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Dismountable hilts on Western swords
Some sword brands feature dismountable hilts, which are not historical for medieval swords. It wasn't that important to our ancestors, even though they could have made dismountable hilts at certain points in history, but some people are very loyal to the idea.

The common reasons people give for liking dismountable swords are:

1) Easier customization.
2) To inspect the tang for damage.
3) To clean the tang for maintenance.

I can see the attraction to #1 above, though often people want to customize the sword because it isn't very historical in appearance to start with.

Regarding #2, has anyone discovered something while inspecting the tang that made them glad they dismounted the sword to check? In the years I've been talking about and learning about swords, sword failures have happened on a number of occasions and have been reported (sometimes widely) on sites like this one. But I can't recall a case where the damage may have been visible beforehand. Discounting totally historically accurate swords, most of the failures seem to be the result of bad internal grain structure (bad heat treat) which wouldn't be visible. So I'm curious what inspecting the tang would find. Has anyone seens cracks and things that they were glad they found before the next cut?

Reason #3 puzzles me. It would takes years of a bad situation for a tang to rust through. And a buildup of oxidization can actually be protective in many cases. Keeping it clean keeps that layer from building up. Cleaning with Scotch-Brite or something can actually remove metal, potentially altering the fit slightly if cleaned too often.

I guess I'd like the tang inspectors and cleaners to weigh in on why dismountability is so important to them and how dismounting the sword has prevented issues from arising. :)
Re: Dismountable hilts on Western swords
Chad Arnow wrote:
Some sword brands feature dismountable hilts, which are not historical for medieval swords. It wasn't that important to our ancestors, even though they could have made dismountable hilts at certain points in history, but some people are very loyal to the idea.

The common reasons people give for liking dismountable swords are:

1) Easier customization.
2) To inspect the tang for damage.
3) To clean the tang for maintenance.



1)Maybe, but if I had numerous guards and pommels for a single sword that I like equally I would probably drive myself crazy swapping them out all the time and have trouble deciding which one to leave on the sword !

If I really didn't like the sword furniture I would normally just not buy the sword. If I really liked a blade but didn't like the sword furniture having an alternate set of sword furniture made might be interesting but again it would probably be more cost effective to just buy a sword I liked !

2) Not so much as inspect for damage as just being able to see what is under the grip if the sword was from an unknown maker to me ( Unknown at least as far as how robust the tang is or if it has any design flaws ).

3) I know that with a purchase of a " Braveheart " type sword being able to take the grip off was very useful in seeing how flimsy and dangerously designed the tang was. Routine inspection doesn't seem very useful to me unless I drop the sword in salt water by accident or something equally corrosive.

4) Yes, I know you don't have a (4) : If the grip becomes lose one just has to tighten the bolt and with a bit of lock tite the screws don't easily become lose, so it would be more a case of grip shrinkage. Harder to fix with a peened tang.

5) Yes, I know you don't have a (5) :p : With an A & A or Albion or OlliN, a well done peened tang, I would tend to prefer a peened tang.
I have dismounted at least 2 swords and found cracks and other flaws in the tang, that I can recall offhand. I know this is not typical but on the other hand it does happen and I have 2 blades here that prove it. After these experiences I think it is just common sense to be able to inspect the tang on a sword that will be used for any cutting or sparring excersizes, particularly on lower end swords where the integrity is perhaps less reliable/predictable. An Albion or A&A I would be less concerned about but with lower end imports I think it is a good idea.
Re: Dismountable hilts on Western swords
Chad Arnow wrote:

The common reasons people give for liking dismountable swords are:

1) Easier customization.
2) To inspect the tang for damage.
3) To clean the tang for maintenance.


4) Ease of travel. A dismounted sword can travel with the the blade and pommel (and simple cross) in a pvc tube, a rapier hilt can go inside a mask in a suitcase, etc.
Re: Dismountable hilts on Western swords
Chad Arnow wrote:

1) Easier customization.


