RomanArmyTalk

This weekend my friend and I replaced the suspension parts on my Deepeeka AH3264P plain pugio. The replacement parts were made by Nodge Nolan and can be ordered here.

Stripping off the incorrect suspension parts was not difficult. Then I polished the scabbard with sandpaper and steel wool. The new suspension loops could be easily adjusted to fit with the holes. Getting the brass nails through the loops and the holes was a bit tricky, but doable. I made brass washers for two of the three nails of each loop, since the holes were too large for the nails. It took two of us to pin the nails - Edge Gibbons pinned them while I was holding the scabbard.

The blade did not easily fit since the nails now went through the scabbard, and the holes were made a little too far from the edges. However, with little pushing and hammering on the handle it succumbed. The end result is below.

hmmmmmmm, where am i going to find help with that task.... :roll:

Great job! It makes all the difference!


Speak very nicely to me Byron! :wink:

Hmmmm, people keep saying that to me, then never speak to me again... :? roll:

Alex,
great job. Very Professional indeed.

Hope to see you at Lafe to get a hands on look.

Mike

Just curious, but how far "off" are the suspension arms on the original deepeeka pugio? You replaced them because you thought they weren't authentic enough?

They're not "off" AFAIK. These are fancier alternatives which can hold enamel in the small cups around the rivets, if you so desire.

It's the way that the Deepeeka suspension loops are applied that is completely innacurate. The rivets do not pass all the way through the sheath as on all originals. This way they can apply the (stamped) brass pieces to each half of the sheath prior to it being assembled and brazed-up. The two halves of the suspension loop are then fixed together.(innacurate) It's just a way of speeding up their manufacturing process.

This is how, (when you look at the back of the Deepeeka plain pugio sheath), the rivets - although set well into the body of the sheath still allow the blade to pass beneath.

I wouldn't worry too much about making new holes in the rear of the sheath. No-one sees it, so a better placing of the replacement parts can be achieved without compromising the blade movement.

Ahhhhh...ok. I ask only because I have one on the way, and it'd be nice to acquire a piece of gear that for once doesn't need any modification lol.

Forgive me for the perhaps dumb question, but what good is a pugio with a blade that needs to be hammered into the sheath and can't be drawn smoothly :? oops:

I apologize for not clarifying this earlier - after repeated process of hammering the pugio into the scabbard and taking it out, the nails inside the scabbard bent to accommodate the blade, which now goes smoothly in and out.

Ah, OK, thanks! Clear on that now. :o Shame it seems so hard for manufacturers to get it right just for the sake of production speed. Perhaps if they could take into account the possibility of someone wanting to go to the trouble of correcting it, it would be somewhat easier to take things apart and fix it if one should chose to do so, as you have.

Could you solder the hangers on with fake rivets? This would prevent any need to bend the rivets over inside the scabbard.

It would all have to be brazed/welded. Solder simply wouldn't stand up to the task.

Quote:These are fancier alternatives which can hold enamel in the small cups around the rivets, if you so desire.

I did something like this for some hangers I made myself..

Actually, bending the rivets inside the scabbard was not troublesome, and it was mainly the 2 very top rivets/nails that needed bending.