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Post by valladon13 on Apr 2, 2019 5:19:08 GMT
Hey guys, I was wondering how you guys felt about shortening a bastard sword blade (namely the Hanwei Rhinelander) from the tip. I'm fully confident in my abilities to do it well, ie. Not ruining the temper. But I was wondering more from a performance standpoint.
Ultimately I want to cut it down to a 30 inch blade, and my hope is that it will feel (almost) like a single handed arming sword, but have a long enough handle to be used like a longsword. What I've always considered a "true" hand and a half sword (just my opinion on that.)
I have a Hanwei Tinker Bastard, and like how this handles, but after using it I feel like I would prefer a bastard sword that compromises a little closer to the single hand side.
So, again please give me your honest opinions on whether or not you guys think this will work out for me, or if there's something I'm overlooking about how this would "ruin" the sword's handling and performance.
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Apr 2, 2019 14:12:15 GMT
You may be able to add a little weight in the pommel/handle to change the balance without compromising the blade. But hey, we all fiddle with things, I mean some here have reprofiled existing blades and done significant balance changes. Just saying...
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Post by markus313 on Apr 2, 2019 14:45:33 GMT
I would not mess with the Rhinelander`s blade length, from a tactical POV. The added nimbleness is not worth the loss of reach and power, also the guard seems a bit heavy/bulky for one-handed usage with a shortened blade. Regarding confined spaces and one-handed /bastard usage in general, there are better designs to be had.
Then again, I’d love to see this modification and think it could make for a well-handling sword. With that side-ring, it’ll be an interesting exemplar of an historically plausible design sadly not too prominent on the modern market.
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Post by valladon13 on Apr 2, 2019 16:22:11 GMT
Thanks for the support, this is something that I've considered for a very long time, but was always a little worried about the answer I'd receive. I’d love to see this modification and think it could make for a well-handling sword. With that side-ring, it’ll be an interesting exemplar of an historically plausible design sadly not too prominent on the modern market.
This is one of the main reasons for wanting to do this Mod. I envision it as a short, handy bastard sword good for a variety of situations. Perfect for the mercenary who can't afford multiple blades. And I hadn't even considered the guard being to large, thanks! My first thought is to shorten the quillons, but if that doesn't work I believe I can find another one that would work well for it.
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Apr 2, 2019 20:34:50 GMT
I been wanting to do this with my GSOW forever. Heard good things from other people who have done it. I usually am recommended not to do it but I always find my mind wandering back to converting it to a hand and a half sword as well (which includes shortening the grip too)
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Post by leviathansteak on Apr 2, 2019 23:08:40 GMT
My suggestion is to get the hanwei tinker single handed sword and swap out the pommel for the writhen pommel from printed armoury.
If you dont have large hands, there will be enough space for a 2 handed grip if you grip the pommel.
You'd therefore have a single handed sword with a bit of space to squeeze in a second hand for 2 handed use
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Post by valladon13 on Apr 3, 2019 1:55:22 GMT
My suggestion is to get the hanwei tinker single handed sword and swap out the pommel for the writhen pommel from printed armoury. If you dont have large hands, there will be enough space for a 2 handed grip if you grip the pommel. You'd therefore have a single handed sword with a bit of space to squeeze in a second hand for 2 handed use Thanks for the idea! I have considered doing exactly this before (I imagine it would be very Boromir-esque from LOTR,) but I wear XL Gloves so I assumed that it would be just a bit smaller than I was hoping for. Ultimately I want to be able to fit both hands on the handle itself. And have even toyed with the idea of putting a ring on the grip, like Aragorn's ranger sword in LOTR I also feel like the Rhinelander is a bit more of a slashing type sword, which I am looking for. My Tinker Bastard swor leaves a bit to be desired on the cutting front IMHO
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 3:29:26 GMT
My sincere thoughts:
You don't own a thing until you've modified it. If you can't live with the idea of having ruined a thing, don't screw with it.
Consider the two points above. If the worst case scenario of having ruined the thing comes to be, could you live with replacing it? Every sword, at any given price point, is going to be different. These aren't popped out in a Star Trek replicator, at some level there's a certain uniqueness, good or bad, to each one. If you had to ultimately take the sword in your hand, toss it in the trash, and get yourself another one - would it cause you real meaningful emotional distress? If so - leave it the heck alone.
Personally, my sense of what is ideal in any given sword regardless of type is how it feels in the hand(s). If the balance isn't quite there, I'd be happy to have it modified. It's a lot easier to take more off than to put any back on.
There's so many factors that play into how a sword handles, that I couldn't tell you how much to shorten your sword to get the result you want. Maybe if I spent more time really working with overall weight, length, thickness, taper, and so forth I'd have a picture of it. For all the times I personally looked at and compiled that info it never helped me so I don't really bother anymore. To me, it's a subjective thing that metrics don't really help with. If other people have the math figured out, then hooray for them in all abject sincerity (NO sarcasm, to make it painfully blunt and clear). I couldn't ask for a set of measurements and rest assured I'd get a thing that handled the way I envisioned or hoped.
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Apr 3, 2019 3:33:17 GMT
One good thing to messing up customization: You now have parts for your next job. Lots and lots of parts.
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christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
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Post by christain on Apr 3, 2019 14:54:40 GMT
I own a Rhinelander, and love it just the way it is. Personally, I say 'don't jack with it'. Anytime you attempt to cut and/or grind on a heat-treated blade, you risk ruining the temper.
The idea of using the EMSH blade with various different fittings will be much easier...and more gratifying IMHO. You can get guards and pommels from wall-hangers for a dime-a-dozen. That way, YOU can choose the weight and balance to be perfect for the way YOU want it to be, and not risk screwing up a nice sword.
"Spare the rod and spoil the child (sword)."
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Post by Bryan Heff on Apr 3, 2019 15:02:28 GMT
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Apr 3, 2019 20:31:56 GMT
I have been meaning to ask, how did you peen it?
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Post by Bryan Heff on Apr 3, 2019 21:15:53 GMT
I didn't, although peening isn't that hard. I rethreaded the cut down tang and used the hex
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Apr 3, 2019 21:59:04 GMT
I didn't, although peening isn't that hard. I rethreaded the cut down tang and used the hex Can it be done with a hand held propane torch?
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Post by Bryan Heff on Apr 3, 2019 22:12:23 GMT
You can peen cold if you have to... But yes heating it will certainly help. I have used a propane torch for other projects. One thing I learned is don't try to peen too much material... It becomes a problem. Are you thinking of peening a GSOW pommel?
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Apr 3, 2019 22:46:34 GMT
You can peen cold if you have to... But yes heating it will certainly help. I have used a propane torch for other projects. One thing I learned is don't try to peen too much material... It becomes a problem. Are you thinking of peening a GSOW pommel? Yea I wanted to key it to a better fit and then peen it, and am not sure how to go about it.
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Post by valladon13 on Apr 5, 2019 2:53:45 GMT
How did it handle during that transition? Seeing your thread has definitely got me thinking about starting with the GSOW instead!
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Apr 5, 2019 3:51:02 GMT
How did it handle during that transition? Seeing your thread has definitely got me thinking about starting with the GSOW instead! And it makes me happy to have one I'm not entirely satisfied with too
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christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
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Post by christain on Apr 5, 2019 12:21:55 GMT
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Post by Bryan Heff on Apr 5, 2019 12:31:22 GMT
How did it handle during that transition? Seeing your thread has definitely got me thinking about starting with the GSOW instead! It handled very nice. The GSOW had was extremely flexible, more so then most I would surmise...I owned two and this one was far more flexy... Cutting it down solved that problem.
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