sharp pointy things

**KiltedCodeWarrior** · 28th September 05, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by Dreadbelly

Give me a good hammer or a reinforced mace, and I could smash yer wee daintly blades in to slivers.

All this fuss over swords.

You people take your selves to seriously.

Dread, thanks for injecting some reality. For my part, if I decide to go armed, I think a Stinger missile and a .357 should equip me to deal with most situations!

And before anybody gets too out of whack, I know that this is a thread about swords and traditional weapons, just providing some levity.

**Southern Breeze** · 28th September 05, 05:04 PM

I have a small number of Buck knives and have several that I carry.(utilitarian only). As for swords I have a claymore and two generic broadswords that are wallhangers.The development of firearms made swords and maces kinda useless. Don't get me wrong,re-enacting,sword and knife making ,plus learning how to use them is a good thing.If we forget the past,how can we see the future?

**yoippari** · 28th September 05, 05:30 PM

Swords did have their place in history. Out of practicality they were replaced by firearms. I've got no problem with guns and I do have certain guns I like more than others. But swords and an asthetic quality that guns can't reach. A sword can become artwork. They have an elegance to them. Guns are a more efficient method of getting something done, thats it.

If we were going to expand this to favorite melee weapon I would have to say a hammer of some sort. A flanged hammer with a long pick on the other side, prefferably something in the hand and a half 3-4 foot range for a shaft. It is one of the few weapons out there that could even think of *bashing* through plate. It isn't as elegent as a sword, but it could make someone decked out in plate that shrugs off most sword wielders think twice.

**Dreadbelly** · 28th September 05, 05:46 PM

I hope I am not out of place with this post.

Anything a hammer makes, a hammer can undo. No matter how much armor you wore, a hammer could, and would, make it crumple and fold like tinfoil. Against a well trained hammerman, armor was a curse. The crumpled crushed edges of smashed armor bit in to the skin and grated against the bone. You could make armor that could deflect sword blows, deflect some arrows and missiles, but you could not defend from the hammer. It was the hammer that was the undoing of gothic field plate and heavy armor. Not the sword. It was the hammer that defeated chain mail, not the sword. For every improvement made to armor, there was very little they could do to fend off crushing hammer blows. Swords, for all their beauty and deadliness, have glaring limitations. They also break. I am leaving guns out of this, although the gun was the final straw for heavy plate.

While swords project a romantic elegant image, a hammer projects raw brute force authority.

**davedove** · 28th September 05, 06:13 PM

In fact, with the heaviest armor, the swords that evolved to deal with it really had more in common with maces. It was the introduction of firearms that really brought back the use of swords as personal weapons (for a time). With an armored opponent, you really weren't trying to cut him. It was much more effective to dent his armor so much he couldn't move.

**clancelt** · 29th September 05, 06:10 AM

the Chinese made iron swords many centuries before the Europeans.

I'll tell you the one thing the Chinese made before the Europeans that makes all this sword nonsence obsolete, GUNPOWDER!

Really guys, this is a silly argument. I can't think of the last time I was in a bar or dark ally where I thought to myself "If only I had my broadsword strapped on my back I'd feel much safer"

Most guys are more talk than action anyway. If I "need" a sword that bad I'll just use the one that falls out of the guys had after I hit him in the jaw :grin:

Anyway, I like swordfighting from oriental styles to european. I have a few live steal blades and my favorite is a hand hammered templer. Very well balanced for a heavy blade. Now days it is just a really cool thing to hang on the wall. Most of my blades in the class of "sword" only come out to be oiled and polished. My lust for competition gets used up on the games now.

**bubba** · 29th September 05, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by clancelt

I'll tell you the one thing the Chinese made before the Europeans that makes all this sword nonsence obsolete, GUNPOWDER!

Really guys, this is a silly argument. I can't think of the last time I was in a bar or dark ally where I thought to myself "If only I had my broadsword strapped on my back I'd feel much safer".

That isn't really the point (pardon the pun) of the discussion. This is more about a hobby. I doubt anyone is advocating going to war with swords but when you have people interested in the history and the hobby of most anything you find they develop a passion for it and swords are no exception. It's good to see such passions indulged and the discussions are interesting and educational.

**Colin** · 29th September 05, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by bubba

That isn't really the point (pardon the pun) of the discussion. This is more about a hobby. I doubt anyone is advocating going to war with swords but when you have people interested in the history and the hobby of most anything you find they develop a passion for it and swords are no exception. It's good to see such passions indulged and the discussions are interesting and educational.

Not sparking the debate, but the guns vs swords topic reminded me of this shirt

http://www.reliks.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=2269&step=4

**Southern Breeze** · 28th September 05, 05:58 PM

Swords (and knives) indeed have an asthetic quality that no gun can match.I've seen many that were works of art in every sense of the word.Being a proficient blacksmith adds to the ability to see this.If I ever get around to it I'll try to make a few swords myself.

**Nick** · 6th October 05, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by Southern Breeze

Swords (and knives) indeed have an asthetic quality that no gun can match.I've seen many that were works of art in every sense of the word.Being a proficient blacksmith adds to the ability to see this.If I ever get around to it I'll try to make a few swords myself.

I dunno, how about some of those old wheellocks?

But yes, there is something about swords...hard to define, but it's there. I'm a blacksmith myself, so I understand completely where you're coming from. I only have one knife right now that I've finished to completion, though I'd like to make some more, and at least a couple swords. I'm just more of a blacksmith than a bladesmith. A friend of mine is primarily a bladesmith, he does some incredible work.

As far as swords go, I prefer the 15th century German longsword, straight crossguard, lightly tapered blade that comes to a nice point, with a scent-stopper pommel. I'm also very fond of the flamberg two-handers. Not the bearing swords, the real functional ones. Now there's something to put the fear of God into your heart!

I don't have any swords now, just lots of knives. A few hunting knives, several folders. My favorite is my Kershaw Ken Onion Speedsafe. It's not one of the new little ones, it's got a fair sized blade. That's my usual pocket knife.

I also have a waster I'm working on. I really want to learn WMA.