Probably about 90% of the Ice preorders have shipped, we’re working on getting tracking numbers to those who have not yet received them. Others who received them early will start seeing activity. Still, some of you may receive the sword before your tracking number.
Damascus Longclaws will head out by August 9th.
omg finally we get a date on the damascus longclaws
hehe. Feb 13th is a long time to wait lol.
Glad to to know that my damascus longclaw will be shipped next tues though.
Just got my Ice, it is fricking awesome as hell! How do I tell what number it is though? The certs never have numbers on them, or at least my other two do not and the print on the one face of my blade is backwards and difficult to read over the etching. Is that where the number is?
Yes it is on the blade, and yes, it can be hard to read. Try taking it outside, or going under really good light. Tilting it this way and that. The number should also be written in pencil on the end of the box.
Thanks so much, I appreciate the speedy reply, and again seriously awesome work on this blade guys. The pictures do not even come close to doing this sword justice, it is so much better in person.
Says yoda, review write should you.
So jealous…
Hey valyrian, i got the confirmation message about 4 days ago from fedex, it said ice would be here today on 8/9/2011. contacted fedex, and they said they never recieved the item, i know your really busy but some clarity, possible an estimated date would go a long way to calming me down lol im to excited for my own good!!!
Just received my sword and I am blown away. What an amazing piece of work. I’m ready to drop my work now and hang it on my wall but I also can’t take the sword out of my hand. Thank you.
Soooo, if the swords were shipped on the fourth, and it’s now the tenth, how many days is delivery supposed to take?
7? Seriously though it has only been 3 full business days, and not every one went out on the 4th.
But you’re Canadian, that’ll take up to 3 weeks at the long end.
Got my ice today and shot an unboxing/review
I put the link on your facebook page but it seems that facebook is experiencing problems so just in case it didn’t go through, I’ll put the link here as well.
http://youtu.be/F9ADGQ54CMs
Great video! But it only made me even more impatient!
I’m keeping this a secret so I can totally shock my friends but it’s getting really hard not to tell anyone…
Nice video. A point of clarification. When comparing the swords, it looks like Longclaw and Ice have almost identical length blades.
I realize Ice has a longer hilt but I wasn’t aware that the blades are the same length.
Is this accurate to the books? From reading I’d always imagined Ice to be much longer than Longclaw . . . In general are bastard or hand and a half swords as long as two handed greatswords historically?
Thanks
Yes, Valyrian mentioned that the two blades are of almost equal length. Ice is longer overall mainly due to the hilt. Ice’s blade is bigger though, it’s wider while Longclaw’s gets thinner.
I don’t know if it’s accurate to the books, but there are also other considerations (shipping mainly, perhaps production issues too) so I guess it’s as big as it can be. I’m sure if they could make it even bigger they would have.
If you are wanting a purely historical reference the term ‘bastard sword’ means exactly what it sounds like: a sword from an uncertain origin. Around the mid-16th century it was often used to describe exceptionally large swords though there is no actual rule as to how long a bastard sword actually is since it refers to a large range of swords. The Scottish claymore is the actual birth of the term ‘greatsword’ and is one of the few true greatswords in history, used from 1400 to about 1700. There was also a German style called the Zweihänder. It was not so long lived as the claymore boasting only about a 50 year service life in the 1500s though it was a bit larger than the claymore. In a fantasy world it really matters on what the author of the book decides. I personally took Ice for a wide blade. I imagined something akin to an elongated meat cleaver. I didn’t strike me as being any great length, just a powerful heavy blade. Also, these swords are approved and signed off as official by GRRM himself and who would know better right.
Ice in the book is 6ft long. Thats blade and grip. A bastard sword in westeros is called that because it’s neither a 1 handed long sword, (oathkeeper), or a 2 handed greatsword, (ice, dawn, heartsbane).
I still have yet to receive my sword. Have all the copies of Ice been shipped yet?
I can’t find any evidence in the book that Ice is 6 feet long. For from it, Robb is an adolescent only in Game of Thrones and I doubt he was 6 feet then. We know only that the blade was as wide as a man’s hand and taller than Robb.
I would place the length of a 2 handed greatsword’s blade to be about 42 inches or so with a total length of 50 to 55 inches including the hilt.
Personally, I would have wished the sword to be about 3 inches taller and an inch or so wider. I think that would come a bit closer to what I imagined from reading in the books.
I’m sure George gave his approval in terms of the design but was probably told there would be limits imposed by shipping to prevent it from being much larger.
By the way, some of those limits are somewhat artificial as Albion Swords for instance can ship real 2 handed swords up to 58 inches without too many problems. THey sell sharpened ones as well.
