My latest rapier project

Kevin R. Cashen

Kevin R. Cashen

Super Moderator
I often get requests to see more examples of my work posted online, occasionally I will listen to them and do just that in order to remind myself, and others, that I am still a bladesmith and make things now and then when not researching, testing and staring at steel through a microscope. One reason that posts like this from me are so few and far between is because using educational/informational forums for selling my product is just not my way of doing things, but this blade was an order and is not for sale since it has already shipped to its new owner.

This is one of the first rapiers made in accordance with the data I have been gathering and compiling for several years now during my studies of originals both here and in Europe. It is the first Pappenhimer style rapier that I have done, but its blade dimensions and cross sections are all taken from an original at the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle in England. The engraving and other embellishments were inspired by patterns I studied at the Wallace Collection.

It took me years to arrange my data enough to properly plan this piece, it will take many more to process all of my notes, but that information put this rapier light years beyond my earlier attempts. Its feel and handling is nothing like most modern replicas, demonstrating how much thought and attention went into the function of the originals.

The blade is L6 and the hilt is heat blued 1018 with a handle of iron wire wrap and turks heads in twisted copper wire. This piece took the “Best In Show” award at the Badger show in WI a couple weeks ago.

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Kevin... that is some tight work there... 2thumbs

awesome

the blade is nice but jeeeeeeeez.. that hilt is waaay up there


Greg;)
 
Absolutely beautiful

The attention to detail is incredible.

I have a swept hilt rapier that I like a great deal ...but it's not even close to what you have there.
 
DropPoint said:
Absolutely beautiful

The attention to detail is incredible.

I have a swept hilt rapier that I like a great deal ...but it's not even close to what you have there.
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Swept hilts are actually my favorites, but I gained an appreciation for this style during its creation.
 
Gary Miller said:
very nice, it is nice to see some one doing a nonasian swords.
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Right on!2thumbs as long as so many katanas are being made I will be making less common western pieces. So many cultures, so many wonderful and fantastics swords, to focus too heavily on one genre can be such a shame:(.
 
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james terrio said:
That's stunning. I'm curious, when was the original you studied made?
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The early 17th century. The cut and thrust swords and rapiers began to evolve in the end of the 15th century with beautiful swept hilts developing throughout the 16th century. Panels started to be added to fill in the hilts in the 17th century and by the end of the 17th century to the begging of the 18th cuphilts had finished the movement. Unless very ornate, I find cuphilts the least interesting.
 
Thanks for the info, Kevin. I find it mind-boggling that craftsmen in that day and age could accomplish so much with the (relatively) limited tools at their disposal. I also think it's VERY cool that you're keeping their craft alive. I reckon the smiths or armorers of yore would be proud of you.
 
If you spend time up close and personal with the original work it is well beyond mind boggling! I have seen things I honestly don't know how it was done. I was always impressed by the artistic metalworking on Japanese tsuba until I started studying fine rapier hilts:eek:! Metal carving and precious metal inlaying and overlaying on a level that should transcend human abilities.

I think it comes down to one thing- hand craftsmanship. Our tools have crippled our potential, those people spent their lifetimes developing the skills in their hands to take it to levels we cannot because we are not forced to. Autistic savants can use parts of their brains on level with super computers because their disability has forced a focus in that area. Our ancestors were forced to develop skills beyond our comprehension because their lack of our convenient tools forced that single minded focus.

Don't get me wrong, I am not talking about tools to to things that only those tools made possible, such as heat treating a complex alloy, but when considering ancient skills like forging, carving and embellishing metals, our tools get it done quicker but our hands lack the inherent skills that the tools replaced.
 
Beautiful work. This is an example of what a sword is all about. I love the braided turks head. A small sword I have has a brass wrapped handle with braided, twisted brass wire that is very similar to what you did with the copper.

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Mathsr said:
Beautiful work. This is an example of what a sword is all about. I love the braided turks head. A small sword I have has a brass wrapped handle with braided, twisted brass wire that is very similar to what you did with the copper.

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I have tried the turks head now with iron, brass and copper. I have seen many originals done in copper. Brass is actually easier to tie up than copper. The copper is a balancing act between the guage of wire and how tight you can tie as it stretches or even breaks if you push it too far. Brass stretches less and has better tensile strength. Iron is fine but needs to be smaller wire and dead soft. All of these factors apply the most if you tie in place, which I insist on doing as I believe that is how originals were done. With enough practice you can determine just the right tension to allow the weaving and tying but will get progressively tighter to bind everything tightly in place at the end.
 
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