Putting together swords on the cheap

Ever since Artemisia made the move away from epees, the biggest problem for beginning fencers in the SCA has been putting together a sword. For the most part, new fencers tend to be younger than and not as secure financially as their elder counter-parts. They don't have the $250 to spend on a ready-built Alchem, let alone the $300 - $400 to drop on a Darkwood. Which leaves the question of how to put together a sword when you're a starving college student?

You do have a few options. The first is to set your sights a little lower and buy a mass-produced complete sword. Zen Warrior has ready-made rapiers starting at right around $100, and their best (the R9) runs for under $200. The problem here is (to put it in car terms) that Zen Warrior is the Kia of rapiers. They're inexpensive and functional, but they're not exactly high-quality. They have some quality control issues with their blades and the majority of their guards have some serious design flaws. Likewise, Hanwei offers several complete rapiers for under $200. These are probably the Chevrolets of the Rapier world. Better than the Zen Warriors, but still not top of the line. Their guards are more period and much prettier, but you still run into the occasional quality control issue with the blades.

The next option is to buy a used sword from another fencer. This gives you the opportunity to test drive the sword first and, more often than not, you will be getting a better sword than if you were to spend the same amount on a new one. But just like with buying a used car, you need to have it checked out first. Look for soft spots in the blade, excessive bends, cracks, rust and so on. Find out how old the sword is. If a blade is old but still in good shape, then you know the metallurgy on it is good. If you keep it rust-free, odds are it'll outlast you.

Your third option is to make a sword from parts. Buy a blade you like and then either buy, barter for or build the rest yourself. This is how I put together all of my swords. This is probably the most cost effective method of putting together a sword, especially if you can find a deal on a used bare blade. Even if you don't, you can still save a ton of money. For example, my most expensive sword cost a total of $150.35: $75 for the blade (a Solingen), $75 for the guard (a Zen Warrior R9), a home-made horn handle, the pommel weight off of an old foil and a 35-cent copper pipe union. My least expensive? $86: $75 for the blade (a KC), $11 for the pommel and the rest made from scraps (steel bar stock left from a heavy helm for the guard and scrap wood for the handle). Even the Hockey Stick from Heck was made this way. I spent $70 for the bare Alchem blade and then $50 for a wall-hanger that I stole the hardware from.

Yes, building your own sword requires more effort than buying a pre-made sword, but it gives you a sword that is truly yours.

Armor?

I've been hit with some questions lately about what's legal for torso armor, and let me tell you, they run the gamut. Some people are saying Under Armour is legal by itself while others are saying that stretch fencing jackets aren't. Talk about a spread.

So let's tackle Under Armour first. For anyone who doesn't know, Under Armour is a brand of athletic apparel designed to help regulate your body temperature by wicking sweat away from your body. It's great stuff and has been a part of my kit for better than 5 years now, but I never thought of it as armor. But the people who claim it counts as all that's required for torso protection cite the fact that it passes the Society's drop test. Which, while it is a nice piece of trivia, is completely irrelevant. You see, under the definition of abrasion-resistant materials, it specifically lists lycra/spandex mix materials and, well, I hate to break the news to proponents of Under Armour, it is a lycra/spandex mix. So, until the Society's Rapier Handbook is updated to say otherwise, Under Armour is not legal torso protection by itself.

Which leads us to whether stretch fencing jackets are legal or not? The argument against these jackets is that the backs are a stretch nylon that does not meet the Newton requirements set forward in the Society Rapier Handbook. The thing is, just like with the Under Armour, it doesn't matter. The rules state that commercial fencing clothing rated at 550 Newtons is puncture resistant. So whether or not a jacket has stretch panels or not, if the maker rates the jacket at 550 Newtons, it is legal. Of course, the hard part there is finding a stretch jacket that is rated at 550 Newtons. FIE stretch jackets are rated for 800N, but most of the club stretch jackets are only rated for 350N. But if you're willing to put out the extra money for an FIE jacket, you can wear it.

So, for you marshals out there who have fencers trying to buffalo their way through either allowing Under Armour or saying no to stretch jackets, just remember pages 6 and 7 of the S.C.A. Rapier Marshal's Handbook holds all of the answers. And with the jackets, unless the jacket itself says otherwise, assume it meets the standard, but recommend they upgrade to period armor.

