Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

urbanspaceman · 28th December 2020, 07:58 PM

I only wish to add this to the discussion:
you will see that the fuller of the wide face of the blade (or the lower face as it is sometimes described) is actually a constant width groove, not a hollow with a decreasing radius.
This is a product of the rolling machine invented by the Huguenots in Solingen in the early 1600s and used to produce colichemarde blades.
There are a few regular (non colichemarde) smallswords that feature this style of blade but generally they feature less expensive hilts as they were much cheaper to make than the traditional 'three similar faced ' blades.
I am not, however, saying that inexpensive hilts always featured this style of blade, rather the reverse, that these blades have, to my knowledge so far, always been seen on base metal hilts.
The gilding on this hilt is particularly attractive though, despite being a base metal product.
ps
If anyone has, or has seen, a colichemarde blade that doesn't feature this constant width groove, I would really appreciate a look.

28th December 2020, 07:58 PM	#5
urbanspaceman Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Tyneside. North-East England Posts: 498	Blade style I only wish to add this to the discussion: you will see that the fuller of the wide face of the blade (or the lower face as it is sometimes described) is actually a constant width groove, not a hollow with a decreasing radius. This is a product of the rolling machine invented by the Huguenots in Solingen in the early 1600s and used to produce colichemarde blades. There are a few regular (non colichemarde) smallswords that feature this style of blade but generally they feature less expensive hilts as they were much cheaper to make than the traditional 'three similar faced ' blades. I am not, however, saying that inexpensive hilts always featured this style of blade, rather the reverse, that these blades have, to my knowledge so far, always been seen on base metal hilts. The gilding on this hilt is particularly attractive though, despite being a base metal product. ps If anyone has, or has seen, a colichemarde blade that doesn't feature this constant width groove, I would really appreciate a look.