Bill Grandy
@billgrandy.bsky.social
Former professional HEMA instructor of 20 years, currently a historical craftsman and artist. Still teaching HEMA as a hobby rather than a career these days. HistoricalHandcrafts.com More recently, I’m a children’s book author.
A portmanteau, which is a fancy term for a saddle bag. This style of case was popular throughout multiple centuries, and similar ones are still used by cyclists today. This one is inspired by period iconography from the 15th century. Made of leather and all hand stitched.
November 6, 2025 at 8:23 PM
A portmanteau, which is a fancy term for a saddle bag. This style of case was popular throughout multiple centuries, and similar ones are still used by cyclists today. This one is inspired by period iconography from the 15th century. Made of leather and all hand stitched.
Finn MacCoul and the Well of Wisdom is officially done up on Kickstarter! It is fully funded AND reached a stretch goal that I didn't expect to reach! I sent a message to all of the backers of the project to thank you all, but just in case, here's the link to it: www.kickstarter.com/projects/213...
October 28, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Finn MacCoul and the Well of Wisdom is officially done up on Kickstarter! It is fully funded AND reached a stretch goal that I didn't expect to reach! I sent a message to all of the backers of the project to thank you all, but just in case, here's the link to it: www.kickstarter.com/projects/213...
Tired of hearing me plug my book? The one that’s finishing up on Kickstarter in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS, SO HURRY OVER AND BACK IT NOW! I’ll post Historical Handcrafts news instead. This will be a “portmanteau”, which is a fancy way of saying “saddle bag”. Not done, but I think it will turn out nice.
October 16, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Tired of hearing me plug my book? The one that’s finishing up on Kickstarter in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS, SO HURRY OVER AND BACK IT NOW! I’ll post Historical Handcrafts news instead. This will be a “portmanteau”, which is a fancy way of saying “saddle bag”. Not done, but I think it will turn out nice.
Updated Kickstarter Launch Date! Life threw some unexpected speed bumps at us, but everything’s back on track, and the Kickstarter campaign for Finn MacCoul and the Well of Wisdom will now launch on September 23!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/2136650114/finn-maccoul-and-the-well-of-wisdom
www.kickstarter.com/projects/2136650114/finn-maccoul-and-the-well-of-wisdom
September 4, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Updated Kickstarter Launch Date! Life threw some unexpected speed bumps at us, but everything’s back on track, and the Kickstarter campaign for Finn MacCoul and the Well of Wisdom will now launch on September 23!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/2136650114/finn-maccoul-and-the-well-of-wisdom
www.kickstarter.com/projects/2136650114/finn-maccoul-and-the-well-of-wisdom
I didn’t want to make an issue of this, but: In my book, the protagonist is raised by two women who are wives. I want my son to grow up knowing that there are families that are different than ours, and they love each other just like our family does. If this is a problem, maybe my book isn’t for you.
August 26, 2025 at 2:11 PM
I didn’t want to make an issue of this, but: In my book, the protagonist is raised by two women who are wives. I want my son to grow up knowing that there are families that are different than ours, and they love each other just like our family does. If this is a problem, maybe my book isn’t for you.
I do part time work at the local library. Imagine my surprise when I walked in tonight and found that my co-workers repurposed this display to have my Finn MacCoul book’s name on it! (It’s premature… the book still needs to be funded on Kickstarter, but it was super sweet of them nonetheless!)
August 19, 2025 at 2:48 AM
I do part time work at the local library. Imagine my surprise when I walked in tonight and found that my co-workers repurposed this display to have my Finn MacCoul book’s name on it! (It’s premature… the book still needs to be funded on Kickstarter, but it was super sweet of them nonetheless!)
This little trouble maker is Dobby, the tiniest of four horses I help take care of. He’s more imp than house elf. He’s constantly sneaking out, he’s figured out how to reach over gates and unlock them, and I swear he says “Mischief Managed” when my back is turned. But darn it all if he isn’t cute.
July 30, 2025 at 5:57 PM
This little trouble maker is Dobby, the tiniest of four horses I help take care of. He’s more imp than house elf. He’s constantly sneaking out, he’s figured out how to reach over gates and unlock them, and I swear he says “Mischief Managed” when my back is turned. But darn it all if he isn’t cute.
The client who commissioned this scabbard is a practitioner of Fiore dei Liberi, and requested specific tooled and painted imagery from the Fiore Segno. The coat of arms belongs to the client. The Italian script was deliberately left unpainted to be more subtle. Poplar core wrapped in leather.
July 30, 2025 at 3:37 AM
The client who commissioned this scabbard is a practitioner of Fiore dei Liberi, and requested specific tooled and painted imagery from the Fiore Segno. The coat of arms belongs to the client. The Italian script was deliberately left unpainted to be more subtle. Poplar core wrapped in leather.
Starting August 26 my Kickstarter launch goes live for Finn MacCoul and the Well of Wisdom! Please push the "Notify me on launch" button if you haven't already, so that the algorithm doesn't hide the page from other potential backers! Thank you! www.kickstarter.com/projects/213...
July 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Starting August 26 my Kickstarter launch goes live for Finn MacCoul and the Well of Wisdom! Please push the "Notify me on launch" button if you haven't already, so that the algorithm doesn't hide the page from other potential backers! Thank you! www.kickstarter.com/projects/213...
