John_Young Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I'm sure a lot of you have seen the really nice Cutlass that Museum Replicas has had for a while... but at almost $300, it's just a wee bit prohibative. Well, messing around on eBay the other week I found a dealer, the name is fivestardeal (search his store if'n you're interested). He's got either an exact duplicate or he really is a distributer for the actual swords. Regardless, my sword cost me about $75 including S&H. And they're auctions, so I'm sure you might be able to get them cheaper than I did. It's well built. Nothing bent, broken, or flimsy on it. I recommend it! "Yo Ho, all together hoist the colours high Heave Ho, theives and beggers Never shall we die..." "I don't care who ye say you are lad, if ye say 'savvy' one more time, I'll bury this cutlass in that thick skull of yers!" -Captain John Young - PILF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Bess Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Would it stand up to stage combat lad??? Well, you may not realize it but your looking at the remains of what was once a very handsome woman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Young Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Well, for all intents and purposes it is the Museum Replicas / Windlass steel cutlass. So it can stand up to combat, it has no sharp edge... it only looks sharpened. I haven't had blade to blade with it just yet... will let you know in a couple of days. But if I remember the pirate episode of "Conquest", the host was using it and it looked a tad.... um jagged at the end of the day... "Yo Ho, all together hoist the colours high Heave Ho, theives and beggers Never shall we die..." "I don't care who ye say you are lad, if ye say 'savvy' one more time, I'll bury this cutlass in that thick skull of yers!" -Captain John Young - PILF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wartooth Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Well, for all intents and purposes it is the Museum Replicas / Windlass steel cutlass. So it can stand up to combat, it has no sharp edge... it only looks sharpened.I haven't had blade to blade with it just yet... will let you know in a couple of days. But if I remember the pirate episode of "Conquest", the host was using it and it looked a tad.... um jagged at the end of the day... Quite agree. I handled one not too long ago. They are nice display and costume pieces that can handle light stage combat as well. My only concern with Windlass creations is the thin tang they use. It could be a danger if bashed around too roughly. But for $75??? ... Nice purchase indeed! Wartooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Young Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Shaking it around and whatnot... it still isn't loose anywhere yet. I love it! Definately not the typical ren faire $20 jiffy sword purchase. "Yo Ho, all together hoist the colours high Heave Ho, theives and beggers Never shall we die..." "I don't care who ye say you are lad, if ye say 'savvy' one more time, I'll bury this cutlass in that thick skull of yers!" -Captain John Young - PILF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkyns Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 6 or 7 years ago, I used one of the Museum Reps cutlasses for some steel on steel work (the shell guard cutlass, if you remember it?). After 2 hours of re-enactment combat, I could have used it for a crosscut saw. Took me a long time to get the nicks out and I lost about 1/4 inch of blade width doing so. Blades designed for stage combat are made of better steel and with a completely different profile. The silicon manganese steel that Armour Class uses, combined with a flat profile and rounded edges is much better. If you don't want to wait for a blade to come from Scotland, a reasonable substitute is the double canelure blade from AFS. My other problem with the Pirate Cutlass (and a lot of other blades) from Museum Reps is the chromed hilts. It is so not period and looks really farby. Hawkyns Cannon add dignity to what otherwise would be merely an ugly brawl I do what I do for my own reasons. I do not require anyone to follow me. I do not require society's approval for my actions or beliefs. if I am to be judged, let me be judged in the pure light of history, not the harsh glare of modern trends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Is the cutlass you perchased from 5-star actually made by Windlass Stealcrafts or is it a copy? I've puchased several pieces from 5-Star Deals and generally found I got what I paid for. Windlass proclaims thier model is a Battle Ready sword, but I've never talked to anyone who's actually tried it out. Good looking cutlass non the less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Bess Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Nice signature I MUST say!!! Well, you may not realize it but your looking at the remains of what was once a very handsome woman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Young Posted March 17, 2004 Author Share Posted March 17, 2004 Well, I tested her out last night against some other stage combat worthy weapons... Against Highland Steel (I miss that company) and Starfire... she held her own. A few nicks here and there, but that only adds to the character of the blade. The problem with stage combat is... if you or your partner aren't pulling the blades before impact or you'll do damage to even the hardiest of combat worthy weapons. "Yo Ho, all together hoist the colours high Heave Ho, theives and beggers Never shall we die..." "I don't care who ye say you are lad, if ye say 'savvy' one more time, I'll bury this cutlass in that thick skull of yers!" -Captain John Young - PILF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkyns Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 One of the tricks I learned long ago is just before blade contact, give your wrist a half twist. Makes blade to blade contact more on the flat and preserves the edges. Of course, BOTH combattants need to know how to do this..... An interesting point is that some historic manuals actually seem to indicate this as a recommended procedure. Makes sense, too. If a blade has a particularly sharp grind to the edge, and the steel is not so good as modern steel, then edge on edge should have done a serious number on historic blades. After way too many hours studying blades at the Tower Armouries, Wallace Collection, the Met and Higgins, as well as every other museum I could find with steel on display, there does not seem to be a signiicant number of saw blades on display. The backside of that argument is that saw blades would have been discarded or reforged, and the question we addressed a bit back, were blades that sharp? For naval issue cutlasses, the jury seems to still be out. For rapiers and civilian hangers, they most certainly were sharp. They must have had a way of preserving their edges, and the wrist twist seems at least logical. Hawkyns Cannon add dignity to what otherwise would be merely an ugly brawl I do what I do for my own reasons. I do not require anyone to follow me. I do not require society's approval for my actions or beliefs. if I am to be judged, let me be judged in the pure light of history, not the harsh glare of modern trends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Hearted Pearl Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 I am clearly no expert on weapons, but it would seem to me that in a defensive move such as a block you would of course want the strongest part of your weapon hit and not one of the weakest parts. So a half twist at the wrist would be an effective defensive move when using a cutlass. You would withhold the half twist if you need you were going to hit your target and not their steel. Just me thoughts on the subject. ~Black Hearted Pearl The optimist expects the wind. The pessimist complains about the wind. The realist adjusts the sails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Frye Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 Ah, the old edge-on-edge or not question that one's good for hours of debate. Is this the little baskethilt cutlass designed by Eddie Floyd that we're talking about? If so, you can probably get him to make a version in the steel of your choice: Swordplay Alliance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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