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 has recently contributed to three books on the topics of cavalry equipment and antique swords. He periodically writes for antique magazines, and is also interested in all aspects of swords and armor. In college he fenced with foil and epee in the Junior Olympics, currently fights with rapiers, has forged hot steel, 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.