As a word of warning we use Rawlings nylon swords in our club. At least on our wasters there is a central metal spar running up the blade from the hilt to about the 50% mark. It prevents the strong of the blade from flexing as much as the weak. If you do remove material to make the blade shorter you will also make it considerably stiffer. A thrust from a "gladiusized" one-handed waster will not be a good thing on the ribs.
I'm a chemist. Plastic is made up of many long molecular chains called polymers. The polymer chains coil around each other which gives the plastic the ability to take on shape. They're not crystals, however, such as diamond so they do warp. Heat induces molecular vibration to uncoil the chains which makes them more moldable.
A heat gun is easily the most efficient way to correct a curve like that in nylon. They are are fantastically useful in general as well, and underrated as a tool home tool.
This is an excellent way to make RPG props that look how I want, are safe, and can be used in safe sparring LARP as I'm used to better than what I've had. Thank you. I'll be buying a basket hilted sword and buckler from HEMA shop. They can easily be made to look as I choose. Sweet!
Are you being sarcastic? Medieval and early modern people didn't have Plastic. The closest thing they had in characteristics to plastic was cuir boille and I've seen no evidence for medieval and early modern people using cuir bollie swords.
Philip Dyer Plastic is a characteristic, not a material. It has to do with the pliability of the material to form new shapes without removing material. Horn is a plastic material which can be thermoformed just like modern ABS. Horn spoons, bowls and lots more items have been made through history using thermoforming techniques. Historical wasters were generally made from wood (cheap and easy to work but often unsafe when broken) or bone (more durable and safer when broken).
As a left-hand dagger for plastic sword fighting the Cold steel training dagger works quite well.. just don't go around stabbing people with it because it is hard as a brick and can have a fairly nasty point depending on how well the moulding came out.
I have few of these and they can be very handy in training. I use them at home, as they are a bit shorter than usual, in order to avoid hitting furniture or walls. However, I feel that the balance is not quite right. The pommel is plastic which means that the point of balance is maybe 15 to 20 cm from the crossbar, instead of more usual 5 to 8 cm(?). I am thinking of correcting this with some additional weight.
I had a friend use a hair dryer to heat the nylon then stuck it under his mattress overnight and that straightened it out well enough. He stores it that way now to keep the blade straight.
ive watched a number of your videos and i find them very informative, hope your hands healed well nylon is a plastic theres a lot of different organic polymers which are classed as plastics
Great video once again! Do you reckon you could make a video detailing edgeless swords and how effectively they really were? To me it seems like any old thin thrusting sword could do the same job as ,for example, a tuck and still have the upper hand with being able to cut/slash. Anyway keep up the good work, you earned a sub.
Hi Matt, thanks for the video. I have an idea for a modification to synthetic swords that could better replicate binding with edge on edge contact and even the effect of a blade "biting" into cloth in a cut or thrust. I believe it would be both inexpensive and safe. Please let me know if you're interested and I can explain it fully.
How much more dangerous would the blackfencers be? Because they seem to cost about the same but have steel guards and almost exactly the same POB and weight as a steel sword
Hello, I'm a sports fencer from Croatia, have a coupe of german treatises and fencing manuals available and am considering buying two of these to try out longsword fencing with some of my friends. I've found this video useful, but I'd like to know what is the level of protection needed to sparr with nylon weapons? Two fencing masks, a lot of tough leather gloves, some leather jackets and skateboard shinguards is what I had in mind since not many of us actually own fencing suits, rather borrow them from our fencing club.
Jack Rizzio Fair, although obviously that kind of "sparring" requires a lot of control, something that is learned through experience. I'd be much more comfortable grabbing some soft sticks for sparring with just a mask (or just a mask, lacrosse gloves and elbow guards), while reserving synthetics for drills and sparring in full gear.
Gerald Bauer Got me a solid thrust to the chest from a hand and a half and the hematoma was as big as my fist and it lasted a good six weeks.I love this sport!
the plastic swords from cold steel are not very good for sparring or training. They are too heavy and not good balanced. They are good enough to club someone (to death) but not good enough for imitating a real sword, as you would need to learn fighting.
Dave Kyle These synthetic swords are definitely worth getting for sparring practice, Theyre used instead of steel to avoid injury quite often. However, youre much better off buying Blackfencer swords from www.blackfencer.com, theyre the most accurate models.
