This should be an immense help and improve the quality by a great deal!

And thirdly, the feders are coming out of the prototype stage. It was a long and hard road, but we're almost there. As it seems, we'll offer two kinds of crossguard assembly - one peened and another that's insanely sturdy but i can't tell you much more.

And just as an extra: a crossbow!

[tabiris]

More new stuff!



the side-sword and the Munchen guard sword were just rehilted, the rest is all Miran's work. All longswords, the full ones as well as feders, are sparring ready. The feders are now out of the prototype stage and it seems our group will mostly be buying his feders.

The second thing we're working on is a dussag which would be appropriate for sparring. Here's what the first one looks like:



Sadly, this one isn't sparring-ready due to its weight (1,2kg); with a blade so short and wide, it's tough to make a basket sword with a sparring appropriate blade and a decent PoB; so, we'll try going fot the simpler version of this, the fuhrmandussag.

As ever, comments, hints, wishes and criticisms warmly welcomed.

[Monster Zero]

Want Zweihander!

[Ulrich von L...n]

Tabiris,
Could you update us about military sabre, or possible Italian sabre? Some price information?

... The second, lighter type of sabre is now based on a model kindly provided by Zillinger, which means a longer and narrower blade, more suited for italian style of sabre...

[tabiris]

Tabiris,
Could you update us about military sabre, or possible Italian sabre? Some price information?

... The second, lighter type of sabre is now based on a model kindly provided by Zillinger, which means a longer and narrower blade, more suited for italian style of sabre...

Turns out there is a lot more variety possible with the thinner sabre - the weight manipulation is easier, and it can be weigh from 800-880 grams, with the PoB accordingly placed. We're thinking of perhaps just quitting the broader sabre, though it seems quite popular so we might keep it anyways. There's a price increase coming, and it's not all that small, but after some calculations, we found out that the current prices just aren't realistic (the payment per hour was rather dismal). So the current prices are 190 for the thinner version, 240 for the broader version. The thinner typically weighs 860gr with a PoB at around 10cm, the military is around 950 with the PoB at 12-13cm. Recently, I've stepped into contact with our national museum, and they have a pair of really wonderful practice sabres from the late 19th/early 20th century. I've handled them, but didn't have a scale and measuring tape to take the specifications. I'll arrange so that i do, though, and we might re-design the sabres to fit the specs.

Most of these will be available to try out at various events - starting with HEMA Celje - the next one we'll surely visit is Dreynevent. Send me a PM before the event if interested to try them out. It's always fun to spar.

On an unrelated note; got meself a camera with slowmo (not sure if 120 or 240 fps, though). Come HEMA Celje, I'll take a few slowmo shots of cutting with Miran's sharp swords, and some of feders & sabres in sparring. Sadly, the limit is 3 seconds per shot, but it's something.

Cheers!

[Ulrich von L...n]

Tabiris,
Thank you for the update. Some additional questions.

On February 23rd you posted a picture of two sabres, simple (gymnasium) grips, without backstrap. I would like to know your price for the thin, slightly curved blade, the simplest guard & grip, without backstrap.

Could you post some pictures of "really wonderful practice sabres" from your national museum? It would be interesting even without additional information (dimensions, weight, etc).

At the moment Dreynevent is the most realistic possibility to have some sabre sparring with you.
Cheers,

[tabiris]

Ulrich, check PM

[tabiris]

Due to medical issues with the smith's fingers, blades with wide fullers (military sabres) cannot be made untill further notice (aka a powerful hammer is bought). If you've already ordered one, you will be contacted shortly.

Apologies for the inconvenience!

[Andreas Engström]

Due to medical issues with the smith's fingers, blades with wide fullers (military sabres) cannot be made untill further notice (aka a powerful hammer is bought). If you've already ordered one, you will be contacted shortly.

Apologies for the inconvenience!

That's the status on this? Is it still impossible to order sabres from him?

-Andreas