Today we begin a new series of videos that focus on why Arms and Armor pieces are different from most other high-quality modern reproductions. Nathan was at SoCal Swordfight this past weekend with a bunch of A&A products about almost twenty original pieces from the Oakeshott Institute. The event was fantastic, the organizers did great work, and there was a ton of great fencing. In addition to chatting with customers, Nathan gave three lectures on historical swords and talked to tons of awesome folks.
One of our friends brought some original manuscripts to the event, including this original Marozzo Opera Nova, from which Nathan's chest tattoo is borrowed.
One question that came up a few times is why Arms and Armor products have a distinctive aesthetic? It all comes down to our philosophy and the techniques we use to make our pieces. None of our pieces are pre-engineered or designed using modern CAD or machining principles. In fact, none of us at the shop are particularly competent machinists, but we are excellent historical cutlers. Every single one of our products starts out as either a hand-carved master, usually made of wood, a cast from an original piece, or a 3D model of an existing historic weapon. This means that all aspects of our products are shaped by eye, preserving the asymmetries and other qualities that make each individual piece unique. All of us at Arms and Armor are craftsmen who shape, fit, build, grind, and forge each and every product we sell. We don't just assemble swords, we hand make each one.
As always, our swords are entirely made by us, by hand, at our shop in Minneapolis, MN. The blades are hand ground of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. All of our products are made to look, feel, and function just like the historical originals on which they are based. For over four decades we have worked with museums, collectors, and scholars around the world to develop a deep understanding of European weapons; knowledge we use to make products that exemplify the finest qualities of the very best historic pieces. When we select historic items to reproduce, being pretty isn't enough, they have to move with grace and beauty, and beg to be used when in the hand. These are pieces that feel as good as they look, and that work as well as they feel. Our mission is to craft items that recreate the look, feel, and function of the best historic originals
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is Vice President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985