A couple of questions, just for the hell of it I am making a max length min-blue (23.5 inches or so) This allows for a maximum handle of 11 inches, but I cant seem to find anything regarding how much of the remaining length must be striking surface, and how much may be incidental padding, is the rule just "dont be a douche" or is there a concrete guideline?

edit: can't reply for some reason, I was coining a new term (max length min blue). I had gotten handle rules, I just couldnt seem to find the rule regarding minimum 12" length, thanks a lot!

2nd edit: Im actually still confused by this, the last rule quoted says that the minimum weapon length is 12 inches plus pommel and handle, but not the minimum length of the striking surface. Is your interpretation the generally accepted interpretation? because as it says "plus handle and pommel" and both "handle" and "pommel" are explicitly defined and weapon is defined 2.1, but it does not give me a ratio of incidental padding to striking surface, I understand striking surface as the part of the weapon designed to score a hit, with at least a 2.5" cross section, and the incidental padding as the haft padding."Weapon" seems to include both of these.
please clarify?

3rd edit:To Cyric, on a 23.5 inch blue I can have an 11 inch (rounded down from 11.75 to not be a douche) handle, and the remaining 12.5 inches can be whatever I choose? I could have 3 inches of that be striking surface and the rest incidental? (not my plan, I will likely go 6 and 6) also the example you are using would not be legal, the shortest legal blue is 12 inches PLUS the length of the handle and pommel, Basically I am now interpreting the rules as such "1.4.1.5. The minimum overall length( striking surface plus incidental padding,in no specific ratio and not including pommel and handle)
of a Class 1 is 12 inches (30 cm) plus the length of the handle and pommel." is this more or less correct?
I really enjoy the entire rule book being a page, but it sure can be vague at times, thanks for your help dudes

For clarification, the max length for a blue weapon is 47.99 (repeating, of course) inches. 23.5 would be a blue (class I weapon that is not subject to weight restrictions).

Essentially, the maximum handle length is 18" or 1/3rd of the overall length (whichever is greater), assuming that that the striking surface is at least 12". So, with a 23.5" weapon, we get:

23.5" overall - (12" striking surface) = 11.5" non-striking surface (handle and pommel)

The relevant rules are:

1.4.1.4. dictates the ratio of incidental to striking surface. On a 12 inch weapon, the handle cannot exceed 6 inches (1/2 the overall length of the weapon). That would leave you 6 inches for striking surface, haft padding, and pommel as you choose. This is written to allow for very small hammers or maces.

Rules-lawyering just a little bit, 1.4.1.5 doesn't specify striking surface vs. incidental padding.

Hypothetically, you can get by with a single inch of striking with the rest incidental and then the handle.

However, every single weapon checker who knows how to check would fail it on the spot.

To be safe, on a weapon that short, the more striking surface you have, the better (this is aside from the length of handle as answered by Cyric and Derian).

If you have further questions or need further clarification, edit your existing post.