Quick question, I live in London and I've a tiny little flat, do you know of any small size pommels (preferably with a bit of weight to them) without a blade that can be used to practice grips with?
+artaxerxes3636, there's a series of tools specially made for practicing longsword movements without a real blade, but they're rather expensive. They're called "Swing".
I would love to know your point of view regarding the polypropylene training weapons made by Cold Steel when compared to something like these. Thank you.
Im confused by this "sparring" you mentioned. In boxing and kickboxing one has to train several months before the first sparing session. Also there are several limitation on blows allowed. The same is true for judo and wrestling. I also know some HEMA fencers like maestro Martinez dont like that term used, they prefer to say "assault"
A "Bout" is the historical term for quick training matches. These would be ideal for those, as well as full sparring. In swordplay a duel rarely goes on for more then three minutes, especially if "first blood" ie first strike is the winning qualifier.
Are Rawling swords too flexible? I've been looking at nylon swords by black fencer and cold steels trainers and I can't tell whose are the most similar to steel :p
+Floyd Keim III, Rawlings are absolutely too flexible, and are terrible in the bind. They also leave nasty welts. Blackfencer and Purpleheart Pentti are the closest to steel.
Hello Matt ! I have two questions : 1) When fighting with the saber, the left hand is always behind the hip . My question is : Is it possible to keep your hand behind your hip in a melée ? i mean when fighting in melée , u can be attacked by several opponents .So how can a swordsman keep his hand in a real fight ? 2) Is it possible to do a video of cavalryman vs Infantryman in single combat with some historical accounts as examples. Thnx for answering and sorry for asking questions that aren't related to the video above :)
Most accounts that I have read specifically on mounted vs infantry combat have come out of the Sudan war for whatever reason, though I can't recall any on single combat except perhaps where one rider was unhorsed. I think individual challenges between the two were probably rare because of the perceived difference in social status (it wouldn't be very inspiring to watch your commanding officer run down some poor footslogger like you from atop his charger), though I could be wrong on that. There is an interesting account of mounted vs infantry combat here www.archive.org/stream/lifeofcolonelfre00wrig/lifeofcolonelfre00wrig_djvu.txt scroll down to section 290, or use CTRL+F to find it. Another can be found here archive.org/stream/suakin1885beings00parrrich/suakin1885beings00parrrich_djvu.txt, the relevant section begins "The 20th Hussars were operating" and ends "But there was busy work going on in other parts of the field."
is the coldsteel polypropylene sword similar to this? im rely new to fencing ( got tired of getting my a** kicked att all the larps ) so i fuong your videos on how to train alone and bought a coldsteel 1 hand sword for practising...do i need to by a nylon one if i find somone to spar with?
I have the longsword (bastard/handandahalf/waster) from Cold Steel. It's heavier, shorter (by about 2inches), and more edged (plus generally less expensive) than other plastic ones available. None of my club mates will spar against me when I use that. Cold Steel demonstrates them demolishing a wooden pallette with it, so damaging your partner is a probability. It is very handy practicing parrying (even against metal). Good luck
Way to hard and pointed to be safely used for beginner sparring. They are basically hard plastic clubs. I was able to use the gladdius and a rubber mallet to split a log.
Kyle Rhulain If that makes a difference on the analysis, i don't want them for sparring, just for practicing alone. I have a boffer sword I'm making myself (like those people use on sworplay) for using in training duels.
Vitor Rodrigues Then the cold steel sword would work far better then your current equipment, its mass and drag are appropriate for training. Howeaver these hema blades are jsut as good and also safer for use with a friend in sparing.
I had a Cold Steel bokken snap during sparring once, I had foolishly decided not to wear a helm that day due to the heat, the piece which snapped off hit me in the bridge of the nose leaving a small cut. The ones I own, the bastard sword and the katana are very stiff. Good for solo drills though.
Vitor Rodrigues The balance is way off and they apparently don't handle properly as a result. If you just want something cheap and nice for solo stuff, get a purpleheart armory wooden waster for $70, and if you're willing to spend a little more, one of their type III synthetics for $120. Other than that based on the research I've done into this when looking for my own equipment, I wouldn't suggest anything that's not steel.