Speaking as a natural born tinkerer and borderline perfectionist, this is a major issue to me. To date I have managed to take appart every single sword or sword-like object I've owned, simply because I'm too curious about the construction to leave it alone.

And even if I do like the original furniture, making new one is still a fun excercise and an opportunity to experiement and learn new things.

Quote:
2) To inspect the tang for damage.


Sort of ties in with the first one: I simply like to see what the tang looks like for purely academic reasons. Plus, this is a good way to know what to expect from the sword. (One of my swords have a welded on tang that doesn't look very robust. I'd have hated to find that out the hard way.)

Also, even if the tang isn't damaged it may still be bent or otherwise in need of fine tuning.

Quote:
3) To clean the tang for maintenance.


Can't say this has ever been an issue for me, though.

Jean Thibodeau wrote:
1)Maybe, but if I had numerous guards and pommels for a single sword that I like equally I would probably drive myself crazy swapping them out all the time and have trouble deciding which one to leave on the sword !


As an interesting side note, this is actually how most Japanese swords were made. Many samurai had multiple koshirae (furniture) for a single blade, including an air-tight wooden one meant only for storage. While in storage, the other koshirae would be kept on display with a wooden blade replacing the original one.
Eric beat me to the punch on reason 4. To me reason 5 is that peened swords when put through a lot of practice work will eventually loosen and need to be fixed. Also, in my climate (desert) it is not unusual to see wood grips shrink enough that the sword hilt becomes noticeably loose. I have examined many antiques and many do show the effects of repeated re-grinding and re-peening on the end of the tang. BTW, having cold peened a number of swords myself, its not exactly rocket science but its also easy to screw up and do some damage

The other issue is hilt customization, Chad you imply that primarily this is done to "pretty-up" swords or do unhistorical things to them (which I admit to being guilty of more than once) but there are also very legitimate reasons to modify hilts, particularly handles. I have rather big hands and long fingers and prefer a thicker handle than a lot of folks. Historically, handles vary quite a lot and were probably made to order in many cases. The advantage of a dismountable hilt is I can experiment with the handle a little and adjust it to my preference.... again dismountable hilts on historical reproduction swords appeal to the person who is concerned about historical accuracy and performance but is slightly more interested in performance as a practicing martial artist. plus some of us just like to tinker. ;)

now for the philosophy side. There seems to be an attitude in this community at times that swords are anachronistic implements for the 21st century, therefore why do we need to try to improve them. :eek: I just want to say that I strongly disagree with that whole hypothesis, i think martial arts as a personal discipline and means for personal growth and refinement, is, if anything, more important today than it has been in the recent past....... i can go into many reasons why I believe that is the case but i don't want to hijack the thread. bear with me with my stupid analogy, but its a bit like asking why bother with computer chip controlled fuel injection if henry ford made cars "back in the day" and they ran just fine with only carburators. Or why does Phelps have a special NASA designed swimsuit since Spitz won all of his medals without one........ what i am trying to say is that for some of us, the sword is just one small part of a martial arts system. the martial arts systems continue to evolve, as they should. therefore the sword will evolve too.... does that make sense? I don't mean to go overboard here but it all comes down to how you expect to use the sword and there are definite advantages of both ways of securing the hilt. excellent question really and I am sure there will be a lot of variable opinions. this is just my $0.02 tr
Regarding customizing, there are two things I like about the system Gus and Tinker use. First is that you can have some historically correct hilt furniture, but use the same blade to create a more fantasy/LOTR look. Its just for fun, nothing more. Regarding other changes, it is a lot easier to antique a hilt on your own if you dismount it. I prefer if I want an antique look to do it myself, so ease os assembly is prefered.

No argument put forth here, just a reason why I might do it and prefer that assembly.
The answers to your questions will vary depending on what a person is using a sword for. I know typically stage combat is not discussed often here, but here is the a point of view from some one who buys and makes sword for both stage combat and general sparring, and even some cutting swords from time to time.

