"Pluma Negra" (The Black Feather)

This Classical Fencing foil marks a new step in the making of custom grips using the Fabulous Machine seen in a previous post.  It is a commissioned weapon created to the specifications of a client.  The name reflects the lightness of the foil in the hand.  The blade is one of few remaining blades forged by Blaise Freres in France before the company was sold.  The quality of this blade allows it to be ground and honed for quick response to the fingers without sacrificing control of the point.

The guard selected by the client is a Fleur de Lis pattern from Benjamin Arms.  The grip is a light Poplar wood core wrapped with hardened cord and twisted steel wire.  The pommel is custom cut stainless steel in conical shape.  A stainless steel ferule cups the end of the wood grip to prevent mushrooming and compress the cord windings.

The Fabulous Machine allows the simultaneous winding of multiple wraps, in this case cords and wire, without the need for layering or spacing guesswork.  Each winding is in direct contact with the wood grip core, adding strength while maintaining sensitivity in handling.  The larger diameter cord is hardened to provide a sure grip in the hand.  Particularly amazing is how the grip transfers the lightest touch of the blade to the fingers while still damping aggressive hits from an opponents blade.

The use of wire windings, particularly multiple wires, is a complex skill still to be mastered.  Once again, I credit Joel Mason of Jacob's Armoury for designs and photos of his work.  

"The Fabulous Machine"

The Fabulous Machine is a tribute to the creativity and skill of Joel Mason, Director of Jacob's Armoury. He is renowned for the swords and fencing weapons he's made over the years. Sadly, his long battle with Parkinson's Disease no longer allows him to make complete weapons but you can find a lot of his work at http://www.jacobsarmoury.com . Since making custom grips for Classical Fencing weapons is one of my hobbies, I was particularly inspired by Joel's "Fantastic Machine," a device he built to wind multiple wires and cords on sword grips. You can see the original machine at http://www.jacobsarmoury.com/the-fantastic-machine.html . I have a particular love of gears, metal and machines so my "Fabulous Machine" has a bit of steam punk thrown in.
I'm very thrilled to contribute in small part to Joel's wish that the procedures and techniques he's developed not be lost. I don't think I'll ever achieve the beauty and mastery of wire winding that Joel has but hope that others will also take an interest in his work and carry on with his art. My dream would be to visit his home in Scotland and learn more while time allows but I don't know if that will be possible. Maybe there is someone out there that can.

A better view of the gear and pawl system that locks the wheel in place so adjustments can be made to the wraps.  The three brass pieces near the bottom of the side plate are actually heavy brass pipe, drilled and threaded to accept brass bolts from the underside.  This anchoring system provides additional strength against the pull of the tensioning system for the wrapping cords.

The first test of the complete system with the machine anchored to a portable work bench.  Note the addition of a center mounting bolt.  This allows solid mounting and the ability to angle the machine as the wraps are applied and assists in tight place placement of the wraps next to each other.

The test wrap was done with four wrapping cords.  At the beginning of the wrap, each cord is anchored radially into notches in the wood and glued into place.  As the grip is turned, each cord is picked up and included until all four cords are being wrapped at one time.  The use of a larger diameter cord allows for a more secure grip by the hand.

The line tensioning system of pulleys and weights.  The overhead pulleys can handle five lines or more if similar cords are grouped.  The two pulleys behind the main pulley block allow lines to passed to the back to prevent the weights from interfering with each other.  The weight cartridges can be opened to change the internal lead weights for optimum tension on the lines.

A detailed view of the main pulley block.  Open eyelets were used in the ceiling to allow easy removal when not in use.

The completed grip mounted on a Classical Fencing foil.  The stainless steel pommel is my own but the Fleur de Lis guard is from the collection of Benjamin Bowles at Benjamin Arms.  Although many of his surplus parts are no longer shown in his new catalog, I understand he still has a number of desirable weapon parts in stock.