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?