I did not get any responses on the sword forum so I thought I'd ask the question here. Does anyone have advice on making a couple of swords for the stage? I make knives out of 1095 and 440-C and have and Evenheat 18" furnace. I thought about 1075/1080, 30", 1.5" (or 1.25")tapered to 1" at the tip, rounded edges, hardened and tempered peacock blue. Any thoughts? I am wondering how to head up a piece that long, and what might make a quench tank.
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
making swords for plays
- Thread starter dan416
- Start date
I would think that a stage sword would be made of something safe, corrosion resistant (neglect...ever seen a wardrobe and prop closet that wasn't dusty?) and cheap, like aluminum or very low carbon stainless steel. Why waste the time making it a 'real' sword? You certainly don't want it sharp for acting with probably untrained actors!?!?!? Keep the handle on and keep it blunt for safety, and make it shiny...everything else is overkill.
Just my 2 cents...
Just my 2 cents...
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2009
- Messages
- 155
Yeah, its not exactly like you have to make a masterpiece since you don't want your actors carving each other up. For props HT and such are probably unnecessary. I would just forge down a few pieces of re-bar and grind them to look symmetrical. Nothing too fancy. It'll be embellishments which the crowd will see anyways.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 3,238
For safety reasons use a factory made stage/re-enactment blade. I do sword combat every week for several hours a week, you do not want to deal with the paperwork when your creation breaks sharp and there's blood. Perforation injuries can easily be permanent/fatal. I make swords that are used HARD in full contact every week, and have sold over a hundred of them over the years, I currently use Hanwei practical rapier blades in them and have not had any of my customers have any breaks cause injuries (I am also an official in charge of safety in our reenactment group, and if there were any injuries anywhere in the country caused by blade breakage I would be notified within 48 hours regardless of where the sword was purchased)
2 advantages of using factory blades, first they are a known quantity. second, it is THEIR liability if something goes wrong and someone gets hurt.
DISCLAIMER:
I sell the blades, so someone could legitimately say I have an interest in selling you a blade, on the other hand I have been making fencing swords for reenactors and stage combat since 1986. I have always used factory blades and there has never been any issues
-Page
2 advantages of using factory blades, first they are a known quantity. second, it is THEIR liability if something goes wrong and someone gets hurt.
DISCLAIMER:
I sell the blades, so someone could legitimately say I have an interest in selling you a blade, on the other hand I have been making fencing swords for reenactors and stage combat since 1986. I have always used factory blades and there has never been any issues
-Page
Stage weapons, at least ones that are going to be fought with, as opposed to merely brandished, need to be made with the same quality as a "real' sword.
I have made up a couple from aluminium, and bought a few that were retired from the Conan attraction at Universal. As a rule, our fight director prefers steel, it sounds right and dents less. But sometimes you need aluminium for an actor with limited strength that can't swing the steel sword.
Steel swords for stage use should be tempered firm enough to hit without denting, springy enough to flex without taking a set or breaking, and soft enough not to chip. All the swords onstage should the same hardness if possible. An edge dent in a soft steel sword raises a burr that is quite sharp and will give a painful shallow cut that will bleed freely. This will annoy both the actor and the costumer. The tang should be quite strong, ideally forged out and threaded, or at least a properly welded tongue and groove joint with a maximum of tang and a minimum of threads. And hilts and guards should be bronze, brass, or steel, not pot metal.
I have made up a couple from aluminium, and bought a few that were retired from the Conan attraction at Universal. As a rule, our fight director prefers steel, it sounds right and dents less. But sometimes you need aluminium for an actor with limited strength that can't swing the steel sword.
Steel swords for stage use should be tempered firm enough to hit without denting, springy enough to flex without taking a set or breaking, and soft enough not to chip. All the swords onstage should the same hardness if possible. An edge dent in a soft steel sword raises a burr that is quite sharp and will give a painful shallow cut that will bleed freely. This will annoy both the actor and the costumer. The tang should be quite strong, ideally forged out and threaded, or at least a properly welded tongue and groove joint with a maximum of tang and a minimum of threads. And hilts and guards should be bronze, brass, or steel, not pot metal.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 3,238
This is typical of what I do, the swords are light and fast, the blades have a thin enough cross section and enough distal taper that they handle like real ones, look almost like real ones yet dissipate the energy of an overthrust
http://www.sunshadowdesign.com/sca/lyevswords/index.html
http://www.sunshadowdesign.com/sca/yngvarswords/index.html
http://www.sunshadowdesign.com/sca/swepthilt.html
Soft metal should be dead out unless it is a carefully choreographed sequence with a lot of waving but no personal contact. As Mahoney said once blades have made edge to edge contact unless the blades are at least rockwell 50 or higher there will be sharp jagged burrs raised that WILL draw blood. I got in a swordfight in a bar parking lot 20 years ago with a pair of modern fencing epee bladed swords because some drunk saw them in my car and decided to start something. He to this day has a smile shaped scar that runs from an inch below his left ear across his throat and through his right ear from the burrs on my blade. (he bled like a pig too) You do not need that kind of publicity. When I was an actor doing a Shakespeare play I worked with another actor who was doing a swordfight in a different play and the "kill" shot broke the blade tip and he actually finished the scene with a half inch deep puncture wound. As an actor I have a lot of respect for him for finishing the scene while applying pressure to the puncture wound.
-Page
http://www.sunshadowdesign.com/sca/lyevswords/index.html
http://www.sunshadowdesign.com/sca/yngvarswords/index.html
http://www.sunshadowdesign.com/sca/swepthilt.html
Soft metal should be dead out unless it is a carefully choreographed sequence with a lot of waving but no personal contact. As Mahoney said once blades have made edge to edge contact unless the blades are at least rockwell 50 or higher there will be sharp jagged burrs raised that WILL draw blood. I got in a swordfight in a bar parking lot 20 years ago with a pair of modern fencing epee bladed swords because some drunk saw them in my car and decided to start something. He to this day has a smile shaped scar that runs from an inch below his left ear across his throat and through his right ear from the burrs on my blade. (he bled like a pig too) You do not need that kind of publicity. When I was an actor doing a Shakespeare play I worked with another actor who was doing a swordfight in a different play and the "kill" shot broke the blade tip and he actually finished the scene with a half inch deep puncture wound. As an actor I have a lot of respect for him for finishing the scene while applying pressure to the puncture wound.
-Page