The Armour Archive

I like my sword to weigh around 2.5 pounds. Pommel to thrusting tip my polypro sword is 36" and weights 2.75 pounds. I use a crosshilt and the balance is about what I get with rattan.

See, Christophe has been experimenting with polypro, and then the other day, we got a storm that wreaked havoc with the town where we have practice, knocking down most of the trees in the park where we practice and taking the roof off the adjacent building. THIS CAN NOT BE COINCIDENCE!!!

Just a reminder for those that like to use them:

Notice regarding the use of Polypropylene single-handed Weapons at Pennsic 41:
Polypropylene will not be allowed as an alternative material to be used in the construction of single handed weapons for use at Pennsic 41. All hafts and blades of these weapons will be constructed solely of rattan or rattan-cored siloflex. All other construction details will continue to be as directed by Society Standards for the construction of single-handed weapons.
Sir Stephen Grandchamp, KEM East and MIC, Pennsic 41

everyone i ever hit with it was, ummm, not happy. several of them lost balance with what i think of as mid-power shots. my fast shots either leveled folks or skipped off to nothing. none, none of them, were close to rattan. when i then tried to choke up and hit with more force my folks were not at all happy.

i have no idea how folks in trimaris think about shots but i agree that seasoned fighters that i have dealt with do not, at all, like it. with me it was either light or way hard even though i throw the same shots every time (until someone needs to be blasted and then i am happy to do that).

we can keep talking about this as a possible change or not but right now its clear that it doesnt work in my opinion.

regards,
logan

Thorstenn wrote:I have one of the polypro swords I used it a couple of times had a hard time hitting people hard enough with it... and it flexed a lot IMO, (34 inch sword) The strikes did not feel crisp like rattan but spongy, more like a shove my opponents said. but then again, were know for taking hard in Trimaris......


Thor-

If we do change to a significantly different material, we need to bite the bullet and go all the way. Rattan will always be different in movement, feel, and weight than any synthetic we will find. The only way we can get consistent calibration is with a consistent material.

olaf haraldson wrote:See, Christophe has been experimenting with polypro, and then the other day, we got a storm that wreaked havoc with the town where we have practice, knocking down most of the trees in the park where we practice and taking the roof off the adjacent building. THIS CAN NOT BE COINCIDENCE!!!

Hey, I think that is more like your God is pissed at you. Also, not experimenting with polypro, but using. I doubt Sir Stephen will approve it for use here in the East. At least I can use it in Ealdormere. As I did tonight! Oddly, noone died...

This reminds me of a similar thread we had about 2'' thrusting tips on fiberglass spears...

B. Amos wrote:This reminds me of a similar thread we had about 2'' thrusting tips on fiberglass spears...

Thems the devils tool man

Well the jury is still out on these things. I threw a test shot on a helm made of material that has withstood 8+ years of fighting without denting fighting the hardest hitters in the kingdom. It wasn't a very hard shot and I put a 2 inch crease in the helm. It was a little shocking. I am not sure how many folks will want to fight me while using it. I don't want to destroy my friends gear and I wouldn't want my gear to get beat up so quickly either.

I plus for the material is that I have had it sitting on my back porch over the past couple of weeks sitting out in 110+ temps and there is no bend and it is no more flexible at those temperatures than it is at 80.

I think with current materials technology we could move away from rattan. As well as get something a better shape and weight. The nice thing about rattan is the weight and some people have gotten a reasonable shape out of it. How does the shaping work with the polypro?

there is no shaping with the polly pro the only thing legal is the 1.25 round dowel rod, well other than shaping the handle.

eidelon wrote:there is no shaping with the polly pro the only thing legal is the 1.25 round dowel rod, well other than shaping the handle.

That plus the weight makes me think this journey isnt over yet. The polypro is imperfect as a solution, but it is a solution.

I honestly feel like we are attempting to emulate rattan when we should be looking for something more analogous to swords and metal weapons.

I think everyone is overlooking the opportunity to use polypro for BotN practices/armor testing...

-Tegan

zippy wrote:I honestly feel like we are attempting to emulate rattan when we should be looking for something more analogous to swords and metal weapons.

Exactly! Rattan is a safe substitue for steel. We are not seeking a substitue for rattan, but rather an alternative safe substitue for steel.

zippy wrote:

eidelon wrote:there is no shaping with the polly pro the only thing legal is the 1.25 round dowel rod, well other than shaping the handle.

That plus the weight makes me think this journey isnt over yet. The polypro is imperfect as a solution, but it is a solution.

I honestly feel like we are attempting to emulate rattan when we should be looking for something more analogous to swords and metal weapons.

A "solution" indicates a problem but there is no problem that requires a solution. Rattan is great and has worked extremely well for longer than you and I have been alive. The only reason I desire a safe alternative is for durability. I just want a stick for practice that will last more than 6 weeks or less. Other than that rattan has all of the characteristics that make it safe and effective for our sport.

Count Johnathan wrote: A "solution" indicates a problem but there is no problem that requires a solution. Rattan is great and has worked extremely well for longer than you and I have been alive. The only reason I desire a safe alternative is for durability. I just want a stick for practice that will last more than 6 weeks or less. Other than that rattan has all of the characteristics that make it safe and effective for our sport.

Agreed
The issue is the possibility of a shortage, or lesser quality being available. If we need to find an alternative, we should go back to the beginning instead of replacing rattan. I think the possible rattan shortage will only drive the price up, which I don't feel is a problem. If the shortage has any greater effects we should be prepared. Rattan has been relatively cheap (I go through 3-4 9ft staves a year), a jump in price is only a minor inconvenience.

Did we ever get any kind of feedback from the powers that be as to which kind of polypro is the right kind?

Afraid not

Perhaps somebody at Pennsic should ask them.

Count Johnathan wrote:A "solution" indicates a problem but there is no problem that requires a solution. Rattan is great and has worked extremely well for longer than you and I have been alive. The only reason I desire a safe alternative is for durability. I just want a stick for practice that will last more than 6 weeks or less. Other than that rattan has all of the characteristics that make it safe and effective for our sport.

Isn't the Stick-that-lasts-longer-than-6-weeks thing a "problem", in need of a solution?

I'm not saying that polypro is the solution, just one that's being examined. I haven't fought with or against it, so I'm not weighing in that matter. The point I'm trying to make is that rattan is not a perfect solution, and as such, alternatives are justifiably being sought out.

Since most everyone has been away at Pennsic, I've been crossing over into Ealdormere, where I can use PolyPro, from the East for practice. I've had a good solid three weeks of using it at practice all night long and am finding it handles very much like my potato roller mace.