CaptainBeaky

Thank you, kind sir The blade took 7 attempts to get right - edge-quenching is a real pig! One of the early tries cracked so many times between coming out of the quench and getting into the tempering oven that it resembles a comb! Worth it though, when it comes it of the etch with a lovely hamon showing The saya was also good practice before making the one for the daito above. Couldn't get magnolia wood for a sane price, but tulipwood (Yellow Poplar) is a very close relative, and very similar in use.

Bones61 does make a lovely knife Zorro? Perhaps... Maybe a bit early for Zorro - actually made for a production of Romeo and Juliet a few years back, so late Elizabethan period. Swept-hilt rapiers, based around a pair of repro Schlager blades, hilts and scabbards by your humble servant again. Properly weighted for a rapier - makes you use proper rapier style, not just swish it around, plus they sound great on stage 😎

1108

Of course you do! Everyone should have one. Or two. Or three... Blade dates from mid-1690's, all mounts made by yours truly, except for the pommel and hilt ornaments, which are mid 18th century.

Can't see it, personally... Some more of mine - as before, all my own work, except for the two type 18 swords.

79016 just now...

My go-to knife for most things! Blade by Pekka Tuominen, ironwood, mammoth ivory and nickel silver mounts. Pattern welded seax, alder root and nickel silver mounts. Rose-pattern damasteel and ebony.

This may take some time... And the hamon (temper line):

Sad news about Trevor Ablett - I hadn't heard :( The Management has one of his hand-made folders, and a lovely thing it is. Here is another maker still going in Sheffield: Stuart Mitchell

Likewise - gun slung over right shoulder, muzzle up, so breech faces out, big red Benelli safety clip in ejection port. The world and his guide dog can see it is safe.

I suspect not - the IP rating is listed by the manufacturer, subject to testing. Not something you can change. You may well be able to make it waterproof, but you can't give it an IP rating. Using it in your bathroom would therefore contravene IEE writing standards, and quite possibly void your house insurance.

They are usually a peg spanner, aren't they? Simple enough to make one up using a piece of bar and a couple of small bolts.

It's actually a little short, so some more work is required. Someone is sending me one of Geoff Wood's original slings to use as a pattern, so watch this space

Blanket carrier! That's what I should have been searching for... Thanks for the offer, Daf, but there are loads of images on t'Interweb (once you search for the right thing) Quite similar to what I knocked together last night, but more sophisticated. I have improvised similar things in the past, using webbing or paracord, but these usually turned out to be too narrow for carrying any weight for any great duration. This one is wider ('cos that's the width of strap I found in the BoUI) - I'll be using it later today, like as not, so a road test for the prototype awaits. Photos shortly.

Lot of typos last night 😳 Thanks, Daf - I've not seen the Beretta braces idea... Found some photos on British Blades It's basically a strap with a sliding loop on each end, and a buckle in the middle to adjust the length. I've dug some bits out of the Box of Useful Items to have a bash. I'll put some photos up when it's finished (if it doesn't look too embarrassing...)

Make your own! You get far more for your money, plus you get one that is exactly the right length.

Hi all I'm making stuff again... Now the weather is getting warmer, the walk to the station needs a coat first thing, but not the walk home in the afternoon, so some way of carrying my coat other than a rucksack send a good idea. I have a vague memory of seeing a thread about beaters' cost slings on pw a while ago, but the search function isn't turning anything up. Does anyone in the PW hive mind have a picture of one of these slings? Thanks

This. We made the mistake of letting one of their salesmen in a few years back - he managed to **** me off in the first five minutes, and it took me an hour, and in the end being particularly blunt ("Ok, this sales call is now over, thank you for coming") to get the yappy sod out of the house. Don't touch with a barge pole.

Yhpm

RIP, Mr Corbett - thanks for all the laughs. "Meanwhile, it has been reported that a ship carrying red paint has collided with a ship carrying purple paint. Initial reports suggest that both crews have been marooned".

I've had to order spares twice in 20-odd years - both times the stuff turned up within a week. First was a snapped ejector spring in my o/u, second was a replacement magazine tube and gas seals when I bought my MP153 - it didn't appear to have been cleaned ever, and the tube was pitted under the gas ports. Changing the seals at the same time was merely a precaution - the gun still worked perfectly in that state, but it offended me too much to ignore it! They will take an awful lot of abuse and still work - they are designed as working tools, not display pieces. Hard to beat as general purpose guns, especially given the prices.

Castrato. They didn't do it to females - it doesn't have the same effect!

Enjoy!

Very nice 😎

Everyone should do Crib Goch at least once in their life