Mike McWatters has been a researcher and collector of antique arms and armor since 1989. He is a member of the Company of Military Historians, and is a consultant for historical societies, small museums, and normal people with sword questions. He periodically writes for antique magazines, and has contributed to reference books on the topics of cavalry equipment and antique swords. He also has a hands-on approach to learning about swords and armor. In college he fenced with foil and epee in the Junior Olympics, currently fights with rapier and dagger, does blacksmithing in his own forge, smelted his own iron from ore, has done test-cutting with modern-made swords, and has visited museums across Europe. He currently lives north of Spokane, periodically repelling sieges from his tower. Not related to that, he has a degree in physics, loves to pick apart sci-fi movie details, and works in a lab during the daylight hours.