Yes it's the term used in cricket (and therefore the standard term in Britain and just about all its former colonies) for a hard protective cup for the male genital region.
As a word of warning we use Rawlings nylon swords in our club. At least on our wasters there is a central metal spar running up the blade from the hilt to about the 50% mark. It prevents the strong of the blade from flexing as much as the weak. If you do remove material to make the blade shorter you will also make it considerably stiffer. A thrust from a "gladiusized" one-handed waster will not be a good thing on the ribs.
I'm a chemist. Plastic is made up of many long molecular chains called polymers. The polymer chains coil around each other which gives the plastic the ability to take on shape. They're not crystals, however, such as diamond so they do warp. Heat induces molecular vibration to uncoil the chains which makes them more moldable.
You dont understand mum, I love her. I love my sword. I named her Jennifer. She takes baths.
ChemicalLife
Jennifer is really long and hard, isn't she? ;)
+ChemicalLife I named mine Vera.
I named mine Lauren - most people don't understand our relationship
A heat gun is easily the most efficient way to correct a curve like that in nylon. They are are fantastically useful in general as well, and underrated as a tool home tool.
After seeing this I did what any logical person would do and took a bath with my plastic sword.
Make sure to scrub behind your quillons Matt.
For the curious, 25° C is about 77° F
I'll have to pick a couple of these up... I've been "sparring" my friends with sticks. XD
These would be fun in a paintball/airsoft match. When everyone runs out of ammo they charge with rubber swords.
This is an excellent way to make RPG props that look how I want, are safe, and can be used in safe sparring LARP as I'm used to better than what I've had. Thank you. I'll be buying a basket hilted sword and buckler from HEMA shop. They can easily be made to look as I choose. Sweet!
Good video but I want to ask : is this way of fixing a plastic sword historical ?
Are you being sarcastic? Medieval and early modern people didn't have Plastic. The closest thing they had in characteristics to plastic was cuir boille and I've seen no evidence for medieval and early modern people using cuir bollie swords.
Philip Dyer
cuir boille sword? no. leather dussack? yes.
Philip Dyer
Plastic is a characteristic, not a material. It has to do with the pliability of the material to form new shapes without removing material. Horn is a plastic material which can be thermoformed just like modern ABS. Horn spoons, bowls and lots more items have been made through history using thermoforming techniques.
Historical wasters were generally made from wood (cheap and easy to work but often unsafe when broken) or bone (more durable and safer when broken).
Shhhh, don't tell them...
Philip Dyer
He is obviously being sarcastic
As a left-hand dagger for plastic sword fighting the Cold steel training dagger works quite well.. just don't go around stabbing people with it because it is hard as a brick and can have a fairly nasty point depending on how well the moulding came out.
The point especially can get between the joints of gauntlets and tick of your partners.
This video! xD
For some reason this video seemed more comedic than usual. Especially the part about giving your sword a bath!
I have few of these and they can be very handy in training. I use them at home, as they are a bit shorter than usual, in order to avoid hitting furniture or walls. However, I feel that the balance is not quite right. The pommel is plastic which means that the point of balance is maybe 15 to 20 cm from the crossbar, instead of more usual 5 to 8 cm(?). I am thinking of correcting this with some additional weight.
Wow, I was planning to order these tomorrow... Thank you!
I had a friend use a hair dryer to heat the nylon then stuck it under his mattress overnight and that straightened it out well enough. He stores it that way now to keep the blade straight.
ive watched a number of your videos and i find them very informative, hope your hands healed well
nylon is a plastic theres a lot of different organic polymers which are classed as plastics
Any chances that you would do more videos about importance of armour in fights? How they evolve and importance of different parts of them?
Great video once again! Do you reckon you could make a video detailing edgeless swords and how effectively they really were? To me it seems like any old thin thrusting sword could do the same job as ,for example, a tuck and still have the upper hand with being able to cut/slash. Anyway keep up the good work, you earned a sub.
Hi Matt, thanks for the video. I have an idea for a modification to synthetic swords that could better replicate binding with edge on edge contact and even the effect of a blade "biting" into cloth in a cut or thrust. I believe it would be both inexpensive and safe. Please let me know if you're interested and I can explain it fully.
It's like what a blacksmith would be able to do with a real sword.
good day, i wonder if a nylon sword can be used on sparring against unsharped metal swords, especially rapier and long-sword; thanks for sharing.
