> >Indeed I have. I suppose the point is that nobody want's to first take
> >the edge off a fine sword, and then bash it full of noches.
>
> that's exactly the point. No reenactment sword should be of such poor
> quality steel, or manufacture, or so badly kept, as to have even a
> single noticeable notch in it. Notches are sharp, and will rip skin,
> as well as providing weak points in the steel. You'll never get a
> decent reenactment sword by blunting a sharp, that ruins the metal.
>
> >Most of the ones I've seen are _really_ thick. And this gives them much
> >more weight than the 1 - 1,5 kg one would like to see in a broadsword.
>
> A poor selection then, I'm afraid. Probably unhardened mild steel, the
> sort we don't usually allow on the field (about the quality of bronze,
> in fact...).
Or was about the quality of a steel'd iron weapon circa 0 AD. As metallurgical techniques improved, blades became thinner. The steel blade you use is probably far higher quality than the blanks which were used by most of those luck enough to have a sword until the late medieval period. Something as nifty as a Toldedo or Damascene blade was highly rare and prized let alone something as wonderful and downright *strange* (metal wise that is) as a properly made katana.
Nicked weapons were very common place in ancient times, and sometimes the nicks are too deep to smooth out with a whetstone without damaging the blade's strength. On several occasions Tacitus and Ceasar both discuss the need for spending time after battles to repair and replace weapons which had become notched on enemy blades (and to put the pilums back together -- Gaius Marius was a real genius!). There is also frequent mention of Gauls stopping in the middle of battle to straighten their swords by using a foot to bend them back into shape.
> that sounds a bit too light for 39", is that a modern weight, with
> high-carbon, lightweight steel?
Sounds very light but not unacceptable for a modern steel. Something like that made with older, poorer grades and low temperature smelting would be much more brittle (too much carbon) or bendy (not enough).
Jeff
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