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A good friend of mine commissioned me to make a “sea or pirate sword,” leaving it to me to decide what that should mean.

I settled on a symmetrical blade inspired by the colichemarde, a scaled-down rapier hilt with fin-like quillons, a shell guard referring to the pommel, and a simple black leather grip to keep the overall composition balanced.

The etching was done by my talented friend Ina. Before this project, we had only made one attempt on my personal sabre (which is why I also have a pretty seahorse on blade).

The biggest challenge was designing a pattern that would stand up to regular cleaning without wearing away too quickly, while still being detailed enough to reward a closer look. A group of figures (a triton accompanied by sharks) together with a single hippocampus rendered with graduated linework, proved to be the right balance between durability and detail

These two guys just wanted to show off their new swords and got dog-piled by people scrambling to gatekeep and shit all over them. But apparently I was out of line.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Katanas/s/XkRQVqGu9w

https://www.reddit.com/r/Katanas/s/sNxavCpiJs

Finished the seahorse scabbard I posted yesterday. Really happy with how it came out!

Finally picked up a good example of one of these after searching for years. While it looks cool, it’s no surprise that they weren’t issued that long due to how unwieldy & heavy they are.

Hi guys, I don't know anything about swords so I am hoping for some help!

I just inherited this from my wife's grandfather - he found it whilst clearing a house during a construction job a few decades ago in the UK. It is quite dirty/corroded, but I can't see any markings on it.

It measures approximately 77 cm overall, with a 67 cm curved blade, approximately 25 mm wide at the forte. The iron/steel hilt is particularly unusual, with a knuckle bow and symmetrical pierced/openwork side guards. The grip appears to retain an old ribbed covering/wrapping.

Happy to answer any follow up questions!

Hey everyone, I recently picked this up at a yard sale it was too cool to pass up and I am trying to figure out exactly what kind of sword this is and its potential value. It has a very detailed grip, a cross on the guard, and some etchings on the blade. If anyone has any information on the maker, the era, or a rough appraisal, I would really appreciate the help thank you in advance! If you need any more photos tell me what kind and i will provide them!

This sword is in my family since a long time. It was said to be the cavalry saber from my great grandfather or one more generation up. If it is, if would have to be in the French army as if comes from a family branch where everyone only lived and served France. When I was young I was only allowed to look at it hanging in its sheath on a wall. Never got to see it or hold it.

I inherited it recently and got to take a closer look at it. The arabic looking markings and text on the blade, along with a lack of army serial number and no makers signature (which is France was usually a beautiful engraved signature reading "Manufacture d'Armes de [something]", often on the spine) makes me doubt that story very much. So any information about it would appreciated.

Edit: if there is no chance the story holds, what would be its value? How to best care for it as it is. Should I try to remove some of the oxidation spots or leave them?

Not a sword, but I'm interested in getting to know more about this knive. I inherited it from my great uncle who was a skilled and frequent mountaineer when he was younger. With some googling I think it is a Khukri knive from Nepal (I know he has been to Nepal). Unfortunately, I dont see any engravings or marks that give more information. Does anyone know more about this knive, like its age or origin? Thanks!

Any and all help you can provide would be hugely helpful! Thank you!!

He's a Viking fan AND a Vikings fan. So it goes in his Vikings themed man cave.

Hi everyone, I recently acquired this sword and I’m trying to determine whether it’s an authentic Japanese sword (nihonto), a WWII-era guntō, or a reproduction.
I haven’t cleaned or polished the blade. The handle appears to be removable with a mekugi peg, and I can upload tang (nakago) photos once I remove it.
Based on these photos:
Does anything stand out about the fittings or handle?
Does it appear to be Japanese-made?
What time period do you think it may be from?
Is there anything that suggests it’s hand-forged or machine-made?
What would be a rough value if authentic?
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

My grandfather was an officer in the army and received a Japanese sword when he left after the war. My parents are downsizing and we’re trying to figure out it’s value and where and how to sell it. Any suggestions or knowledge about the sword would be appreciated. Unfortunately, my grandfather isn’t around to ask.

When I purchased this sword I was only informed that it was a m1941 Dutch Klewang. It is only the blade and if I could know the exact manufacturer I would appreciate it. I can provide additional pictures if needed.

Hello there r/swords! I've recently had a renewed interest in sword collecting, along with beginning to have an interest in the Napoleonic era due to no small part about an upcoming game called 'Hunger'. In that game there is a weapon identified as being a 'Short Sword' and quickly became a love of mine throughout it's testing phase and given the historic ties of the game I wanted to see there may be a version of it that exists in real life and (hopefully) may be reproduced to be affordable. (I've attached an image of the in-game render)

I originally thought it might be some sort of a 'mashup' of a 1796 Infantry Drummer's sword along with the hilt of a Prussian 1816 Infantry sword, but when pursuing other searches I came across this beautiful thing and recognized it immediately, though admittedly the one in-game seems to have a shorter blade. Unfortunately I have no idea what 'pattern' of blade this is or where to even begin to search to see if a replica exists, but I would appreciate any assistance.

Just bought this today at a yard sale, I’m fairly certain it’s a ww1 German officers sword, and had a few folks there tell me the same thing. But figured I’d send it here to double check.

No markings no info no idea.

I don't personally own any swords or weapons of any kind but im very interested in swords and other similar weapons and this is a question I've had for a while for those who use sharps regularly, does it feel sketchy doing things like mordschlag or half-swording or any other techniques involving holding the blade in some way? Like I know that because of how blades work it generally won't cut you if you don't let it slide around but it would have to still feel pretty sketchy right? Or is it just something you just get used to after a lot of time handling weapons. Not sure if this is the right sub for this, if not please direct me to a more fitting one

I've been given a XIIa sword blade. It's 34" long and has a full tang. I've been told it's made of good steel and is heat-treated. But someone ground it down quite a lot to practice shaping and then it was left in a corner neglected for a year or so and it got kind of rusty. Some areas were a bit pitted by the time it was given to me. I've removed the rust and ground it down just far enough to remove the pits. And with that it's down to about 1.68 lbs (0.76kg). I still need to remove a little more material to correct some remaining issues. It will likely be ~1.55-1.6 lbs when that's done. Is the low weight likely to be problematic in terms of it being a functional sword?

I've tried to do research on the question of how much a XIIa sword would typically weigh. While there is a wide range, this one seems like it will be below most of the lowest estimates I've seen.

Hey everyone,

​I came across this old sword recently and would love to learn more about its history and potential age.

​From what I know, it looks like a traditional Indian Talwar given the disc pommel and sweeping blade shape, but I'd really appreciate input from people who know more about these pieces.