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Post by rammstein on Jan 3, 2007 21:44:47 GMT
just something to be warned about. 45 minutes ago I took my shrewsbury outside to cut open the ginger ale bottle I'd just finished. I took a few practice swings and then threw it into theair, bringing the blade downward at a 45 degree angle. The bottle did not cut. I thought that maybe the blade was getting dull. I tried again, this time harder. Same thing, no cut. SO I look at the blade. Apparently, the first cut had bent the last 8 inches of the blade almost 2 centimeters off! I was astonished and aghast! This is the first time anything like this has happened to me so I had no idea what to do. I sat down on the grass and tried for more than half an hour to bend it back into shape. Finally I got inside and tried to bend it back on the hard tile floor. Thankfully I was able to completely fix the bend, however, I will never use this swod again. It seems this is just another wall hanger . I am very disappointed. Please be warned about this, and be very careful in the future!
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Post by ShooterMike on Jan 4, 2007 3:12:47 GMT
I feel for you, Rammstein. This must be the season for MRL sword bending. See my post from last night on the MRL Falchion. But have heart. You have learned a valuable lesson, and I would encourage you to keep using the sword, safely of course. Maybe see how it stands up past this first minor setback? Think of it as a "minor bend in mid-battle".
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Post by rammstein on Jan 4, 2007 3:17:56 GMT
well dry handling yes, but I've lost faith in this sword for a while...
I guess I'll stick with milk jugs which aren't as hard plastic. On further examination of the bottle I noticed the sword hit the bottle cap and neck wich are the hardest and most unforgiving parts. Its not like a bend bothers me, its more that a bend during supposed PROPER USEAGE occured. Maybe against a plack of wood or something...but not a plastic bottle.
btw, this is the day after I added a new grip to the shrewsbury which I'll be posting about soon.
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Post by rammstein on Jan 4, 2007 3:24:33 GMT
Doesn't windlass pride themselves on their professional and awesome tempering of the blades? I think that these two failures blow a hole in that myth...
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Post by ShooterMike on Jan 4, 2007 3:58:33 GMT
Doesn't windlass pride themselves on their professional and awesome tempering of the blades? I think that these two failures blow a hole in that myth... I have actually had two Windlass blades twist. The first was their Pirates Cutlass about a year ago. It straightened out with a lot of twisting and hammering. I agree wholeheartedly on the tempering thing. But then again, for 150-ish bucks you can't expect perfection. I still think they are a good buy for the money...and they look cool.
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Post by rammstein on Jan 4, 2007 4:05:10 GMT
looks matter but without function they are as usless as jpeg files to helen keller (taken from weird al [ I just had to say that ]). What caused the pirate cutlass to fail? Was it something one wouldnormally expect a blade to handle like plastic or dowels? Is there actually a professional way to straighten blades that have been bent? Honestly, I'd have to think that our way (A lot of force and muscle and bending and hammering) would be pretty effective. That leads to another qusrtion: How would someone straighten their blade after a battle in a foreign country where they wouldn't know of a professional in the area to do it for them?
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Post by ShooterMike on Jan 4, 2007 4:12:04 GMT
I have to admit...umh...not really appropriate use. It was cutting limbs off an Oak tree. After having associated with quite a few modern day warriors, I would offer that under the circumstances you describe, they would find a hammer and a flat surface and beat the crap out of it until it straightened (or broke). Or they would find a tight fork of a tree, slip the blade in the fork, and twist and beat on the pommel until it straighted (or broke). That's kind of what I did with the cutlass.
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Post by rammstein on Jan 4, 2007 4:16:37 GMT
I guess I'm not going to try oak trees as a pell then...
it would be interesting to see what the professionals here (like samsalvati, Clyde, or trueswordsman) have to say about this as they probably know more about the mechanics and techniiques to swords than most. Personally, I have no idea if there is ANY suggested way to fix the effects of a bad temper. remember, when you bend it back into line, the bad temper still remains. You've only fixed aesthetics, but its just as likely to happen again...
(weird that we're having such an immeditate conversation and not having to wait hours for each other to respond!)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2007 8:46:43 GMT
I'm sorry to hear about this, Rammstein. My Shrews is still going strong after dozens of milk jugs and 2-litre bottles. One of the things that sometimes suffers at the price point we discuss on this forum is quality control. This is still sometimes an issue with Windlass and Paul Chen's Euro line, for example. Unfortunately, you (and apparently shootermike too) may very well have received a sword that slipped through QC. I don't know what else to tell you, unless it was just some totally random, freak thing where you hit the bottle with the blade at just such a speed and angle that it tweaked the blade fast and hard enough to cause it to fail? I know it doesn't sound likely, but stranger things have certainly happened. I think it's a good idea to relegate the sword to super light use. Milk jugs would be the way to go.
