I am often asked what is the the tang of a sword and what are the difference between the various types of tang. So in order to get that information to you i decided to write this little article.
What is the Tang of a Sword?
The Tang of a sword is the part of the blade that goes through the handle. Then handle in turn is attached to it.
There are different types of tang, here is a little resume that will help you understand each of them.
- Full Tang:The strongest of them all, swords with full tang are considered to be very solid constructions. The Full tang terms mean that the grip follows the exact shape of the tang which is a solid piece of steel. The handle was then attached to this part using various methods.
- Hidden Tang:This type of tang is also called rat-tail tang, This technique results in a much weaker type of sword. A Rat tail or hidden tail can be described as a thin, round bar of steel with a threaded end is welded to the blade shoulder. While this technique is often used to produced very effective and solid knives, it cannot be used to produced battle read-swords. the sword being a completely different weapon requires a full tang to endure the stress of use. Swords with Rat-tail tang are often considered as decorative swords.
- Sub tang:This type of sword is the exact reason why you need to know how to differentiate the various types of Tang. a sub tang is described as a very short piece of metal (less than an inch) that is inserted in the grip or handle. It is then fixed to the grip with epoxy. This technique is used to produce cheap swords in great quantities while reducing the amount of metal required. This type of weapon is for display only, any use of these type of sword is considered extremely dangerous.
There you go, now that you know what the various types of tang are, go get yourself a real sword and improve your collection 
As i am always looking for new swords i am searching everywhere on the net to find new sources to better improve my personal collection.
The following site is , in my opinion, just amazing. I strongly encourage you to go and take a look at the swords this guy makes. I am not sure as i just found this site, but from what i can see so far, you cannot find them anywhere else. Each sword seem to be hand forged and so each of them are unique.
The website is called the Darksword Armoury. The armoury as been created by a guy named Eyal Azeral who spent his whole life studying the secret of forging medieval and renaissance swords. He started his own business in 1996.
Eyal specialise in recreating true to size swords that are able to withstand the rigors of battle. Some videos can be seen on his website that proves that durability of his swords. Each of the swords forged by his company are reproduced based on swords found in museum or private collections and other various historical sources.
I strongly suggest you head over to take a look at their site, each sword is amazing and should be consider a great addition to your current collection….I know they will be in mine.
A battle ready sword is one that has sharpened edges and that is made of materials strong enough to withstand the impact of being hit with another weapon. One of the most popular materials for the metal used to make the blade of such a sword is high carbon steel. Not just the blade is important, but also the hilt, handle and pommel. There are many people who would be better off purchasing a battle ready sword instead of something else, because this weapon will last longer and be suitable for a fight.
Role playing fans are one of the groups who should invest in a battle ready sword. Although these are real weapons, a medieval fight display or battle between good and evil will require that swords be swung and hit each other. Even if not struck with full force, it is still enough to break many swords and a battle ready sword will be able to absorb this and the blade will not be damaged or even broken. Fortunately, there are many makes and models of battle ready swords so no matter what the manner of role playing is or the theme, there will surely be a sword that looks good for the purpose.
Battle ready swords are also important for martial artists to have. On the one hand a ready to use sword with a blade of high carbon steel is lighter and a light easier to swing, but on the other hand it will also not break during a competition or practice training as long as the opponent is using a sword of similar quality and materials.
Those that just love swords and want to practice on their own should also invest in a battle ready sword instead of one made of stainless steel or another metal o lower quality. It can be fun to set up targets to strike at, but then the right ones should be chosen so that the high carbon steel blade of a sword is not damaged or marred in any way. The best choices would be objects made of bamboo or also rice mats.
There is a theory that says that the essence of rapier fencing is defined by the following statement:
The shortest distance between two points is not the curve line of a cut but the straight line of a thrust.
First let me start by saying that rapiers were invented for unarmored combat. They would have been useless in a fight between armored warriors. That being said, rapiers still changed the rules of the games because of the way they were built. People fighting against a rapier for the first time could be surprised the quickness and the reach of this type of sword. For those not used to this type of combat it was like going to the grave. Especially when fighting against a fencing expert.
In the hand of an expert, the rapier rapidly became unpredictable, swift and most of all very easy to underestimate by any unexperienced adversary. Fighters using slower and less agile cutting swords could easily get hit with a well-timed and well-placed thrust from a faster and longer-reaching rapier.
In the end, the rapier was a civilian sword carried as a personal weapon. Most used them to settle private querrels but they were not carried to go to war. In conclusion we could clearly say that this sword was developed for the needs of back-alley encounters and sudden assaults. It is the first civilian weapon designed for urban defence. It later became a “gentleman’s art.”
Most people think that Kit Rae is the real artist that created the Lord of the Rings swords. The truth is quite different. Kit Rae did play a role, but not the one most people think. The real designer behind the creation of each and every Lord of the Rings sword is Peter Lyon. He is the first who received the contract to forged realistic swords to be used during the creation of the movie.