Chak Balam It can, though it will not last very long.
scholagladiatoria Actually at my Hema club we use them against steel weapons and they hold up well.
A hairdryer comes to mind, too...
I used a knife to round the tip on mine. About as easy as shaping wood, maybe a little easier.
Matt, could you talk about the polearms used by the Tower Of London yeoman? Thanks
How much more dangerous would the blackfencers be? Because they seem to cost about the same but have steel guards and almost exactly the same POB and weight as a steel sword
I heard that its been much cooler in the UK now. High teens and low 20s.
Hello, I'm a sports fencer from Croatia, have a coupe of german treatises and fencing manuals available and am considering buying two of these to try out longsword fencing with some of my friends. I've found this video useful, but I'd like to know what is the level of protection needed to sparr with nylon weapons? Two fencing masks, a lot of tough leather gloves, some leather jackets and skateboard shinguards is what I had in mind since not many of us actually own fencing suits, rather borrow them from our fencing club.
Jack Rizzio I disagree. A crushed windpipe = really bad and is quite easy to do with nylon or wood. Just get one of the $25 AF neck protectors.
Jack Rizzio Fair, although obviously that kind of "sparring" requires a lot of control, something that is learned through experience. I'd be much more comfortable grabbing some soft sticks for sparring with just a mask (or just a mask, lacrosse gloves and elbow guards), while reserving synthetics for drills and sparring in full gear.
The world is small fellow Croatian dood
The worst HEMA bruise from longsword I got was on my upper arm. Lasted over a month.
Gerald Bauer Got me a solid thrust to the chest from a hand and a half and the hematoma was as big as my fist and it lasted a good six weeks.I love this sport!
Do these have scabbards? If not can they be made easily?
I know a guy who is planning making jians of of the single handers.
Any further info on that would be appreciated.
Just out of curiosity do you think a scabbard made out of cardboard be enough to keep them from bending?
Nylon doesnt break in that fashion to my understanding, it bends. :O
In the US I believe we call the toll you discribed a miroplane. You mentioned a "box for men," what is this?
Something like a jockstrap with a cup perhaps?
Might be useful if he made a video about the protective gear.
On the topic of plastic swords. What are your thoughts on Cold Steel or other training swords of the like?
the plastic swords from cold steel are not very good for sparring or training. They are too heavy and not good balanced. They are good enough to club someone (to death) but not good enough for imitating a real sword, as you would need to learn fighting.
Would getting a pair of these be worth it if I already own a practical sword? I like how they are safer but they look flimsy
Dave Kyle These synthetic swords are definitely worth getting for sparring practice, Theyre used instead of steel to avoid injury quite often. However, youre much better off buying Blackfencer swords from www.blackfencer.com, theyre the most accurate models.
+Dave Kyle,
You're much better off getting a pair of Blackfencer or Purpleheart Penttis.
Quick question, I live in London and I've a tiny little flat, do you know of any small size pommels (preferably with a bit of weight to them) without a blade that can be used to practice grips with?
+artaxerxes3636, there's a series of tools specially made for practicing longsword movements without a real blade, but they're rather expensive. They're called "Swing".
A surform is also known as a rasp
I would love to know your point of view regarding the polypropylene training weapons made by Cold Steel when compared to something like these. Thank you.
Polypropylene swords are club shaped swords. Pretty much anything in good condition is better.
Though polypropylene swords are cheaper.
Im confused by this "sparring" you mentioned. In boxing and kickboxing one has to train several months before the first sparing session. Also there are several limitation on blows allowed. The same is true for judo and wrestling. I also know some HEMA fencers like maestro Martinez dont like that term used, they prefer to say "assault"
A "Bout" is the historical term for quick training matches. These would be ideal for those, as well as full sparring. In swordplay a duel rarely goes on for more then three minutes, especially if "first blood" ie first strike is the winning qualifier.
I realise how petty and stupid a question this is, but does the silver-grey version's coloured blade keep, or does it end up looking tacky?
+Guy Potts It keeps in my experience, but it does trade paint with other painted objects.
