What it means to buy your sword from Crisp & Sons
In 1975 Raymond Crisp opened a silversmiths workshop in London specialising in the manufacture of bespoke creations for discerning clients from around the world. Approached by Wilkinson Sword to produce Master Patterns in the late 1970s, he teamed up with John Arlett, Wilkinson’s Sword Designer and Barry Stanton, Die Maker to the Royal Mint. Working together they produced many unique products including the Silver Jubilee and Millennium Swords. In the early 1980s, Wilkinson subcontracted the refurbishment of their swords to Raymond Crisp, renowned as masters of this craft, Crisp & Sons continues today as sword refurbishers to the UK Ministry of Defence.
A renaissance of British sword making.
Of the principal sword cutlers in England supplying swords in the 19th and 20th centuries, only Crisp & Sons remains. In September 2007, the company announced the launch of its new range of UK produced, Military Swords to coincide with its merger with sister company Sussex Swords, the UK’s leading military sword supplier. Unified, they are now the only specialist sword manufacturing company based in the UK. The Crisp & Sons workshops are set deep in the Sussex countryside near the site of a 16th century iron works. It still etch blades using wax and acid, an ancient art, to recreate military blade patterns dating back over 200 years.The small high quality and refurbishment enterprise uses the bestBritish craftsmen and company staff include key factory and management from Wilkinson Sword, including sales director, Malcolm Ordever, one of the country’s foremost experts. Crisp & Sons’ range of new swords offers discerning customers, British handcrafted products using traditional techniques, some over 200 years old. The swords feature high carbon, tempered and acid etched blades, fish skin grips and highly detailed hilts manufactured to MOD specifications.
Craft traditions
Sword making is a traditional craft and the basic processes have changed little in the last 100 years. The trade of the cutler, had many branches. Bladesmiths made the blades. Hilts were the speciality of the hilter or silversmith, the complicated silver/wire bound service handles was a secret of the handle binder and the wooden scabbard bodies were made by cabinet makers. The sword cutler was traditionally an assembler who brought the component parts from those who made them to produce the complete finished article. It has always been the custom for manufacturers to sell unmarked swords to retailers, who etched their own names upon the goods they sold. Some of these retailers called themselves sword cutlers, though they were no more than distributors.
Sword making today
Crisp and Sons, like Wilkinson before them, continues the tradition of bringing under one roof many of the trades still employed in the actual production of swords.
From raw billet to blade
The standard blade for a typical service sword starts as a billet of sword steel, smelted and roll-forged to the company’s own specification.
Profiling and fullering
The profiles of the blades are then cut before being ground to the correct section. If the blade has a fuller, this is ground on a special fullering wheel of the appropriate contour.
Straightening and testing
After heat treatment, the blade is straightened before undergoing stringent tests including the famous bend test invented by Henry Wilkinson in 1843, where the blade is deflected 5 inches to the left and right to establish its integrity. Once it has been proved to the satisfaction of the Bladesmith, it is passed to the care of the Master Cutler.
Six stage polishing
Starting with the Master Polisher, the blade undergoes six stages of polishing to obtain a mirror finish, before being passed to the Master Etcher.
Decorative etching
Crisp & Sons has a resource of etched plates of standard designs as well as many vintage military presentation patterns and regimental badges. The design is first put onto the blade by a wax transfer process and the blade then painted by hand to protect the areas not required to be attacked by the acid during the etching process.
Handguard manufacture
Manufacture of the handguard depends on the type of sword being made; the component parts are either cast in brass or stamped from brass or steel sheet, chased and fettled by hand. The flat sheet guards are dished in a press to give them the appropriate contour before being hand formed. Whether cast or pressed, the guards are finely polished before being plated with gold, silver or nickel, as appropriate.
Grip
The type of grip also varies according to the type of sword and can be polished wood, wire bound or fish skin covered. Military grips have a wooden core covered with sunray fish skin.
Scabbard
Scabbards are made of steel, brass, rawhide or wood covered with leather or velvet. Wooden scabbard bodies are made by carpenters to fit the blade of the individual sword; the leather or velvet is then sewn onto the body by hand. Rawhide scabbards are hand sewn wet over brass mandrels and then oven baked to harden them.
Master cutler assembly
Finally, the sword is assembled and fitted by the master cutler and its serial number entered into Crisp & Sons’ record books.
Crisp & Sons has proud tradition of “Quality First and Foremost” with the preservation of British craft and manufacture firmly in mind. The company is passionate about its craft and whatever the client’s requirements it provides a quality of sword, second to none.
Printed from an article in Sovereign Publications of May 2006 click here to read the original article
