I want to issue a heartfelt thanks to all our patient customers. It took us far longer than anyone imagined to reach this point, but Damascus Longclaws are finally starting to ship. I have approximately 67 to ship out, which means, thanks to a handful of cancellations, everyone who has ordered thus far should get a sword shipped to them. The rest will be here in a couple months, and accompanying them should be Ice.
Some people placed their order for this Longclaw over a year ago, so thank you again for your patience. We’re only making 100 of these, and they’re gorgeous. There is not a doubt in my mind that in years to come you’ll see these on eBay for a couple thousand dollars each. Of course, before someone sues me, I’m not promising an appreciation on your investment like that, just my opinion based on my experience in the collectible sword industry. And I hope it happens, because that will be a nice reward for those of you who have been so patient. Even if I’m sure most of you plan to never sell.
I hope to have much more new product news in the coming month. Things are starting to happen faster now. It is an exciting time.
Also, a reminder to all, damascus steel is not stainless steel, you must maintain it. Beware of fingerprints, water, and ambient humidity. The blades ship with a protective oil coat. We are also including a polish you can use to remove any tarnish that may happen in the future if you do not protect it. This isn’t our product, but we bought a bunch to include in your boxes for you as a bonus. It isn’t what you should use to protect it though, get a knife oil or a mineral oil and every time you put it up for display rub the blade down with it.
Valyrian, I appreciate all the hard work and updates you have provided all of us. Looking forward to the Damacus Longclaw!! Thanks again!
Thanks! I can’t wait to get it up on display.
I live in a fairly fry area. If I coat the sword in oil and put it up on permanent display, will that be good enough? Or will I need to take it down and oil it every once in a while? Thanks for the info. Never would have thought of it.
Also, does Needle need any kind of maintenance?
dry…I live in a dry area…
Forgot to wear my “+5 to typing skills” shirt this morning.
Thank you for the care instructions in this update! They will make the format of display a little different in planning. I saw the shipping note this morning.
@Jake – the fry area offers excellent atomized oil to coat the sword, then dust becomes the prime concern. haha!
Needle needs the exact same care as it is high carbon steel.
Needle can be polished and buffed without worry about taking off the dark patina though, because it is supposed to be shiny.
Once the oil is up you should not need to oil it weekly, but as E Bordeaux says, dust will stick to the oil and it will eventually look fuzzy, in which case a wipe down and reapplication is a good idea.
Are you shipping all the swords, including to those of us who opted to wait when there were those production issues? I don’t mind waiting in order to get a lower number, but I don’t want to get excited about expecting a package if it’s not going out with this shipment.
And thanks so much for the maintenance information! I know almost nothing about maintaining swords. For now, mine are being stored in their original boxes. Do I need to take them out of the boxes or do the boxes provide enough protection? (I live in a relatively humid area.)
You must have missed the update to that, Emily, the shipment was delayed, so the bad blades had time to be redone. So we shipped you your #7 today.
The stainless steel Longclaw would be fine stored in the box (please, make sure to wipe off any fingerprints off any sword after handling, fingerprints are bad news). Needle should be checked say every other month, at least, and be kept oiled, same with the damascus Longclaw.
Then of course, please don’t store them on the basement floor if you’re storing in boxes, put a pallet or something under them.
If you wanted to get really fancy you could make an air tight vacuum sealed case, and pump out all the oxygen. MacGyver anyone?
For over a year, I have eagerly awaited the arrival of this superlative sword. Now that my prized Damscus Longclaw #1 (Yes, I boast) is but a week (or two) away… well… to say I’m excited would be a blatant understatement. Instead, let me simply say,
THANK YOU VALYRIAN!!!
Thank you very much Valyrian!
So do you have any Damascus Longclaws left from the 1st batch, because if you do I’ll be ordering mine tomorrow(when my CC arrives) right away, if not I might wait a month or 2 to let the $ depreciate even further(at least that looks to be happening atm) making this gorgeous sword even cheaper.
(if not I’d love to get the nr. 88, double infinity for me student of math please, because this sword will last at least twice infinity in my care xD)
There might be one or two unsold yet from the first batch, we’re not done going through backorders yet though so I cannot confirm it.
We do allow people to select numbers higher than their order, so if you wanted to preselect 88, you may, you just have to mention it at time of ordering and be the 88th order or lower (or lower than someone else who might select it).
88 would definitely be in the second (next) shipment, but I would order ASAP to guarantee the number if you really want it.
The only number people cannot reserve is 100, which is going to GRRM.
What is the weight of the damascus Longclaw?
Is the furniture the same as the previous version?
Thanks.
Tremendous news! Got my shipping conf today. Can’t wait! Thanks for the maintenance info – will have to pick up some supplies (I also haven’t done anything to maintain the swords I have).
Looking forward to Ice and some designs for the warhammer!
I’m concerned that my apartment info is not on my shipping address, despite being in my billing information. I did get an invoice but not a shipping confirmation, so if possible, please update the shipping info. Thanks!
Okay, the first shipment is officially sold out. Any orders from here on will go on the second shipment.
I don’t know if I’ll ever actually receive a shipping conf. as I no longer have that email address…
Just a little extra advice as I own a few Albion swords that are also high carbon steel.
You should oil these swords once a month on average. It helps tremendously to have them in some sort of display case to reduce dust. So, yes, while the furniture that comes with it is very nice, I recommend putting high carbon steel swords in an enclosed cabinet specially built for them. I have a 38 inch Conan the Barbarian Atlantean and it only cost about 150 bucks or so to have a custom built cabinet.
