swords?

[redwing00]

I have heard that swords are balanced equally between the hilt and the blade. So I have heard that to test if a sword is real simply use your finger and place it where the hilt meets the blade and if the sword remains balanced straight on your finger, its real. Is this true? If so, is this true of all swords, such as Japanese Katanas, etc?

 

[Kabol]

that is only true for thrusting weapons < Shortsword/Rapier/Dagger > Slashing weapons are balanced towards the blade to allow more momentum to the swing. the same is true for Axes and Hammers as well

 

[Three_Haligonians]

that is only true for thrusting weapons < Shortsword/Rapier/Dagger > Slashing weapons are balanced towards the blade to allow more momentum to the swing. the same is true for Axes and Hammers as well

I concure with Kabol, I know that epees (ach, however you spell it) are balanced just above the gaurd.

By the way, the hilt is everything below the blade, the actual crossy part is technically called the gaurd.

*shakes her head* I'm such a geek......

T from Three Haligonians

 

[Galethorn]

Nope, not true for anything other than a smallsword (the closest thing to a real combat version of a fencing foil).

A single-handed, double-edged cutting sword should balance about 3-7 inches from where the top of your hand is when you're holding it. Closer to 3 for something you'd use more for cut and thrust, closer to 7 for a dedicated cutting sword for use from horseback.

A hand-and-a-half or light two-handed sword should balance in the same range, but are best served with a closer point of balance.

A large two-handed sword should balance no more than about 8 inches from your top hand.

A short sword/long dagger intended for stabbing/thrusting should balance right where the hilt meets the grip.

A rapier should balance between about where the rings furthest from the grip reach, to about 2 inches beyond them.

I think a katana is supposed to balance right at the tsuba (the guard), but I could be wrong.

Weight is a very different matter, however; a one-handed sword, under almost any circumstances, shouldn't weight more than about 3.5 pounds, and that's for either a really heavy chopper or an exceptionally long and balanced rapier. 2.5 is more like it. A hand-and-a-half sword shouldn't weigh more than 4 pounds, under any circumstances; 3 is more like average. 8 pounds is heavy for a greatsword, 5 pounds is on the high end of average.

So, that's just what a guy who's been studying *swords for six years has to say. I'm not saying I'm an expert or anything, but I'm basing those numbers on the documented stats of surviving antiques, as well as the modern-made replicas I've seen, handled, and cut with.

*(though not swordsmanship; don't try to ask me how to counter Pflung while in Ochs)

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

So I have heard that to test if a sword is real simply use your finger and place it where the hilt meets the blade and if the sword remains balanced straight on your finger, its real.

Hmm. So if the alleged sword falls and impales itself in your foot, it's not real? That's comforting to know.

"Hey TW, what's that thing coming out of your Skechers?"

"I'll tell you what it ain't, and that's a REAL SWORD!"

 

[Dogbrain]

that is only true for thrusting weapons < Shortsword/Rapier/Dagger > Slashing weapons are balanced towards the blade to allow more momentum to the swing. the same is true for Axes and Hammers as well

It's not true for rapiers, at least not for pre-Transitional rapiers. They are balanced closer to the hilt than are cutting swords, but still out from the hilt.

 

[Dogbrain]

Weight is a very different matter, however; a one-handed sword, under almost any circumstances, shouldn't weight more than about 3.5 pounds, and that's for either a really heavy chopper or an exceptionally long and balanced rapier.

My "tree trunk" (as my Maitre once called it) falls into the "long and balanced rapier" category. It's three pounds total weight, but the pommel is quite large, indeed. It requires a lot of footwork to use properly. You can't just stand and stab with it, or your opponent will find it a most trivial matter to close in and finish you off.

 

[Darklone]

Another matter: Don't touch the blade of a real sword. You'll see it rust pretty fast and you'll have a nice rusty fingerprint on the metal.

So if someone gives you a "real" sword and tells you to hold it at the blade, forget it. It's a piece of stainless steel.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I have heard that swords are balanced equally between the hilt and the blade. So I have heard that to test if a sword is real simply use your finger and place it where the hilt meets the blade and if the sword remains balanced straight on your finger, its real. Is this true? If so, is this true of all swords, such as Japanese Katanas, etc?

This is not true of katanas. The point of equalibrium for a katana is some four or five inches past the guard.

 

[hong]

My "tree trunk" (as my Maitre once called it) falls into the "long and balanced rapier" category. It's three pounds total weight, but the pommel is quite large, indeed.

Braggart.