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Custom Work
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My hands-down favorite projects are the unique items I create for clients who have an idea in mind for displaying the special items in their collections. This page features a number of those projects I have done on a commission or special-order basis. A couple were displays created especially to be set up at shows, but most were done for collectors like you who wish to really set aside a piece and/or utilize a display space that isn't ideally served by my standard designs.
Beginning with edged weapons, here are a few custom, presentation-style cases. First up a case that features an artificial Damascus World War Two German Army Officer's dagger and an example of each of the Heer qualification badges:
Another shot with a bit more detail.
And an extreme close-up of the bronze Infantry Assault badge, providing still more detail:
One of the more ambitious projects a customer has commissioned was this large cabinet designed and built to accommodate some sixty-plus 2nd Model Luftwaffe daggers (the customer collected 2nd Luft's by maker!).
The cabinet features beveled glass doors, label holders to allow the collector to identify each dagger's respective maker, and locks to provide the optimum combination of visibility and security.dd tex
Thankfully, the customer was able to pick up the cabinet thereby avoiding what I'm sure would have been a very hefty shipping/delivery charge!
And one for both the TeNo EM and Leader daggers and accouterments.
The section in the center is padded to hold a selection of TeNo insignia. When the lid of the case (not shown) is closed, the contents are held securely in place.
Next up, a presentation case for the First and Second Model Railway daggers and their respective accouterments:
Here’s one I did for a collector who wanted a suitably impressive ‘home’ for his Model 1933 and 1936 SS daggers.
First up the cover, featuring inlaid ebony SS-Sigrunen .
And the inside of the case with the daggers in place:
Next, we have an interesting display commissioned by a collector wishing to display his Röhm SA and Himmler SS presentation daggers along with photos of the infamous duo.
As most SS dagger grips were made of ebony, that wood was a natural – albeit expensive – choice for a collector wanting the very best for his early ’33 SS dagger with vertical hanger:
Another mantle-clock style display with the optional loop allowing a badge to be displayed along with a 1934 pattern Luftwaffe dagger:
And a display for a Government Official’s dagger with hangers and portepee. This one features a suede back panel in lieu of glass, allowing the collector to add a selection of badges:
While the majority of my edged weapon displays are for daggers, I have done more than a few sword displays. One I thought was particularly interesting was actually made to accommodate a Japanese samurai sword, a prayer flag and a Japanese Army helmet (by making use of my exclusive headgear display system). In keeping with the overall theme, the base of this particular display is made of laminated bamboo:
Although they are shown in the “Edged Weapons Displays” section of the site, I’m also featuring two of my sword displays here. Note that the Luftwaffe sword display features an inlay reminiscent of length of Iron Cross/Knights Cross ribbon in the top center:
My Navy sword display – constructed of hand selected, quarter-sawn red oak - features custom-carved rosettes and routed details as well as dolphin finials on the top of the casement. The display houses not only the sword and sacbbard; it also accommodates a brocade officer's belt and the braided leather hangers.
I have been commissioned to create several displays for collectors wishing to present them at gun and militaria shows. Here are several ‘in-progress’ shots of an award-winning display I did for a Case VF-42 commando knife enthusiast. The display was designed to fit on a single display table and featured a variety of text and custom abrasive blasted graphic blocks. It consisted of three panels...
Which form this as the finished product.
The collector placed photos and documents from his collection in the frames to complete the display.
Hopefully, by now you have a pretty good idea of some of my capabilities. I also hope you have noted that there is no project that I am not willing to take on...
I would be pleased to have your project as the next one I add to the site!
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Here's a shot of the details on the front of the case - note the ebony wood lift on the case top and the splines that serve to reinforce the mitered corners...
This piece was made for a customer who wanted a unique means of displaying his campaign shields and a cloth German Cross in Gold. The bayonet and grenade motif - reminiscent of a General Assault badge or Close-Combat clasp - were crafted from walnut; the "bayonet" is fitted with a mahogany grip panel.opiece was
This piece was built out of solid walnut using a sketch provided by the customer, a collector who wanted to display his Luftwaffe combat helmet alongside a newly-acquired P-08 Luger pistol. A bit of Luftwaffe-pattern camouflage cloth and a length of Iron Cross ribbon - also supplied by hte customer - really go a long way to tie everything together. This display is an excellent example of the possibilities that exist when the customer works closely with me to make that special design a reality!