1) I can't see customization being important to people sparring or using swords for cutting exercises. However, for stage combat, you may have a show where you need a fancy hilted sword, and the next week, you may want to use the same blade but use a much less fancy sword depending on the character you are playing at the time. It is nice to be able to change out hilts and not have to buy a new blade, as the blade is by far the most expensive part of a well made sword.

2) Inspecting for damage... I hadn't really inspect tangs for damage in the first 10 years or so stage combat and martial arts sword usage. I did inspect them initially to see how they were constructed and if they were adequate for stage or sparring work, but thats about it. My first experience of "routine inspection" was in JSA, when we were required to inspect the tang before and after each cutting exercises classes. It was very very rare, but I did see one sword that was not mine develope some hair line cracks in it. Needless to say, the sword was no longer used. After witnessing this, I did make a habit of inspecting tangs on stage blades before shows and such, and I have actually caught about 3 or 4 swords in the past few years that did have some small cracks would have probably broken in the near future. It never hurts to look.

3)Cleaning for maintenance... another one I can see many martial art or cutting exercise sword not needing. However, if you are doing a stage show outside, and if you have to do the show rain or shine, or in the mud or on a beach, and it's raining cats and dogs and your sword is caked in mud... it's nice to be able to disassemble it to clean the tang off and reoil it . I have swords that I was not able to disassemble, and when I finally stopped using them, I did find a way to disassemble them, and the tang was heavily and thoroughly rusted most of the time.

4) Jean hit a big one. Any bolted or peened tang sword that is a compression hilt, is much better for a stage combat person. A compression hilt can always be re-tightened if it comes loose, by either re-tightening the bolt, or repeening the tang. The bolt being much easier for most people. However, a sandwich style hilt with a pressed guard and pommel, just like Albions, can not be retightened at all. So when it comes loose, there is nothing you can really do about it. I know some people will say they "never" come loose, and sure, one in a thousand may "never" come loose, but for the most part, every sword will loosen up if used in stage combat, even if it's used with perfect technique. It's a matter of mechanics in steel, guards will loosen by the forces and stress exerted on them during the shocks and vibrations the sword goes through in use, even in minor impacts. Historically, this probably didn't matter much, or maybe it did, I really don't know. However, I do know that it does matter big time for stage combat.

I personally prefer a bolted tang now for just for ease of hilt change out (which i do often!) and grip customizations.

One thing to note, I have noticed that most makers who use a tang bolt, use too small of a bolt, either a 1/4" or sometime even smaller. For my swords, I use a 3/8" bolt, much larger and able to hold a much higher preload. I did this because the preload force applied by a 1/4" peened tang (historical), does not equal a 1/4" threaded tang and nut. The 1/4" peen has a much larger preload force and holding capacity. After running some numbers, and eventually just doing tons of testing, I came to the conclusion that the larger 3/8" bolt has close to the same preload force compare to the 1/4" peened tang. Under heavy sword to sword use, 1/4" and even 5/16" would come loose under use, however the 3/8" remained tight through all the tests. I noticed that the company Lutel must of have done similar test because they use a similar bolt setup, but it's in metric, not english units, not sure the metric size, but it is very close to the 3/8 size I use.
Interesting. People have always talked about wanting to inspect a tang for damage, but I hadn't really heard any reports that the inspection was doing any good. What brands are these that people are reporting cracks and flaws in the tang? That is good info for the public to know.
Thanks to all who have proposed other reasons for having a dismountable sword. But.... :)

What I'm really interested in is the tang inspection/maintenance aspect as well as whether people have experienced increasingly sloppy fit in their components from repeated disassembly and cleaning.

I cited those three examples as the most common ones I've seen touted, and was not trying to build any kind of all-inclusive list. :)
Thom R. wrote:
The other issue is hilt customization, Chad you imply that primarily this is done to "pretty-up" swords or do unhistorical things to them (which I admit to being guilty of more than once)


Actually, I implied they needed to be prettied up because they were ahistorical to begin with, not to do unhistorical things to them. A lot of people are taking advantage of dismountable hilts to do what the maker didn't do: capture a historical look. That's all I was saying.

