10-18-2003, 03:45 PM
Hi,
From the site you linked to:
No effort is spared to make the swords true to the original, not only in dimensions but also in performance and aesthetic details.
The blade is 1075 steel, hand-ground and finished to a high satin finish.
To me, the essence of a sword is the blade. And the essence of the blade is the material and workmanship. I'm pretty sure that the original, made at the end of the 15th century, was not made from composition controlled steel, melted in a modern furnace then hot rolled and machine worked.
Such a sword, based on the product of an extremely advanced (by comparison) society is (to me) as much a fake as a Viking ship, perfect in its dimensions but made of wood colored fiberglass. It looks good, but it has no soul.
What a very, very lovely piece of wall decoration, is it not?
Yes, it is. But a cast or dropped forged sword would look as nice on the wall and be a lot easier on the wallet. Neither is "authentic", both are just replicas. Now, if you want to use it to slice plastic bottles filled with water, or to cause deadly harm to cardboard or plywood, then take full advantage of the abilities of modern metallurgy and design. A carbon composite blade with ceramic edges would give you speed and power that these replicas will never match :)
The originals are precious because of their history as much as anything. Replicas can capture the beauty, which is only skin deep -- and the "skin" of steel is very thin. As you point out, there is little use for swords today, other than as sporting goods. And that is another topic entirely.
But they sure are prudy ;)
--Pete
From the site you linked to:
No effort is spared to make the swords true to the original, not only in dimensions but also in performance and aesthetic details.
The blade is 1075 steel, hand-ground and finished to a high satin finish.
To me, the essence of a sword is the blade. And the essence of the blade is the material and workmanship. I'm pretty sure that the original, made at the end of the 15th century, was not made from composition controlled steel, melted in a modern furnace then hot rolled and machine worked.
Such a sword, based on the product of an extremely advanced (by comparison) society is (to me) as much a fake as a Viking ship, perfect in its dimensions but made of wood colored fiberglass. It looks good, but it has no soul.
What a very, very lovely piece of wall decoration, is it not?
Yes, it is. But a cast or dropped forged sword would look as nice on the wall and be a lot easier on the wallet. Neither is "authentic", both are just replicas. Now, if you want to use it to slice plastic bottles filled with water, or to cause deadly harm to cardboard or plywood, then take full advantage of the abilities of modern metallurgy and design. A carbon composite blade with ceramic edges would give you speed and power that these replicas will never match :)
The originals are precious because of their history as much as anything. Replicas can capture the beauty, which is only skin deep -- and the "skin" of steel is very thin. As you point out, there is little use for swords today, other than as sporting goods. And that is another topic entirely.
But they sure are prudy ;)
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?