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Post by WokkyPoptart on Mar 2, 2011 14:55:47 GMT
Hey, I mentioned in a topic over on the Medieval swords board that I had a tang failure with my H/T Practical Longsword at threaded part of the tang while sparring. However I am looking to salvage it by cutting the wood handle down a couple of inches, hollowing out the pommel to fit the rest of the tang, and peening it down.
Does this sound feasible or am I wasting my time?
Thanks for any advice or criticism.
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Mar 2, 2011 14:59:50 GMT
I'm no expert, so don't take my word for it... but it sounds feasible, if you have the right tools. I'd HIGHLY suggest emailing Tinker himself for advice on how to keep the harmonics from getting messed up, though... I bet he'll be a lot more helpful than anyone here could be. Good luck, and please post pics if you manage it! -Slayer
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Post by WokkyPoptart on Mar 2, 2011 15:06:10 GMT
Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely take before and after pics if it works.
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Greg
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,800
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Post by Greg on Mar 2, 2011 15:30:29 GMT
Actually, I wouldn't change any of the properties of the fittings if I were you. While I don't see the replacement blades available right now, I do know that the replacement blade does exist for the sharp and blunt version of the longsword. I believe it's item number SH2397 as it shows up in Hanwei's numbering system.
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Post by Elheru Aran on Mar 2, 2011 18:45:07 GMT
Replacement blades do exist but it's quite possible he may not want to shell out extra money and get some use out of the old blade. I know right now if I broke my bastard, I'd be looking into doing this very thing (after getting the requisite cussing out of the way, anyway!)...
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Post by WokkyPoptart on Mar 2, 2011 20:54:16 GMT
I'm trying to fix this one and not buying a replacement for multiple reasons.
Elheru hit the nail on the head. I don't have the money to buy a new one. And since the blade is intact with the entirety of the tang (I'm not counting the threaded part), I don't see why I can't turn this into a custom project.
Also, it didn't break because of a freak accident, it broke because it couldn't handle the wear and tear of frequent use in the sparring we do. The gentleman I spar has two other blades, a Hanwei Practical Hand and Half that is over five years old and a Hanwei Practical Bastard that I bought him as a gift. Both of them are still in pristine condition despite being used far more than the HT Longsword I have.
We basically figured that since it broke at the threaded part of the tang that the thread is essentially a huge weakness for the blade that peened tangs don't share, so I'm not going back to a threaded tang ever again for the type of sparring we do.
Again though I definitely appreciate your input and consideration =] Thanks for being a good neighbor.
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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 2, 2011 21:09:47 GMT
Well, for sparring I guess harmonics might not be as important anyway, unless the misaligned vibrations really hurt your hand. And I never thought I'd see the day when Greg says 'don't modify or customize' something
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Post by WokkyPoptart on Mar 2, 2011 21:16:21 GMT
As cool as it is to hear the sword sing when it leaves the scabbard, it really is aesthetic.
I'm pretty sure I can live with any shock, I started sparring with a dulled Cold Steel Grosse Messer (which I actually miss tremendously, but it pitted like a mofo so I had to retire it).
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Greg
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,800
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Post by Greg on Mar 2, 2011 21:27:52 GMT
Well, I was hoping that he was like "Yeah, maybe I should buy a replacement blade." and then I could coax him into just buying a replacement sword and I'd buy the fittings off of him. I REALLY want that longsword's type t pommel... oh well, plan ruined. And yeah, the Longsword has plenty of handle that you could cut back if you didn't want to grind into the shoulders. But I do think that this is an issue that needs to be brought to Hanwei's attention. We've hounded them for better edges, and they've fixed most of the lines. Then again, if you make this a perm assembly, then you'll never need to buy a new one.
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Post by WokkyPoptart on Mar 2, 2011 21:38:24 GMT
Is the threaded pommel really considered an issue though? I always figured it was well loved because it allowed for quick identification/replacement if the user wants it that way. They seem to be the industry standard.
We wail on each other pretty hard in the training I do so I'm not surprised that it broke, only a little disappointed that it happened so soon, I bought the thing last fall.
How easy is it to find a replacement pommel to shape to fit the tang? If I can find somewhere else that supplies ones of similar quality, I'd gladly just give you the pommel I have (shipping expenses not included) because I don't have any real attachment to the thing. I just figured it'd be easiest to use it since it's about 2/3rds preshaped to fit already so I could save myself some money/labor by getting it finished off at a machine shop or something.
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Post by Sir Tre on Mar 2, 2011 22:27:15 GMT
be advised that it will also change POB and vibration nodes.
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Post by Cold Napalm on Mar 2, 2011 22:31:23 GMT
I said this before in the other thread but it maybe that you have one the first run blades which had improperly welded threads so a replacement blade may last longer. The new ones have the threading cut from the tang and not welded on.
If you want to go with peening, what you described works...but you will lose quite a bit of handle and your gonna probably have to add some weight to the pommel to compensate. Metal decorative work can work for this aspect. The better way to go about it is to elongate the tang a bit so you don't have to trim the handle down as much...but this is best done at a forge with a heat shield...however if you have an anvil, hammer (the big 3 pounders for forging) and a high powered blow torch, you can do this at home. Wrap the blade and part of the tang in wet leather and keep it cooled with water and heat and reshape that last bit of tang out a bit. If you do this, you'll only need to shorten the handle maybe a 1/4 inch and that won't really change the harmonics much. Be advised that you must be absolutely careful with either methods of elongating your tang to make sure that the heat does not reach your blade.
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Post by WokkyPoptart on Mar 2, 2011 22:40:12 GMT
I did some dry fitting and found that I lose about an inch, inch and a half of the handle by the method I proposed. That actually wouldn't be too detrimental in terms of handle length since it was already almost a "two hands and half" sword, even with gauntlets on.
My teacher has an anvil. hammer. and torch. I may have to suggest this to hm.
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