maraging and stardard blades difference?

[acidiccherry]

what's the difference between maraging blade and standard? the only thing i can see is the time when it rust..i have a standard and maraging, the maraging of mine isn't at all flickly while my standard can be flicked easlier than my maraging one..my blade is a 2002 SM blade while one of my friend is a FM blade. what's the difference between SM and FM? i dont understand why they named it like that either.

[The0ne]

maraging blades are made out of a different kind of steel, and they are designed to break flat, so there are no sharp jutting out bits when they break. Usually maraging blades last longer than standard blades, and are generally nicer (better flick more control etc.), but not always.

[Talyn]

I don't believe in standard blades

A: They're far too dangerous
B: They're not worth it if you fence a lot

The SM,BF and etc stuff on it just tells you which forge they came from and this can be an indication of the nature of the blade.

personally I fence with FIE Maraging SM blades and I can't wait till I go back to sydney and try them out. They're BLUE!

[downunder]

its StM to start off with

and FM?

maybe the StM is distorted, or it could be LM...

There isn't an FM stamp....

[Talyn]

Thats what I always thought but when you other the blades they just call them SM blades..,. I think the sword thing does't count... theres an S then a t which is actually the hilt of a sword then M


meh

[pkt]

If someone offers you a maraging sabre blade, DO NOT buy it.
1. They are not required by the rules because
2. They are poor conductors of electricity vs regular steel blades.

Been there, done that.

PK

[Lee Yue Yang]

Originally posted by downunder
its StM to start off with

and FM?

maybe the StM is distorted, or it could be LM...

There isn't an FM stamp....

FM?Hmm.I guess Acidic meant FS.I don't like standard blades either.They just break too easily and they rust like mad!

If someone offers you a maraging sabre blade, DO NOT buy it.

One of my club mates has been going around saying "I'm going to get a maraging sabre blade!Wheew!"

[oiuyt]

The whole breaking flat thing is a myth. The FIE tested several hundred broken blades each of maraging and carbon steel and found the same incidence of sharp breaks in each. The reason that maraging steel is used is that it last much longer (when used for thrusting). The microfractures from the stressing of the blade develop more slowly and are therefore less common and smaller after any given number of impacts. Fewer broken blades means fewer chances of injury with a broken blade.

The actual FIE requirement isn't that the blade be maraging, it's that it pass at least a certain number of flex test impacts during the testing to destruction done by an FIE lab as part of the certification process. It is possible to make a carbon steel blade pass these tests (and therefore be certifiable). Specifically Uhlmann using the Scaroni forges that they bought a couple of years back has been able to do it, and before that there was a forge in one of the former soviet republics (Ukraine?) that had managed the feat but, IIRC shut down due to financial reasons. Nearly every blade that can pass the test and earn the FIE badge is maraging.

Talyn- the stylized t/dagger thing IS a part of StM's name (and mark). People frequently drop it when talking about them however (for example Uhlmann's catalog lists them as "SM"), but it's not merely decorative.

AC- Maraging steel is rust resistant. You can get your maraging blades to rust but you almost have to work at it. This is actually a telltale way of checking for forgeries or of reminding yourself that the FL-N blade ISN'T maraging or actually certified by the FIE.

-B :)

[lfortier]

Maraging is in the difference in how they create the steel to make the blade-It reduces the oxidation to a minimal level so the blade will not rust. Maraging blades tend to be expensive, so if you if cant afford it, regualar blades, as long as theyre kept clean, are just as good.

[Talyn]

Dammit... damn uhlmann!!! I was right 2 months ago before i checked their catalog!!!

[downunder]

Originally posted by oiuyt
and before that there was a forge in one of the former soviet republics (Ukraine?) that had managed the feat but, IIRC shut down due to financial reasons. Nearly every blade that can pass the test and earn the FIE badge is maraging.

i think thats the stamp with the star no?

i'm sure i've got one of their blades around here somewhere, hehe

[westcoastsabre]

ouiyt, are you saying that maraging blades are of no use in sabre?

[neevel]

Originally posted by pkt

2. They are poor conductors of electricity vs regular steel blades.

Been there, done that.

PK

Uh, PK, the B-C resistance I get on every single maraging-bladed foil (remember, the blade is part of the circuit in foil) or sabre I've ever seen is absolutely no different than the resistance from carbon steel bladed weapons. I don't know where you got that bit from, but if it was hearsay, then well, you know what you get from hearsay ...

If it was from personal experience, then the cause was something other than the metal of the blade.

-Dave

[acidiccherry]

Originally posted by Lee Yue Yang
FM?Hmm.I guess Acidic meant FS.I don't like standard blades either.They just break too easily and they rust like mad!



One of my club mates has been going around saying "I'm going to get a maraging sabre blade!Wheew!"

who got that maraging sabre blade?And it's really true?? bad conductor?? i thought it'll be more sensitive or somethig else? that's one of my seniors said to me.

[oiuyt]

Originally posted by westcoastsabre
ouiyt, are you saying that maraging blades are of no use in sabre?

I don't believe I said anything about their utility or lack thereof in sabre. That said, I believe they are likely almost exactly of as much use as carbon steel sabre blades. The sense that I've gotten (mostly from talking to Dan Dechaine) is that there's no EXTRA benefit to using maraging steel in a sabre blade. The types of stress that lead eventually to breakage are different then in foil and epee and the differences in the steel doesn't add to the longetivity of sabre blades. This is why the FIE doesn't require their use. I suppose the rust resistance is a marginal benefit. Given that maraging sabre blades cost ~$100 and I'm perfectly happy with my $17 carbon steel blades, that I've been told are every bit as durable, I'll never buy a maraging sabre blade. But that doesn't mean they're of no use. They're merely overpriced (compared to other blades of similar utility) by a factor of 5 or more. :)

-B :)

[GGK]

Originally posted by westcoastsabre
ouiyt, are you saying that maraging blades are of no use in sabre?

If he won't I will. I had one -it was a gift- It did last ~2 or 3 times longer than the chinese or russian blades I can afford. But I found no other significant charm over any other blade I've had.

Originally posted by oiuyt
Given that maraging sabre blades cost ~$100 and I'm perfectly happy with my $17 carbon steel blades, that I've been told are every bit as durable, I'll never buy a maraging sabre blade. But that doesn't mean they're of no use. They're merely overpriced (compared to other blades of similar utility) by a factor of 5 or more.

Summing up...not required, not notably better, 5x more expensive...Hmmmmm decisions decisions