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Bendyblade! Okay.. I just had a thought.
Why don't they make blades from Kevlar? It's strong, light and flexible, and relatively cheap. It can be coloured all the way through, and moulded.
If you could balance it properly, I'd buy one. 
Why DO they use steel? Titanium's stronger.
I broke my blade. that caused me to think about materials.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
Steve.
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kevlar isnt conductive... i dont think... and this poses a problem... in all three weapons the blade serves as (at least) one of the conductive parts of a circiut... so... the blade must be conductive... titanium would be cost prohibitive i belive...
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Titanium's about the same price as brass. I got a titanium key cut, and it cost £3:50, and a brass key would be about $2:50.
Steve.
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Senior Member
Array 
What about copper? Isn't that conductive? It is usually quite light to. Just a thought. Although knowing me I'm probably way off. lol
I have never heard of Kevlar! Wannab
[This message has been edited by Iwant2bafencer (edited 07-10-2001).] "Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory." - George S. Patton
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Fencing Expert
Array 
Some people were actually experimenting not with Kevlar but with Carbon Fiber based blades. Those have not been pursued anymore, because:
1- The steels we have are a quite good quality compared to the efforts that would be required to have carbon fiber blades.
2- Carbon fiber breaks too, and can be as dangerous once broken as steel.
I don't think that there are many composites that can meet the requirements of flexibility/strength we have. - Epee is the Louis Vuitton bag of fencing: only the best can get it, and the rest of the masses must content themselves with cheap knockoffs (sabre, foil)
- To not recognize the power of the French grip is to be in denial
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Senior Member
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Is it me, or does Iwant2bafencer seem a little bit too naive?
Maybe I am just cynical from too many trips to that other fencing post board.
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www.geocities.com/strydermike http://www.geocities.com/strydermike
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Senior Member
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Stryder,
By what means do you find me naive? j/w "Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory." - George S. Patton
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Titanium actually isn't stronger than steel, its stronger per weight, but for volume steel is still stronger. If you made a titanium blade it would have to be considerably larger to get the same strength. The only material that still fits the bill remains steel. Simply because it is a metal that can be made too hard and too soft and everything in between, it gives manufacturers lots of flexibility. A man of strong and determined temper adheres tenaciously to his general resolutions, and is neither seduced by the allurments of pleasure, nor terrified by the menaces of pain; but keeps in view those distant persuits, by which he, at once, ensures his happiness and honor.
-David Hume
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Moderator
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Titanium is also extremely brittle by itself, hence its use in alloys. Steel's fine but why doesn't anyone recycle broken blades? Iron is finite and you could just melt it down and remake it. Any thoughts anyone?
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Finite, Gav? What does that mean?
I know Iron can be brittle, and is brobably a sight heavier.
I reckon we're probably better off with steel, although a company is working on developing a conductive polymer. (I think it's a semiconductor at room temperature, and conducts at high temp. Also it's a thin foil.)
Anyway.
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I know we wear masks and sneakers and everything else but, were we to stop using steel for blades, wouldn't it kill a deep connection to the ancient roots of our sport?
"Cold,...uh,...ABS plastic...?" No.
"Cold Steel!" Now, that's better.
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Senior Member
Array 
Titanium:
Expensive. Hard to work (increases cost). High specific strength. Low actual stiffness. Hard to heat treat.
Brass:
Heavy, soft, expensive, weak. Useless.
Aluminum:
Light, low stiffness. Fatigue limited. Harder to heat treat than steel.
Kevlar:
Expensive, requires different tooling. Can't "set" a Kevlar blade. Composites tend to break in brittle fashion. Non-conductive.
Carbon fiber:
All the drawbacks of Kevlar, but could be conductive.
Polymer:
No strength or stiffness (even the "engineering polymers" are lame in this respect). Never going to be conductive or stiff enough.
Steel:
Strong, cheap (so cheap that it doesn't pay to recycle small lots), stiff, relatively light, workable, tough, familiar techniques to manufacture and work, traditional, conductive, very treatable for properties, "setable" for cant and bend.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Steel good. Other materials bad...
Paolo
[This message has been edited by damianip (edited 07-10-2001).] "He is a man of splendid abilities but utterly corrupt. He shines and stinks like rotten mackerel by moonlight." "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats."
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one more thing on the carbon fiber... it tends to SHATTER... carbon fiber is used in the suspension pieces of CART and Formula 1 cars... when they knick something (of course at 180+ mph a knick isnt a knick but hey...) they tend to hold up for only a little bit longer before shattering... imagine parrying a hard sabre cut only to see your blade wind up in small fibers which need to be vaccuumed off the strip... eek... or how bout a fleche in epee that doesnt bend the way it should (read s-curve) ... yet another appliance needed to carry to fencing comps... on each strip weight, shims, box, and vaccuum... 
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Paolo.. You forgot wood!
great resistor, but flexible, light, strong, cheap, paintable, varnishable, you can stain it, rout it, glue it, and burn it.
maybe that last one was wrong. it's also be pretty lethal if it broke.
hmmm... I'd still go with steel.
If it's good enough for bridges, it's good enough for swords.
Thanks for the input. that was sort of bugging me. I can't believe I actually started a thread in the sensible board wich provoked a response!
Okay. Question two:
Why is a foil called a foil? I could read this up with research, but it'd get me nowhere!
Regards,
Steve, The dude with all the questions.
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Wine Gums ROCK!.
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Senior Member
Array
Originally posted by SteveMcDonough: Paolo.. You forgot wood!
great resistor, but flexible, light, strong, cheap, paintable, varnishable, you can stain it, rout it, glue it, and burn it.
maybe that last one was wrong. it's also be pretty lethal if it broke.
Training swords were made of wood. "Wasters" they were called. I have a pair of nice hand and a half wasters that fun to wail on things with.
Okay. Question two:
Why is a foil called a foil? I could read this up with research, but it'd get me nowhere!
I believe it was because the points were "foiled" or "bated". In other words, rendered ineffective by turning them back or covering them. I think it's derived from the French "refouler": to turn back? Veeco, some help here?
Paolo
"He is a man of splendid abilities but utterly corrupt. He shines and stinks like rotten mackerel by moonlight." "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats."
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