My prescious!

My wonderful loving, sexy, amazing husband gave me a sword for Valentine's day. :cloud9

It's a rapier with steel basket and pommel, and just the right amount of spring and flex to the blade to be a joy to wield. It's a touch too long for me, but that only means I will need to carry it around more and practice with it to get used to it. :-D

The leather sheath is the only black thing about it... blade, basket, hilt, and pommel, are all one solid uniform shade of polished steel. It's beautiful.

I took some pictures and uploaded them to my Photobucket account.

 

Really? Dammit. I spent an hour removing those. Hang on...

EDIT: Try now.

Oh, and to answer your question, I have no formal training with one. I can use a katana, but the way I see it, it will be fun to learn. Plus, it's gorgeous.

 

They are up now Laura....Congrats, Mimsy! Another one to add to your collection LOL LOOKS beautiful too.

A Valentine Sword! Very cool indeed! Oh, girl, I do believe you can get used to that one real easy.. Beautiful, and again, congrats!

 

Yes, that's one of the reasons the basket looks the way it does. So you can wrap your fingers around without exposing them.

Rapiers are stabbing weapons. So you hold it that way to get the most force and control behind the thrust.

 

I think you will enjoy that one, Mims, it is really sharp..
Of course, you will have to practice with it! LOL

 

Nice!

 

Very nice pig-sticker, Mimsy. Love the steel basket and pommel. Great present.:cool One thing with Rapiers, you can most real fast with them!

 

Beautiful sword! I have a couple of swords. In my older age, I look more towards the lead projecting devices.

Nothing wrong with a good steel backup weapon! :-D

 

Very nice Mimsy, beautiful craftsmanship. Now you be careful lol
And a valentines gift, thats quite romantic , kind of puts a blanket over your views on valentines day

 

Nice blade!! Can you cut a "V" into someone's shirt?:-D:-D

 

Lovely!
It's so much better to receive what you actually want instead of what tradition -----
I'm sorry can't think of the word, sick here, not to mention old.

Didn't you get one once before? :confused If not I'm going into the physic business

 

Very nice swonrd.

And is "dictates" the word you were looking for darlene

 

That works, thank you

 

I probably could if it had an edge. It's rapier.... made for thrusting, not slicing.

He gave me a katana for our wedding anniversary last summer. My enthusiasm over that blade is probably what prompted this one... LOL

 

Hey Mimsy, let me know when you care to do some practicing with that newbie! :-D I think it would be fun.

 

Beautiful weapon.

What a cool present . . . makes the dozen roses I gave my wife look like a booger . . .

Very, very nice.

 

Brandypeppy, Don't you mean a Z as in Zorro? :-D

 

I'm pretty sure he means "V" as in, you better take a couple steps back buddy, or next time I'm dotting the i. LOL

I love swords. I have a few, but I don't touch them really.. That looks like something in Assassins Creed 2... But not very much.. It's really nice. Congrats

 

Hey Mims do you follow the old Gurka tradition when you draw the blade.

 

No, I don't. Primarily because I've always thought that would make it very difficult to practice with it...

 

Can't say about the Gurkha tradition, even though my maternal uncle served in the Indian infantrys Gurkha regiment.
Here in Northern India, one does not unsheathe a blade, unless in training - or to draw blood. Considered bad luck!!

Cheers..

 

I assumed that's the tradition he was referring to, though I admit to knowing very little about it.

My viking ancestors were of the same opinion, but not because it might bring bad luck. Rather, a sword is a weapon/tool with a specific purpose. Just like you don't carry a hammer around for the fun of it and to show it off, you don't wave a blade around unless you're actually going to use it on someone, or train with it. There's just no need.

 

Beautiful Sword. The parents won't let me get one =[

 

Very, very nice! :cool

 

exactly

the whole thing about having to cut yourself with the blade is a myth. most of the cultures where blade use and carry are considered normal view blades as a weapon, not a tool or something cool.

just like you don't point a gun at some one unless you mean to kill them, you don't draw a blade unless you mean to run it into their guts.


nice weapon though. makes me want to get back into bladesmithing

 

If you ever do, drop me a line. We'd have things to talk about... involving weight, length, fitting, and such. And less important things like pricing and delivery time too, I suppose.

 

I'm sorry for the double-post. I missed this earlier and it needs to be said.

A blade is a weapon. Not viewing a sword as one is naive, and could also be very dangerous, both to the wielder and the people around him/her.

My katana is the end result of centuries of brilliant minds cooperating to design and create the most effective way to sever limbs and kill people. To treat it as anything but a deadly weapon would be flat out stupid.

 

lol thats a little vicious and a little ....not sure of the word but people have often drawn weapons without using them. Weapons such as swords and guns are often drawn in a parade or some such form. Also drawn for threat or to show superiority.

Yes it's a weapon and is used as such but drawing it even in threat does'nt mean you have to use it.

Not arguing I just kind of found your comment funny :-D

 

Sweet steel there Mims.... very, very nice!!!

I've trained in westarn (European) style fencing as well as Asian style, Katana, Wakizashi, Manchu Broadsword, Chinese straight sword, Kwang and a few others. Not only is it great defense, it's amazing exercise as well.

That and your neighborhood will figure you're absolutely bonkers and never mess with you or your home

Enjoy the steel!!

~C

 

Example of wepons used in a parade.
As far as carrying an unsheathed sword I have the honour of belonging to what is known as The Ancient and Honourable Corporation of Freemen of Hale, on ceremonial occasions an unsheathed sword is carried in front of the Lord Mayor to symbolize protection, he is also protected by a Mace and two spears/javelins

 

Technically, if you use it to threaten someone then you are using it...

Besides, you still need to be ready to use it to attack if need be -- a threat is only effective if it's believable. No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to successfully threaten The Guy with any of my blades because he doesn't expect me to actually carry out the threat. Strangers though, that's a different story.

 

@Tony... Really? Thats pretty impressive sir and I will happily sit here and enjoy my slice of humble pie.

I find that very unnerving :-D

I have to admit I'm quite jealous, I used to collect knives, I had a couple of swords but nothing special, I did however have several switchblades, a flick, bone handled bowie and a Gerkha among others (totalling around 40 not including the many knives I used for work). Always had a fascination with blades, they are the 1 tool that is arguably the oldest tool mankind has and is still used by millions every day for thousands of different purposes.
I say the word Tool loosely as you've pointed out many are designed specifically to maim or kill humans but my collection varied. Unfortunately I couldn't bring them with me when I move so I have to start again, doh.

 

By "strangers" I mean anyone stupid enough to break into my house in the middle of the night... the way I see it, if someone threatens me I have every right to threaten them back.

 

lol You get scarier by the day :-D

 

I have yet to ever sell anything, as it would pretty much be cost prohibitive. And I don't really have the equipment or space to do it anymore.

Never got into swordsmithing (which is way more different than just length would imply) but I do make one hell of a camp knife that will handle more abuse than the average human could ever hope to dish out.

 

I hate this thread since now I am starting to look at equipment prices again.

I need to win the powerball