Swept hilt rapier

[urbanspaceman]

I have a swept hilt rapier that has four vertical grooves in the grip that once contained metal strips.
Can anybody tell me what the metal strips are called? In any language.

[fernando]

barretas longitudinales de hierro, filetes longitudinais de ferro, vertical steel bands; you can even make your own .

[Philip]

The pics make me wonder if there were any strips at all in the recesses. I can't see where the ends of such strips would be secured, since there seems to be no logical points of attachment in the depth of the recesses. Personally I think that the longitudinal indentations, as is, would really help improve the user's grasp on the hilt.

[Victrix]

I agree with Philip and have had the same thoughts. If there had once been strips in the recesses there would have been empty spaces where they had been secured under the turk’s head knots. I have a 17thC Austrian felddegen with such recesses in the grip and no signs that they ever contained strips. I believe the recesses are simply to improve grip (especially in wet or gory conditions). My observation is that grips with recesses containing strips is typical for Iberian swords, and they are typically secured with ferrules rather than turk’s head knots.

[fernando]

You guys are obviuosly right. I was only focused, as requested, in the name of the bars (filets) that are usually placed in those recesses.



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[urbanspaceman]

Originally Posted by fernando

You guys are obviuosly right. I was only focused, as requested, in the name of the bars (filets) that are ususly laced in those recesses.

Thank-you Fernando; barretas was the word I was looking for.
I have seen bars secured under Turk's Head Knots, but in the case of my sword, I agree, it was simply grooved to improve grip.
I do like the look of the grips with barretas though.
Perhaps they were an optional extra, abandoned when they kept falling out during vigorous manipulation but leaving the useful grooves in place.
I believe my sword is from the first quarter of the 16thC, so a work in progress possibly.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Victrix

... My observation is that grips with recesses containing strips is typical for Iberian swords, and they are typically secured with ferrules rather than turk’s head knots.

Indeed both the rapier i first showed as this one, which is no longer mine, are Iberian.


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[Victrix]

And here is my 17thC Austrian felddegen, sin barretas.

[fernando]

The other variant; sin barretas ... y con virolas.


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[urbanspaceman]

I was convinced I had seen a sword with barretas secured under the Turk's Head knot but I must be mistaken because I certainly can't find it now.
The majority I saw secured under ferrules seem to be Bilbos which I understand comes from the city name Bilbao which is Iberia right?
Anyway, if they were never fitted to my sword then it is complete which is what was disturbing me and - as Fernando suggested - I was going to make some, but was perplexed where they would be secured.
Thanks for your help Folks.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by urbanspaceman

...The majority I saw secured under ferrules seem to be Bilbos which I understand comes from the city name Bilbao which is Iberia right? ...

Bilbao is, as you know, a city in the Basque Country (Euskal Herria), a region in Northern Spain, whereas Iberia, or better, the Iberian Peninsula, comprises both nations of Portugal and Spain. If in fact the term Bilbo refers to famous edged weapons made in that region, this term is often attributed to a somehow wide range of Spanish sword styles, which is questionable.
Just for perusal, and if you allow me, i will here transcribe some considerations on this subject, written by some knowledged author (don't recall his name):

The current theories place the origin of the name to the city of Bilbao, in the modern Basque Country, in northern Spain, the capital of the actual province of Bizkaia which was a millenary iron-production center and also origin of sword and dagger hilts of fame at that time. It was a part of Spain with traditional trade contacts with Britain, so it's a very likely origin.

But fact is that the term is actually used to cover all double-shell hilt swords, and it's specially used to describe what in fact it's the Spanish cavalry Pattern sword M1728, like these:

This style was in use, with variations, since mid 17th c, and after being made into a cavalry pattern in 1728 was going to be in service until the beginning of the 19th c. As such, calling this a "bilbo", it's stretching the term a bit too much. In Spain it's called a Cavalry sword M1728, a "double shell" guard sword or a "Horse-mouth" guard sword, because of the similarity of a construction detail of the hilt with a piece of a horse bite.

"Bilbo" is an English catch-all word used to very generally refer to the Spanish "Utilitarian" cup-hilt swords, so often found all over America. They usually had a wide, _relatively_ short sturdy and well tempered blades, very practical and unadorned. The grip was more often than not wood, sometimes covered with wire.

The term comes from the Spanish Basque city of Bilbao, where a significant number of them were made and exported to the New World. In Basque that name is actually "Bilbo", although there's also a basque town by that name. I understand these swords were also sold to merchants of every european nation, including England.

The type was very popular aboard ships, where it was used on a similar role as the cutlass was among other nations. Needless to say, this sword was also used in Europe, but curiously, seem to have survived better in America. Probably because in the colonies these were better taken care of, since they were more difficult to acquire, and thus more valuable.

"Bilbo" if often misused by neophytes to refer to *any* spanish sword...

Originally Posted by urbanspaceman

... Anyway, if they were never fitted to my sword then it is complete which is what was disturbing me and - as Fernando suggested - I was going to make some, but was perplexed where they would be secured...

Pardon my bad English; when i said "you can even make your own", i was referring to making up your name for the barretas, other than the various lexicon seen out there .

[urbanspaceman]

Thank-you yet again Ferdinand.