I forgot to say to lightly dampen the leather too it works even better. If you need some brass ive got loads of the stuff its about 1/2 x 1 1/2 good old stuff comes op like gold.thanks mate tried it and works really well.
the more i look at it though the more im thinking i should re do the pommel? using a thicker piece of brass to mirror the guard...
your only prop there is youll end up with a shorter handle