Hamfelde blade types and other wide blades question

[leonardo]

salvete

My question is about very wide blades like the Hamfelde type but also some Folkeslunda Zaspi and Lachmerowice Apa. Their points are sometimes rounded and spatulated and I wonder if these types also have reinforced points. Sadly I have not found clear enough pictures. Mostly just drawings.
Thank you in advance.

[Damianus Albus]

Can you post drawnings and dimensions?
Or maybe reference to Miks or Biborski?
Gladius? Spatha?

SOme more info would be helpful.

[leonardo]

there are not many images online of them but I am talking for example about the  pompeii hamfelde type by miks (i think...) . Blades around 55 cm long and around 60 mm wide. like the bottom one in this graphic

[Damianus Albus]

Well, I don't know much about gladius type so can't help you, tho my spatha is 57,5mm wide.

[leonardo]

thank you anyway!!. But my concern is mostly about the thickness of the point, if they are reinforced or not.

[Damianus Albus]

I can tell you that my spatha (720lenght blade) is 4mm thick.

[brennivs - tony drake]

Looking at the blades of this type no10 none show reinforced tips, of the two blade profiles the one next to the tip I would say tapers  from the point the blade curves at the sides. The next one the angle of the edge follows around to the tip by the same depth if you can see what I mean which would make this point quite thick.
http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/is...se-Illerup; sword type
Hope this will help.
Regards Brennivs

[leonardo]

Many thanks to you both.
I think I get what you say, Tony. But in the case of the round spatulated blades I believe the thickness should be little. But I am aware there is people knowing more. Like you. So are you saying that all of these broad swords have a more or less constant thicness right to the point?

[brennivs - tony drake]

That's the problem each sword has its own balance, but in general for most off the blade the thickness is constant unfortunaly I could not see the blade thickness but a ruff guess is 3.5mm - 5mm but again down to blade profile. these type wide blades could also be repointed swords from longer blades  there is one with a wide fuller which runs into the point. but on the whole they look on the thin side I have some photos which hope will give you a idea of the varied  blade thickness,
   
   
   
   
If you are making you own sword then profile it on the thick side then remove until it feels right in the hand even with out the hilt on. Also draw a full scale on cardboard which you can work with. Or make it in wood which you can remove material to gauge your thicknesses before you start to do it in metal. Hope this is of help 
Regards Brennivs

[leonardo]

thanks, tony. I look at Matt Bunker´s photos quite often but these ones show one or two swords not shown there.
Very interesting some of the details.
I am a professional bladesmith since a couple of decades so I can figure how to make most kind of shapes. But I understand that sometimes it is necessary to start again from zero. Mostly because the early middle ages, late antiquity has a huge quantity of types of swords and I don´t want to drag a more moder common sense in bladesmithing to this earlier era.
Things like edge geometry, scabbard covering, distal taper could be very different in the 3rd 4th and 5th century than those of the 10th.

Thanks again, every detail is precious.

[brennivs - tony drake]

Any time Leonardo    I have made more 3rd - 5th AD  swords than earlier periods   and I agree the variation in blade geometry  just looking through Christen Miks book (AMAZING and that's just the Ring Pommels alone) you get a sense of the huge variation  of blades that were available to Roman soldiers at any given time. If I find more info I will pass on.
Regards Brennivs