Sword replica

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its 40pxsources remain unclear because it lacks Text_document_with_red_question_m inline citations. Please improve this ark.svg.png article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2012) Sword replicas may be produced as a singular reproduction of a specific historical s ord, e.g. commissioned by a museum, or they may be produced commercially in series, again either based on a specific s ord, a certain historical type of s ord, or an original design loosely based on historical precedents. Functional !uality reproductions even hen produced in series may be priced in the "#$%&"' (,))) to *,))) range or above, hile cheap factory produced s ords may range around "#$%&"' +) to *)). The purpose of the replica may be either exhibition ,educational museum replicas, or simply decorative - allhangers-., or practical use ,historical fencing, combat reenactment, ken/utsu%batt0/utsu or test cutting.. 1n the case of decorative replicas, the product need not be able to ithstand the physical stress of actual use, resulting in lo er cost. #uch decorative look2alikes are also pe/oratively referred to as -s ord2like ob/ects- ,or #34s. in /argon, especially hen falsely advertised. # ords intended for historical fencing on the other hand should ideally come as closely as possible to historical eapons ,but remain unsharpened to avoid in/ury.. # ords used for test cutting are sharpened, and are often heavier than their historical counterparts, since added eight improves their cutting effect at the expense of agility ,cf. the historical executioner5s s ords.. # ords used for combat reenactment often have rounded points to reduce the risk of in/ury, and are also often much heavier than their historical counterparts.

Anatomy of a sword replica

6any cheap modern s ord replicas are built for decorative purposes. These are either too brittle or too fragile for any practical use.

Materials
7istorical s ord blades are al ays made of carbon steel alloys, but many replicas are not. 4ften the choice of blade material has more to do ith ease of manufacture or marketing than s ord performance. $ecorative s ords often have stainless steel blades. This is because stainless steel ill not rust hen on display. 7o ever the chromium content that makes steel -stainless- also affects the material properties of the steel making it more brittle under similar heat treatment. 8 stainless steel blade ith a small fla or a poor heat treatment can be brittle and shatter on impact ith a target, potentially resulting in in/ury to the attacker as ell as the target.

#ome replica s ords are nickel or chrome plated to prevent corrosion. This plating is often far shinier than even highly polished carbon steel blades making the s ords poor reproductions. The plating itself isn5t very durable and can chip or flake if the s ords are actually used for anything other than display.

Weight and balance

'eplica s ords are generally consumer display items. 9lades are often stamped or cut from steel blanks so that they don5t taper properly. #hortcuts are often taken ith the blade tang and hilt fittings so they rarely counterbalance the blade properly. This often makes for a s ord that is both heavier than its historical counterpart and much more blade heavy in terms of balance. 6any s ord replicas touted as -battle ready- are also overbuilt making them unhistorically robust and heavy. They ill not break even under stress that ould destroy a historical s ord, but they also lack the proper eight and balance of a historical s ord. This makes them un ieldy and unsuited for many types of s ordplay.

Hilt construction
The eakest point of most s ord replicas is the hilt or handle. The part of the blade hich protrudes into the handle and attaches the t o together is called the blade tang. The blade tang transfers impact from the blade to the ielders hands. 6any manufactures of replicas use inferior types of tangs, hich is one of the most common causes of various forms of breakage or product failure. 7istorical s ords have a tang that as forged as part of the blade, hich is hammered through the hilt, or peened: the s ord2maker then files the protrusion. Threaded tangs are tangs that, despite having been forged as part of the s ord, are inferior since they are scre ed into the hilt rather than properly peened. Tab tangs are much shorter than full tangs and often fix the blade to the hilt ith friction, glue, or single pin. 'at tail tangs are thin tangs elded to the blade. Partial tangs have a thick blade tang hich transitions to a rat tail at some point ithin the hilt. These less durable tang designs are liable to break or bend hen struck against anything. Worse still, the blade can come loose from the handle hen the s ord is s ung and potentially in/ure someone. The proper tang has to be designed and heat treated to prevent breaking, bending, or conducting hand numbing vibration from impacts to the user.