Belegarth

Ive been seeing a lot of tech advances specifically using higher density foam to "extend" from the core with a similar strength to it.

My question is this, at what density (or specific construction method) can polyurethane be used as a core without a solid rod running down the middle? Given an axe handle design for the weapon (few inches thick in the loaded direction) would you need to pad the denser foam for haft padding? How much flex or shearing issues could you expect from stronger foams?

Im planning on stopping by a few companies near me to get some test samples to explore this further, just wondering if anyone already has some experience to help me along.

I doubt that there are any types of foam out there that would be a suitable coreless base for our weapons. You mentioned the two reasons in your post. All foam we use is specifically meant to mitigate and survive compression forces, not the shearing forces that are applied to the shaft or core of the weapon. For an ax, which is the only weapon I can think of where foam extends from the core, the extra foam is still under compression forces and has a core running through it to handle the shear stress. Any foam that is stiff enough to not flex is bound to snap easily under the force of our hits.

All that being said, there is really no reason to have a coreless weapon. You can build cored weapons under the legal minimum weight pretty easily with the right core.

I have seen people make coreless daggers, and have seen a few coreless throwing axes be passed as rocks.

I've seen one coreless flail but It only passed once(when the marshal didn't know it had no core.

Did the marshall fail it because it had no core, or was there a legit issue?

Thurat wrote:Did the marshall fail it because it had no core, or was there a legit issue?

well they said it would pass again once the flex issue was solved, see when swung hard the entire thing tended to flex and wrap around weapons, wrist and you know necks. so uh not a great design.