The Armour Archive

Okay. Let's gather some information about the sword simulators we use in the SCA. I've set this survey up using a simple form, some javascript to validate the entries, and a mailto to post the information to my e-mail account. If the page doesn't work for you then post your information here.

The format is:

Name (alias okay):
Kingdom you live in:
Years you have been fighting in the SCA:
Your level of fighting recognition: (None, AOA award, GOA award, Peer, Royal Peer)
The overall length of your sword:
The length of the blade:
The distance the balance point is from the pommel:
The weight of your sword:
Does your sword have a basket-hilt:

I'll gather the info and put it into a file and we can play with the numbers.

The survey is online at:
http://home.armourarchive.org/members/j ... urvey.html


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I'll get you the accurate numbers when I get home Jester. Should be interesting!

I filled it out. Hope it helps and we get some interesting data.

I'm guessing height/arm length might also be a worthwhile piece of data.

Do you want only one-handed sword info, or any sword?

Name (alias okay): Morgan Buchanan
Kingdom you live in: Ansteorra
Years you have been fighting in the SCA: 7
Your level of fighting recognition: GOA
The overall length of your sword: 36
The length of the blade: depends on which basket I have on it
The distance the balance point is from the pommel: depends on the basket hilt
The weight of your sword: I don't have a small scale - 2.5 to 3 pounds.
Does your sword have a basket-hilt: yes

(yes, I answered online as well.)

Name (alias okay): Ld. Aiden O'Seaghdha
Kingdom you live in: Calontir
Years you have been fighting in the SCA: 6yrs
Your level of fighting recognition: AOA award
The overall length of your sword: 40"
The length of the blade: 32" + 2" LP thrusting tip
The distance the balance point is from the pommel: 13"
The weight of your sword: ???? - 1.25" preshaved rattan with Mandrake viking 3 lobe Aluminium pommell and quilions.
Does your sword have a basket-hilt: NO

I tried answering online, but I don't use my default email client and that is what tries to pop up when I hit submit.

Koredono wrote:Do you want only one-handed sword info, or any sword?

Any sword, thank you.

Wow. Looking at some of the data that's coming in is interesting. Some folks are reporting their balance point being 1-4 inches from the pommel. I'm wondering if they are, perhaps, measuring from the top of the grip instead.

That is where you are supposed to measure the balance.
If this gets you the data you are looking for, would you be up for doing one concerning armour type worn, and shield type used?

jester wrote:Wow. Looking at some of the data that's coming in is interesting. Some folks are reporting their balance point being 1-4 inches from the pommel. I'm wondering if they are, perhaps, measuring from the top of the grip instead.

Winterfell wrote:That is where you are supposed to measure the balance.
If this gets you the data you are looking for, would you be up for doing one concerning armour type worn, and shield type used?

jester wrote:Wow. Looking at some of the data that's coming in is interesting. Some folks are reporting their balance point being 1-4 inches from the pommel. I'm wondering if they are, perhaps, measuring from the top of the grip instead.

Except that the survey calls for measuring the balance point from the tip of the pommel so that we don't have to gather data on the size of the grip and to allow for counterweighting that creates a balance point in the grip rather than above it.

Draw up a list of questions you want asked for the armour and shield survey and I'll code a survey page for you. We can put it in my armourarchive@home space.

Jester how about posting this data as it comes in.

Doh, should read everything first.
I'll send you the list soon.
THanks

MalcolmdeMoffat wrote:Jester how about posting this data as it comes in.

Sure. I'll see about putting up a batch this weekend. I'm defending another of my hare-brained theories over on SwordForum so I might be a little slow.

Name: Magariki Katsuichi no Koredono
Kingdom you live in: AEthelmearc
Years you have been fighting in the SCA: 19
Your level of fighting recognition: (None, AOA award, GOA award, Peer, Royal Peer) Knight
The overall length of your sword: 45"
The length of the blade: 30.5"
The distance the balance point is from the pommel: 21"
The weight of your sword: 2 lbs.
Does your sword have a basket-hilt: No

Name: Hauoc the Wild
Kingdom you live in: AEthelmearc
Years you have been fighting in the SCA: 13
Your level of fighting recognition: (None, AOA award, GOA award, Peer, Royal Peer) GOA
The overall length of your sword: 34"
The length of the blade: 28"
The distance the balance point is from the pommel: 7"
The weight of your sword: 1.5lbs???
Does your sword have a basket-hilt: yes

jester wrote:

Winterfell wrote:That is where you are supposed to measure the balance.
If this gets you the data you are looking for, would you be up for doing one concerning armour type worn, and shield type used?

jester wrote:Wow. Looking at some of the data that's coming in is interesting. Some folks are reporting their balance point being 1-4 inches from the pommel. I'm wondering if they are, perhaps, measuring from the top of the grip instead.

Except that the survey calls for measuring the balance point from the tip of the pommel so that we don't have to gather data on the size of the grip and to allow for counterweighting that creates a balance point in the grip rather than above it.

Draw up a list of questions you want asked for the armour and shield survey and I'll code a survey page for you. We can put it in my armourarchive@home space.

Welp... guess I'm one of the problem children, reporting the balance point as I have always measured it and missing the format you wanted. I've never measured balance point from the pommel, but always from the top of the guard.

Inconsistency in the measurement format will certainly confuse things.