Ice at 58 inches with a 42 inch blade and a 3 inch width would be great . . .
Maybe if they ever do a much smaller run of Damascus versions they could push the dimensions a little more?
This link shows what can be produced and shipped internationally:
http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/nextgen/sword-medieval-danish-2-hander.htm
The only difference would be the width which in the case of the Dane is much narrower as it is a stabbing sword.
Dennis
If Ice is taller than Robb and you’re placing Ice at 55 inches. You’re saying Robb is less than 5ft?
I wasn’t aware that he was Japanese
Luke,
Robb is FOURTEEN YEARS OLD at the beginning of Game of Thrones.
There aren’t a lot of explicit descriptions of Ice in the books but when it is first introduced in the second chapter of A Game of Thrones, it is described as “taller even than Robb” and “as wide across as a man’s hand.”
Are you trying to tell me Robb is 6 feet tall when he was FOURTEEN? How tall were you at that age?
An average 14 year old boy in today’s society is 5 feet to 5 feet 3 inches or so and that is 60 to 63 inches. In the Middle Ages, that height may have been significantly shorter.
In any case I didn’t say Ice was 55 inches in the books. My guess would be that it’s more likely to be at least 60 inches extrapolating Robb’s 14 year old height.
I gave 55 inches because that is how long some of the 2 handed greatswords being manufactured by other sword makers like Albion are. Of course I would be thrilled if we got a 60 inch long Ice with a 4 inch wide blade but I don’t think that’s possible.
However, I know for a FACT that 58 inches is possible because Albion makes it, sells it, and ships it. Sharpened to boot.
If we can get a 58 inch Ice with a wider blade I’d be ecstatic.
But there is no way that Ice and Longclaw should have identical length blades that’s just ridiculous and if George signed off on that for any reason other than production limitations, he needs to check his Medieval weaponry facts.
Bastard swords, hand and a half swords, longswords . . . whatever you want to call them but they are not the same as a 2 handed executioner’s sword. Either Ice is too small or Longclaw is too big.
Or perhaps you forget that this is a fantasy realm and a sword can be as long or as short as an author wants it to be. To try and base a fantasy weapon on historical fact is really kind of moot. But argue away as you see fit.
I’ve already said the Ice was kept shorter for production and shipping reasons. It is the biggest sword the factory we use has ever made. Also, it isn’t impossible to ship something longer than 60 inches, it just gets much more expensive. Expensive enough to put the sword out of the economic reach of most collectors.
The Damascus Ice will be slightly longer.
Also, I’m a pretty big guy. 6’5. I can palm a basketball, I have big hands. Ice is as wide as my palm side to side.
Looking at the pictures (where people are holding it, and the unboxing video too) – it’s big enough.
And finally some good news for me – USPS now says “Processed Through Sort Facility” (although I didn’t get an email). “The item is currently in transit to the destination.” – these words made my day :)))
Sadly I have not yet received any tracking info, but I do not despair, I did not receive any tracking for Longclaw or Needle either yet they made it safe and sound. Can’t wait to get it and it isn’t even for me… though I suspect it will have a place on my wall.
Valrian, can i just ask you this?
I live in the UK (south London) and on the tracking info it says being processed in the sort facility as from 10th, so how long would it rougly take for the Longclaw to get to me? Assuming its being shipped by airmail right?
I guessing not much longer at the sort facility right? and allowing a few days for a plane to get here maybe making a few stops perhaps.
I’d contact the courier service on this but i havn’t got any details as of yet.
Thanks in advance
Hey Valyrian, I got a confirmation for my order on July 27th, but Ice still hasn’t been shipped out to me yet. Just wondering when I might receive it. Thanks.
@Jason, some tracking numbers haven’t been forwarded to us yet. We’re working on it.
@Adam, I honestly have no idea. Maybe they’re waiting for the right plane. Maybe they lost the package and so it hasn’t been scanned again. Maybe it got put on a plane without being scanned. If it is in their system there is nothing I can really tell you more about. All I can say is if there is no movement recorded for 14 days we can file a trace.
The more I hear about Damascus Ice, the more excited I get. CAN’T WAIT…
I’m waiting for damascus ice and if it’s a bit longer than normal that’s no bad thing at all.
I guess i’ll have to file the writing off the cross guard myself though ;p
Nathaniel,
Whoa there, partner. You are now completely missing the point of what George RR Martin is trying to achieve as a writer.
He would be sorely disappointed and saddened that you said what you did.
YES there are dragons and magic and zombies in this story but he takes ESPECIAL PRIDE that what he writes is grounded in reality.
Do you have ANY IDEA how many hours and how many books he has read on medieval history to prepare for this?
