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Slagar wrote:MinTech: Feel the freshness, *.
Vourn wrote:Firstly, I have no idea what a routed fry is... I've never picked up an Edhellen blade kit.
So if I don't have 4# EVA foam for the box, I guess my weapon just wont be quite as durable as it could be?
As far as cores go, I think what I do have is .5 inch fiberglass from here: http://www.mgs4u.com/fiberglass-tube-rod.htm
Since I live in an area of California that's not very rural, I likely can't find a farm supply store, closest I get is Home Depot/Lowes/Orchard Supply, so I have to get them online.
A thought just occurred to me, remembering it from last time I built weapons...
A round half-inch core seems really thin to me. Maybe my DAP application is just crude, but I have a hard time getting the foam to bond to the fiberglass firmly. Oftentimes I'll end up with a sort of "Twisted" effect, where there's just something slightly off and if you looked down the edge of the blade you can see that it's well, twisted.
Right now I use basically a pallet knife sort of thing. (Broad plastic scraper-looking painting tool) I dip it into dap, then use it to spread on the gluing surface, rinse repeat. Is there a better way to go? I can see working with a thin surface like a .5 inch fiberglass rod being a real pain using my current method.
Caleidah wrote:So if I don't have 4# EVA foam for the box, I guess my weapon just wont be quite as durable as it could be?
Pretty much. Blue foam can still last a decently long time if you use good building practices, but nowhere near as long as 4# EVA.
Vourn wrote:Thanks for the info! Especially with some contact information for someone in California, I'll look into that!Caleidah wrote:So if I don't have 4# EVA foam for the box, I guess my weapon just wont be quite as durable as it could be?
Pretty much. Blue foam can still last a decently long time if you use good building practices, but nowhere near as long as 4# EVA.
Are you suggesting that I should put Blue Foam for the box, and my 2LB 3/8'' Polyetheline for blade layers?
Vourn wrote:Does it matter if it's 4# Poly or EVA? Is there a difference?
Also, is there a single site that has Ensolite and 4# foam? Everywhere I look, the shipping cost is crazy high, so if I can get it all shipped from one provider, I'll save 15-30$ right there.
Thurat wrote:4# EVA is the stuff you will find in puzzle mats from stores such as Wal-Mart (Gold's Gym puzzle mats), Harbor Freight, and Big Lots. The Gold's Gym stuff is, in my opinion, the better of the three options, and about $4 more expensive, I think.
4# EVA does have a higher shear point than PE, but it still has a lower shear rating than 4# MC, which is the current "gold standard" as far as foam quality goes, though it is 2X more expensive than 4# EVA, and less accessible.
You can use the 4# even if you can't route. Simply build your box with it as you would a blue box, and you'll still see greater longevity, though it does add a fair bit of weight to the blade, making counter weighting practically necessity.
If you want to get an idea of good materials, Barley sells build kits for blue weapons that include a 1" thick 2# PE blade, a routed 4# box (EVA, I think), and a 3/4" thick piece of ensolite for stab tip. You can get this kit for a 1/2" round fiberglass core for $15 + S&H, unless his prices have changed; I've built three swords from this kit, and have been very happy with them, only requiring a reblade on my main weapon recently, which put the blade's life at about 6 months, which is pretty good for a very heavily used sword.
I would message him if you were interested in that. Alric, on the Dag forums, also sells material kits in this fashion, but uses MC for the blade and box; his work is also of great quality, and comes highly recommended.. MC presents its own difficulties, but that is a discussion that gets into some of the newer, more advanced foamsmithing techniques.
If you have any other build questions, please post again. I check the boards, typically, a couple times a day, and have a decent info-bank on foamsmithing technique and modern tech.
Cheers,
Thurat
LoganSteele wrote:" For a routed 4# box, you would just use a single layer of 1/2" thick 4#, routed to half the thickness of your core. I give my routed layers a 1/2" on either side of the channel, so the routed fry (the term for a length of foam; don't ask me why) would be 1 1/2" wide. You would then "sandwich" the core into that fry. Ta-da: routed box. "
When i visualise this i see a seam running up the side and over the top of the core. If routed well this seam would be cemented together and would not have a gap however i do see potential for a blow out there. should this "seam" run up the flat or be "concealed" under the blade layers?
LoganSteele wrote:" For a routed 4# box, you would just use a single layer of 1/2" thick 4#, routed to half the thickness of your core. I give my routed layers a 1/2" on either side of the channel, so the routed fry (the term for a length of foam; don't ask me why) would be 1 1/2" wide. You would then "sandwich" the core into that fry. Ta-da: routed box. "
When i visualise this i see a seam running up the side and over the top of the core. If routed well this seam would be cemented together and would not have a gap however i do see potential for a blow out there. should this "seam" run up the flat or be "concealed" under the blade layers?
Matthias - Dun Abhon wrote:One of the biggest problems a lot of people have with those reblade kits is the toothed section at the tip of the sword blowing out, and while I've had that happen to me, it always took a while.
Kyrian wrote:Were they biscuiting the tip? I've found that to be one of the key steps in preventing that from happening.
Fayne wrote:For two-handers, I like to go with what is realistically, historically weighted and length.
Longsword: measured from one shoulder to the opposite fingertips. Handle is about a hand and a half, or about the measurement of the tip of your shoulder to your neck.
Greatsword: measured from the hollow of the neck to the floor. The handle is from the hollow of the neck to the navel, or thereabout.
Glaive: measured from the floor to the tips of one's fingers when the arm is held straight up, plus a hand's breadth. The handle is about chest level to the floor (or as much as you can get away with without breaking the unpadded requirement rules)
Weighted, these swords were more focused on their "pivot points" rather than their balance. If holding a sword by the handle as close to the crossguard as possible, with the tip pointed to the ground, then move the sword back and forth, it should seem to pivot right on the tip. If held at the base of the pommel, it should seem to pivot at about 3/4 or so up the blade toward the tip. This is so when moving the longsword to block, the tip stays focused on the enemy, while when moving the longsword to attack, the weapon behaves like a weapon much lighter.
The concept of balance points is widely misunderstood by most people. The myth of a sword balancing right at the crossguard being chief among them. According to this swordsmith and history professor Peter Johnsson, it was actually the goal of the master craftsman to make the balance point as close to the tip as possible, while still maintaining the sword's control and efficiency of motion. In fact the pivot point was far more important than the balance point, and was exacted to the centimeter.
I myself have found when I feel a red doesn't behave the way I want it to, it isn't because the weapon balances poorly, it's because the forward pivot point is too far forward, most of the time several inches forward of the tip. In my own construction, I will often move my pivot points only centimeters at a time to get the exact feel I want.
Here's the video for reference. The whole lecture is extremely informative, but at 49:00 is when he begins to talk about balance and pivot points, what he calls collectively, rotational interial mechanics.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23590865
For a one handed sword, the forward pivot point would be closer toward the half to 3/4 of the sword, going toward the tip, and was often different among different applications of battle tactics and swordsmen. The closer to the hilt the rear pivot point is, the better.
Good stuff from Mr. Johnsson, he is both a warrior and an academic!
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