where to start for messer

[JeanryChandler]

The Dussack was also a real weapon, in the falchion / messer family. You can see several at Myarmoury...

J

[Casper Bradak]

Seems very arguable, even moreso than the messer/falchion etc. thing, unless it's just another slight nomenclature variation (badelair as opposed to falchion (due to curved cross), falchion/messer (due to knife hilt), etc.). And what relates it to the earlier training tool?
I saw a del tin cutlass, 17th c? they called a dussack on that site. They mentioned it being characterized by a certain pommel shape or something.
I've also seen 18th and 19th century survival knives referred to as dussacks by people looking for real ones of the shape of the wasters.

[JeanryChandler]

My understanding is that the dussack was a traditional german peasant tool / weapon, more primitive than the messers or falchions, which were forged in such a way that the tang was bent around to cover the hand in a sort of guard. This seems to be the consensus I ran across just doing some research on the web.

As to there being a del tin cutlass on the myarmoury site, I would be surprised if there were gross mistakes of this degree in their antique weapon archive, which I have found to be pretty good. I would not stake my life on it though, you could be correct.

I haven't been able to find out much about the dussack to be honest other than a few encyclopedia entries and a handful of replicas. My assumption was that the training types you see in the fechtbuchs are special training weapons somewhat analagous to the rather unique types of longswords you see in there with the thumb protection.

I would like to know more, and would gladly welcome any further concrete information which might become available about the Dussack.

J

[Jeffrey Hull]

I have a somewhat relevent observation to relate. I have seen current Austrian-made "corn-knives" for the American market in Midwestern (US) hardware-stores. These are not all that different from most machetes, and are used for working corn-stalks, weed-whacking, "roguing", and so forth -- your basic farm-chores, as were probably done with the work-a-day "Bauermesser". Indeed, I would remark that said corn-knives look like small versions of Medieval "Messer" -- oblong blades, slab & rivet handles, and so forth. I would also note that one of my cousins had an Austrian "corn-knife" from circa 1850-1900 (?) with makers-mark of a fish stamped or engraved into the blade. This blade was wide and thin, but flexible and tough, and is now sadly beyond my reach. Oh well, perhaps just some curious notes to share. JH