Postby Guest » Mon Nov 04, 2002 6:10 pm
Thanks for the foam link...
I also get denim from WalMart...
and you can check Saddle and Tack shops for canvas/sail cloth, which is where I get mine.
Since we're on the subject of padded weapons, I'm gonna add that I originally had problems with the oak slats cracking and breaking (I'm 6'5" and 240lbs, dunno if that has anything to do with it.). I switched from oak to 1/4" baltic birch plywood and prefer it greatly over oak. A local wood expert claimed it was nearly indestructible. I'll vouch that it is very tough, yet still very flexible; so much so that I laminate the plywood/aluminum/plywood sandwich for the full length with contact cement, which allows for some flex in the bond. Baltic birch should be available from any hardwood dealer or planning mill and doesn't cost any more than oak (in my area at least).
I also make my pommel counter weights from lead, rather than the iron pipe fitting. Lead is several times denser than iron and can provide an equal counterweight in a much smaller size allowing for more "realistic" sized pommels. When properly padded the pommels are still big, just not AS big. If anyone is interested i can go into more detail.
Using above mentioned materials, and a few other tricks I learned, I have produced a 3lbs 2oz, 46 1/2" inch longsword with a 9 1/2" hilt and the balance point is 15 1/2'' down from the top of the pommel. This is very close to the "proper" size weight and POB of an actual blade. And to paraphrase John, "the weapon feels right... like you want to whack something with it." (he said something like that while commenting on balance during the Longsword 1.0 seminar in Provo 2 years ago.) It's just my experiance that padded weapons feel "a little off"; this one, in my short experience, doesn't. And, <crosses fingers> it hasn't cracked or broken in a year of sparring.