I can see the advantage in shaping handles, too. I guess I just tend to buy items now from makers I have confidence in; they tend to get handle shapes right. Very seldom have I picked up an A&A or Albion sword and thought I needed to change the handle shape with tools. A couple of A&A's swords could have benefited from being thicker in the grip for me, which could be accomplished with cord and new leather. I guess I've become spoiled. :) it's the same with trusting the sturdiness of the tang: I try to buy from people I trust and try to use safe practices in case something does break.

In regards to your philosophy, I can see your point. However, those of us interested in studying swords as historical objects (not everyone on this site, of course) like them to be as historical as possible. Allen wrenches and other things used to make them dismountable aren't that historical. I have to think that if disassembly were so necessary, our ingenious ancestors would have figured out a better way than grind-off-the-peen and try again. :) I have no doubt they disassembled their swords when necessary, but I would wager they did it less often than people want to do it today.

The evidence seems to say that it wasn't important for them to inspect the tang (or they would have developed a better way to get the sword apart), so I was curious why it's so important to people now. That's all. :)
Hopefully you have read my first post on this. as a continuation and to further answer your question:

Swords I have seen cracked tangs on during an inspection:
Hanwei Practical XL Katana
Chen Practical Rapier blades (probably due to mis-use)
Triplette Rapier Blades (again, probably due to mis-use)
Chen Practical Hand and half (2 generation) *this is a peened blade, cracks noticed when wood grip was removed due to a crack in the wood grip
Starfire 21" short sword, *this is a welded guard and pommel design, tang cracks notices when a rewrap was applied
Chen basket hilt backsword, older model, screw pommel, not sure how old

Hope this helps.
Funny - I was thinking of a related thing earlier today. I think this is close enough not to deflect the topic too much.

I was wondering how often medeival swords were "regripped". I'm betting that if a sword hilt or grip became cracked or loose in some way that affected performance, that you would just get a cuttler to replace it. I wonder if this was done regularly, fairly often, or almost never. Labor was cheap, and so was the material needed to regrip a sword - if it was important, I see no reason that you would not get a professional to do it for you. If it were done regularly, any problem with the tang might be noticed in that process...

Gordon
Chad Arnow wrote:

The evidence seems to say that it wasn't important for them to inspect the tang (or they would have developed a better way to get the sword apart), so I was curious why it's so important to people now. That's all. :)


yes i see your point. I have yet to experience tang failure on any of my swords but like you, I don't have any of the swords people have reported as having problems in the past. but theoretically i could see that is one of the benefits, i suppose. i do think swords were rehilted now and then over their working life though.
Me, I want to drive a car that I don't have to think about. I don't want to open that hood except in dire emergency, and I own cars with reputations for resisting dire emergencies. Other folks might as well take the hoods off their cars they spend so much time tinkering. In this case, I figure I'm like most historical sword users--Pay a professional for the best quality you can afford and don't mess with it.

With arms and armour I'm just the opposite. It would spoil my fun and education to just buy something perfect. And disassembly, for me, is about my personal education. Why did the manufacturer do things this way instead of that way? How soft is the tang? How does assembly affect stats and feel? Are modern techniques better than historical? In this case I'm probably more like an historical apprentice cutler than an historical sword user.

So, you'd think I want easy disassembly. Nope. I benefit from undoing all kinds of assembly, but ultimately I want to own an historically assembled piece.

I've learned lots about tangs by disassembling swords but I've never spotted any significant flaws.

Of course, to a true tinkerer, every sword is easily disassembled. :D

I say, if you really want to know what's going on under there, you should invest the time, thought and energy required to disassemble a properly built sword. If you have the kind of sword that might have a defective tang, you're probably going to want to refinish the blade and hilt furniture and make a new grip anyway. So, what's a few minutes filing a peen?
Gordon Clark wrote:
Funny - I was thinking of a related thing earlier today. I think this is close enough not to deflect the topic too much.

