Greetings, brother Knights!
It has arrived!!!!
I commissioned this scabbard back in January- I bought my ARN sword from Albion about a year or so before that and while I'd initially planned to go with another scabbard maker, that didn't pan out since I still have commissions outstanding with that particular craftsman and I decided not to wait any longer.
As most of you know, Brian carries a pretty hefty backlog on his waitlist...something to the tune of about 12-18 months or so. Luckily for me, he does an ARN scabbard (just like the one you see in the movie made by Albion) at least once a month, or every two months so I was able to 'jump the line' so to speak because he makes them anyway. Also, because he has an ARN on hand, I didn't have to send mine (which was a concern for me, if only because it wouldn't be near to hand until the work was done) - Albion being pretty consistent among their sword lines- no two may be exactly alike, but they will be near enough, and such was the case for me, luckily.
I think pretty much everyone on here is familiar with Brian Kunz of DBK, so I'll dispense with the verbose descriptions and give you the skinny:
Brian hand carves his scabbards, out of poplar I believe, channeled to accept the sword snugly- my words may seem to imply that it is a short and easy process but please be assured it is anything but; he lines the interior of the scabbard in wool (which I'm told is actually period-accurate) so no damage can occur to the blade like the scrape of a rough surface in the scabbard during the draw and resheathe. Once the scabbard core's done, he cuts the leather to fit before the embossing/stamping, incised lines and stitch and belt holes are punched and then the wrapping process can begin.
Once he's done the detail work, he dyes the leather to your spec- he can even give it a campaign-worn finish, which I requested. I also asked that the belt contrast with the scabbard and grip- I thought it would accentuate the whole ensemble and it does, to my eye anyway.
And so, he made mine, with some minor changes/upgrades that you've not seen on any previous ARN scabbard I assure you. Moving forward you may see them from now on because Brian really likes it as well.
So, without further ado, here are the best parts of a review- the photos! I apologize in advance for the poor photog skills...its funny, it doesn't look that way when I'm taking the shot. LOL
I have not yet named this sword...I'm open to suggestions. Here she is, fully sheathed in the finished scabbard...a real beauty, no?
Sword and Scabbards side by side, belts open:
Here's a closeup of the stamping/incising detail - to match the fuller and crosses of my sword. This is one of the little additions that really make it pop for me - the fuller and cross accents. He also upgraded the chape to a full one, as opposed to the one that looks like a chinhugger beard (there's another name for it but I can't recall it at the moment).
Different angle.
Top half of scabbard...I realize now I could've zoomed this in a little.
Outside getting some clouds/sun!
In closing, I must say that I am not an expert, this being the finest scabbard for the finest sword in my collection that I have ever owned- but having handled many swords and scabbards over the years, I've seen none finer. IMHO, Brian Kunz is at the top of the list of custom scabbard makers- and not just because of the price. I think only those who have worked with their hands can truly appreciate the amount of time, effort and creativity that goes into his scabbards. I have yet to read a negative comment about his work...there will certainly be none from me.
What do you Knights think?
