Introductory Message
   Summer of 2010
     July News
William Fedun, Proprietor,
South Tower Armouring Guild

New Line of Swords

Production swords are fine.  Often better than the originals.  You would never, for instance, actually fight with an original, its worth more than you are!  Antique swords are one of a kind and VERY collectible.  I have put some of Tom Kazor's "rescue" swords up on my "Featured Item" pages for you to check out, and see how pretty a simple weapon can be!  These are the swords they wrote sagas about!

Medieval Armour Projects
The two piece armour seems to be the most popular.  And I have a couple of new tasset designs. Click TwoPiece to see the two piece armour designs. They are looking better and better all the time!  And I think I might have finally perfected the "South Tower Spaulders".  click Spaulders to see those, or just go to page two of the single pieces section of the armoury.

The Flea Market is new and updated. New price reductions. (The idea is to keep dropping the prices until they hit zero.... Click FleaMarket.

Body Armour Cuirass. Breast/back/faulds/tassets.   One, Two and Three Piece combos. 
      Hottest armours are my three piece suit (click ThreePiece) in several of its forms.  (I can get real creative with this suit!), my flip up visor helm (click VisorHelm)  Other hot items are my Chain Mail instruction book (I wrote the book on chainmail !) I have even made a "Lady Armour", sort of a three piece armour made a little different so ladies can wear them comfortably...You can see those in the brand new Princess's Chambers . This is armour, not fantasy...grin!

Rentals....
I finally have enough armours that I can offer them as rentals!  I have a couple of nice stainless steel armours which always look pretty, and of course, my battle swords are always available for plays and pagents. Furs, banners, flags, sword belts, I got 'em all!   Email me stag@southtower.on.ca for all your medieval rental needs. 

Professional Development Projects
      Just got back from visiting the Palace Armoury in Malta, where I took measured drawings of a gorgeous "splinted" armour.  This is a sort of two piece breastplate, very popular with horse riders, and it was made in Milan.  Guess I'll just have to make them!  This is sort of a personal development project.  I have several projects which I have fully documented...some are from my blog....and as you no doubt know, when you go to read a blog, recent blog posts are at the top. 

            How to make a breastplate .....................
            How to make a back plate .......................
            How to make a Bayonette .......................
                      and the finished item ......................
            How to make a greave .............................
             My Post and Beam experience...............
               and the eventual result....grin! ...............
                Muskets here   and   here............

     The skinny on the South Tower Spaulders ....
 

Fight classes... 
    are proceeding as normal at Algonquin College and also at the Plant Baths, on Preston Street at Gladstone, right in the heart of little Italy here in Ottawa. By normal, I mean to say, there will be the usual snafus involving  people in the registrar's offices who can't find the courses on their computer, and worse! Persevere, and give the new guys on the phones a break, use the course codes listed below. Note....these course won't be changed, dropped or cancelled unless you read about it here! NO MATTER WHAT THE GUY ON THE PHONE SAYS!!!  When all else fails, call the instructor (that would be me, Bill Fedun, 613-821-1846) and I'll see what I can do to cut through the red tape.  (Let me know if you want to do a Kenjuitsu course.  perhaps in the fall?)

Basic Course....Algonquin Woodruff Campus, the gym in the "P" building.
Course Code GEN0088.  cost for this course is $149.26. 
Registration at Algonquin MUST be made more than five days before the start of the course! You wait until the last minute, the course might get cancelled.  How annoying is that!
(Basic Course..   seven until nine thirty on Monday Evenings. ) 
Status... May 10th will run for seven weeks.  Should be another starting  on June 28th.

Algonquin College Registrar's Office is 1385 Woodruff Ave, Rm. C150, Ottawa Ont., K2G 1V8.  tel 613-727-0002, or 1-800-565-4723, fax613-727-7754  email AskAlgonquin@algonquincollege.com

European Chivalrous Handling Course...Level 1 (18 hours)
Plante Recreation Centre, 730 Sommerset St. West (at Preston)....(Sunday mornings, 10:30 to 12:30  Phone to register at 613-232-3000,
 course code number 432602  July 4 to August 29   Costs payable to the City of Ottawa...$92.25
The basic course is needed to get started in sword handling and be able to do it safely, a good grounding.  Not a lot of "dirty tricks", but you get all the basic moves required to aquit yourself as a competent swordsman on the field. 

(Page 119 in the guide. in there with Vegetarian Cooking and the Chess Club.  Not in the Martial arts section where you would expect it!)

