My new sword project

[BlindSquirrel]

I got a surprise today when buddy of mine mailed this blade to me. The ruler pictured is 18" long.

Does anyone know what it is? I'd like to restore it.

 

[Minder Thr33]

Is it Conan's father sword?

 

[BlindSquirrel]

I think this is very old considering the amount of rust....unless it is ACTUALLY Conan's father's sword :lol

This is a real sword but that's all I know...

 

[Clutch]

roman gladius?
viking sword?

 

[gnrlotto]

No, no, a Roman Gladius didn't (typically, if ever) have a blood groove, and the tip came to a sharp and abrupt angular point:

And the tang doesn't look like it'd match up with a Viking sword:

 

[BlindSquirrel]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

What's weird about this one (that may not be evident in the photo) is that the "blood groove" is actually interrupted in the middle and then starts again a few inches lower...WTF? I've never seen that before.

 

[Tatooine_Todd]

It appears to be similar to a Civil War era artillery sword.

[attachmentid=7157]
This is a repro

 

[BlindSquirrel]

Originally posted by monster_collector@Mar 10 2006, 10:55 PM
It appears to be similar to a Civil War era artillery sword.

[snapback]1203447[/snapback]​

Indeed...this looks promising.

 

[Darth Cross]

I haven't seen a sword with an interrupted fuller (what you're calling a blood-groove, it's used to lighten the blade without making it weaker). And it looks like it originally had place to grip above the hilt (like an early claymore, but it's too short for that). I'd e-mail the folks at Museum Replicas and ask their advice. They might be able to tell you what you've got. Or send you to someone with more knowledge.

Richard

 

[gnrlotto]

Another thing to consider is how pitted the blade is. If it's just rusty, then I'd strongly wager it isn't too old--just not cared for properly. If it is heavily pitted, etc. then you may have an actual pretty old piece on your hands there.

 

[Aeryk]

Could be just about any type of short sword. Maybe a celtic war sword. Blades varied alot from maker to maker, just the basic size and shape put them into different categories.