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.