I was wondering how often medeival swords were "regripped". I'm betting that if a sword hilt or grip became cracked or loose in some way that affected performance, that you would just get a cuttler to replace it. I wonder if this was done regularly, fairly often, or almost never. Labor was cheap, and so was the material needed to regrip a sword - if it was important, I see no reason that you would not get a professional to do it for you. If it were done regularly, any problem with the tang might be noticed in that process...

Gordon


I can relate to that. I've done a few new handles for various reasons. I personally prefer a sword that can disassemble that I'm working on for the reasons of handle replacement (easier to do) and regrips are cleaner too. For personal preference, I like a well done peen job. Ultimately the historical aspect appeals more to me, but from a user standpoint, the ability to unassemble appeals to me as well.

From a collectors standpoint though, I would choose a peened sword.
Thom R. wrote:
yes i see your point. I have yet to experience tang failure on any of my swords but like you, I don't have any of the swords people have reported as having problems in the past. but theoretically i could see that is one of the benefits, i suppose. i do think swords were rehilted now and then over their working life though.


I have no doubt they were rehilted and probably checked for soundness while disassembled. Whether for practical reasons (damaged/soiled grip) or reasons of fashion, I'm sure it happened.

But rehilting "now and then" is different than what some people sound like they want to do. :)

I worry that a tight fight would wear and be more prone to loosening just from the wear and tear of taking it apart more often than necessary.
Gordon Clark wrote:
Funny - I was thinking of a related thing earlier today. I think this is close enough not to deflect the topic too much.

I was wondering how often medeival swords were "regripped". I'm betting that if a sword hilt or grip became cracked or loose in some way that affected performance, that you would just get a cuttler to replace it. I wonder if this was done regularly, fairly often, or almost never. Labor was cheap, and so was the material needed to regrip a sword - if it was important, I see no reason that you would not get a professional to do it for you. If it were done regularly, any problem with the tang might be noticed in that process...

Gordon


That's a great question, Gordon. And very relevant. Maybe some of our more active swordsmen will chime in:

On a piece seeing a lot of use, how often does the grip (core and all) need to be replaced?

Some will depend on the wood's inherent strength as well as whether cord or wire help reinforce the wood. Use is a big factor, too. How tightly the tang fits the grip is another factor; sloppy fits encourage extra motion and wear.

You wouldn't have to dismount a sword to regrip it. There is evidence that metal and wood shims were used to hold pommels and guards in place. If those pieces were secure, you could just make a new grip sandwich and glue it on.

Maybe grips were more consumable than we think and tang inspection occurred when replacing it.
Chris Fields wrote:
Hopefully you have read my first post on this. as a continuation and to further answer your question:

Swords I have seen cracked tangs on during an inspection:
Hanwei Practical XL Katana
Chen Practical Rapier blades (probably due to mis-use)
Triplette Rapier Blades (again, probably due to mis-use)
Chen Practical Hand and half (2 generation) *this is a peened blade, cracks noticed when wood grip was removed due to a crack in the wood grip
Starfire 21" short sword, *this is a welded guard and pommel design, tang cracks notices when a rewrap was applied
Chen basket hilt backsword, older model, screw pommel, not sure how old

Hope this helps.


Chris,
As a moderator, I read every post on our forums. :) So I did read it. :)

I've heard that Chens have had heat treat issues and your findings bear that out. Of course, I'm not sure all Chens are designed to be dismountable. While their rapiers have interchangeable blades, the rest that use a screwed-on construction are probably just inaccurate rather than designed for easy maintenance. :)
Chris Fields wrote:
3)Cleaning for maintenance... another one I can see many martial art or cutting exercise sword not needing. However, if you are doing a stage show outside, and if you have to do the show rain or shine, or in the mud or on a beach, and it's raining cats and dogs and your sword is caked in mud... it's nice to be able to disassemble it to clean the tang off and reoil it . I have swords that I was not able to disassemble, and when I finally stopped using them, I did find a way to disassemble them, and the tang was heavily and thoroughly rusted most of the time.



Was the rust eating through the tang or was it just surface corrosion? I've always heard that oxidization can be protective (like russeting, some forms of bluing) because the oxidized layer actually prevents rust from forming.
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