Way back in the last millennium, my father started collecting a few old weapons from various flea markets. Those became mine when I moved out, based on the logic that I’ll actually have them properly hanging for display and also that I’ve already packed them.

And I did have them out on a wall for a while, and acquired a few more items over the years. But then when I moved to Australia and lived for a long while in rented apartments, the weaponry were left in storage. Now, when we’re finally settled in our own home, it was time to hang them again in my sturdy.

Except that after years of dodgy storage, they weren’t in the best on conditions… So it took a while until I had the man-cave all set up to restore them. (Also took some percussive motivation from my wife to get going 😅).

So here are a few before, during, and after results. Note that by the time I dragged myself to do it, I was far more interested in getting stuck in doing it, than in taking photos. I’m not used to documenting my every movement like the younger generations, so the “before” and “during” photos are a bit scant. Still.

The first is a Bedouin sabre.

With the rust removed, you can see the hand-hammered pattern on the scabbard:

The other Bedouin sword went through an even greater transformation. From this dull brown:

I discovered some dramatically different original colours:

The scabbard used to hold “semi-precious” stones for decorations (realistically like glass), but those have fallen out way before my time. In order to get the years of accumulated grime I’ve also had the fun of using some power tools. These were both to remove the rust and polish the swords, but also to straighten out the edges. I can assure you that all the kinks and notches are DEFINITELY NOT the result of my cousin and me playing with them over summer breaks. That was obviously forbidden, and we would never. The origin of notches remains a mystery 🥸

Anyway, here’s me, polishing the handle of a dagger given to me for a birthday by a dear friend:

Not all the items made it to Australia. A few were confiscated by border police all those years ago. The reasons, however, are an hilarious example of the evolution of legal restriction on weapons.

• A WW1 handgun. Clearly defunct (the barrel was twisted and cracked from when a bullet jammed in). Still, no guns.
• A flail (that spiky ball of metal on the end of chain). Prohibition inherited from some medieval time.
• A WW2 commando knife. It was sharp on both sides, which isn’t allowed. Meaning the 20cm blade got confiscated, but the 3 feet swords were just fine…

Anyway, here are the weapons once I’ve finished polishing them:

Yes, obviously there are some toys and models in there. The large axe in the middle was originally blackened, but by the time I got to it the rust was so deep I had to strip it to the metal. It’s covered by Arabic letters on the head and shaft, which is lovely. I wouldn’t think the dragon’s head is strictly allowed in Islamic art, but who cares?

The two Wing Chun knives are from when I was training in the martial art. It’s been a few years since I practiced with them, but now they’re right there…. The basket-hilt long sword on the right is from a trip to Spain (Toledo steel from Toledo 😍).

And here they are in my study:

This is on the wall to my left. Here’s what behind me: some extra model weaponry, plus…

Because, y’know, I also write books and stuff 😜

Both walls are mostly visible on zoom, which makes for some interesting and memorable ice-breaker conversations 😂

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Speaking of books, why don’t you try the free short stories and novels? Guaranteed ancient weaponry, magic, and creative ways of using them!