Posts: 365 Location: Seattle, Wa.
Tue 22 Apr, 2008 8:34 am
Here's the 'Blunt'
[ Linked Image ]
Just like the 'Sharp' the 'Blunt' will be assembled with the tang peened over the pommel.
In other swords in this series the blunt has been made to weigh and handle as much like the 'sharp' version as possible, with appearance running a distant second to the desired performance. With this Viking sword I've departed from that theme for the blunt; in this case the blunt was designed primarily to meet the 'safety' requirements of re-enactment groups that we believe will be the primary market for the blunt version of this sword.
These requirements call for a 2mm rounded edge, a very rounded point and the best 'historical appearance' obtainable within these limits while still remaining in the weight and balance range for period swords of this type. As such the 'blunt' prototype is a full two ounces heavier- the only way to meet the design requirements without increasing weight was to shorten the blade to an unacceptable degree but at 2lbs10oz the sword is still well within the historic range. The other alteration was a change in the balance of the sword- the COG has been moved from 4-1/2 inches to 5-1/2 inches- less 'handy' but still well within the historic range. Careful distribution of the mass of the blade has allowed these changes without interfering with the Node Location, so even this altered version won't transmit unpleasant shocks to the user's hand.
I had to ship this right off, so I wasn't able to get precise dimensions for the 'blunt' blade, but the photo above gives a pretty clear idea of what it would look like mounted.