Are Rawling swords too flexible? I've been looking at nylon swords by black fencer and cold steels trainers and I can't tell whose are the most similar to steel :p
Floyd Keim III Black Fencer are the most similar to steel. Rawlings are probably the safest for beginners. The Cold Steel ones are horrifically awful.
+Floyd Keim III,
Rawlings are absolutely too flexible, and are terrible in the bind. They also leave nasty welts. Blackfencer and Purpleheart Pentti are the closest to steel.
Swords bent in battle. It's historically accurate!
Hello Matt ! I have two questions :
1) When fighting with the saber, the left hand is always behind the hip . My question is : Is it possible to keep your hand behind your hip in a melée ? i mean when fighting in melée , u can be attacked by several opponents .So how can a swordsman keep his hand in a real fight ?
2) Is it possible to do a video of cavalryman vs Infantryman in single combat with some historical accounts as examples.
Thnx for answering and sorry for asking questions that aren't related to the video above :)
Most accounts that I have read specifically on mounted vs infantry combat have come out of the Sudan war for whatever reason, though I can't recall any on single combat except perhaps where one rider was unhorsed. I think individual challenges between the two were probably rare because of the perceived difference in social status (it wouldn't be very inspiring to watch your commanding officer run down some poor footslogger like you from atop his charger), though I could be wrong on that. There is an interesting account of mounted vs infantry combat here www.archive.org/stream/lifeofcolonelfre00wrig/lifeofcolonelfre00wrig_djvu.txt scroll down to section 290, or use CTRL+F to find it. Another can be found here archive.org/stream/suakin1885beings00parrrich/suakin1885beings00parrrich_djvu.txt, the relevant section begins "The 20th Hussars were operating" and ends "But there was busy work going on in other parts of the field."
Interesting . Thanks for sharing :)
is the coldsteel polypropylene sword similar to this? im rely new to fencing ( got tired of getting my a** kicked att all the larps ) so i fuong your videos on how to train alone and bought a coldsteel 1 hand sword for practising...do i need to by a nylon one if i find somone to spar with?
I have the longsword (bastard/handandahalf/waster) from Cold Steel. It's heavier, shorter (by about 2inches), and more edged (plus generally less expensive) than other plastic ones available. None of my club mates will spar against me when I use that. Cold Steel demonstrates them demolishing a wooden pallette with it, so damaging your partner is a probability. It is very handy practicing parrying (even against metal). Good luck
ah okay..soo off to hunt down a nylon one!!
What about Coldsteel sparring swords?
I'm thinking of buying a couple of them. It would be cool if you give your opinion on them.
Way to hard and pointed to be safely used for beginner sparring. They are basically hard plastic clubs. I was able to use the gladdius and a rubber mallet to split a log.
Kyle Rhulain If that makes a difference on the analysis, i don't want them for sparring, just for practicing alone.
I have a boffer sword I'm making myself (like those people use on sworplay) for using in training duels.
Vitor Rodrigues
Then the cold steel sword would work far better then your current equipment, its mass and drag are appropriate for training. Howeaver these hema blades are jsut as good and also safer for use with a friend in sparing.
I had a Cold Steel bokken snap during sparring once, I had foolishly decided not to wear a helm that day due to the heat, the piece which snapped off hit me in the bridge of the nose leaving a small cut. The ones I own, the bastard sword and the katana are very stiff. Good for solo drills though.
Vitor Rodrigues The balance is way off and they apparently don't handle properly as a result. If you just want something cheap and nice for solo stuff, get a purpleheart armory wooden waster for $70, and if you're willing to spend a little more, one of their type III synthetics for $120. Other than that based on the research I've done into this when looking for my own equipment, I wouldn't suggest anything that's not steel.
Very useful vid. Thanks!
Hair dryer may work
A "Box" for men? Is that a Britishism for a "Cup" or "Crotch Protector"?
.....RVM45
Yeah, there is a whole song about it called "Dick in a box". It's all about protecting your junk.
Yes it's the term used in cricket (and therefore the standard term in Britain and just about all its former colonies) for a hard protective cup for the male genital region.
lancer D
We say groin-guard in Ireland, fabulously literal I'm afraid.
alice mckinstry I don't know why he picked such an outré handle, but all this is a wee bit Puerile.
.....RVM45
RVM451 Childish yes ,but amusing to some of us.
Even better, just put the whole thing in the microwave
Yoeman. sorry.