Tinker Longsword replacement blade

Description of the Product

These replacement longsword blades are made for the Tinker Longsword, and do not come with guard, hilt or pommel parts. The blunt longsword sparring blade may be used either to replace a severely worn sparring blade, or to convert a sharp longsword to a sparring format. The sharp replacement blade will enable owners of the blunt Tinker Longsword to convert their sword to a cutting sword quickly and easily. Both versions can of course also be used as a basis for building your own sword. After all fashioning your own guard, hilt and pommel may be more manageable to start with, than forging your own blade.

Blade type XVIII and its sub-types were the most widely used from 1410 to 1510. This period was marked by the latter part of the Hundred Years’ War, Agincourt, the War of the Roses and the beginning of the Italian Wars. In short the heyday of the medieval armoured knight. The XVIIIa blade has typically a narrow fuller running about 1/3 of its length, and a flattened diamond section from the fuller out to the tip. The blade has a gradual profile and distal tapering, which means it has fantastic cutting and thrusting abilities. The sharp blade has the right stiffness for cutting strokes and the blunt has enough flex for safe sparring. The sharp blade has a quick profile for thrusts. The blunt blade has 2 mm thick edges and a rounded tip for safe sparring practice.

Please note that some adjustment or filing with a metal file may be required in order to fit the replacement blade onto your pre-existing sword. In quality swords the tolerances are quite small, and pieces are hand-made to fit together very precisely, so that for example the shoulder of the blade would be exactly the same size as the corresponding slot in the guard.  The smiths make each piece to be as close to identical as possible, but as they are hand-made, some variation is inevitable. These replacement blades have been left to the original size on purpose, so that the fitting will be as close and tight as possible. If they were slightly thinner or narrower, they would slide in without any bother, but the hilt construction might as a result be slightly loose and potentially rattly.

• Made as a replacement blade for the Tinker Longsword, hilt parts not included
• Available as a sharp or a blunt version
• Choose yours: sharp for cutting practice or blunt for safe training
• Oakeshott type XVIIIa blade, most widely used from 1410 to 1510
• Designed by Michael Tinker Pearce
• Overall length of the sharp version: 118,9 cm
• Overall length of the blunt version: 119,4 cm
• Tang length: 29,6 cm
• Weight: 880 g
• Blade material: 5160 Spring steel
• Made by Hanwei
• Sharpness: Sharp or Blunt

About the Tinker Pearce Line:

Hanwei commissioned Michael ‘Tinker’ Pearce to design a line of swords that will satisfy both the sparring and cutting needs of Historical European Martial Arts practitioners. In this collection you get authentic and genuine pieces that are based on historical designs, but made with modern techniques and materials to make them as strong as possible.

These swords are offered either blunt or sharpened, so you can choose whether you need one for cutting practice and authenticity or one for training, HEMA-combat and reenactment. Either way you get one of the finest modern medieval swords on the market with impressive handling.

The creator of these fine weapons is Michael Tinker Pearce, a noted maker of custom medieval swords, whose pieces have a long-standing reputation for durability and overall performance. He has studied swords for over thirty years and has been instrumental in making features such as authentic weight and balance as industry standards. His research and broad-based training has enabled him to understand both how swords were used by those who depended their lives on them, as well as the needs of modern re-enactors and martial artists.

These swords meet Tinkers quality requirements. Each blade is forged from 5160 Spring Steel, and is tempered to a hardness of 50-53 Hrc and the tang to the low 30s Hrc. For the Medieval models the very end of the tang is threaded. The pommel has a recess to fit the hexagonal nut to secure and tighten the hilt. This allows the hilt to be easily dismantled for inspection, customization, and to exchange blades if needed. The sharp and blunt blades are interchangeable on all the medieval models. The blades are intended for full on sparring, but may be replaced if needed, further reducing the long-term cost of these swords. The Viking Sword sharps and blunts are peened for historical authenticity and to meet the needs of collector and reenactment groups.