A pair of pattens. These were commissioned by a client who clearly is tired of cleaning gross shoes—Pattens were worn in the medieval era for those especially muddy days before the age of rubber soles. Carved entirely by hand with beeswax and lanolin rubbed in for water proofing.
July 26, 2025 at 6:08 PM
A pair of pattens. These were commissioned by a client who clearly is tired of cleaning gross shoes—Pattens were worn in the medieval era for those especially muddy days before the age of rubber soles. Carved entirely by hand with beeswax and lanolin rubbed in for water proofing.
Week 17 of leading students through Lecküchner’s messer treatise. We finally reached the infamous Ungennant plays, which were treated with all the reverence Lecküchner ever could have asked for.
July 25, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Week 17 of leading students through Lecküchner’s messer treatise. We finally reached the infamous Ungennant plays, which were treated with all the reverence Lecküchner ever could have asked for.
Poleaxes make me smile.
June 27, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Poleaxes make me smile.
A scabbard for a Landsknecht Emporium Gottfried messer. Wood core with gothic floral decorations on the leather. The German word “Indes” is carved near the hilt, meaning “in the instant”, a vital concept of decision making in the Liechtenauer tradition of fencing. HistoricalHandcrafts.com
April 24, 2025 at 9:50 PM
A scabbard for a Landsknecht Emporium Gottfried messer. Wood core with gothic floral decorations on the leather. The German word “Indes” is carved near the hilt, meaning “in the instant”, a vital concept of decision making in the Liechtenauer tradition of fencing. HistoricalHandcrafts.com
Late night scabbarding. Need to take a break before my fingers go numb.
April 23, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Late night scabbarding. Need to take a break before my fingers go numb.
A small chest that doubles as a seat. It uses “snipe hinges” and has a simple hasp. Decorations were kept fairly minimal, with small file marks along the lid and light carving at the feet.
April 11, 2025 at 12:13 AM
A small chest that doubles as a seat. It uses “snipe hinges” and has a simple hasp. Decorations were kept fairly minimal, with small file marks along the lid and light carving at the feet.
Working on a small chest. Made snipe hinges for the first time. They’re both simple and much trickier than I expected, but work great.
April 10, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Working on a small chest. Made snipe hinges for the first time. They’re both simple and much trickier than I expected, but work great.
I based this pavise (shield) on extant ones I’ve gotten to study. The wood’s thicker at the center and tapers at the sides to reduce weight. It’s covered in linen/hide glue and coated with gesso. The colors are of Nuremberg.
40” x 21”. Its exactly 16lbs, spot on for pavises of similar size.
40” x 21”. Its exactly 16lbs, spot on for pavises of similar size.
April 3, 2025 at 1:25 AM
I based this pavise (shield) on extant ones I’ve gotten to study. The wood’s thicker at the center and tapers at the sides to reduce weight. It’s covered in linen/hide glue and coated with gesso. The colors are of Nuremberg.
40” x 21”. Its exactly 16lbs, spot on for pavises of similar size.
40” x 21”. Its exactly 16lbs, spot on for pavises of similar size.
Made the metal parts and the rope-covered-in-leather handle for the pavise. Everything is nailed in place and clinched over on the facing side, which will be hidden with linen and gesso. Almost done.
March 26, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Made the metal parts and the rope-covered-in-leather handle for the pavise. Everything is nailed in place and clinched over on the facing side, which will be hidden with linen and gesso. Almost done.
Hide glue and linen to cover the rear of the shield. While that dries I’ll make a grip and some metal fasteners to attach to it.
March 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Hide glue and linen to cover the rear of the shield. While that dries I’ll make a grip and some metal fasteners to attach to it.
Miles to go before I sleep, but this pavise commission is coming along…
March 21, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Miles to go before I sleep, but this pavise commission is coming along…
Miles to go before I sleep , but this pavise commission is coming along…
March 21, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Miles to go before I sleep , but this pavise commission is coming along…
Phew. That’s about a quarter of what I still need to shave off. Still, it’s more pleasant than the gym. (Not seen, the massive pile of shavings on the floor.)
March 19, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Phew. That’s about a quarter of what I still need to shave off. Still, it’s more pleasant than the gym. (Not seen, the massive pile of shavings on the floor.)
Scabbard for an Ádám Boderics Rugger. The client asked if I could make it look like a bored 16th century soldier decorated it around camp. I mimicked a surviving sheath from the Flevoland shipwreck (Netherlands). The leather was brushed with olive oil and heated dry, then buffed with beeswax.
March 19, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Scabbard for an Ádám Boderics Rugger. The client asked if I could make it look like a bored 16th century soldier decorated it around camp. I mimicked a surviving sheath from the Flevoland shipwreck (Netherlands). The leather was brushed with olive oil and heated dry, then buffed with beeswax.
Scabbarding: After I make a wood core I cover it with foil/tape and cut that off to make a pattern, the. I trace that onto the leather and cut it out. Next I’ll soak the leather and wrap it over the wood core.
March 16, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Scabbarding: After I make a wood core I cover it with foil/tape and cut that off to make a pattern, the. I trace that onto the leather and cut it out. Next I’ll soak the leather and wrap it over the wood core.
My highly sophisticated bench vice.
March 12, 2025 at 2:31 PM
My highly sophisticated bench vice.