[Illustration:  Fig 1; Fig 2; Fig 3; Three Fifteenth Century Swords]

Mechanic, London.  The following described arms are authentic designs of the original articles.  A German sword of the fifteenth century is shown in Fig. 1.  This sword is 4 ft. long with the crossguard and blade of steel.  The imitation sword is made of wood and covered with tinfoil to produce the steel color.  The shape of the sword is marked out on a piece of wood that is about 1/8 in. thick with the aid of a straightedge and pencil, allowing a little extra length on which to fasten the handle.  Cut the sword out with a saw and make both edges thin like a knife blade and smooth up with sandpaper.  The extra length for the handle is cut about 1 in. in width and 2 in. long.  The handle is next carved and a mortise cut in one end to receive the handle end of the blade.  As the handle is to represent copper, the ornamentations can be built up of wire, string, small rope and round-headed nails, the whole finally having a thin coat of glue worked over it with a stiff bristle brush and finished with bronze paint.

The crossbar is flat and about 1 in. in width.  Cut this out of a piece of wood and make a center hole to fit over the extra length on the blade, glue and put it in place.  Fill the hole in the handle with glue and put it on the blade.  When the glue is thoroughly dry, remove all the surplus with a sharp knife.  Sheets of tinfoil are secured for covering the blade.  Cut two strips of tinfoil, one about 1/2 in. wider than the blade and the other 1/4 in. narrower.  Quickly cover one side of the blade with a thin coat of glue and evenly lay on and press down the narrow strip of tinfoil.  Stick the wider strip on the other side in the same way, allowing equal margin of tinfoil to overlap the edges of the blade.  Glue the overlapping edges and press them around on the surface of the narrow strip.  The crossguard must be covered in the same manner as the blade.  When the whole is quite dry, wipe the blade up and down several times with light strokes using a soft rag.

The sword shown in Fig. 2 is a two-handed Swiss sword about 4 ft. in length, sharp on both edges with a handle of dark wood around which is wound spirally a heavy piece of brass or copper wire and held in place with round-headed brass nails.  The blade and crossbar are in imitation steel.  The projecting ornament in the center of the crossguard may be cut from heavy pasteboard and bent into shape, then glued on the blade as shown.

In Fig. 3 is shown a claymore, or Scottish sword of the fifteenth century.  This sword is about 4 ft. long and has a wood handle bound closely around with heavy cord.  The crossbar and blade are steel, with both edges sharp.  A German poniard is shown in Fig. 4.  This weapon is about 1 ft. long, very broad, with wire or string’ bound handle, sharp edges on both sides.  Another poniard of the fourteenth century is shown in Fig. 5.  This weapon is also about 1 ft. long with wood handle and steel embossed blade.  A sixteenth century German poniard is shown in Fig. 6.  The blade and ornamental crossbar is of steel, with both edges of the blade sharp.  The handle is of wood.  A German stiletto, sometimes called cuirass breakers, is shown in Fig. 7.  This stiletto has a wood handle, steel crossbar and blade of steel with both edges sharp.