Safe Steel for Edged Weapons
OK!… What IS the right steel!
The generally accepted, “Carbon/Spring steels (en43/en45)” were/are popular, mainly because the steel is cheap and easy to acquire, which makes them readily available. Sadly, they have consistently produced very poor results in full contact combat (we’ve all had broken sword blades).
Example: - During one day at York Minster, Escafeld broke 6 of these Swords!
In contrast, softer steels with lower carbon contents (less than 0.43%), with the trace elements “Chrome (Chr) & Nickel (Ni) and some Molybdenum (Mo)” added, and conditioned to a lower measurement of hardness seem to suit vigorous full contact combat. They work on the principle of “sacrifice higher erosion (blade notching) for greater elasticity”; the cutting edges literally harden as you fight.
Example: - MCS have and use Cr/Ni/Mo blades - and have broken only two in 10 years. No! They’re not wimps; they really give new meaning the words “High Speed Steel”.
Conclusion:- If we want a sword blade to take the abuse of `high speed shock impact’ - described as “full contact”, all the current evidence suggests these trace elements are crucial.
A good test : - Would you be happy to whack your Sword on a 2 foot segment of railway line, three/four times (every month) with all your strength & speed (the blade tip must travel at least 6 feet).
Technical: - A report on Swords by the Sheffield Testing Laboratories (26th Sept 96/6090714) concluded: - “The principle element that confers high hardness is carbon. The higher carbon contents of EN43 & EN45 result in high hardening capacity but generally at the expense of toughness”. “Hardened and tempered Cro/ni/mo alloys posses good spring properties and the alloy content gives a finer grain size resulting in a good toughness to resist fracture”.
Care of a weapon also plays a vital part. A Sword maker can ply his arts with exacting finesse (steel compositions certificated to exact trace elements, heat treatment maintained to precise tolerances). It can all be pointless if the blade is poorly maintained.
I) Overheating a blade by fire, welding or prolonged polishing, after heat treatment can severely alter the original heat treatment.
ii) Metal compressed by high speed shock impact (fighting) should not be allowed to build up on cutting edges, they help to form stress lines in the steel and carry dirt and germs. Sand /File them off to about 2.5 – 3mm with a sanding belt.
- Did you know: - one of the earliest methods of testing swords was “three goodly smites upon an Oaken block”, so! Chopping wood may also eventually result in a broken blade.
A point of view: - A rusty, dirty or poorly maintained weapon is likely to belong to an unsafe and careless fighter.
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