Austrian 1890 military official sword wire wrap restoration

 

   One of the very interesting disciplines of restoration is the reconstruction of wire wrap on the hilt. The form can be simple, consisting of one piece of wire that is twisted and then braided onto the handle, the next level is two wires, each twisted in the opposite direction to the other (which is the case of today's demonstration). Braids can also be more complex, having a structure consisting of multiple types of wires of different materials or profiles, such wrappings can be found on the masterpieces of ancient masters.

    Following pictures were taken at Coburg castle in 2024, they are shown as examples of the different wire wrapping styles before we get to restoring one.

Here, the use of two opposing braids next to each other that are overlaid by other braid.

This is an example of a very complex basket/textile looking wrapping. 

Next example shows the importance of well prepared underlayer of the handle to achieve a desired look. In this case we can see that the wood was carved to look like twisted rod.

    Now we will return to the sword itself, which had its braid completely destroyed, the cause of such degradation is unknown.

    The furniture itself was not in bad condition and still received a decent cleaning, but that is not the subject of this post.

    The next step after disassembly was to determine what style and material of braid would be chosen for the reconstruction. Fortunately, remnants of the original braid had been preserved, so it was possible to select the appropriate thickness of brass wire to be used.

    After removing the remnants of the old braiding and preparing the new one, the handle is attached to a stable work surface to ensure optimal ability for the wrapping.

  After putting on the sleeve, the craft of braiding the braid itself begins, it is a slow process that requires patience but also brute force, the rods must be strongly tensioned and at the same time constantly pressed tightly together. This process can take hours, a person can stop but cannot postpone the work, once it starts you must finish it, no breaks :)

    

However, the whole job is not just about making the wire wrap, it is about the whole picture. Everything has to fit perfectly together and look authentic, this is where the acess to huge refference collection has its benefits. After completion, shellac and wax were applied, as well as final overall patination.

Thank you for your time reading this.

M.P.

"all pictures, photos and art belong to the author unless stated otherwise"