Fiberglass Core

Making Weapons and Shields

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Fiberglass Core or Pvc?

Fibergalss
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Pvc
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32%
 
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Fiberglass Core

Postby Sir Beak » Sun Aug 10, 2003 11:23 am

What is the advantage of fiberglass over pvc and what is the draw back of using it?
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Postby Mikaiyawa » Sun Aug 10, 2003 11:44 am

this is 505 and 606 spar, not lighter (it breaks under heavy combat use), and heavier is just.. well not worth the cost to me. and tubular, not rectangular, though I've heard good things about it for flat blade construction.

fiberglass is stronger and lasts longer. which is a bennie

it doesn't flex as much, which can be a pro or a con depending on how hard you hit.

it isn't as easy to get for most folks, unless you have web access and a credit card, and can wait two or three weeks to weapon build.

you can't get it in polearm legths without it costing a lot more than bamboo and PVC just doesn't do well as a ten foot pole IMHO..

it's more expensive than PVC... and PVC you can get almost anywhere

I personally like the kitespar, but I don't fight a lot, have a moderate hit power (meaning the lower flex rate doesn't hurt folks if I'm swingin) and have the access to the stuff.

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Postby Xipher » Sun Aug 10, 2003 2:56 pm

The material Alara was describing was Kitespar, not fiberglass. Fiberglass is generally recommended over PVC for almost all weapons. You'll need to make sure you get the right thickness for the length of weapon you want though, or it will flex too much. Overall though fiberglass is much preferred.
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Postby Mikaiyawa » Sun Aug 10, 2003 3:23 pm

unless you want to fork out two or three times the cash for carbon fiber most kitespar is fireglass, the tube is pultruded fiberglass.

I'm willing to spring $8 for two good short swords, but $30 for the cores make me twitch and carbon fiber doesn't seem to last as well under the abuse combat puts it to.

for solid cores we've a few folks who've done the bike flag pole fiberglass, the kind you can get a Walmart, but in single stick use, it flexes a lot, so people double or triple it up. It works, just isn't what is the preferred methos down here.

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Postby Dmitri » Sun Aug 10, 2003 3:44 pm

I've had a lot of trouble making long weapons with PVC because they do whip a lot. You can counter that to some extent by using heavier pipe, but...then you run into issues with weight. And for big spears and glaives, PVC is kind of useless, since you'd need something around 1.25" or 1.5", which would mean it ended up pretty big to hold.
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Postby Xipher » Sun Aug 10, 2003 7:59 pm

Alara, I'm sure some kites use solid pultruded fiberglass as supports, but usually when people refer to kitespar they're referring to the carbon-graphite tube variety. When I hear "fiberglass" I usually think of the white solid rod form. I don't mean to sound picky, but this could get confusing fast to a new person so we should all be using the same terminology.
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RE: Hehe

Postby Calarn the Black » Mon Aug 11, 2003 12:38 am

Semantics...gotta love it. Drama, too. Oops, that's Tor's job, isn't it?
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Postby Mikaiyawa » Mon Aug 11, 2003 6:47 am

Xipher wrote:Alara, I'm sure some kites use solid pultruded fiberglass as supports, but usually when people refer to kitespar they're referring to the carbon-graphite tube variety. When I hear "fiberglass" I usually think of the white solid rod form. I don't mean to sound picky, but this could get confusing fast to a new person so we should all be using the same terminology.


good point. Just the stuff we use if flat black and is marketed as fiberglass. and since I live with an engineer I got my brains imploded when he ordered spec sheets for the carbon the fiberglass and a plastic that we haven't seen in... five years... a while.

we don't use the graphite, when it lets go you have a broom worth of very sharp shiney shards. The fiberglass just, snaps, sharp end some of the time but not broom of shining death.

but I see your point for confusion.

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Postby Sir Beak » Mon Aug 11, 2003 9:07 am

Which is lighter?
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Postby Mori » Mon Aug 11, 2003 9:44 am

Fiberglass is lighter. PVC is cheaper.
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Postby Xipher » Mon Aug 11, 2003 11:44 am

Fiberglass is lighter by a pretty wide margin but PVC is only cheaper by a slim margin. Kitespar is lighter than either but it's weaker, you have to buy it online, and it's relatively expensive. If you have a local source of 3/8" fiberglass I would really recommend using it for your swords (under 27" total length) and your flails. If you have a local source of 1/2" fiberglass you're a lucky * and should use it for your longer blue weapons. 5/8" fiberglass is good for short pole weapons and red swords.
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Postby Poeir » Mon Aug 11, 2003 12:59 pm

To be more specific about what Xipher said, a 10' length of PVC will cost $1.19 to $1.29, while a four-foot length of fiberglass will cost about $1, so fiberglass is roughly twice as expensive.
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Postby Kyrax » Mon Aug 11, 2003 1:08 pm

I've only used pvc, both for swords and for polearms (spears and glaives). Fiberglass may be better but I can't get ten foot lengths of it, so I've got few other choices for spears and other polearms. Ixt is right that you've got to go thicker to be able to build long pvc weapons, 1.25 inch for my spears and 1.5 inch for the glaives.

