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I Forge Iron

Antique arms shop, New Orleans Photo Heavy


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10 hours ago, George N. M. said:

Is this establishment not far from the Cathedral, maybe on Chartres or Decatur Streets?

It is located on royal street. The proper name of the shop is “James H Cohen & Sons Inc”. They have been in business since 1898!

58 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Civil War swords

Unfortunately, I do not know enough to ID any of the works. There must’ve been a whole lot of smiths to crank out all those swords back in the day. It was fascinating to see the functioning mechanisms of the guns and think about the smiths who made them. Talk about intricate. 

I zoomed in on the tag and it is indeed a 1913 Patton. Good eye!

90C30D60-5877-4FB2-BED5-A1B4A66A78FD.jpeg

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I looked for one for a number of years as I wanted one that had been modified and cheap.  The blade is a very nice version of an early rapier blade---back when they still had some cut as well as thrust to them. I would never want to rehilt a pristine historic piece; but one someone else had already "messed up"....

Finally found one: US$40 1918, (they made a large number of cavalry swords for a war of trenches and barbwire---a lot of them were cut down into trench knives...) with crude modern replacement grips and no scabbard.  It's on my project list to forge a swept hilt for it. I have some ideas on taking a number of wrought iron rods and forge welding them together, preferably leaving a gap to start the tang hole from...lots of abrasive paper shoe shining on that project...

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The M1913 ("Patton") sword was very similar to the 1908/1912 Pattern British Cavalry swords.  These emphasised the use of the point as a thrusting weapon rather than the cut or slash of a curved weapon.  The M1913 was probably never drawn in anger.  It remained an issue weapon for mounted units into the 1920s and 30s but had been withdrawn by the time any mounted units were activated for WW2.

My late wife gave me a reproduction M1913 some years ago and it seems to be of good quality.  However, the sword I used to cut the wedding cake with her and my present wife was a M1840 light artillery saber.

By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

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One of the "Knives 19XX" had an article on the Patton blade and it included how many had been made for WWI and essentially never used. Which is why there are a lot of originals around.

What is that phrase about "Generals are always prepared to fight the last war"

When my sister married a Captain in the Army Rangers I did a bit of research and found he could still wear an 1860's indian wars sabre I had. So I had it restored and gave it to them as a wedding gift.  My sister told me how many hours  or fun he had using it on cardboard boxes...

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  • 5 months later...

I have tent pegged on horseback with the British Army Pat 1908 cavalry sword, ver similar to Gen Pattons.  A horse at a full gallop flattens its stride and gets a bit lower to the ground, a most excillerating feeling at that sort of speed, its 95% horse and about 5% hand eye and timing !

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Had my hands on a matched pair of 32 cal pepper boxes very similar to that at one time.  Great aunts friend had a box full of assorted antique pistols her husband had collected in eastern Canada.  Was lucky enough to poke through it and take a look.  There was an Arabian scimitar as well. Wicked sharp and curved.  wish I had my camera then...

 

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