News and projects from Lyonesse Armoury. I’ve been making swords for decades – some older posts have older photography, please be patient.
Thanks for the many responses to my opening up for sword commissions in 2023. I received more responses than I expected. Many more! As of January 2025, my commission list remains closed, because it is full. I am fully booked for next year. I now have substantial commission work confirmed and under discussion. Based on […]
Commissions List Closed, Sign Up for News for Commission Updates Read More »
After a few years of not taking on any private commissions due to my workload at Wētā Workshop I had decided this year to take on a very few commissions each year. This post shares the story and the design process for my first of this new set of commissions, a fantasy sword named Lumiere.
A commission and the design process for a fantasy blade, Lumiere Read More »
NZ Sword Symposium – I cannot recommend this event enough! The third New Zealand Sword Symposium which is to be held in Wellington on 15 – 18 November 2019 with some of the top experts and teachers in the world coming to New Zealand to share their knowledge. Details can be found at http://www.nzsword.com/. I
2019 NZ Sword Symposium Read More »
Many of my swords on this website are defined by their “type”. What does that mean, and why does it matter? The uses of sword typologies Typologies need to be understood as a modern overlay, trying to bring meaning and order to the huge variety of swords (and other things) used throughout history. They are
Sword typologies and why we need them Read More »
We have updated the web site for Lyonesse Armoury. The main change is more and better examples of my swordsmithing work over the past ten years. We’ve gone for a simple look and feel to keep it easy for us to update. We’ll be improving it more over time with: Additional photographs of my swordsmithing
Updated the Lyonesse Armoury web site Read More »
One factor that helps me as a swordsmith is knowing what it’s like to be in full armour, wielding a blade or lance. I no longer joust, but the experience of riding in armour and jousting, has taught me a lot about how the weapons and armour interact with each other, and how critical it
Wearing full historic armour – the experience Read More »
To help answer your questions, I have put together a new resource, the page How to Make a Sword. This includes a detailed bibliography and some good – and bad – news about where you can learn blacksmithing and more.
New Resource – How to Make a Sword Read More »
One of my long-term favourites as a swordsmith is the Oakeshott Type XVII. This is an elegant type of hand-and-a-half sword. It is as handy with one hand or two, with a long blade for good reach. Even in blunt form with a wide tip for reenactment combat, it is possible to make it light
The hand-and-a-half sword – Oakeshott Type XVII Read More »