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Post by rammstein on Jan 4, 2007 13:47:26 GMT
at the price I paid for it, I'm certainly not too disappointed. Considering if the same thing happened to an Atrim or albion...THEN I would be reeeealllllly angry. The shrewsbury cost me $122 with shipping and sharpening from reliks. that means the sword itself was like $88
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2007 18:14:09 GMT
wow that is pretty amazing, i didnt know a bottle could bend metal...interesting
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2007 20:36:20 GMT
Post a picture if it is still bent. I have hear a lot of bad things about the Shrewsbury over time in various forums.
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Post by rammstein on Jan 5, 2007 20:38:33 GMT
It has a very "slight" bend it it now, hardly noticable. It is however, exeptionally poor tempered at the last 8 inches, so if you want, I'll bend it more out of line to prove my point. Might take a while, I need to use my parents digital camera.
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Post by rammstein on Jan 6, 2007 18:35:45 GMT
I've finally gotten around to taking apart the shrewsbury. It has a threaded tang. First thing I noticed was that the quillions were so incredibly lopsided, it seems absurd. Then I looked at the tang itself. Pretty small, but very, very strong and unlikely to break. Handle is a cheap plastic (I took the leather off of mine because it was annoying to my hands).
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2007 21:09:04 GMT
Rammstein, try to get that digital cammara.... or use a cell phone camara...
Karma to you for your testing and analysis.
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Post by rammstein on Jan 6, 2007 21:11:48 GMT
Thanks tsafa. Once my parents and I finish all of the yardwork that needs to be done today, I'll try to take pictures
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Post by rammstein on Jan 6, 2007 22:46:44 GMT
here you go! sorry, some are fuzzy, but I think I get my point across: grip pomel and nut lopsided quillions More lopsided views The tang alone: all together finally, the tip which I "professionally" fixed
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Post by rammstein on Jan 7, 2007 1:54:25 GMT
also, tools I used to take this appart where a pair of plyers and a vice-thing that I found somewhere. Honestly, it took me about 15 minutes the first time to get it all apart, but only around 20 seconds, the subsequent times that I've done it.
Note: obviously, this windlass was very rattly and the fittings were loose. And I've only had it since october. I discovered the reason for this was that the plastic handle was incredibly loose. to offset this, I tightened the nut on the end a LOT. This however, has left 3 of the threads(?) from the screw exposed. While it isnt really a problem, it doesn't look great. My modification has left it rock solid and I am now confident that it will not come loose any time soon.
Since this poor result on a ginger ale bottle, I have since cut a clorox bleech bottle and a milk jug, both with no problems whatsoever.
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Post by ShooterMike on Jan 7, 2007 2:34:50 GMT
Rammstein, Here's something you might consider doing to help your Shrewsbury. I think you will like the results. Buy a flat washer the correct size for the tang threads, that is slightly or more larger in diameter than the handle. File the edges to fit the outline of the handle. At an automotive store buy a tube of "Automotive Black RTV Silicone". Disassemble the hilt except for the guard. Wrap the threads on the tang with about 3 layers of masking tape. Fill the handle with the RTV Silicone. It's rather sticky and prone to make a mess so handle over newspaper and have a few paper towels handy to wipe up the mess. Make sure it's completely full of RTV. Slowly insert the tang back into the handle, trying to push out as little RTV as possible. Once the handle is all the way on the tang and tight against the guard, clean off all exposed RTV. When you're satisfied that it's clean, remove the masking tape, add the washer between the handle and pommel and reassemble the pommel on the hilt. Tighten it and let dry for 4-6 hours with the point down. The RTV will dry into a fairly soft rubber. It should fill in around the tang and migrate down against the guard. It will take up any slop in the fit. It will also act as a dampener for any vibration in the tang. I think you will find that it will improve the way the sword handles, especially when cutting. If you decide to try it, let me know how it goes? Good luck.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2007 5:04:11 GMT
Thanks for those pics Rammstein. Too much wood in the handle and too little metal in the tang for my taste.
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