swords

[Highlander]

I started this thread, because of the interest Tartar Horde showed on an earlier thread,.. I didnt want to divert the thread away from the walking sticks.

I have quiet a few swords,... but I doubt I would find more than a couple of any use in a SHTF event,.. mainly because I wouldnt know how to use them,.. to the untrained, they simply appear to be too long [ most of them anyway ].

Early British swords were very badly made, and would break very easily, and would be of little use to anyone wanting one for protection,...I have an 1885 British Cavalry Troopers sword, that was the first British sword to have the blade made in Solingen in Germany, by Yersberg Schbaum and co, German blades were then the best in the world,.. but the British still didnt get the balance right.

The only sword I might take with me in a BOB would be my United States Foot Artillery Privates sword dated 1833, its a double edge sword, just 2ft 1 and 3/4 inches long [ blade is 1ft 7 and 3/4] it heavy with a brass handle,... a good size

I am not going to bore any more, but for Tartar Horde, here are some other of my better swords that I still have.

British Infantry Officers sword patt 1895 engraved as used by the sierra Leon frontier Police,..[ with the owners name ]

Japanesse Officers Katana WW11 bindings, but the date is usualy on the tang, and I have never unbound it to see,... traditianaly swords were passed down through the family, so could be very old

British Light Cavalry Officers sword patt 1822 Royal Artillery

Unknown Italian sword only one mark on it,... YZERHOUWER

Russian Heavy Cavalry Sword dated 1839,..overall length 44 and 1/4 inch

[Metroyeti]

Me mams got a sword, looks like its from the crimean or boer war but its a bayonette from ww1 thats been converted.

[Tigs]

cant beat a good old machete

[Skean Dhude]

I've always liked blades but never looked at a sword outside the japanese style like katanas and ninja swords. I've never been a swashbuckler or an officer and a gentleman.

Still like the look of them and wouldn't have said no to a sword stick just for my collection but the cost a fortune. So I'll just have to makeone myself. I'll add it to my very long list.

[Tartar Horde]

Higlander is right when he talks of some British swords being less than safe, during the Napoleonic and peninsula wars swords were churned out by the thousands to very inferior specifications. The British government brought in the sword proofing act to remedy this, and consequently developed one of the best cutting swords ever designed the 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre. Regards the handling characteristics of swords this is entirely down to the cutting style the sword is designed to perform best at. For example the 1796 LCS although considered to be a fine example of a sabre could be said to be rather unwieldy and point heavy, making it slower to recover from cuts, but this sword is designed as a full on chopper and is not a gracefull weapon, a well made sword from 300 years earlier would make the 1796LCS feel like a bludgeon.
If your Katana was made during WW2 it will be known as a SHOWA (new blade and will have a cherry blossom stamp on the Tang) and again they were made by the thousand by pressing not forging, BUT!! you never know you just might have an old family blade as the officer class of Japan were drawn from the old Samurai, and any old Samurai family would have family blades.
To remove the handle (TKSA) you need to tap out the MEKUGI (one or two bamboo pins that you can see in the gaps on the binding) these are all that holds your blade. After tapping out the handle will come off in one unit. Do not take apart the binding as it is a specialised job to re-wrap the TKSA. If you have an old blade not only will the blade itself be valuable, but all the fittings will probably have some "provenance" as only the blade was made by the Smith, the TSUBA(handguard) MENUKI(handle decorations)SAYA(scabbard) would all be made by seperate craftsmen, and if the blade was made by a "recognised" Smith, so too would be all the fittings. For example Tsuba made by a notified maker sell for hundreds if not thousands. So get that handle off Highlander you never know!!!
With a viewpoint to using this discussion from a preppers point of view, I am well aware of the negative connotations with regards to swords, but it is not for this reason that I think a sword should not be a priority on our list unless you are willing to train to use it correctly. If you need a good bladed tool/weapon that you can rely on with the absolute minimum of care get a good Machete, oil the blade occasionally and it will last you for years, and will cut all day long. I'm a medieval weapon GEEK and I love the Faffin around cleaning and sharpening my swords, because it has to be done it could become a chore to have to clean your blade every time you use it, if you want to chop n go get a Machete.
If any of you folks are really considering buying a sword I would be only too happy to try and advise. I don't expect anyone to take my advice on blind faith, but I have read on this subject to Honours Degree level and so will not bullshit you.

[Tartar Horde]

Highlander this might help you identify you Katana

http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/showato.htm

[Highlander]

Thanks for a great reply TH..... I must get a couple of photos up,...one of the heavy Russian sword, simply because of it siz and weight, its not a weapon I would like to use,...and also The American 1833, because that would make a great preppers tool, short, with weight and double edged,...pity about the brass handle though, it might become a bit slippy in your grip

As for the Katana,.. well I doubt that is worth anything,... first of all the Tsuba is very plain without a single mark of pattern,..and the fact that it has the wooden scabbard,...although you never know, it might have been someone pride and joy and was `mounted`

---

with the wooden scabbard,... one day I might look at the tang

[Prepper1]

My brother had one of the proofed swords...
Excellent quality, you could put the point in the floor (wooden floor so's not to damage the tip) and bend it past 90 degrees and it'd spring back to shape.
It had a little brass button embeded into the hilt near the pommel with the proof mark on it.

[Tartar Horde]

If you want to see the British proof test carried out on a 1796 LCS, check out COLD STEEL 1796 light cavalry sabre on you tube. There are a couple of videos showing cutting capabilities and the proof test. This sabre is a very good copy of an original and comes with "proofing" certificate. The other swords from this company tend to be overweight and somewhat "dead", but this model is a gem.

[Prepper1]

(17 December 2012, 14:32)Tartar Horde Wrote: If you want to see the British proof test carried out on a 1796 LCS, check out COLD STEEL 1796 light cavalry sabre on you tube. There are a couple of videos showing cutting capabilities and the proof test. This sabre is a very good copy of an original and comes with "proofing" certificate. The other swords from this company tend to be overweight and somewhat "dead", but this model is a gem.

Now that's just what I'm after...
One of those with scabbard please...