[Steve Lewis]

Hi

I bought a VA atrim practical longsword about a year ago. I bought the blunted version for WMA training. Unfortunately, I am not very happy with it. The edge is too narrow for save sparring and it is too rigid to thrust safely. Those concerns aside, the sword is too blade heavy for my personal preference. I have been thinking about grinding an edge to it and turning it into a sharp. It is a strong blade. I have wacked the hell out of pell and barely scratched it. Right now I don't have a cutter and things being the way they are, I don't see buying one in the future. The sword isn't pretty enough to put on the wall. This way I can make it useful. Anyone have any thoughts?


Steve

[Josh MacNeil]

Steve - I haven't handled that particular sword before, but turning a blunt into a sharp isn't unheard of. They usually end up as durable beaters. It really all depends on the thickness of the edge (or lack thereof in this case). If it's on the thin side like you say, then you should be able to sharpen it with some effort. If you want to put an edge on it, use hand tools like files and sandpaper and take your time. Don't use power tools or you can ruin the heat treatment with excess heat build up. You probably know that already, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. You may even find that is handles differently with an edge as opposed to blunt, feeling a bit more lively in the hand. As for the hilt, since it has the pommel nut assembly you can dismantle it to work on the individual parts. The finish can be easily altered. Some cold bluing on the hilt parts and some chemical antiquing on the blade might make it look more attractive while on the wall. When you're all finished, you could even shorten the grip slightly and peen it for a more traditional look. If you're willing to put some time into it, you can end up with a nifty, Type XIII looking beater.

Good luck and have fun!

Cheers

-JM

[Bill Love]

Sounds like a fun project. If you want to antique it a little, you can try this:

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=13741


Good Luck!
Bill

[Mike Harris]

Steve,

I have one of the VA Practical blunt arming swords that's been reworked into a sharp by Gus Trim. It was a beast as a blunt, very much as your describe. The regrinding into a decently profiled and tapered sharp improved the handling a bit. But it's still a beast and not nearly enough weight came off for me to really like it.

Not that it isn't an interesting project. Just to say, don't expect a lot of change in handling characteristics.

[Steve Lewis]

Thanks everyone. I'm ok with it not ever being the most awsomist (this should be a word) sword ever if I can get a decent cutter out of it. And with cutting I don't have to worry about the weight and balance of the blade slowing me down and letting an opponent crack me in the skull. It's going to be a while before I can get started on this, but I will let evveryone know how it turns out.


Steve

[JE Sarge]

I've got one of these. I have thought of converting it to a sharp myself. It's a solid sword well capable of taking abuse. The blade is a slight issue to me as mine was purchased as a dedicated WMA trainer. You are on par for it having a little too much of an edge, I'd used mine for a couple months now and at slow contact its not a problem, however, it is not designed to make full contact - as it would still do a pretty job cutting something with it's 1mm edge. When it was marketed as a blunt, I now see it as more of being 'unedged' than intended for martial arts. It would have better, and probably cheaper to have put a Spada Di Zhogo or Lichtenhauer-type blade on it intended specifically for training.

Other than the edge, I really love mine. I regripped it last month and it's really a beautiful sword with what I consider a good training weight. I'd have no qualms having it edged and converted to a full-on sharp.

Good luck!

[Jean Thibodeau]