XX

It was twenty years ago this summer that I started fencing in the Society. I'd been introduced to the SCA two years ago and played to the very limited extent that my meager funds would allow. I think I'd been to maybe 3 or 4 events and I was pretty much hooked. But I wanted to fight.

There were a couple of problems, though. The first was that I was an under-employed college student and the second was that the SCA in Helena at the time consisted of two people: me and Christian la Sable, another under-employed college student. Christian had been in armor a few times, but didn't have a set of his own. But he did have a set of fencing gear. But that still left us one set of equipment short of what it takes to learn to fence.

And then one day, I was in my favorite second-hand store when I found a well-used mask and foil for $15. I spent most of my spare funds and we were off. Since Christian had taken a few years of college fencing, he was the instructor and I, the student. I learned foil, epee and saber that year.

Then, both Christian and I moved down to Eir Dun, where we found a ready supply of eager fencing students. So we trained, and we learned and within a year we held our first tourney. I don't remember who won, but the damage was done: fencing had been unleashed on Northern Artemisia. Whenever there was two or more Eir Dunis at an event, there was fencing (whether they wanted it or not).

We were even entering into the big leagues, making the transition from foils to epees as our main weapons. And we started to notice fencers popping up in other groups, too. The one group that sticks in my mind as being an early adopter of fencing in Northern Artemisia was Stan Wyrm.

And then, a group of us made a pilgrimage to Loch Salaan for an event and we discovered Albert Sanford and the Schlager. We were, for the first time, authorized fencers. This was the start of the golden age of fencing in Northern Artemisia.

It seemed like every group started sprouting fencers. It wasn't uncommon for a group to have a half-dozen fencers and event stewards began planning tournaments for us, rather than us having to steal time from the stewards. The Fencers of Northern Artemisia was a force to be reckoned with. The culmination of this golden age was Albion's becoming the premier Gold Scarf of the Kingdom of Artemisia.

Times were good.

But then mundanity stepped in. Over a period of 6 months, three of the driving forces in northern fencing (Albion, Antoine and I) were forced to withdraw for various reasons. And our departures were followed by several other fencers we'd pegged as having "it". When I at last returned, there was but one fencer I recognized who was still playing, and he'd been one that I hadn't held much hope for.

Oh, how times had changed. Fencing in Northern Artemisia was back where it had been a decade before, struggling to find itself once again in the Kingdom of Artemisia. But at least there was some continuity. That one fencer. A man for whom my first memory is of throwing him out of a tournament for bringing an open beer to armor inspection. A man who'd had, shall we say, calibration problems when last I'd encountered him. A man who, in the intervening 4 years had overcome his earlier limitations, and become a beacon of hope for fencing in Northern Artemisia. If Albion had been fencing in Northern Artemisia for its Golden Age, Cormac had readily filled that role during his absence.

And then something happened. Just as Albion, Antoine and I all left within 6 months of each other, we all returned within 6 months of each other. I wish I could say that they'd returned because of me, but even in my most egotistical moments, I can't. It was just fate that brought about this happenstance.

But our return didn't bring about an instant return to the Golden Age. In fact, if there's one theme for the past five years, it is one of rebuilding. When I returned in 2006, there was a sense in the kingdom that Northern Artemisians were a bit of an oddity. They were there, but no one was really sure why.

For the most part, we were only seen by our Southern brethren at our yearly pilgrimage to Uprising, and then only as more troops to fill the line or another kill in the next tourney. We didn't stand out, either as a group or individually. Yes, there was Cormac, but he was the exception that proved the rule.

But over the past five years, we have begun to see that change. More and more of the Northern fencers are being recognized. There's Duran and his beautiful cast aluminum mask, Alric and his not-so-beautiful buckler, and so many others. And yes, there's Antoine, Albion and I, each making our presence known in our own way.

And, in fact, it was Antoine and Albion who suggested that I should celebrate my 20th year of fencing by fighting a prize. And the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. Who says Prizes should just be for awards? Why can't they be for celebrations?