European Chivalrous Handling Course...Level 2  (taught concurrently with basic course above, a remarkable 18 hours!)
Plante Recreation Centre, 730 Sommerset St. West (at Preston)   (Sunday afternoons, 01:30 to 03:30
  course code number TBA   July 4 to August 29  Costs payable to the City of Ottawa...$92.25
     This course was shortened by a week, and is therefore a bit less expensive. 

The advanced course has a lot more swordplay in it.  Though I DO teach a really clever, nasty dirty trick every class!

(Page 120 in the guide)

(thats a PDF file, and I am in "Adult, General Interest" on page 119 and 120)  Sign up here.... or phone to register at 613-232-3000

(note that  these courses are all interest driven.  If there is insufficient interest, they won't run them!  So sign ups are, like, really important, eh!)

Summer Academy of the Arts at Algonquin College

Our Own Chivalrous Swordhandlers website
       And there is a new forum as well, http://sword-handling.whatsupdark.com/   which is Shayne's site.  Lets see if we can make it rock!  Coming soon...a "find a ride forum", and a "how to make armour" forum.  This is "web 2.0" at its best.

Brooms...
     Other things on the go as well.  Brenda really did make a whole pile of (believe it or not!) handwoven brooms!  These are lovely, you know, the nice handmade ones with the braided heads, the H. Potter specials!    They look exactly like a handmade broom from 1867.  She got fancier than that though...with  brooms of different lengths, double headed brooms, and so forth.    I have finally built a page called the " broom squires page" up there in the palace.  If you have a special stick all carved up (ahem)  in the best Pagan fashion, and you want Brenda to brush it, we do that.  Again, you have any ideas, let me know.  (stag@southtower.on.ca) Just remember, sometimes specialty materials are hard to come by at different times of the year....like willow should be harvested in the spring, and corn husks in the fall! 

Swords on Line, Knives on Line
       Gradually getting away from selling swords here on these pages....what with EBay and sites like CheapCrapolla dot com, the price in many people's eyes is becoming more important than the quality.   I can't and won't sell used, shopworn or damaged swords like so many EBay stores are doing!   I will be selling a lot of nice stuff at the shows, and of course, in my showroom, and may even put some of it up on these pages, but generally speaking, I shall only carry really nice stuff, stuff I am really proud of.  Let my competition carry the junky stuff!   I shall continue to carry swords made by United Cutlery, CAS  Hanwei, and Bermejo in my showroom, and perhaps even post part or all of my inventory up on these pages, but of course, armour is where its at right now.   Swords on these pages  may be inexpensive, they are NOT cheap. I only carry swords which I consider to be excellent value for the money.

  Oh, and just so you know...this web domain site, like me, is large, cumbersome, and often out of date!  I notice that  some of the pages are really dated....they are only there to hold space for something more important to put up there, such pages are clearly marked when you drop into them.  I hereby state that IF the knive or sword is still offered, and IF I can still get it, then I WILL honour the price shown. 
      Below are some of the sword companies I will continue to deal with for the forseeable future.  They all have web sites of their own....and special orders are really easy to do. 
        

Bermejo Swords...  Bermejo is based in Toledo, Spain, and they have been making premium swords since 1911.  Bermejo swords are tool steel, oil tempered.  Don't let the heavy gold plating on the crisply detailed brass furniture and chrome plating on the sword fool you...these swords are ready for fighting.  In fact, they are "issue" swords to many of the armies in the world.  Therefore they are VERY pretty, light, quick, and surprisingly serviceable.  And for a serviceable sword, they are also surprisingly inexpensive.  You can see a nice sampling of the swords in the "contemporary swords" area in the map above. (Go to "weapons shop!) 

Hanwei Swords ... The state of the art in sword making today are the Hanwei swords.  Justly famous, they single handedly overturn the accepted ideas about Chinese quality....Hanwei makes really good swords, and due to an accident of international currency exchange, very inexpensive for  North Americans.  This state of affairs will not last. (I note that prices of the China made swords have increased by 20 percent in the last year!  Its starting!)

United Cutlery is an amazing conglomerate...they are the most diverse company selling knives in the world right now....the ultimate source of decorative daggers, and stainless steel movie replicas.  They have such a positive web presence and such a diverse product line that I can't stock everything, and it is almost impossible to keep my pages updated.  They have their own (on-line) catalogues....I will continue to act as a dealer for them, facilitating border crossings, and returns as required. 

In the showroom....
(Open by chance or appointment...call to be sure I am here....613-821-1846.)  Open most Saturdays during the summer unless I am away at the Ren Faires! Other days by appointment.

       You can also find in the showroom fighting gloves in both goat skin and deer skin, padded vests, South Tower Armouring Guild Tee shirts and patches, and a huge quantity of knives and swords that never quite seem to be put onto the web site. People have told me I should charge admission to walk through my showroom! I have plenty of armours on display, my personal collections,  and lets face it, I built it because Brenda was tired of stubbing her toes on chain mail shirts lying in her living room.  So that is where I put all the cool stuff.  So if you find yourself in the Ottawa area.....please drop in. 
   

