Posts: 180 Location: Washington, DC
Fri 26 Aug, 2011 6:35 pm
Another New Rapier.....
Posts: 180 Location: Washington, DC
Fri 26 Aug, 2011 6:36 pm
Posts: 493 Location: Maryland, USA
Sat 27 Aug, 2011 8:56 am
Hey Jesse. Lookin good. Swept hilts are a favorite of ours to make. I sent a few nice blades up with Lewis Shaw that he mounted for Summer Sling.
Thanks for posting some in progress pics.
Posts: 180 Location: Washington, DC
Sun 28 Aug, 2011 12:03 pm
Hey Matt, thanks. Complex hilts sure are complex! You guys do a lot of great looking decorative stuff on your rapier hilts. There are so many styles to try out, which puts mastering any one type way in my future.
Lewis brought some beautiful stuff to the Summer Sling. I'm sure you guys got a chance to see that great hand-and-a-half with the fancy filework guard and half wire, half rayskin grip mounted with one of your blades. Maybe he'll post a picture here on the forum and show it off.....
Posts: 13 Location: Sacramento, CA
Sun 28 Aug, 2011 8:36 pm
Hi, Jesse. Some great stuff on your site. Please forgive my ignorance but, these are meant for full contact sparring? How durable is aluminum--I know aluminum baseball bats are quite tough. Can aluminum be used against steel and come out okay?
Thanks.
Posts: 180 Location: Washington, DC
Sun 28 Aug, 2011 9:21 pm
Hey John, thanks for checking out my website. The aluminum blades I make are designed for stage combat, which is similar to full contact sparring but with more blade control. 7075-T651 is the only type of aluminum that's functional for fighting swords, and that's what I use. Its what they use for lots of airplane parts, where strength and durability are really important. The blades are made to stand up to heavy use against other aluminum blades, but aluminum blades can't be used against steel blades. The harder steel will chew them right up and ruin them.
Aluminum is used extensively in the film industry for lightweight stunt weapons. My blades have a more robust cross section than a steel blade of similar shape (or an aluminum film prop made to look exactly like a steel blade in close-up), and nice rounded edges. That keeps them strong and durable enough to handle theatrical stage combat, rather than just being chewed up and replaced at the end of a few film takes like a movie prop. They are lighter than steel, so they are faster and more maneuverable (and more controllable) than a steel swords. I also construct my blades to ring like steel swords. In live theater, there's no foley, so they have to sound real.
If you were interested in swords for WMA contact sparring, I would probably modify the cross section slightly to provide an even broader edge, and better mimic the weight of a steel blade. Like any blade, steel or aluminum, the more surface area involved when blade meets blade, the less nicking the blade will sustain.
hope that makes sense.....
Posts: 13 Location: Sacramento, CA
Thu 01 Sep, 2011 9:32 pm
Thanks for taking the time Jesse.
I think I get what you're saying--if I want to use your swords for "dueling" fun I'd need two! :lol:
Seriously, I really like that Hanger 1. Hopefully at some point in the not too distant future...
Keep up the good work.
Posts: 180 Location: Washington, DC
Thu 01 Sep, 2011 10:29 pm
Thanks John, I appreciate it.
And just to clarify for anyone wandering down this thread, John was asking about other weapons on my website. The rapier at the top is steel bladed, so you can feel free to bang it against whatever you might want......
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