Metal Craftsman

I recently bought Valiant Armoury's Sword of Arundel and am very disapointed with the crude quality. After contacting the reputable store where I had purched it to inform them I had gotten a lemon, I was informed that all "lower level" swords from Valiant Armoury are crudely made. And that they would replace it, but the next one would just have "different flaws." I would have asked for a refund right then and there, but really love the look of this "sword" and decided to fix it myself. While I'll admit I am a picky precision machinist, the quality of this sword would still be apalling to someone with an untrained eye. As a fellow machinist friend said to me, "It looks like it was made in the woods by squirrels." That pretty much sums it up. Here's a list of the things wrong with this particular sword.

1.)This is not a "battle-ready" sword. While it may have a heavy,nicely-tempered carbon steel blade, it has a rat-tail tang, 1/2" wide at the base, tapering to 5/16", and is off-center by 1/8". You can actually see daylight between the base of the blade and the guard- about the thickness of a business card. I'm sure the tire pell guy could easily snap it in a single blow. I'd be afraid just to loft it overhead and make an air-swing. Sorry about that blade in your chest Tom... Its this darn cheap sword.

2.)The handle is very noticably not parallel to the blade. If you position a straight-edge parallel to the handle, the tip of the blade is off to one side by 1/2".

3.)The pommel, which looks very good in the pictures, is very crudely hand-made, non-symmetrical, and covered with dings, gouges and tool marks.

4.) The guard is not centered on the blade, it is far from symmetrical, and sits crooked because the top of the blade not 90 degrees to the centerline of the blade as it should be.

5.)The leather-covered wood handle is lumpy and bumpy. You can clearly see it was carved with a knife and not sanded afterwards.It is also not even close to being symmetrical. Ever look at a peeled carrot? It looks like that only covered in cheap green animal hide.

6.)The blade has several deep rust pits which are small but bothersome.I was told by the reputable dealer that they ALL have rust pits on the blades. Great.As received, the blade, pommel, and cross guard had surface rust (which did sand out with a little work.)

To make this sword an acceptable looking wall-hanger, I'll have to make a new pommel and grip, along with a new heavier tang, which I have no choice but to heliarc in place (straight this time. I'll also have to rework the guard to make it symmetrical. Is all this work worth it? I think so. On a positive note, the blade is very straight and nicely ground (except for the pits)so once finished it will be an absolutely beautiful wall-hanger.