How do i balance a sword?

[Hurriranger]

lets say for a sabre? what do you use as weight? How do you know it's balanced? i'm totally clueless.

[Purple Fencer]

I'd go by balance point ince the blade's assembled. You need to experiement with canting the blade until the balance point moves where you like it to be.

Best balanced weapon I EVER held was a #2 epee, French grip...balance point was right where the guard intersected the blade....it was like holding air!

[ReverseLunge]

I'd go by balance point ince the blade's assembled. You need to experiement with canting the blade until the balance point moves where you like it to be.

Best balanced weapon I EVER held was a #2 epee, French grip...balance point was right where the guard intersected the blade....it was like holding air!

What the hell kind of advice is that??? Are you crazy?

If you use a French grip then the pommel nut give you great balance but if you use a pistol grip then there isn't much you can do to get good balance since there isnt much of a pivot point and the way you grip a pistol grip can compensate for the need for balance.

What you need to do is find a blade that feels good to you. Different companies make differently balanced blades. Usually a lighter blade will feel better balanced when using a pistol grip.

I personally like a heavy blade since I don't care that much about balance.

[Inquartata]

You can play around with the balance somewhat, using different weights of guard, grip and pommel. You can get several different pommels, including one that's large and spherical and heavier that the ones you usually see. But they don't come insulated, so for electric sabre you will have either to tape it or rubber-coat it ( I use Shoe Goo ). You can also add washers to the pommel end of the tang, but this is limited---you can't use so many that the pommel won't get purchase on the tang threads. You might be able to flatten lead fishing weights and pierce them so they would slip onto the tang like washers.

My sabres each balance a bit differently, but most average 2-3" out from the guard.

[WhipLash]

u could also try the performance tuning tape from www.leonpaulusa.com