The Armour Archive

I am experimenting with trying to create a somewhat realistic looking and functioning Chinese broadsword for SCA combat. For my first attempt, I attached EVA foam to a sword (in similar fashion to the shaped polearm heads) and this worked okay, but if I didn't tell my opponent that I was using an unusual weapon, they looked unsure whether to accept a blow or not when I hit them.

So for my second attempt, I want to bend a piece of rattan along the forward facing edge of the sword, and fill in the back with some more EVA (it's just for looks on the back). Does any one have any advice or suggestions on the best way to bend/shape rattan? Thanks.

I've been told that the best way to do it is completely soak the rattan in water, then when it's wet and flexible, get it to the shape you want, and hold it there. Trick to this is... the rattan will want to go all willy nilly and not stay where you want it to. Best Idea I ever came up with (but never tried) would be a layer of plywood flat, with a layer of 2 by whatever with the curve of the blade cut out of it, then another layer of plywood. That would hold the rattan on all axises and let it dry.

Just for reference sake, depending on what kingdom/area you're in you might be required to pad the striking edge with at least 1/2" of closed cell anyway. The upside to that, is if you're required to pad it, then it's a mass weapon so hips and shoulders are kills.

I use a heat gun and my work bench vices and clamps to bend (or unbend) rattan. Heat up the area you want bent an apply pressure till you get what you want. If you are going to make alot of the same curves build a bending jig.

BendSinister wrote:I use a heat gun and my work bench vices and clamps to bend (or unbend) rattan. Heat up the area you want bent an apply pressure till you get what you want. If you are going to make alot of the same curves build a bending jig.

I was definitely going to build a jig, but a heat gun? Really? I'd think that it would burn the fibers. Maybe it temporarily breaks the disulfide bonds between fibers and then they reset in the position that you want them to, like giving hair a perm (sorry, I have a masters in chemistry and often do that). Either way, how much heat does it take to make an area pliable? How easy is it to go over this and burn the rattan? How well does this hold up to use? Does it dry out the rattan? I’ve had dry rattan weapons break much easier than others, and when it breaks, it doesn’t pulp like it should. Would you consider this a safety issue?

I've always just soaked the bend area in water over night. Or in hot water for about an hour or less if I don't want to wait. Of course you have to have a container big enough to submerge the area you want to bend.
If it starts to stiffen up while bending after the soak, heat it up with a hotair gun. You can also steam it. Works real well if you hot water heater is putting out really hot water. Just put it in the shower for awhile. You could also use a boiling pot on the stove. Just hold the area to bend over the pot of boiling water to steam.

Dry rattan opps!
Yes you will need to mosturize the rattan afterwards. I just use some water. As for how hot, just hot enough to make the rattan feel hot. I learned this stunt from a guy who made rattan furniture. As for breaking, I've not had any troubles with the weapons breaking any sooner than an un-shaped one.

I recall seeing luthiers use a plywood "work blank" with wooden pegs in it as a bending form. Apparantly the pegs really need to be wood, metal can be bad. I don't personally do a lot of wood bending, so I don't know if this is the usual method.

unrelated, but on thread.

According to R. Zachary Taylor, in Making Early Stringed Instruments (ISBN 0-85442-051-7) wood can be bent dry as well as wet, it just takes the proper tools and paitience.

Technically, rattan isn't wood, but it's damn close, so try it.

freiman

This probably won't help much, but I thought I'd mention it.

In the early days of the West kingdom, our rattan source was a fellow who manufactured rattan furniture. He had a device, like a long tube, in which he would steam several sticks of rattan. When he took them out, he would bend them around "jigs", and let them dry.

Unfortunately, I don't have any details about how long to steam the rattan, or how long it takes to dry. He retired long ago, so I can't ask him. You might check with somebody who makes rattan furniture.

Paulb