Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 3rd September 2018, 02:54 AM   #1
ariel
Member
 
ariel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 5,503
Default Visit with Tom Kaczor

Yesterday my son Jonathan, his dog Dante and me drove to London , Ontario to visit with Tom Kaczor, by far the best sword restorer I know.
Old timers among us know Tom and still remember his late wife Ursula (may she rest in peace!).

Tom re-creates old swords out of genuinely old blades (many of which are gorgeous wootz) and hand-made everything else. His forte is Polish and Cossack swords, but he does Turkish, Persian and Indian examples, too. He makes his own scabbards, leatherwork, crossguards, handles, decorations in exactly correct ethnic and era-wise style. The quality, authenticity, sophistication and the artistic levels of his creations is mind-boggling. Any 16-18th century magnate would be glad to get his sword in exchange for 3-5 villages.


He also does armour: one of the pic shows Jonathan fully dressed as a Polish hussar complete with hauberk and " bekhterets" and wielding a Polish Karabela. I was allowed to practice cutting Tom's hibiscus with a Turkish Kilij. I succeeded right away:-)


Both Jonathan ( who grew up surrounded by sword books and swords ) and myself were truly astonished by the quality of Tom's work. I have seen his creations on the web, but to see them " live" and to handle them was an unforgettable experience. The artistic level of his creation can be matched only by his personality and hospitality! He is one of the nicest people I have ever encountered.

Here are several pics from the trip.

Enjoy!
Attached Images
    
ariel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd September 2018, 03:05 AM   #2
ariel
Member
 
ariel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 5,503
Default #2

Batch #2
Attached Images
     
ariel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd September 2018, 03:33 PM   #3
Battara
EAAF Staff
 
Battara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,135
Default

Nice and unique stuff! (and you look the same as you did years ago!)
Battara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd September 2018, 03:53 PM   #4
fernando
Lead Moderator European Armoury
 
fernando's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
Posts: 9,620
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Battara
...(and you look the same as you did years ago!)...
You mean handsome ? .
fernando is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd September 2018, 05:19 PM   #5
ariel
Member
 
ariel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 5,503
Default

Jose and Fernando,

You should see my portrait in the attic...

Last edited by ariel; 3rd September 2018 at 10:52 PM.
ariel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd September 2018, 08:52 PM   #6
Nathaniel
Member
 
Nathaniel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 865
Default

Thank you Ariel for sharing! Fantastic to see Tom and his amazing work! I still have a Burmese dha he made a replacement pommel for! Highly recommended! God bless Ursala, I remember she was the one who handled my order 🙏🏼
Nathaniel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd September 2018, 10:45 PM   #7
A. G. Maisey
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,675
Default

Superb skill.
A. G. Maisey is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 4th September 2018, 09:22 AM   #8
mariusgmioc
Member
 
mariusgmioc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Austria
Posts: 1,860
Thumbs up

Thamk you for sharing this!
mariusgmioc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th September 2018, 03:35 AM   #9
ArmsAndAntiques
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 80
Default

Tom is a wonderful guy, a gentleman, and truly an artist.

It's great to see that he's still going strong.
ArmsAndAntiques is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:26 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.