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chioky β Swordmaking Anatomy: Rapier
Published: 2008-08-31 12:36:12 +0000 UTC; Views: 26363; Favourites: 462; Downloads: 614
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Description
Welcome back to swordmaking class you all did well on the test however...Most people already know the different parts of a Katana, since its easily the most widely known sword on earth. So today class, we are learning about the Western Europeon Rapier. A rapier is a ussually a slender, sharply pointed sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks. This sword was widely used by gentleman in the form of dueling to see who was the better man. There is alot of misconception with the rapier for example, if your using a rapier and parry a sword much heavier like a broad sword, the blade will be cut in half. This is not true you can parry a much heavier sword when the 2 blades meet as long as the rapier's blade meets the other blade at an extreme angle it will absorb all the power. Okey time for the terminology:
Langets: These are small extensions of the guard that secure the sword in the sheath.
Quillion: A Renaissance term for the two cross-guards (forward and back) whether straight or curved.
Knuckle Bow A single strap running from the quillon to the pommel. Guarding the front of the hand.
Button: The very end of the sword on the end of the pommel, the point would be the other end.
Pommel: It is the "cap" on the end of the hilt. It helps hold the hilt together strongly.
Turk's Head: The metal band or collar fitting between the pommel and handle.
Grip: The handle of a sword, usually made of leather, wire, bone, horn, or ivory.
Blade's Ricasso: The dull portion of a blade just above the hilt. It is intended for wrapping the index finger around to give greater tip control.
Fuller: A shallow central-groove or channel on a blade which lightens it as well as improves strength and flex.
Forte: the lower portion on a sword blade which has more control and strength and which does most of the parrying.
Point of Percussion Merging points of the fortΓ© and foible - the best place to strike with the blade.
Fobile: the upper portion on a sword blade which is weaker but has more agility and speed and which does most of the attacking.
Point: Self-explanatory. It is the very tip of the blade, or the end of the sword.
Drag: The very tip of the scabbard, it's the part that drags on the ground.
Sheath: Self-explanatory. It is the blades home when not in use.
Throat: The open part of the scabbard that the blade slides into and locks in place.
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Comments: 150
Nicely done I study Capo Ferro within the SCA.
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Next year, my friend and i are going as richter and Alucard from symphony of the night. Alucard's weapon is pretty much a rapier, and I was wondering what kind of materials would you use. So far I've made several wooden swords, but I don't know if wood would be strong enough for the thinnest parts.
And thanks a lot for all of your tutorials, they've been really helpful!
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maybe just shape a wooden dowel eventually to become the blade
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not too sure I would call it a science but thanks anyway
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Oh, also, just to make sure, would on grip it so that the...um, proximal phalanx part would be under the knuckle bow, with their index finger going under the part that connects the knuckle bow with the langets and wrapping around the blade's ricasso? ._. I'm sorry to ask such Captain Obvious questions >~
Im not too sure how a rapier will be hold actually, better use google images for that
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Wow. Well, then. XD This helps a lot~ I'm trying to draw a fanart, but the characters I'm drawing will be holding weapons, one of which is a rapier. Gosh xD Rapiers look so awesome :33
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its good that you are using references
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This is really well explained, thank you very much for the information ^w^
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I fell in love with rapiers thanks to its beautiful, artistic yet at the same time practical complex hilt and knuckle bow, but gosh they're so hard to make! At least for a noob like me.
I'm planning on using wires to shape the knuckle bow and cover it with clay, but honestly I'm scared that it would look kind of sloppy. (I'm only making a prop wooden rapier by the way)
So... any idea?
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wire and clay is the basic way to go, if you don't wan't it to look sloppy then sand, sand, sand, the smoother it is the less sloppy it is
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Thanks for the great tip!
I've heard about wet-sanding but I've never did that before. Do you have any recommendations?
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brilliant. i love to learn about these things as i really want to get one... or make one but i may not be as skilled as i would like to be. This is great any why and i may well be going to this for any info.
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you can own one and have fun with it
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Thank you for this!!
I've learned sooo much from this alone! I love blades, and weapons.
I'm always eager to learn more. So.. thank you!
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and I hope you continue to learn more
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a hard "sheath" is a scabbard and the "knuckle bow" is called a swept hilt.....
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thank you for telling me
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Ooh, very nice, a very good resource. I used to be a historic sword fighter with the Mid-Atlantic Society for Historic Swordsmanship, and I see incorrectly drawn or made blades all the time.
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well then I hope it educates people more
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Nice, but I have some things to say, just minor things.
This must seem quite late now, but there are some mistakes in your terminology. What you call langets are usually referred to as finger rings, they act not to secure the sword to the sheath, but rather to protect the hand from harm, especially when the forefinger is wrapped around the front quillon as is common with the rapier. The assembly of swoops and bars attached on either side to the quillons, finger rings and knucklebow also have specific names: As a whole this assembly is known as the guard or hilt and consists of the side-ring or loops guards on the right side (assuming a right-handed rapier) with a group of rings or sweeps on the left side known as the "counter-guard". Further terms depend on what the specific design of the rapier is (they very greatly). As well, the only other thing important to note is that the rapier you drew has an unusually short blade, almost as short as a katana (27" to 30"). Most rapiers found today in museums or private collections typically have blades ranging from as short as 36" to 45", extremely long compared to Japanese blades.
Apart from that though, it is an excellent picture and most of it is a useful guide. If you want to do more research to produce more of these, I suggest www.myarmoury.com, a historical arms collectors site with many useful articles and discussions.
For a rapier reference from the site, including research on how Renaissance fencing looked: [link]
All the best.
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funnily enough I did use that site, but I never did copy it exactly how it set out, thanks for telling me, it's been a long time
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edit: fixed link, [link]
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beware the poke of a rapier
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uhm...not to be stupid or anything but I just want to confirm something...
this sword are used by musketeers too, am I right?
my school's doing a play on "The Three Musketeers" and I'm gonna need all the help I can get!
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yeah sure there used my the three musketeers, or they just might be using foils
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I love this. I've been doing unending research on rapiers for a character of mine and then I come across this piece of work. Finally, a clear explanation of the parts of the rapier and how they function! And what they are! I shall be referring to this frequently, as well as quoting it with a friend or two of mine when it comes to explaining rapiers. Thank you for doing this- it's extremely helpful to people who are actually looking at the weapons and how they work.
Also, I love the design on the swept-hilt rapier you have as a picture~.
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it is very nice that you are spending the time to actually go out and research the actual compenents of a sword, because the more detailed information you have for it, the more detailed you can discribe its use 8D
you can never have enough information
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Indeed! May I ask, did you find this information in books, or otherwise? I've been researching all day and I've fond a hundred different words for the same part of the blade⦠@_@
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just researching some sword sites thats all
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both kinds of awesomeness
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you bet. This makes me wanna take up fencing. (which I would consider if I had the time and the money to spend.)
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You sir, are awesome.
Thank you for posting this!
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Whoa, that's cool! I'm bad at drawing swords though...
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well maybe your good at making them
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This has helped more than you could ever know on my art. Thank you
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then I am glad to be of assistance
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I'm going to have to try this out sometime.
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then try it out you shall
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Thank you teacher, this was really interesting and useful!
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then I hope it has taught you very valuable knowledge XD
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