Now on to the oiling. I personally don’t like mineral oil, I much prefer a gun or machine oil called Break-Free CLP. I buy it off Amazon in a version that you can spray. Wear gloves, take your sword down and then spray a LIGHT COAT of oil on the blade. Then take a soft cloth (like an old wripped undershirt) and gently wipe the blade down. You DO NOT want oil dripping down the blade. Wipe the oil in to the blade and when you see no droplets there will be a slight sheen on the sword. Keep the cloth to use over and over again. Over time with repeated care, the cloth will turn into an oily rag which can oil your sword with just one pass. The replace into the display cabinet.
Remember that over-oiling will lead to trapping of dust and moisture which can lead to rust and pitting over time.
You will need to oil your sword more often (twice a month to even weekly) if you live in a very humid environment. In a very DRY environment (I live in a desert pretty much) like Arizonea, etc, you can get away with oiling once every 3 to even 4 months.
Despite your best efforts, you WILL have oil on your blade and if you hang it point down, over the next few days, the oil will slowly run down the blade and accumulate on the tip. If you left too much oil behind it may even drip off the tip and hit your floor, rug, bottom of your display case, etc. This is normal. After oiling it, just check it a few hours later and dab it the oil off the tip of the sword as necessary.
INSPECT your sword every time you oil it for rust, pits, etc. If you maintain your blade like I have described, the chance of rust depositing is almost zero.
Should that occur, don’t worry, it’s all part of the joy of owning a real sword. Those spots can be blended away but that is a post for another day.
Congratulations to all of you who got a Damascus Longclaw. I think Valyrian Steel has shown that delays while regrettable and frustrating are ok AS LONG AS YOU MAINTAIN respectful and honest communication with your customers. Many businesses simply do not live up to that standard and guess what? They are gone with the wind.
People are willing to wait one year and more for good product as long as they are told WHY there is a delay and the manufacturer stays in touch. This is an excellent example of that.
Hopefully, with what has been learned from the forging of these Damascus Longclaws, there will be a chance to proceed with the Damascus Ice in the future.
Perhaps an even more limited number (50?) will make the process easier and also allow for a slightly longer blade (I know there are implications for international shipping but you can get around that by using Federal Express, DHL, UPS, etc). Of course, manufacturers may be unwilling to commit to any order lower than 100 and costs may increase if there are so few. Just thinking out loud though.
Dennis
Valyrian,
Let me start by saying “WOW”!!!!I just got my Damascus Longclaw #29 yesterday and all I can say is you guys really hit a home run on this sword! It was well worth the wait because this is a true masterpiece that I am proud to own. The detail is excellent and the blade is fantastic. Thanks to you for producing such a quality sword. You guys are the best!!
Wow, that was quick. But I knew it’d knock socks off. Wow was the first thing I said when I saw the prototype, and, honestly, I think they turned out better than the prototype.
Be sure to write a review on the product page in the store, and if you’re a Facebook member you can upload a picture of your sword to our new Facebook page.
Just Received mine,to echo, Joseph, “Wow” Awesome. I’m in for ICE. Will order now.
Thanks again.
Just received my Damascus Longclaw!
I can only extend what JOSEPH said above by noting that it feels especially relevant getting it during winter. The metal feels cold from the shipping and I get to imagine how Jon Snow might have felt grasping his Valyrian bladed Longclaw for the first time!
Great work!
Don’t forget to post your reviews on the product page.
http://www.valyriansteel.com/shop/swords/longclaw-sword-of-jon-snow/prod_5.html
Forgive me another post on the topic of sword care, but over the past five years I have collected many swords and other weapons but I’ve never done anything to maintain the blades. I only display a few of the stainless steel blades and the rest are packed in the basement (on some carpet). Do I really need to maintain the blades on all (15+) these “lesser” non-damascus swords?
Just curious,
Has anyone in Canada received their Damascus sword yet?
Not yet. Tracking said it left Chicago on Jan 30 so I don’t expect it for a couple more days.
Just received the notice today – get to pick it up tomorrow! I can’t wait!
Dwayne, I received Damascus today. Believe me when I say, you will NOT be disappointed. Unquestionably, the finest sword in my eclectic collection (of over 20).
Knock Knock! Who’s there? My Longclaw!
Well done Valyrain. I’m amazed, The blade is perfect! That is how I pictured it from the books, even the darker color. Thank you very much!
Although is the plaques the same from the first longclaw? The holes are not in the same place. Sword is hanging crooked.
The plaque is the same in style, we will ship you a replacement plaque if the holes are crooked. We have a couple boxes of extra plaques we got just in case a plaque was damaged or otherwise had a problem.
I picked up my Longclaw yesterday. It is amazing! I love it! Thanks VS!
This will give me my VS fix for a bit, but now I’m looking forward to Ice and Robert’s warhammer designs!
One question on the Damascus Longclaw – the sleeve on mine was white without any pictures – is this normal for the Damascus version?
Thanks!
Yes, the printer refused to do a 100 sheet run for the retail sleeve, so we had to do a plain one.
About when will the next batch be done again?
Also, I payed my longclaw ~2 weeks ago but it’s still processing, is it normal for the system to be that slow?
If you paid with a check or money order and are mailing it from overseas, yes, it can.
We’re expecting to ship both the rest of the Damascus and Ice in April.
After a long trip from USA to the Basque Country.. it’s here! And it is GREAT!
Thank you very much Valyrian!
At last this thursday 24 I got it.
It took 3 days from USA to Spain, and 22 days and 125€ more thanks to customs and taxes.
But it was worth the wait.
Better than I expected. Awesome.
Greetings from Spain.
Got mine last week, every bloke who sees the sword wants to hold it. every woman so far has tried to touch the blade, I want a damascus ice.
Don’t forget to post your reviews on the actual product page everyone.