Obtaining rapper swords
Rapper swords and longswords can be made to order by Frank Lee, an engineer from Newcastle upon Tyne. His contact details are:
Frank Lee
“Leafield”, Market Place
Brampton
Cumbria
CA8 1TL
England
Frank Lee also offers some online advice on care and maintenance of rapper swords.
In the USA, rapper swords imported from the UK can sometimes be obtained by mail order from the Country Dance and Song Society.
Rapper swords are rare, and therefore secondhand swords are extremely difficult to find; although if starting a side you may get offers by word-of-mouth, such as from Morris sides who have formerly performed rapper. There are also few, if any, acceptable substitutes for a rapper sword; the nineteenth century sides improvised rappers by filing down the teeth on saw blades and attaching wooden handles – but don't do this! The early rapper sides used only fairly basic figures and saw blades made from unsuitable steels are very likely to snap in modern rapper figures and risk causing injury.