You think he had Dany get raped at 14 cause he’s a dirty old man?
No, much and more in these books are based on historical precedent.
Same absolutely goes for the armor and weapons in this series.
Valyrian:
I’m glad to hear that Damascus Ice will be longer.
I also realize there are the issues of price but when you go into the Damascus line you are starting to enter into the very rarified high end collector in my opinion.
Did you know that Albion Armorers sell authentic high carbon steel replicas of Conan the Barbarian swords for 3000 and more a pop?
Check it out if you don’t believe me:
http://filmswords.com/conan/conanmain.htm
I own both Atlanteans and the Master Sword, believe me they are worth every penny.
When you decide to make only 100 of a sword like this, you should completely go for broke. There WILL BE 100 of us who will pay 2000 dollars and up for a longer, sharpened, more massive high carbon Ice. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. (although a 1K deposit and not the full 2k upfront is standard at these prices)
The Dane is 1800 and shipping with insurance at Albion Swords. You know this.
Damascus Ice isn’t meant for the average collector anyway that’s what the regular edition is for.
Rather than make 200 Damascus ICE for 900 dollars, I advise making 100 for 2000 dollars and give us a 65 inch sharpened blade.
You know as well as I do that this type of pricing is legitimate for HIGH END, BATTLE READY high carbon steel LICENSED swords.
This GRRM thing is getting out of control. People are paying 4000 to 5000 dollars for limited special editions of his BOOKS.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Clash-Kings-George-R-R-Martin-Limited-Edition-Set-/120757429238?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item1c1db423f6
You telling me when Clash of Kings starts on HBO that you won’t be able to sell thousand dollar Damascus Ices like ice cream at a sunny beach?
Got my Damascus Longclaw yesterday and it’s beautiful, still waiting on Ice but I’m sure I’ll see it soon. My question is how often should I oil the blade to avoid rusting? And on the small paper that came with it, it said I should oil Needle as well. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that we should all all your blades? Is that correct, and if so, again, how often?
Stainless steel blades do not need it.
How often will depend on how often the blades handled, and the humidity where it is stored. Aim for once a month.
Dennis,
I don’t discount Mr. Martin’s knowledge and one of the reasons I enjoy his books so much is the fact that they do have much in common with our own history. My point was this. The origin of the term “bastard sword” was to depict a sword of unknown origin. To me that means it is a sword without a set length to describe it. Oftentimes the term was used to describe swords of greater length and size. If an author wishes a bastard sword to be longer than the average, then he has the right to do that, it is his sword, his books his world. I am not saying he just pulled something out of the mist and said there you go, without any research. I’m just saying that it is the prerogative of an author to do what he wishes with his own stories.
“But, by the second week of August it should be to the point where any new orders would ship within 24 hours.”
I just wanted to check to see if this was still true. I put in my order on the 24th and it’s still in limbo.
Your order was submitted for shipping, but there are now about 15 still from the preorders that we do not have tracking for, and yours is one of them. I apologize for the delays, they’re working on it.
No worries, it’s worth the wait and I was just trying to check on things. Thanks for the update!
I haven’t recived my info or sword yet, so I’m going to assume I’m one of the 15
I’ve not had any e-mail about shipping but i know my longclaw is almost here because i’ve had to bloody well pay £40 duty which i wasn’t aware of. It’ll be here next Wednwsday though :).
No greg, you’re one of the early orders, so we’re merely waiting until we can sort them (this week) to ship you a low number.
Nathaniel,
Fair enough, I have no disagreement with you there then. I’m just saying that I’m very sure that Martin in no way envisioned Ice and Longclaw having the same length blade. The way those swords are written in the books are very very different. As stated by Valyrian Steel, there had to be compromises on the design of Ice due to logistical factors that included shipping, production, price, etc.
I’m sure that Valyrian even mentioned that George wanted them to make Ice as big as possible.
All I’m saying is that now that we are narrowing the exclusivity of the Damascus version to very very low numbers, some of the restrictions on size can be relaxed by simply increasing the price.
For those here who are Song of Ice and Fire fans and not sword collectors, Valyrian Steel’s pricing on the Damascus Longclaw is ridiculously cheap. Most high carbon authentic swords easily go upward of a grand and larger swords will hit 2000 very quickly.
Granted, Damascus steel is not technically high carbon but if you have to oil it regularly to prevent rust it’s close enough…
Again, I would be willing to pay a significantly higher amount for an Ice that is long enough to believably be taller than a 14 year old boy as well as a slightly wider blade as well.
I’m assuming that for us people in the uk, we would be told or asked to pay the extra charge if needed? I noticed that my longclaw passed through UK customs on the 18th but have been told nothing else.