For shorter weapons, some of my friends use fiberglass driveway markers rather than kitespar. It is a little heavier, but sturdier.
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Postby varadin » Mon Aug 11, 2003 3:42 pm

I cant vote on either, i use either or. It all depends on the weapon. For the most part though on a longer weapon ill use FiberGlass because its lighter and flexes less so it is easier to pass.
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Postby Dmitri » Mon Aug 11, 2003 8:38 pm

So I have (or rather, my friend has) a length of fiberglass kitespar about 7' long. It's either .505" or .606" (I'm not entirely sure). Anyone know if that's going to do it for a glaive, or are we having pipe dreams over here?
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Postby Poeir » Mon Aug 11, 2003 8:59 pm

That won't work for a glaive. It will be too whippy and probably break.
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Postby BeAtLeNuTz » Mon Aug 11, 2003 9:26 pm

I prefer Kitespar myself its light weight and won't flex much. Also alot of people like Graphite cores as well (golf club shafts) There are several materials out there that you can make weapons out of, shop around and find out what you like best. :goblin:
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Postby Dmitri » Tue Aug 12, 2003 1:41 am

Yeah Poeir, that's kind of what I've been figuring. He wants to try it, and it seems good "in the lab" so to speak, but I'm thinking it'll get destroyed the first time he fights with it.
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Postby Theros the Large » Tue Aug 12, 2003 6:22 am

The best material for polearms is a length of fiberglass band pole.

These are the black poles that the flag twirlers in the marching band use for their flags. I believe that they only come in 8' lengths, but it is what most of us use for our spears and glaives.

You can find them at http://www.bandshoppe.com/html/poles.html

Make sure that you order the FIBERGLASS poles. They come in aluminum as well, but those are NOT going to be legal.

I hope this helps!
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Postby Sir Beak » Thu Aug 14, 2003 9:53 am

Pardon my french but...

Where da **** can you get fiberglass cores or tubes!?!?
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Postby Sir Beak » Thu Aug 14, 2003 9:53 am

I cant find them anywhere !!
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Postby Xipher » Thu Aug 14, 2003 11:30 am

Look in the phonebook for agricultural supply stores. They should sell fiberglass rods in the form of electrical fence posts. Failing that, hardware stores should sell them in the form of driveway markers. It's better to get them as fence posts though, because the driveway markers are a lot more expensive. If you can't get them in either of those places you can buy them online at the action armoury: http://www.actionarmory.com/xcart/catal ... age_1.html
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Postby Sir Beak » Fri Aug 15, 2003 7:22 am

Thnx, I tried a Rural King (if u know what that is) and they dont have it, and Ace Hardware doesnt have it either.
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Postby Pickles » Fri Aug 15, 2003 9:18 am

Samwise. Try either a farm and fleet or a big R. You are looking for 3/8" fiberglass rods. They are white and used as electric fenceposts.

I think the nearest farm and fleet to Charlston is in the Champaign area.
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Postby Daemarth » Fri Aug 15, 2003 9:38 am

I think the Rural King in Mattoon (unless that's the one you tried) has the 3/8 fiberglass rods, at least they used to. I'd give them a call and find out, It's only a 20 min. drive from Charleston.

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Postby Sir Beak » Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:10 pm

Okay, I found the Fiberglass post in Rural King in Mattoon, BUT, isnt is a bit small? Will it really work, it seems a bit flimsy, did i mentoin small
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Postby Xipher » Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:21 pm

If it's 3/8" diameter it's fine for swords up to 27" in total length. 1/2" fiberglass is good for longswords. The idea is that it is small, that makes the weapon lighter and more manuverable. The trick is to balance small size with flex.
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Postby Dmitri » Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:33 pm

Also, I've seen a lot of swords that use a double length of 3/8" core. That gives it a lot more strength, without making it too much heavier.
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Postby Sir Beak » Sat Aug 16, 2003 8:30 am

okay thnx
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Re: RE: Hehe

Postby Tor » Sat Aug 16, 2003 1:28 pm

Calarn the Black wrote:Semantics...gotta love it. Drama, too. Oops, that's Tor's job, isn't it?


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Postby Sir Beak » Sat Aug 16, 2003 5:20 pm

Hahaha
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