Balancing a Sabre

[Agamemnon]

Was just wondering if there are any legal (pass inspection) ways i can modify my sabre to bring the balance point closer to the handle, perhaps adding weight to the pommel?

[Craig]

You can switch pommels to a heavier pommel. We sell 3 weights of sabre pommel at the Fencing Equipment Store here at fencing.net.

You can also bend the tang a bit to alter the balance. I'll let a couple of the hard core sabre fencers talk about the 'set' that they like. (Peach - serving it up to you...)

Craig

[keropie]

And of course some guards are heavier than others, which can affect balance as well. And I think some people use essentially tape with lead (or a similar heavy metal) in it for that purpose.

[Peach]

In order to balance my sabres I angle my blades, bending them down slightly from the tang and to the left slightly so that when I am holding the grip the blade leans down and left from the angle of my fist. "Slightly" varies from person to person according to taste (somewhere in the general neighborhood of 5 degrees, possibly), and there are some who say that it makes no difference. The difference is obvious to me, and I can tell by the feel whether the blade has been angled or not. It is not just the balance that is affected but the way the weapon travels easily through the motions of a correct attack.

I will say, however, that if your blade doesn't "feel" balanced in your hand before you even bend it you'll have an uphill battle. To feel the blade, hold the tang lightly in your fingers, bouncing it up and down by pressing with your thumb on the back of the blade just after the tang. Because the point of balance should be close to the join of the tang and blade, it should take very little effort to push the blade downward in a straight line and very little effort to squeeze it back upward in a straight line when you close your fingers. If there is any "wiggle" or "twist" in the movement, pick another blade, because it means the blade isn't true somehow.

I find that if I am judicious about choosing my blades, I don't have to make up for it with a heavier pommel nut; but then, I prefer my weapons to be very light. Also, if you like to swashbuckle when you fence sabre, the economical action of this weapon will not make you happy.

[Agamemnon]

thx for the input

[erik_blank]

Peach Said:

Originally Posted by Peach

I will say, however, that if your blade doesn't "feel" balanced in your hand before you even bend it you'll have an uphill battle. To feel the blade, hold the tang lightly in your fingers, bouncing it up and down by pressing with your thumb on the back of the blade just after the tang. Because the point of balance should be close to the join of the tang and blade, it should take very little effort to push the blade downward in a straight line and very little effort to squeeze it back upward in a straight line when you close your fingers. If there is any "wiggle" or "twist" in the movement, pick another blade, because it means the blade isn't true somehow.

Was that with or without the handle and guard on the blade?

[Craig]

Originally Posted by erik_blank

Peach Said:


Was that with or without the handle and guard on the blade?

She does this without a handle on it. She's very picky but good at finding well balanced blades.

Craig

[Peach]

Originally Posted by Craig

She does this without a handle on it. She's very picky but good at finding well balanced blades.

Craig

And you have witnessed that in person

[Inquartata]

Yes, I do the same thing. It'd add a LOT of time to the operation if I had to slip a handle and guard onto blade after blade before judging the feel. The vendors might not like it, either.

Take along a handful of paper towels, though. The blades often have Cosmoline or some other preservative coating on them. It can be a very messy process. I keep meaning to take along some surgical gloves the next time I buy blades, but I always forget...

[KD5MDK]

And people wonder why I think marking the balance point on blades would help...

[erik_blank]

So I have to admitt that I like to have a VERY light point when using a saber, usually putting the balance within 1/8" of the bell guard. To get this, I ended up getting one of the heavy pommells from Tripplett way back when I was still in college. It makes for a very fast weapon, but tends to allow for others to move my blade around easier when they use beat attacks, etc.

So where do you folks perefer to have the balance? Tip heavy (with a nice hard THWAP on the attack)? Light and fast? Somewhere in between?

[yomi]

i like the balance point around where my hand is.....i feel that tip heavy feels kinda awkward and may affect my fencing mentally with me thinking wow i can't hold this thing

i tend to use the lp 17g pommel which i have grown to like a lot to accomplish this