Spanish Bracamante (Falchion) Review of the Spanish Bracamante made by Javier Solé (Ancient Forge) (From early idea, to design, and final realization) I have always been interested in swords and swordsmanship. Some people might say I’m in love with it. During my 25+ years of martial arts training, I have tried a few different swords. My first experience was with a Chinese saber and Chinese straight sword when I was very young. After that I practiced with short blades (more or less of the length of machetes). In the last 5 years I became interested in western martial arts and swords, and in the last year I've actually been able to try a few western swords and train with them. This occurred, in part, because of some revelations in weapons practicing during training with my Silat Sera teacher. Sometime in August 2015 I decided to begin seriously studying one hand swords. For the purpose of this article, when I use the term one hand sword I am referring to a sword with a blade longer than 65 cm that is primarily used with one hand. This can also be considered a long blade as opposed to a medium blade with a length between roughly 45 cm and 65 cm, or a short blade with a length under 45 cm. All long blades, no matter the shape, can be trained with the same basic principles, leaving specialization based on shape and peculiarities of each sword (e.g., curved, straight, with or without guard, etc.), to a later phase of training. I am very fond of the Grosse Messer and Falchions style blades. My first studies on this subject were triggered by the Dusack play as described by Joachim Meyer. The recent publication of the book "The Art of Swordsmanship" by Hans Lecküchner translated by Jeffrey L. Forgeng, further influenced me in deciding on the type of sword I would later purchase for training. My research progressed by talking to a few friends. Those discussions led me to my friend (I also consider him my teacher in Spanish Montante), Jesus Juan Merchan-Sanchez-jara, who highly recommended that I talk to Javier Solé. I was familiar with Javier’s works, as I had already subscribed to his Facebook group Ancient-Forge. I contacted Javier Solé right after my discussion with Jesus Juan, with the thought of purchasing a very simple Grosse Messer with good proportions and quality steel. One of the reasons for wanting a simple design was because of the always present budget constraints. After describing my interests to Javier, it became apparent that he was interested in doing the work. It didn’t take long before he began suggesting some ideas from pictures of historical Falchions and projects he had completed in the past. He is very passionate about his work and, based on my impressions, if the project challenges him, he strives to not only satisfy the customer, which is something that he always makes a priority, but also to propose better ways to do things. During the early design phases, there was a continuous back and forth flow of information. We discussed my ideas, he proposed designs with example photos, provided cost estimates, eliminated options that didn't satisfy me, and little by little worked out the final solution. The cost was increasing, but we were able to select the mix of features to get the best results, within a reasonable budget. Right before finalizing the design, a discussion between Javier and Jesus Juan brought up an image of the painting 'The taking of Christ' (originally placed in Ciudad Rodrigo - Spain) preserved in the University of Arizona Museum of Art. After Javier explained some of the details in the scene, we decided to redesign everything based on the Bracamante illustrated in the painting.
Transcript
Spanish Bracamante (Falchion)Review of the Spanish Bracamante made by Javier Solé (Ancient Forge)
(From early idea, to design, and final realization)
I have always been interested in swords and swordsmanship. Some people might say I’m in love with it. During my 25+ years of martial arts training, I have tried a few different swords. My first experience was with a Chinese saber and Chinese straight sword when I was very young. After that I practiced with short blades (more or less of the length of machetes). In the last 5 years I became interested in western martial arts and swords, and in the last year I've actually been able to try a few western swords and train with them. This occurred, in part, because of some revelations in weapons practicing during training with my Silat Sera teacher.
Sometime in August 2015 I decided to begin seriously studying one hand swords. For the purpose of this article, when I use the term one hand sword I am referring to a sword with a blade longer than 65 cm that is primarily used with one hand. This can also be considered a long blade as opposed to a medium blade with a length between roughly 45 cm and 65 cm, or a short blade with a length under 45 cm. All long blades, no matter the shape, can be trained with the same basic principles, leaving specialization based on shape and peculiarities of each sword (e.g., curved, straight, with or without guard, etc.), to a later phase of training.
I am very fond of the Grosse Messer and Falchions style blades. My first studies on this subject were triggered by the Dusack play as described by Joachim Meyer. The recent publication of the book "The Art of Swordsmanship" by Hans Lecküchner translated by Jeffrey L. Forgeng, further influenced me in deciding on the type of sword I would later purchase for training. My research progressed by talking to a few friends. Those discussions led me to my friend (I also consider him my teacher in Spanish Montante), Jesus Juan Merchan-Sanchez-jara, who highly recommended that I talk to Javier Solé. I was familiar with Javier’s works, as I had already subscribed to his Facebook group Ancient-Forge.
I contacted Javier Solé right after my discussion with Jesus Juan, with the thought of purchasing a very simple Grosse Messer with good proportions and quality steel. One of the reasons for wanting a simple design was because of the always present budget constraints. After describing my interests to Javier, it became apparent that he was interested in doing the work. It didn’t take long before he began suggesting some ideas from pictures of historical Falchions and projects he had completed in the past. He is very passionate about his work and, based on my impressions, if the project challenges him, he strives to not only satisfy the customer, which is something that he always makes a priority, but also to propose better ways to do things.
