Sword Questions

First of all do all one handed swords use fiberglass only? Because i read somewhere that pvc isnt allowed in Dag and its only like fiberglass and stuff. Next question, how would I make a tsuba guard for a single hand sword? If pvc is allowed im planning on heat tempering and slightly bending the pvc to make twin wakizashi

I made mine with a PVC core. I read and downloaded all the tutorials and PVC is considred a cheap but acceptable alternative to the stronger fiberglass cores.

Ok but my point in pvc is that i doubt you can heat treat and bend fiberglass cores, and wakizashi are smaller katana and have the signature bend so i need to enable the bend process.

Type in "bending+pvc" in Google and there are quite a few webpages on the subject and a youtube video. Seems they use a heat gun (blowdryer???) and sand to make the bend. Here's one of the URL's.

http://www.wgsc.com/pvc/how-to-bend-pvc-pipe.htm

Here's the URL for the youtube example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47j95zGD-a0

When I first starting making plastic armor (impact resistant armor, ABS or Polyproplyene) They way you curve it to fit your body is to put it in a barbque grill (propane). It heats and becomes soft. You place a wet towel around the body part and place the soft plastic on it and press to shape. Then you drop it in cold water to 'quench' it which solidify's it again in the new shape. I never used body parts but used tree limbs of my size and shape. I still wasn't a very good craftsman and was always working on the shapes. Maybe this method might work for PVC but I don't know. It's cheap and I guess you can always try a length. Just use a barbque grill outside because plastics give off toxic gasses when heated.

Some Martial Arts supplies stores carry foam japanese weapons. Maybe these can be used as a core and built up with more foam and a cloth cover to make them Dagorhir legal. However, they are kind of pricey.

http://www.superiormartialarts.com/cgi-bin/uniform/perlshop.cgi?ACTION=ENTER&thispage=woodensamurai.html&ORDER_ID=!ORDERID!&affiliate=889

Here's an excerpt from the Dagorhir website forums.

PVC is cheap and easy to work with. It is bendable with application of heat (boiling water poured inside is best - flames and heat guns can burn the stuff). You can fill parts of it with other materials for easy counterweighting. On the con side, it's bulky, cannot taper, and is easier to break or catastrophically fold. You can mitigate the fragility of PVC by shelling inserting wooden dowels, fiberglass rods, or smaller and smaller PVC pipes.

Fiberglass is extremely durable, and can be preformed into a variety of shapes (although once it takes its shape, you're stuck with it). You can also take preformed rods and combine them in a variety of ways to make tapered shapes. You can also make cores that flex more in one direction than another. On the con side, fiberglass takes a bit more work, with all of the bundling, gluing, and taping involved. The increased interneal flexion of bundled fiberglass cores tend to make them come loose from their padding a bit more easily. It's extremely difficult to make a curved weapon with fiberglass. To counterweight fiberglass, you have to wrap the handle with wire, do the tongue depressor and pennies thing, or glue a piece of PVC over the grip and fill it with something heavy.

My grandpa has a whole workshop out back in his garage and he has a blowtorch which was really effective at bending PVC, and since fiberglass doesn't seem very good at curving, PVC is going to have to work. I just cant block many full swings of glaives or two handers lol.

Your young grasshopper. (my age showing there) Think, try, apply or as the Marines say "Improvise, adapt and overcome". Or practice, practice, practice. Once you have your weapons, Do moves slowly, slow drills with a partner or a Pel. Then practice them full power once you have the mechanics down. Then apply them on the field, or die trying. If the sword breaks, try again. PVC is cheap.

wow lol. pvc is easy to bend. do not use a blow torch. it will most likely burn the pvc. the trick is to slow roast it and bend it a little at a time. when i bend pvc i do it over a kitchen stove. i'll turn the heat up and hold he pvc over it and bend it little by little as need be. you do not want the pvc to turn brown or black. it will be too brittle then and break in combat.

Yeah don't worry my grandpa has maybe 50 years experience with mechanics, inventing, and a lot of mathematical equational thingies lol he is really good, the katana i brought for you to check out was made that way and it didnt have a discolored part on it.

then my brave lad, you have done well!

Wait...there was a Katana....did I miss that?

Strider,
There are ways to give fiberglass swords an apparent bend, I will explain on the weapons build day.
PVC is a good and usable core. A few things to remember. DO NOT use the white pvc, gray conduit in Sch.40 or higher is the best piping for this application.
If you are going to bend the pvc, do it with dry heat, a heat gun, an electric stove, even a hairdyer...if it's powerful enough. To use hot water takes a lot longer and one tends to become impatient, bending the pipe to much to quickly.
When bending, If you want a straight curve, until you get experienced enough to eye ball it. I suggest you lay out the pipe on a level surface as you bend it. ideally when making a matched pair you should either tape them together and bend them both at the same time, or lay out and use a template (which I can also explain).

As a little bit of advice....

The core of your weapon is it's foundation, you MUST ensure that it is prepared and ready before you ever try and put a blade on it.
Anyone can throw together a sword that will pass most inspections, but these swords often don't last. I will show you all how to make weapons that are safe, and functional, works of art that will last as long as you take care of them.

I know I come off as a bit pompous, like I know everything. I know that some of you won't like me for that reason. I'm fine with that. However, trust me when I tell you that my weapons are masterful, if you want and are able to learn I will teach anyone how to build anything you can dream up.

K-

Ok ill keep that in mind

Actually Kurn Wolf from Black Company says you are one of the best weapon makers he knows. So be pompous you earned it.

Also Kurn for normal blue swords or beat sticks do you still not use the white pvc?

I would not recommend EVER using white pvc. It's just not as strong as the gray. If you look at the inside diameter of them both you'll see the gray is actually thicker than the white.
K-

Ok so always gray i will keep that in mind

thats too bad i still have 2 ten foot white pvc poles. Do you also use the Half Inch pvc for blues?

It depends on the length and style of the weapon.
K-

What is the best kind of glue for the foam?

Strider check out this link from the Dag forum (if it works). The guy made some nice curved swords. The long one he is calling a longsword but in my opinion longswords are straight and European, this one looks more like a Katana or a similar Eastern sword and short sword.

http://www.dagorhir.com/forums/index.php?topic=13551.0

Konradr

Hey K'urn, would it be possible to make two ninjato(straight katanas) for me? I could tell you how i want em and pay you for em.

Absolutely.

I will need...

Finished blade length.
Finished handle length.
Cross guard type/size. If you want one. I can do the traditional square guard if you want it.
Pommel type, if you have a preference

K-

Hey K'urn if by finished you mean the length when all the foam is on and stuff then:
Blade- 25"
Handle- 6 1/2"
Guard- Square tsuba with rounded corners
Pommel- Idk, just don't make it too bulky i guess.

I'm assuming when you say ninja-to you want it single edged.

K-

Strider,

What are your two favorite, opposed colors? i.e. black and white, red and black, etc.

Give me a few choices.

K-