Belegarth

Just today I made another blue sword. Normally I use coins to cap the PVC pipe, but today I decided to try the biscuit technique. I did, and to my surprise, the sword was very light(by my standards). So light, in fact, that I could handle it better than my counterweighted sword. I attributed this to the usage of the rope handle, which is new to me. Then I tested against other swords, which I had made earlier, grabbing them from different places and angles, I determined that they were, indeed, noticeably heaver.

Then I asked myself, "What could have modified the weight so much?". The procedure had been exactly the same, except for... The handle and the cap! I quickly determined that it was illogical for the rope handle to have affected the weight so much. But so was the cap... since the coins only weigh 7 grams in total.

So now I am really puzzled about this. Another thing is the contact cement. It is a few months old, but I have been really caring about it, even sealing it with duct tape when it is not in use. I was also quite light on it. I do not remember if I used more back when I made the other swords, and it was definitely not too little. Since the swords I compared it to were quite older, maybe they get heavier with age. I am using 2# polythylene foam.

What do you think caused the weight to decrease?

I think it depends a lot on when you made your last sword (like your first swords or swords from years ago?). I like to think much of the time a sword is light because a good crafts-person is better at cutting straight pieces of foam of exactly the right width. If you are the type of person to throw out a piece because it is 1/16" off, then you will end up with a lighter sword. Using exact amounts of adhesive or support tapes does the same thing...overall, you use the right amount and the weight comes down. I know when I build for the company my swords gain about 4 oz because I move fast to get more swords done. I slow down for my personal weapons and I have to add weight back in to make minimum because I was deliberate and careful.