During the early design phases, there was a continuous back and forth flow of information. We discussed my ideas, he proposed designs with example photos, provided cost estimates, eliminated options that didn't satisfy me, and little by little worked out the final solution. The cost was increasing, but we were able to select the mix of features to get the best results, within a reasonable budget. Right before finalizing the design, a discussion between Javier and Jesus Juan brought up an image of the painting 'The taking of Christ' (originally placed in Ciudad Rodrigo - Spain) preserved in the University of Arizona Museum of Art. After Javier explained some of the details in the scene, we decided to redesign everything based on the Bracamante illustrated in the painting.
We took into consideration every single component of the weapon...the length and shape of the blade, the guard, the side ring, the handle, and the pommel. We made the handle slightly longer than standard one hand swords so I could occasionally hold it with two hands. The section of the blade was a discussion in itself, as Javier suggested a ground section in the middle. This type of section decreases the overall weight without sacrificing the strength of the blade. For a reasonable increase in cost, I decided to incorporate this feature.
After 2-3 days of redesign we reached a final agreement and I confirmed everything on a basic drawing Javier provided me along with a few technical specifications included in the order.
The production started about two weeks after the final agreement. Throughout the design phases and production, Javier was always available to explain methods and procedures. He described the forging, grinding, and tempering processes in detail without revealing his trade secrets. It was an amazing experience for me starting with the very beginning of the process.
Forging and grinding proceeded pretty fast; it was exciting to see the blade taking shape.
The next step was tempering. This was the period where I had to be patient as Javier usually tempers more than one blade at a time. This meant that he had to finish forging and grinding a few other blades before proceeding.
As I was very curious about the different processes, I asked a lot of questions and always received very accurate explanations.
After nearly two months, the blade was ready for the final assembly which included the construction of the guard, handle, and pommel. Before proceeding, Javier contacted me to confirm the final details and showed the first part of the guard. For some reason the guard was different than the original design. I wondered if it was because he misinterpreted the design, I didn't understand his original proposal, or, as I suspected, because he didn't care for the original design. I sent him the original drawing and pointed out the difference; he reluctantly agreed with my concern and offered to remake the guard. In the end, I preferred his new version.It was now time for the side ring which completed the guard. During the construction of the guard, handle and hilt, a tight chat had been going on to establish details before providing the final go ahead.
A couple of weeks before while cutting wood, I found really useful a sort of unintended ricasso in the machete I was using. With it I was able to put my index finger on an unsharpened part of the blade, which greatly increased my control of the movements. I wanted something similar on the Bracamante.
I tried to explain this to Javier, but due to my lack of knowledge of sword terms (I didn't know the term ricasso at the time), wasn't able to convey the idea.
After a few conversations, pictures, and prototypes, we came up with a final solution which included a beautiful index finger realized by Javier. I would never have thought of something so nice for my blade guard.
It was then time to complete the handle. As noted above, the sword was meant to be used with one hand, with the possibility of being occasionally grabbed by both hands, however, the original design turned out to be a little bit too long so we ended up reducing the final length by roughly 2-3 cm. The handle was then wrapped with leather. Finally Javier decided to install a different pommel than the one we had originally selected. A better version. I loved the final version of the handle and couldn't wait to finally have this beauty in my hands. Unfortunately, coloring, final brushing, and construction of the scabbard needed to be completed before my dream could be realized, and the well-deserved Christmas holidays were upon us so I had to suffer the pains of waiting for some more.
My suffering was further increased when Javier sent me the following pictures:
The package was shipped on a Tuesday and I received it 4 days later. I couldn't wait until the end of my work day to open it.The Bracamante was very well boxed and I was extremely happy that it arrived without any damage. Javier told me: "I'm relieved that she survived the trip". Wait... had he just said "she"?Yes, after having seen her and playing with her, I realized Javier was right, this sword is a she, and she already has a name. But that's another story.
Handling her and playing with her gives an incredible sensation. She weighs slightly more than 1.1 kg; is incredibly smooth, fluid, and fast; and is perfectly balanced. Suitable for long, mid, and short range, the 70 cm blade is just right for a variety of distances. The blade section and associated weight reduction provides a sword that is light and very easy to handle. I was so impressed with it that I couldn't stop playing; I have never had such a feeling using a sword. I later discovered that Javier also couldn't stop playing with her (maybe that's why he kept it a little bit more during Christmas and New Year holidays...).
I wanted to tell this story from the beginning, at the risk of it being boring for most readers, because I wanted to convey the overall experience.We designed, redesigned, and modified the sword during construction to reach the best final outcome.Not only do I now have this beautiful Bracamante, but I have also learned a lot about the overall process of making a sword. For me it was an incredible experience, especially the honor of being able to interact with the artisan to achieve the final product. To cite Javier, "...this is what I sell, not only an artisan sword, a co-production of the sword itself...".
