[Regia-NA] Swords

[Steve Etheridge]

>From: "Martin  Field" <marfield66@sympatico.ca>

>Someone has asked me about Paul Chen swords - does anyone have the scoop on 
>these.
>Are they suitable for Regia combat ?

If they are the swords that I think that they are, then they are not.  The 
blades are of poor quality - I have heard of one snapping for no reason - so 
don't waste your money.

As a general rule, you should be able to bend a decent sword blade and have 
it spring back into shape.  I do it by resting a point on a hard surface, 
holding the pommel in my hand and leaning down on it.  You should feel the 
blade bending progressively, and as you release the weight, you should feel 
the spring throughout the whole blade.  This ensures that the blade will not 
shatter or stay bent when struck.

You can test a blade's toughness by striking it with a blade of known 
quality and examining the burr on the blade.  All blades will bur, but it is 
important that the burrs are not too deep.  Ask yourself if you would like 
to be struck by a blade with that sort of burr on it.

You should do at least the first test (for spring) before you by a blade.  
Ask the vendor first, of course.  If he will not let you do it, then walk 
away from the sword - even if it comes from a reputable manufacturer.

To illustrate the point -  A friend of mine brought a blade off of one of 
the most well known blacksmiths.  It hadn't been tempered properly, and on 
it's first time out we had to do a showfight for the BBC.  I turned it into 
something resembling a rip-saw. The smith, being a reputable guy, replaced 
it for free with no hard feelings.

Hope this helps.

Steve

BTW, Martin, I'll send you some photos of your shield when I can dig out a 
digital camera

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