Who is… The BladeMaster?

The BladeMaster, shadowy figure that is the driving force behind every aspect here at Babes with Blades. Many have written in asking who is this man and what is his on going fascination with edged weapons. Is he a student of some old and wise samurai master? No. Is he a once great Olympic Fencing champion? No. Is he a man who spent years of his life learning the art of sword making by being apprenticed to a master sword smith? Wrong again.

When we asked him what his qualifications were for being called “The BladeMaster” he told us this…

 “I’ve always enjoyed movies that included swordplay. Perhaps that was why I joined the fencing team at my high school. We’d practice for hours and when the instructor left the gym we would practice the Errol Flynn style of sword play by trying to engage each other on the stairs of the bleachers or by swinging from the climbing ropes. After that experience I could now fully appreciate the choreography of the swordplay in the movies. I could now see that although quite flashy, Flynn’s fight scenes were rather wooden and that the swordplay between Danny Kay and Basil Rathbone in “The Court Jester” was bright and full of life. I’ll also agree with other like minded individuals that the swordplay in “The Princess Bride” has to be some of the absolute best filmed in the last 30 years if not ever.”

“In college, I discovered knife throwing and even had a wooden target set up in my dorm room that was object of attention for a series of knives, single and double pointed spikes and throwing stars. It was always a wise idea to knock before entering my room because the target was next to the door and you never knew when I would be practicing.”

“At one time I even tried forging my own weapons. I had rigged a charcoal grill with the exhaust output from an old vacuum cleaner. This only worked marginally well and although it did heat the metal hot enough to work, it created a shower of golden sparks that, although beautiful to watch in the late evening light, set the grass afire. It also made the coals hot enough to burn out the bottom of the charcoal grill. Scratch one Hibachi.”

“It was about 14 years ago when I bought my first hand forged sword from a dealer at the Dallas Gun Show. (Swords at a gun show, go figure.) It’s a bastard sword with a hexagonal blade with both brass and bronze fittings. After a rather vigorous workout session with it that left me with a separated rib, the blade was named “Side Splitter”. After that, I began collecting other swords, axes, knives, bladed objects and “Fiendish Thingies” until now I must admit I’m starting to run out of wall space to mount them all on.”

“I’ve never looked at these objects as instruments of bloodletting, even though that is a very important part of their long (and messy) history. Instead I appreciate them for the craftsmanship necessary to take a common piece of metal and by fire and forge turning it into a sharp edged beautiful work of art. And since beauty begets beauty, what better way to display them than in the company of beautiful women. It is a situation where the beauty of each compliments the other.”

“In short, the reason that I am qualified to be called “The BladeMaster” is not just for my enjoyment of bladed weapons and my desire to have them shown off by beautiful women. It is also that since all the swords and knives you are using in your pictures belong to me you wouldn’t be able to have a web site without them. Good enough answer?”

Well since you put it that way, those sound like pretty good qualifications to us.

The Staff at Babes with Blades