Harmonic Balance- Introduction...

[Barrett Hiebert]

Greetings,

George T.:

I hope this thread is still being looked at because I have had some experence with swords both in the making and the breaking of many swords. Though some of the swords were and are concidered junk blades or wall hangers because we fought with them on a regular basis. We also found ways to make those junk blades stand up for years. I was a sonar technician in the navy so I understand a lot about sound and vibration. With the knowledge of sound and vibration and studing the different ways a sword broke we added or changed a number of different things in the construction of a standard sword. Some of the changes are similar to the fittings on a katana and help reduce vibration in the hilt. If anyone is interested I will post them with pictures of blades which I still teach with some which are over 20 years old.

I for one would be very interested in seeing these swords, which are 20 years old, of which you speak, and also, maybe the process of the manufacture, please??? Thankyou very much, and I look forward to talking to you! Cheers!

Best regards,

Barrett Michael Hiebert

[George T.]

I will dig out my camera and take some pictures as soon as I can.

[George T.]

This is my first time trying to get a picture up online it is of me in the late 1980's in my armour. The sword is one I ended up giving to a friend who's sword broke while I was sparing with him. It was over 5 years old at the time and had stood up really well and broken more than one other sword.

[Barrett Hiebert]

Greetings,

George T.:

This is my first time trying to get a picture up online it is of me in the late 1980's in my armour. The sword is one I ended up giving to a friend who's sword broke while I was sparing with him. It was over 5 years old at the time and had stood up really well and broken more than one other sword.

Very nice, intricate looking guard, handle? If you could show the process of them being designed, that would be awesome! Thankyou very much and I look forward to talking to you! Cheers!

Best regards,

Barrett Michael Hiebert

[George T.]

I hope no one minds me using colored paper to show the Vibration Dampening Hilt which I use on my swords.

In the first photo the orange piece represents the blade

The green pieces represents the side plates.

In the second picture the pieces represent the guard sections

The third picture shows the cutout for the blade and side plates.

The forth picture shows the guard with a side plate in place and the spacer at the bottom.

The fifth ficture has the blade section in place.

[George T.]

In this picture it shows the other side plate in place.

[George T.]

Sorry about the seperation in the pictures and explination.

This last pisture has the other guard section in place.

The construction of the sword hilt is actually very straight forward. The side plates are joined at the bottom by the spacer. Then the assembly is slid up on the tang and should fit very tightly. The guard is slid into place over the tang and side plates. The hilt assembly should now be wraped in a thin layer of plastic possibly shrink tube if you can get it that large. In the serrations along the assembly thin soaked rawhide cords are then wraped as tightly as possible then tied off. After the rawhide has dried thoroughly the pomel piece can be installed. Then the handle plates can be wedged inbetween the guard and the pomel piece and lashed down by whatever your chosen method is.

[Barrett Hiebert]

Greetings,

Okay, thankyou very much for the cutout pictures, and design step's but how technically, and scientifically does this dampen the vibrations? I have a guess but I'd rather know first from the specialist! Thankyou very much, and I look forward to talking to you! Cheers!

Best regards,

Barrett Michael Hiebert

[George T.]

Believe me I am no specialist I only know what works and has worked for me and a number of friends I left in Virginia. Vibration continues until friction gets it or it is intentionaly dampend. From my experience of patching together cheep wall hangers to use as sparing swords the side plates reduced the vibration in the hilt. If you take a tuning fork and tap it then take hold of it with your hand the sound or vibration stops quicker than if it was allowed to ring. The side plates and the rawhide do that, they push against the tang as the vibration travels down it. We broke off the rattail tangs then cut a real tang out of the blade and fitted them up the way I described they stand up quite a long time and take a lot of abuse as sparing blades. Before we started fitting them in this fassion the blades would break in two places at the guard and the pomel piece.

[Barrett Hiebert]

Greetings,

George T.:

Believe me I am no specialist I only know what works and has worked for me and a number of friends I left in Virginia. Vibration continues until friction gets it or it is intentionaly dampend. From my experience of patching together cheep wall hangers to use as sparing swords the side plates reduced the vibration in the hilt. If you take a tuning fork and tap it then take hold of it with your hand the sound or vibration stops quicker than if it was allowed to ring. The side plates and the rahide do that, they push against the tang as the vibration travels down it. We broke off the rattail tangs then cut a real tang out of the blade and fitted them up the way I described they stand up quite a long time and take a lot of abuse as sparing blades. Before we started fitting them in this fassion the blades would break in two places at the guard and the pomel piece.

Thankyou very much for the explanation and my apologies for referring to you as a specialist! Glad to know you know what works through trial and error! Cheers!

Best regards,

Barrett Michael Hiebert

[George T.]

I haven't been able to put a shop together since I moved into this house no basement, shed or garage. I have a forge, three anvils, nine or ten post vices and a 25 pound little giant power hamer but no place to set them up. When I do get a shop together I will post some pictures of a real blade and it's fittings before I put them together. I will have to find a new supplier for the rawhide cord because I ran out just after I got back to Kansas.

[Barrett Hiebert]

Greetings,

George T.:

I haven't been able to put a shop together since I moved into this house no basement, shed or garage. I have a forge, three anvils, nine or ten post vices and a 25 pound little giant power hamer but no place to set them up. When I do get a shop together I will post some pictures of a real blade and it's fittings before I put them together. I will have to find a new supplier for the rawhide cord because I ran out just after I got back to Kansas.

Thankyou, whenever you are able, I would be very interested in seeing them! Cheers! Nice talking to you!

Best regard,

Barrett Michael Hiebert