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Here we have a wall-mounted, solid ebony-wood frame commissioned for an SS trumpet banner. My design allows the banner to hang from the dowel, which is supported by two mounts featuring the national colors (see inset for details)
This rather unusual design was created to allow a collector whose hobby room was on the upper floor of his Cape Cod-style home to display his visor hats. A total of three of these cases were mounted directly against the sloped ceiling of the room, making a stable, level display surface in a space that was previously unusable.
The two photos at left show a presentation- style case for a 1933 SS dagger. The case is crafted almost entirely of ebony wood, save for the maple SS Sigrunen inlay in the top and the maple and bloodwood accent around the perimeter of the bottom half.
As a much-delayed follow-up to the presentation case featuring my Army Officers' dagger and qualification badges, here is one I did up in a combination of bird's-eye maple, hard maple, and cherry wood to house one of my Kriegsmarine Officers' daggers and the full series of qualification badges.
Laser-etched graphics and ebony wood splines, added to strengthen the mitered corners and add a bit more detail round out the project.
The interior of the case features a watered silk backing. I added individual mounts for the dagger, scabbard, and hangers along with rests for each badge. Note the heavy brass hinges and the inset, full-mortise lock.
This walnut stand for the infamous World War Two German M24 "Potato Masher" hand grenade was done at the request of a good customer. It serves to illustrate that your displays don't have to be complicated and that even a relatively common item can be well-presented, making it much more interesting to even a casual observer.
Here's yet another presentation-style case that was custom ordered by a collector who wanted to assemble four of his most prized items together in one place. The oak case features a recessed bottom that was fitted to securely hold each of the pieces in place. Design details include ebony wood handles and corner splines - especially fitting since the grips of the daggers are also made of ebony, heavy, solid brass round hinges and brass latches, and an acrylic inset in the top that was laser-etched with the SS runes. All in all, a perfect combination of choice items in top condition and a joint effort between collector and craftsman!
Next up, a box for a Minnesota collector's Imperial Regimental porcelain pipes, a pocket flask, a contemporary lighter and a most impressive boar's tusk cigar cutter. The case was crafted entirely from bird's-eye maple and features inset round, heavy brass hinges, a fitted bottom, and a handle on top fashioned from a deer antler that he provided.
The same collector commissioned what proved to be one of the most challenging projects I've had the opportunity to do! This case was also done in bird's-eye maple and featured a pair of pronghorn antelope antlers mounted prominently top and center of the cover and between two walnut panels each of which were laser-etched with a woodcut-style hunting motif.
The case is quite large, so it called for very heavy brass hinges and latches...
The interior is covered in customer-supplied, gray-green fabric and fitted for two Imperial Hunting Association cutlasses and three Third Reich-era Hunting Association medallions. Also of note is the solid brass hold-open, a vital design element given the size and weight of the top!
This last photo shows how I was able to mount two more pronghorn antelope antlers the customer really wanted to use on the sides of the case to serve as handles. They were first filled with epoxy and then attached with screws to the rosewood mounts that were affixed to the box with brass screws.
A third commission from the Minnesota collector was for this zebra-wood presentation case. He wanted to feature a postcard from his collection prominently on the top of the box, so I cut down a vintage picture frame to fit and integrated it into the top. The title of the artwork and the artist were laser etched onto the maple plaque in the frame. Because of the size, I chose to use the same heavy brass latches that used on the Hunting Association case. Lastly, I mixed in two maple discs that were laser-etched with the SS 'Sigrunnen' and 'Totenkopf' (Death's Head)
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The interior was fitted for a Hussar regiment commemorative plate, a 1933 Party-Form dagger, a Walther PPK pistol, and cased examples of the German Cross in Gold and Silver.