I can assume that its on its way or is being held untill extra payment, but i havn’t been told anything and cannot get in touch with USPS from the UK.
If anyone has any expierence with these issues please let me now thanks.
Adam,
I’m from Bulgaria so I can’t promise it’s the same procedure in the UK.
I received an invitational letter to go to the customs to release it (gonna do that on Thursday). You should pay what is due (here we have duties and VAT, damn it), and I also need EORI registration which I think should be required in all EU countries, but no one else has mentioned it so far, so I’m not sure. USPS cannot help you now I think, contact the customs if you don’t receive a letter soon; mine also arrived on the 18th and I got it the next day.
Fil is correct, USPS cannot help you, contact your local Parcel Force (thats what it is called in the UK right?) They are the ones with the package.
awesome sauce, fingers crossed.
Ok that sounds good, i’ll try contacting them tomorrow, thanks for your help
Valyrian, have the rest of the Damascus Ice swords been shipped? I have received an email saying I would be getting #88, (trying not to be smug), but no word on shipping.
Also trying not to be impatient.
cheers
Got my Longclaw and it’s frikkin huge. Totally awesome though.
1 question though. Was it supposed to have the box around it with the picture of the sword on the front and the specs on the back? Because mine didn’t have. It just came with the outside cardboard and the polystyrene casing.
The printer for the sleeves refused to do a run of just 100, so the damascus longclaws do not come with that full color retail sleeve.
Luke
I also just recieved my damascus longclaw too and i agree, its bloody massive and heavy.
I love the look of it and was worth the wait. I have never held a real sword before and guess the wobbly blade is normal as it probably needs to be flexible like that. My only concern is i feel the grip needs more coils of leather as it seems i can feel the rings underneath which makes it hard to wield and leads me to believe the existing leather may fade away in time. Maybe i can get the grip redone if thats possible?
Otherwise i’m incredibly pleased i managed to recieve number 18, seeing as i thought it was the last batch sent, so i thought i was going to get between 80-100.
Thanks again to everyone involved at Valyrian Steel, and now for me its just a matter of waiting in the dark of my house with my door open for that unsuspecting burglar to arrive and never knowing that it was that special edition damascus sword of Jon Snow #18 that ended his unruly days of crime, muahaha muahaha muahaha MUAHAHA!!!!
Hi. Got a email saying sword got accepted. does that mean it still needs to be shipped?
Your sword just shipped on Friday I think it was.
Adam
Same about the criminals.
I went downstairs with it at 3am because i thought i heard a noise. I know i didn’t really but i felt such a badass lol
Today I recieved ICE, yea!!! this sword is amazing, the heft and balance and workmanship is beautiful. I have worked with metal for 38 years. I gotta say this sword is fuckin badass,really it is. with the right edge and strength you could cut someone in half with it not that that would be a good thing, but you can do it if you need too
Any word on the ones that have not been shipped?
My Ice arrived in Australia yesterday (#69). Sword is awesomely made my only complaint is that the blade should be 6″ longer, Rob was a short ass at 14 otherwise.
Eagerly awaiting pre-order for the Hammer.
You should be happy it wasn’t longer. If it had been shipping to Australia likely would have been $400 or even $500, not the $100 it is at the current length. 60 inches trips oversize rates.
You can’t please everybody
$100 shipping is great but I had no problem paying $350 shipping to Aus for Longclaw when it first came out and would have had no problem paying $500 shipping for ICE.
So according to FedEx, Ice was delivered to my house yesterday, but I never received it. What should I do?
Call fedex immediately, and ask your neighbors if they have it.
I picked up Ice at the post office today (yea!) and am having trouble finding the number on the sword. I looked where the number was on Longclaw and Needle (on the blade, just below the cross-guard) but I can’t see a number etched anywhere on the blade. Was it put somewhere else? I went over the whole blade carefully looking for it, but I can’t find it.
The certificate also has no number on it.
No certificates come with numbers.
The number is on the blade, on the left side, on the back (the side with the seam in the grip) if you’re holding it point-up.
It IS harder to see on Ice than the others, you may need to put it under stronger light and tilt it back and forth a little bit.
I know yours has a number on it because I actually opened it and checked it prior to shipping since you had the very first order.
Just wanted to let you folks at Valyrian know I received my sword. FedEx delivered it to my neighbors who came over and gave it to me later Thursday. Its a gorgeous sword. I know FedEx’s screw up isn’t Valyrians fault and I wanted to let you know how great your customer service is and I plan to continue buying your products for as long as you continue to make high quality weapons replicas. Looking forward to Robert’s Warhammer!
Is anyone elses plack for damascus longclaw off center?
As in the holes for the brass things that actually hold the sword up?