Tods Workshop and Matt Easton/ Schola Gladiatoria talk sword scabbards 

Oh my, I just can stare at those swords. Beautifully done.

I really enjoyed the information offered on various scabbard support methods - the rationale behind design choices was particularly interesting!

I just got my first Tod's scabbard today, amazing stuff. Leather feels great and the end of the chape has a kind of pineapple decoration which matches the architectural decoration of the church I was baptised in. Now to just wait for my Albion Prince to arrive in the new year.

that carved and painted scabbard is amazing. After watching Todd's vid on the color and decoration of Dover Castle, I have a new appreciation for the lively look and feel of the pre-industrial world.

Look at Matts face in the beginning, like a kid being let into the candy depardment of the supermarket :)

Good lord Tod, it's ridiculous the things you can build, these scabbards are an absolute work of art, and I'll no doubt be ordering some soon. Absolutely adore your work man, keep it up

I have learned so much from this video. And to think I nearly skipped it because I thoughtlessly said to myself "Scabbards are probably quite boring, I want blades!" That was fascinating and I will certainly pay more attention to accoutrements in future. It's clearly not just about blades.

I'm all about the garish blue scabbard honestly. Bloody gorgeous!

Enjoyed the video.... Glad Matt gave the link to your channel. Great work Tod! Definitely subscribing now!

Hell yea great to see you both in the one video

Thank you for such an information filled video.

The construction of migration/viking era scabbards really deserves another video! It sounds so interesting, but it's hard to picture from such a brief description.

ngl I love the flowers scabbard was and I am sorely tempted to get one made every time I see it.

I seem to recall some older works talking about people "loosening their swords" in their scabbards. I wonder if they'd just periodically pull it out a little and let it seat again, presumably a bit more shallowly, so it doesn't get swelled into place.

Given that you sell scabbard furniture Tod, would you ever consider doing a video walkthrough of your scabbard making processes for those of us who’re interested in the craft? I’ve struggled to find much good instruction on the subject online.

About the vertical hanging position on the super-ornate scabbard: it could be another indicator of wealth, saying that you never need to bend over to do anything for yourself, you have people for that.

The unsurpassed Douglas Fairbanks draw: tilt the scabbard down, when the sword drops out swing the scabbard back up throwing the sword out then catch it in flight.

Captain Context brought me here.

Very interesting and informative video.

The first sword with the black scabbard is beautiful

Could you please do a video on making historical correct different versions of scabbards.

Tod, I have a consul era An IX briquet sabre, the scabbard is made from leather more than two centuries old and the area around the throat of the scabbard has rotted away. I would like to craft a new replacement scabbard, but I want it to be as historically authentic as possible. Replicating the chape was somewhat difficult because or the spherical ornamentation on it, replicating the throat was much easier, I still need to harden the leather. I guess where I am getting at with this is that crafting such accoutrements in a historically accurate manner is not easy and I am glad to see your creations and the amount of skill you have put into them.

While I know this is an older video, I have a couple points that may add a bit of understanding to the discussion on why rapier scabbards were the way they were. If the third suspension point was at the back, it would interfere with the left hand dagger and where it could be positioned when worn in conjunction with the rapier. Secondly, with the great length of rapiers and similarly proportioned blades of the time, the sort of draw you'd need to make would go more across your body rather than in front as you demonstrated in this and a previous video on Matt's channel. Just something to think about-would love to see another video soon about any revised thoughts or new works on scabbards you are doing.

The one that hangs down is interesting because it works like a horse-scabbard. That is, some words were attached to the horse rather than the rider in battle (I think particularly estocs were on the horse saddle, while you'd carry your side-sword on your belt). I wonder if that's why they made it work that way, maybe that's the aesthetic they were going for, since it was clearly done for aesthetic reasons rather than practical ones.

I also have the Albion "Burgundian". And as much as I love my Christian Fletcher scabbard, "Tod's" scabbards are much more affordable, and have much more overall bling! The only thing I might like better about my Fletcher scabbard, is that it's a tidbit more form-fitting than that one, which is very sexy. I do have a ballock-rondel hybrid dagger by "Tod" that I love very much. In fact, it, along with a spear, is a companion weapon to the aforementioned sword. 😊

Great vid! How bout the baldric? I've seen period artwork from the mid 1300s depicting baldrics with arming swords. It seems like the baldric may have been falling out of favor by the 15th century. Were baldrics ever used with longswords?

Different scabbards for the same sword in different contexts makes a lot of sense to me. You might be going to war with a very utilitarian scabbard but when you’re in town you want something more flashy and you trade some stability for convenience of it being flexible and not sticking out behind you.

I suspect that anyone wearing the ornate but impractical scabbard wouldn't be bending down to pick anything up: they'd order their servants to do it.

Hmm, I've never considered buying an Albion Burgundian before, but it looks quite nice dressed up in that red scabbard.

