[Stephanie Maks]

(inspired by the 'how many is too many' thread...)

Thanks to the features, forums, and general level of information available on this site, my knowledge and appreciation of quality replica swords has risen considerably over the past few months. I have accumulated a number of 'cheap touristy replicas' over the years which may have looked good or been affordable and otherwise seemed like a good thing at the time.

I'm finding that the more I learn, the less I enjoy these 'swords' that I had started my collection with. Especially in comparison to the ATrims and Albions of the world...

I've got about a half dozen or so sword-shaped objects, things made of soft steel that are pointy and somewhat sharp but utterly ahistorical and poorly made; some are in their original condition, others I have rehilted or otherwise messed around with. I don't think these things have any value, I don't want to bother trying to sell them. It'd probably cost more to ship one of them than they'd be worth.

Is there a safe or suggested way to dispose of them? If others here have progressed from the cheap stuff to the quality swords, may I ask, what you did with the cheap stuff when your interests had evolved beyond them?

Thanks in advance.

[Jim Adelsen]

Sell them on ebay. Somebody else will more than likely want them. I keep a few sword like objects around just because they are the only replica available of a certain original sword.

[Mark Millman]

Dear Ms. Maks,

If you have a local theater group, you might give the SLOs to their costume department. Beware: Someone will inevitably want to stage a fight scene with them, so you'll either have to choose a group with management that understands the difference between costume weapons and stage-combat ones, or you'll have to put some fairly draconian conditions on the donation--e.g., that you'll not only come and take the swords away if they're ever used unsafely, but the group will have to pay some sort of penalty (beyond injuring its members, of course). As you've done some cutlering, it might make sense to change the grips to ones that look good but are for one reason or another too uncomfortable to hold for long.

If you know a fight choreographer, it may be better to give the SLOs to her or him, as they're often asked for costume pieces and actually have some degree of control over how particular swords get used.

A parade or pageant organization might want them, too, and probably would be less likely to try to fight with them.

I hope this proves helpful.

Best,

Mark Millman

[Torsten F.H. Wilke]

Maybe a sale (with accompanying photos and descriptions, of course) for interested beginning collectors right here on myArmoury.com might be a good idea...


EDIT: OOps! I obviously didn't read the part about you not wanting to sell them in your original post.

[Michael Edelson]

Take them to your local police department and tell them you found them in the street and you didn't want kids to hurt themselves. They will dispose of them.

[James H.]

I gave some of mine to the good will, GFC, I think it was called. I was afraid they might not take them but they were more then happy to. The only one I kept was the Sword of Alexander with the Lapiz grip I had bought from from the Franklin mint many years ago. That was because it looked neat and is always well received by visitors.

[Stephanie Maks]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

There is a local theater group I could talk to, I never would have thought of that. I'm uneasy about giving them sharp sword shaped objects, but if they're interested in them, then probably 10 minutes with the grinder can render them fairly safe.

I imagine if I told the police I found them in the street, there'd be an investigation and it'd be on the 6:00 news - I'm in Canada, after all! so if the theater group doesn't want them and I were to ask the police to destroy them, I'll have to just tell them where they actually came from. Perhaps I could just grind them dull or cut them up myself and put them out as scrap metal...

For the ones I haven't "worked on", I will see if there's any interest, perhaps here or ebay.

Thanks again for the tips!

[Nathan Robinson]

[Michael Edelson]

[Nathan Robinson]

[Brian Hook]

I actually came across this recently when I had to move out of my apartment. First I de-hilted the SLO's and threw out the hilt components separately, and then broke off all the tangs (easy to do on most SLO). Second, Ground down the edges and points to make them blunt. Lastly, I covered the individual blades in duck tape then after I did that I taped them all together in a giant bundle. If I had more time I would have placed them in tube or container and filled it with spray foam installation.

[Thom R.]

What Nathan and Brian just said. However, as you seem to be a handy person, you might want to consider keeping one or two of the blades in a tube in the shop just in case you want to experiment with etching, or engraving, or maybe just trying out a tool or three in the future. sometimes I find its nice to have a steel canvas to experiment on, even if its just "what does this product really do to steel"

[Jean Thibodeau]

For the destruction option: Grind of edges and use a dremel cutting wheel to cut them into tiny pieces, round any sharp corners, put in a recycling bin for metal scraps or tape up and dispose in the regular garbage a bit at a time if there is too much of it over a few weeks of garbage pickups.

[G Ezell]

Or do it in the time honored fashion, first burn it in a fire, then bend the heck out of it, then solemnly toss it into a nearby lake, river, or bog.... If it's not that bad a sword, forgo the burning and bending part.

We've been doin it for thousands of years, and it's still the best way.

We have to give future archaeologists interesting stuff to find!

[Sam Barris]

Do you have any nephews, nieces, younger siblings or cousins? I've been cleaning out my old Windlass/SLO stockpile by making them into Christmas presents as the next generation of my family comes of age.

[Anders Backlund]

So far I haven't had any need to dispose of any swords, SLO's or otherwise.

If the need arose, however, I would either sink them in our lake or bury them somewhere. They'll either be destroyed by corrosion or make for an interesting archeological find for someone in the future.

[Stephanie Maks]

Thanks again for all the great tips & suggestions!

It's funny, there are a few of these SLOs that I have no qualms about blunting, cutting into bits, and dropping in with the scrap metal. I knew they were junk when I bought them (or more accurately, just after I opened the package from the post). But two of them, I still have some feelings for, despite their ahistorical / untempered / cheap origins.

One being the very first sword I bought, some 20 years ago. It was a $40 "Toledo" knightly sword made of unhardened steel. I've rehilted it 3 or 4 times at least, spent hours and hours with a file sharpening it, and generally it's been with me for two decades. I wasn't sure I could just throw it out. Now I know what I'm going to do. Bend it and bury it. Thanks Anders! (And take that, future archaologists! Ha ha!)

The other one is a 440 stainless steel wakizashi I got for $50. It had a nasty plastic handle and nasty hardware. I had rehilted it with an oak handle that I'd done some carving on, and a nice-looking steel Paul Chen tsuba. When I took it apart last night (I'm keeping all the hardware I bought/made for the rehilting), I was astonished at how well I'd put it together 8 or 9 years ago. I don't remember being so careful and methodical. I've decided to keep the blade as a canvas for testing & experimenting on. Thanks Thom!

The rest, I'll either try and sell or give away if they're in good condition, or dispose of safely if they aren't.

Thanks again!