Gavin
ps the balance point in my case would then be about ten inches, from the end of the weapon at its hilt.

Since I have about 20 responses it will be easy to post the raw data later today. Apologies also to Artemisians, I don't know how Artemisia got left off the list (I did a cut and paste from SCA.org) and I am well aware (as your King kindly pointed out) that you have swords in Artemisia. I'll fix that later today.

Some of you sent suggestions which I will forward to a gentle who is planning a much more comprehensive survey on this subject for later this Fall.

Here's the raw data I have received thus far.

NAME=Gavin Kilkenny
KINGDOM=EAST
YEARS=30
OVERALL_LENGTH=42
BLADE_LENGTH=36
BALANCE_POINT=10 inches
WEIGHT=4.5 to 5 pounds
BASKETHILT=YES

NAME=Nissan Maxima
KINGDOM=MIDDLE
YEARS=33
RECOGNITION=NONE
OVERALL_LENGTH=42
BLADE_LENGTH=30
BALANCE_POINT=16
WEIGHT=3 lbs
BASKETHILT=NO

NAME=nissan maxima
KINGDOM=MIDDLE
YEARS=33
RECOGNITION=NONE
OVERALL_LENGTH=60
BLADE_LENGTH=45
BALANCE_POINT=19
WEIGHT=4.5 lbs
BASKETHILT=NO

NAME=Mike Zander (no SCA name yet)
KINGDOM=EAST
YEARS=< 1
RECOGNITION=NONE
OVERALL_LENGTH=32 in.
BLADE_LENGTH=24.25 in.
BALANCE_POINT=14 in.
WEIGHT=0.6 kg
BASKETHILT=NO

NAME=Ulrich von Brandenburg
KINGDOM=MERIDIES
YEARS=6
RECOGNITION=GOA LEVEL
OVERALL_LENGTH=37
BLADE_LENGTH=32
BALANCE_POINT=4 - 5in
WEIGHT=2 - 2.5 pounds
BASKETHILT=YES

NAME=Rhys Afalwin
KINGDOM=OUTLANDS
YEARS=15
RECOGNITION=KNIGHT
OVERALL_LENGTH=36"
BLADE_LENGTH=28"
BALANCE_POINT=9"
WEIGHT=2.5lbs
BASKETHILT=NO

NAME=Arimares Macon
KINGDOM=OUTLANDS
YEARS=10
RECOGNITION=AOA LEVEL
OVERALL_LENGTH=38
BLADE_LENGTH=30
BALANCE_POINT=2-3 inches
WEIGHT=5 lbs ish
BASKETHILT=YES

NAME=Hrothgar the Smith
KINGDOM=CALONTIR
YEARS=7
RECOGNITION=AOA LEVEL
OVERALL_LENGTH=32
BLADE_LENGTH=27
BALANCE_POINT=1
WEIGHT=2lbs
BASKETHILT=NO

NAME=Edrick of the Woods
KINGDOM=OUTLANDS
YEARS=18 years
RECOGNITION=AOA LEVEL
OVERALL_LENGTH=36 1/2 inches
BLADE_LENGTH=28 1/2 inches
BALANCE_POINT=13 inches
WEIGHT=5 lbs
BASKETHILT=YES

NAME=Jason Griffiths of ShaowHyrst
KINGDOM=WEST
YEARS=29
RECOGNITION=ROYAL PEER, Dux et KSCA
OVERALL_LENGTH=34
BLADE_LENGTH=23
BALANCE_POINT=3"
WEIGHT=2.75 lbs
BASKETHILT=YES

NAME=Lachlann
KINGDOM=MERIDIES
YEARS=6
RECOGNITION=NONE
OVERALL_LENGTH=38 1/2
BLADE_LENGTH=29 1/4
BALANCE_POINT=13
WEIGHT=1 lb 13 7/8 oz
BASKETHILT=YES

Your Name: Dave Jersey
Kingdom You Reside In: Atlantia
Years You Have Been Fighting: 5
Fighting Recognition: AOA
Overall Sword Length: 31
Blade Length: 26
Balance Point (distance from pommel): 8
Weight (in pounds or kilograms, please specify): 5lb
Basket Hilt:
Yes

NAME=Sir Johann ColdIron
KINGDOM=ATLANTIA
YEARS=16
RECOGNITION=KNIGHT
OVERALL_LENGTH=38.5
BLADE_LENGTH=31.75
BALANCE_POINT=10.75
WEIGHT=3lbs
BASKETHILT=YES

NAME=Havoc the Wild
KINGDOM=AETHELMEARC
YEARS=13
RECOGNITION=GOA LEVEL
OVERALL_LENGTH=34-36"
BLADE_LENGTH=25-30"
BALANCE_POINT=7-8"
WEIGHT=2?
BASKETHILT=YES

Name (alias okay): Hubert d'Aigues-Mortes
Kingdom you live in: Ansteorra
Years you have been fighting in the SCA: 2.5
Your level of fighting recognition: AOA award
The overall length of your sword: 36"
The length of the blade: 30"
The distance the balance point is from the pommel: 10"
The weight of your sword: approx 2-2.5 lbs
Does your sword have a basket-hilt: yes (changing though)

Putting this here as well as I misread the balance point as being from the quilions (1.5" from the pommel would be pretty bad ).