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Wire wrapped handle

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Sir James A:
A quick tutorial on wire wrapping a handle - usually would be a sword handle, but this applies to maces, war hammers, etc.

Start by disassembling the sword, if possible:


* A threaded allan key pommel isn't as historical as a peened pommel, but it makes this part easy and is more maintenance-friendly

On my sword, I removed the leather grip, and wire wrapped over the wood core. I painted it black so small spots I screw up won't be as obvious:



I placed a few inches of the wire inside the hollow part of the handle, and pushed it back onto the tang:



Wrap it around over and over. I've found the easiest way for me to do this is to rotate the sword itself, and to apply constant downward pressure facing away from my body. I can watch the sword to try to keep the wrapping tight, but it's a bit of a strain on my hands. Some wrapping done:



And finally, the finished handle:



This is, and I kid you not, a *very* slow process. This handle, a CAS/Hanwei Longsword, took me a solid 3 hours to do. And I made quite a few mistakes. The wire is *very* picky about being perfectly straight. Looking back at it, I should have used some pliers to straighten out the tiny little "kinks" in the wire; it would bend slight at spots when coming off the spool, and it affects the final appearance.

On the bright side, it's both cheap and easy to do. Total cost was $5 + tax, with some wire left over. I used simple black-coated brass wire from JoAnn Fabrics (or any other girly-stuff store). It was a 30 yard roll, and a bit of another. I used 26 gauge, and I didn't do the "twisted wire" style, just a straight wire wrap. And no more torn leather! Let's see how this holds up to gauntlets....

Sir Rodney:
Nicely done!  I’m going to guess that you’ll eventually see a very attractive, almost antique-like, wear pattern as the black coating wears off the brass wire at the contact points with your gloves.  8)


--- Quote from: James Anderson III ---This is, and I kid you not, a *very* slow process. This handle, a CAS/Hanwei Longsword, took me a solid 3 hours to do. And I made quite a few mistakes. The wire is *very* picky about being perfectly straight.
--- End quote ---

I helped a buddy do this once.  You’re not kidding.  Even with two people, one slowly turning the sword and one keeping tension / guiding the wire, this process takes a long time. The results are worth it though; my buddy’s hilt still looks great after 10 years!

Sir Brian:
Well done Sir James! Another method for securing the beginning of the wire wrap on swords with peened pommels is drilling a small hole into the wood core approximately ¼” below the winding starting point and secure the wire with a dab of glue.  ;)

Sir Edward:

Another way to pin the end of the wire is with an actual pin:


(clicky)

Sir Patrick:
Well done!  Should be worth all the effort in the long run.

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