Once all the Lord of the Rings swords where finally designed, approved and forged, they where finally sent to Kit Rae in order to replicate Lyon’s work to create copies to be sold to the general public. Being an amazing LOTR fan, Kit Rae took this opportunity to work on this project in an heartbeat.
Many copies were made until the recreation of the props were identical. The hardest part according to Rae was the finishing part of each swords. The props used during the movie were highly detailed with weathering and distressing to make them look used. The whole goal was to make them an integral part of the world of middle-earth.
Various techniques were used to achieve different looks depending on the sword. The challenge was to recreate the same look but on stainless steel blades instead of carbon steel. The decision to used stainless steel was to prevent the blade from rust. In the end it was a random acid etch process that did the job.
Now days, many collectors like you and me are proud owners of the amazing swords that can be seen in the Lord of the Rings movie.
For all of you swords collector and practitionners, here is a movie that might interest all of you.
This is the first of its kind documentary. This film is all about European and Asian historic swordplay. On top of that it will offer a in-depth look at the fascinating world of stage combat on the silver screen.
Here is the official description of the movie:
“The Medieval and Renaissance blade, a profound and beautiful object handcrafted by master artisans of old. An object of great complexity, yet one with a singular use in mind- it is designed to kill. The truth of the sword has been shrouded in antiquity, and the Renaissance martial arts that brought it to being are long forgotten. The ancient practitioners lent us all they knew through their manuscripts. As gunslingers of the Renaissance they were western heroes with swords, and they lived and died by them. Yet today their history remains cloaked under a shadow of legend.”
Get all the info you need about this amazing movie: Reclaiming the Blade
I know that i am deviating a little bit today but as a sword collector i am a fan of every type of sword there is.
Today let me introduce Iaito swords. For those that are not familiar with the term Iaido is an ancient Martial art that is specialized in practicing forms and kata. This art is often referred to as “Moving Zen”. I have put together a small article for those that consider themselves Iaidoka.
My article is nothing more than a more in depth explanation of the art of Iaido and a small list of high quality Iaido Japanese Swords.
Of course there are many more Iaito swords available on the market, but i truly think that the one proposed in this article are of the highest quality.
Note: These can also be purchased by the sword collector. I myself have purchased one and even though they are not battle-ready swords, i can honestly say that they are amazing.
Talk to you soon.
One of the most common medieval swords is the longsword. This type of sword was mainly seen during the late medieval period. Longswords are caracterized by their lengthy cruciform hilts. The hilts could be as along as 6 inches providing the perfect space for two hands. The blade was double-edged and could reach as much as 35 inches. The weight of these swords could vary greatly depending on the size. The weight was between 1kg and 3kg.
The longsword was used to strike, cut and thrust, but the great thing about this type of sword is that their shape were designed with offensive purposes in mind. All parts of the sword could be used in combat including the pommel and the crossguard.
The longsword are often refered to as :
- Hand & a Half
- Greatsword
- Bastard sword
A Sword can be broken down into two major pieces, the Blade and the hilt. You may also hear the term scabbard use but this only applies to the cover of the blade when not in use.
The Blade:
- The Fueller the groove that can be found on most medieval swords. This groove is designed to lighten the blade while allowing it to retain its strengh and stiffness.
- Weak (foible): This is a simple term used to describe the point between the tip of the sword and the center of the blade.
- Strong (forte): Term used to describe the point between the center of the blade and the hilt.
- Rain guard (chappe): Term used to describe the flap of leather attached at the base of the blade or crossguard. The “Chappe” helps to prevent the water from entering the scabbard.
The Hilt: The hilt can be separated in three simple part, the grip, the guard and the pommel.
- The grip is the part where you hold the sword.
- The guard: This part of the hilt serves two purposes. First it prevents the wielder from punching shields while swinging the weapon and it also protect the hands by preventing other blade from sliding down on the hand of the weapon wielder.
- The Pommel helps to improve the sword balance but can also be used as a weapon in close combat.
The Scabbard: This is simply the cover of the blade when it is not used. Over the ages different materials were used in its confection. Materials like
For more information about sword terminology you can visit wikipedia.
Very often, beginner sword collectors make the mistakes of mixing fantasy swords with medieval swords. While I can understand why they often make that mistake, it is important to differentiate them form each other.
For a sword collector, a medieval sword is an exact replica of the weapons used in the medieval times. The Medieval period is often called the middle Ages.
The middle Ages are commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 26th century. Some of the worst fighting took place in the High Middle Age period during the Crusades. A period where armies attempted to liberate Jerusalem from the Muslim control.
The swords used during that period are very popular amongst medieval sword collectors.
Medieval swords are often simple in appearance while Fantasy swords are more extravagant in their look. While some of the fantasy swords can look like a medieval one, it is important to do your own research.
Fantasy swords are very popular amongst sword collectors, as a collector I personally own several of those swords… Swords Like this are just too amazing and are a great addition to any sword collection:
While I perfectly know that swords like that were never used in any period during history, they are still attractive. For the ones that love fantasy worlds and movies, there are kind of a piece of these worlds hanging in you living room’s wall.