Armour Backlog schedules...
     The queue is only a week or two long this time of the year.  So this is a good time to sneak your project in!

Traveling to your place to train you....
    Tremendous interest.    I still travel to various dojos and instruct in broad blade fencing.  Not too bad, the basic course  is $600.00 (Canadian dollars)(no limit on number of  students) plus expenses for two evening seminars of four hours each, (or one loooooong day!).   This is about on par with the usual rates charged by M.A. seminars....and I have never had anybody tell me it wasn't worth it! 

Formal Armour Making Classes.....
     I occasionally get folks who want hands-on formal lessons in armour making.  Either as a student, employee, or an apprentice.  Yeah, its kick ass cool. Its also hard work, so slackers need not apply   click HERE to see what you have to bring to the table if you want to work in my shop for more than a standard Saturday open house.  Any school that wishes to have me teach formal classes may check out my lesson plan HERE. 

Surfing the web...
      I have a personal blog, http://southtowerarmouringguild.blogspot.com/.  Its where I put my finished articles so the customer (and everybody else) can see them.  Its a sort of running diary of stuff which comes out of my shop, plus a lot of armour pictures from Museums around the world.  Please note,  I refuse to judge anybody else's work or web site, or comment upon them in any way. I dont mind if anybody else comments on my work.  Even a critical comment, if well thought out, can improve "something" about this little operation here.  The killer is when nobody comments!!!  (Leave Comments here.)

School Demos... 
      As fun as they are, they cut into my shop time....so the charge for doing a school demo is $90.00 (travel and prep time), plus $45.00 per hour, plus HST (for class time).   For that you get me, Brenda (a registered TA in the OCDSB), a suit of armour I can dress a teacher or big student in, a couple of chain mail coifs and mantles for kids to try on, a chain mail shirt they can try on, instruction in chain mail making, the instructional booklet and a few pounds of rings.  In addition to the rules of chivalry and  names of the armour, we cover heraldry and chain maille making.   I am only available in Eastern Ontario and upstate New York.  Email me at stag@southtower.on.ca.  Or phone me at 613-821-1846 to set up a time. 
    click here to see the classes in action.....
 

 To the US Based Customer.......as of  2010

The Canadian Dollar is nearly identical with the US dollar as of May 2010   

I have to pick a baseline price...and that is Canadian, because my bank is Canadian, and so credit cards are processed in Canadian funds.

 Normally the US banks don't have a problem with currency exchanges, but keep an eye on them.  They are only human, and have been known to miss a Canadian transaction.  Watch your credit card statement and make sure they handle the exchange rate correctly. 

Americans only pay one tax....a ten dollar and seventy five cent border crossing "paperwork" fee. Doesn't matter the size of the order....the fee is the same. 

 Shipping in the US is figured from Ogdensburg, New York, either US Mail, or Fed Ex ground...your choice. I email you the tracking numbers. 

Terms

I will not  accept advance payment for stock  items. I'll make it, photograph it, and if you like what is in the picture, I will then take payment.  Not before. Its just easier that way. 
I DO request  advance payment for customized portions of the work.  This might include drawings...depends on how elaborate the customizing will need to be! Changes halfway through the job will be costly, better to sort it all out on paper first!
Returns on stock items....no problem.  No questions asked. No restocking  charges.
No returns on custom items, (who else would wear it?) 
No Refunds for the the customized portion of a returned stock item.  (We would have to discuss this.)
If I cannot complete your custom project I will  return your money. (of course!) 
If there is an undue delay in making your item, I will let you know, and you can cancel your order.
Jogging my elbow with weekly requests for updates does not bother me at all. 
Good drawings help to avoid disputes. 
A photograph of you front and side will go a long ways to tailor your armour correctly.

Shipping costs are non-refundable 

      When comparing prices, please keep un-advertised costs such as hidden handling fees in mind. Sometimes that great deal on "Cheap Swords dot com" might not be so great once all the nickle and dimes are factored in.  Be wary of  EEEBaaayyyy merchants who make their money on the shipping!

Customer service is the biggest edge I have over the big companies. When you talk to me, you are talking to the boss.  stag@southtower.on.ca

The South Tower Armouring Guild is run by strict guidelines involving environmental sustainability, fair play, fair wages and safe working conditions for my employees, and I take personal responsibility for anything we do, make or sell.   click HERE for the complete manifesto.  An ecological footprint is inevitable...I choose to make it a light one.