Today we take a look at an ancient technology that often strikes modern eyes as anachronistic, the use of screws on renaissance sword hilts. Screws are a very old technology dating back at least to the ancient Greeks. During the European renaissance this ancient tech had quite a, well, renaissance ;-)
Featured in sketches by Leonardo da Vinci and other period luminaries, screws were recognized as a great solution for moving materials and fixing materials together. The big problem was that it was very work intensive to make functional screws by hand. Screws were therefore often seen as a luxury product (just try cutting the threads into a hand forged rod with a file or chisel to gain some appreciation for this).
In this video we examine three original sword hilts from the 17th and 18th centuries that feature screws as prominent aspects of hilt construction. This was an appreciated technology of the day that deserves some respect from us modern sword lovers.
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As always, our swords and other weapons are entirely made by us, by hand, at our shop in Minneapolis, MN. Sword blades are hand ground of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. Arms & Armor is dedicated to quality and authenticity. For over four decades we have worked with museums, collectors, and scholars 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.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is President and CEO 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