British people have such polite accents. “It’s extraordinary”

About the wood swelling in the scabbard: (I don't know nearly as much about woodworking as I would like, so take this with a grain of salt) Maybe they soaked it before making the scabbard (or at least before finishing it), since wood does swell when it comes in contact with water, but doesn't return to its original shape when dried again. Aswell as not swelling as much when it gets wet after that. So maybe, just maybe one could soak a nearly finished piece of scabbard in water, dry it and _then_ make it fit exactly to the sword to prevent it from jamming the blade inside. I don't know if that works, but hey, it's a theory. However, great video, as always, it was a pleasure seeing you two do a collaboration. Greetings from Germany

Would be interesting to see the comparison between belt suspended scabbards and scabbards with baldrics

I wonder if +hats what the "rain flap" was. Normally it would be tucked into the scabbard to keep it tight but after three days rain you can pull the flap out and still pull your sword quick.

YES my two main men!

That Albion Sovereign and Prince, beautiful swords. I wonder if the blue floral scabbard's mounting design is more of a "I'm wearing this for display in court while not poking the people standing next to or behind me whenever I move" kind of deal. Perhaps it's a more low threat, display the sword nicely to show off style, while they kept the more military oriented ones to the battlefield.

This was a wery interesting video.

I am guessing that the reason that the suspension changed from the back may have had to do with interface with the dagger.

Where did you get, that the hair in the lining was more horizontally oriented? Peter Johnsson told me that he found them normally pointing down to hinder the blade to fall out. And he found rabbit-, sheep and seal fur for that. I thought they where pointing down because they where not soo tight. Maybe you where looking at different examples and different sources.

First of all, great video. Secondly, I was thinking about what you say about scabbards and sheaths being sold seperately and therefor not always having the best fit. Would it be safe to assume that some of the pictures of sheath being sold on their own shows samples of what a seller could provide? Kind of like bespoke tailors having suits you can try to see what you like but then they make you your own? "Yes, I would like a scabbard for my falchion. Can I try out something in green leather, please?"

Your RU-vid channel is god-like.

What do you think about the discovery of waxed linen strip construction scabbards?

Maybe the market would like neodymium magnet clasps.

Would they have soaked the fur in grease or oil instead of just the blade?

Point about the vertical scabbard... It is easier to sit with it! You just angle the blade part forwards and sit. I have to go around for half a year, whole day around costumed. I wear that later shallower Z pattern scabbard. I have to take my belt off every time I want to sit.

Needed moar schwinggggg

Another great anime crossover. Keep up the good work!

Wouldn't the grease from the sword blade eventually impregnate and waterproof the wood?

Say what you like, that fancy scabbard is beautiful. I'd wear it any day.

"Like in some movies".... Is Matt maybe refering to Eomer in The Two Towers among those examples?.. x,D

Would anyone be able to confirm if double wrap sword belts were actually used historically at all?

How would they have carried them in battle?

In regard to the one with the floral decorations: maybe the impractical way of suspending it was in fact designed specifically for effigies. When Tod wears it, it aligns perfectly with his leg. Effigies all have their legs straight like that. Maybe, just maybe, the design was meant to be used only in specific situations - indeed only on effigies. What do you think?

Good LOTR reference there :)

Wouldn't it make sense to have a tight fit at the throat and keep the rest rather loose? That should keep the blade in, the rain out and be fairly easy to draw.

One of the downsides of not having a shotgun mic running as a backup. Very interesting video though as always.

How would falchion scabbard look like?

functional codpieces don't go well with the front strap system, I suspect that's why the front strap didn't come in until the codpiece went out.

Interesting video, but the audio was pretty bad.

Finally a video with two of my favourite history-discussioneers :D Now if Skallagrim coumd make it into that team, I'd lose my sh** :D

Would not the wood be oiled? Wood treatment was just as usual then as now. We keep treating wood that is going to be exposed to the weather, would not they do that back then too?

2:53

When you fall off a horse you really don't want something to tight on your body...it hurts..

I wonder - without having any practical experience in drawing swords - if the evolution towards front straps in your last example occured because of the mere length of rapier blades. With a backstrap, I imagine you're way more restricted concerning how your blade is aligned when pulling it out, which might be problematic with such a long blade as in case of a rapier. The frontstraps seem to allow you more clearance (I hope that's the right word for what I want to say - no native speaker here) to draw the sword across your body and not so much to the front. Just an assumption. But if you try and make a Rapier's scabbard with one of the old hanging systems, I guess it might become clearer what made them think "Hmm, maybe we should do that differently."

Matt if you're interested I'd like to hire you as the captain of my personal guard. No homo.

Eomir loses his sword, keeps straight face and rides away...

When you guys start talking about effigies around 9:30 I feel you're neglecting an obvious thing, the carvings are done either of a person laying on their back or with their back to a wall. The artist has to work with tools of that age, carving the effigy out of stone as well, so there's things that you just can't do with the media and tools. Try carving a wooly beard or silken hair, it can't be done, only the impression can be given, and only certain styles could be approximated. Does that mean that that's the only hairstyles or haircuts they had back then? Of course not. The sword and scabbard must be depicted, but the only way is straight down the leg.

8.54 Why would anyone with money to waste on a scabbard like that be picking anything off the ground in the first place? It would be a waste of the status you're trying to project!

maxmoefoe

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8Kejh649_FM.htmlm51s People with sword scabbards like that don't bend over to pick things up. They have servants for that. Realistically they probably aren't fighting either because they have different people for that too.

Studying 12th-century scabbards in manuscripts is soooooo infuriating. They just don't make sense.