Swords are great fun to carry around and play with, but if you carry a sword as part of a costume, you really need a good sword belt to hold it.  Wrapping the blade in leather strips, or leather wrapped PVC tubing just doesn't cut it.

Here is a good design for a medieval style double wrap belt and scabbard.  There are lots of pictures of this sort of pattern, and many have a buckle instead of those two slits in the short front strap.  I'm not sure where the original diagram comes from, I got it somewhere off the web. If you save or view the image in another window you'll get it in a much larger format.

Diagram of belt-fitting, c. 1220-1320
 

I am in the process of making a belt and hanger using the hardware sold by Historic Enterprises.  Pictures should be here soon....

The gorget and hanger in the pictures below were made by Andrew Feest of The Sussex Rapier Society

 

Following are some pictures of hangars from various period art pieces.  When known, I have listed the artist and my source for picture.  If you have info I haven't listed, please send it to me.

Robert Dudley and a close up of his belt and belt accessories. (Artist unknown, scanned from "The Spanish Armadas" by Winston Graham)

robert_dudley.jpg (56934 bytes)  Detail picture of Robert Dudley's belt