SCHLDGER SAFETY TESTING

These tests were designed to compare practice schldger blades with other fencing blades commonly used in the SCA and against various protective gear to provide data on which to base safety regulations for the use of practice schldgers in the SCA.

BLADE FLEX TEST

In addition, one of the major concerns about practice schldgers has been over the amount of blunt trauma they will inflict, relative to other fencing weapons. By charting the flex of other weapons we were able to gain a basis for comparison.

METHODS

RESULTS

Weapon    Date      Weapon     Force to Flex
Number   Tested      Type         In Lbs.
  F1    01/07/96     Foil           3
  F2    01/09/96     Foil           3
  F3    01/09/96     Foil           3
  F4    01/11/96     Foil           3
  F5    01/07/96     Foil           4
  F6    01/07/96     Foil          4-5
  F7    01/09/96     Foil          4-5
  F16   01/09/96     Foil          4-4.5
  F8    01/09/96     Foil        4.5-5
  F9    01/09/96     Foil        4.5-5
  F15   01/09/96     Foil        4.5-5
  F18   01/09/96     Foil        4.5-5
  F19   01/09/96     Foil        4.5-5
  F10   01/07/96     Foil        4.5-5.5
  F11   01/09/96     Foil           5
  F12   01/09/96     Foil          5-5.5
  F13   01/09/96     Foil          5-6
  F14   01/09/96     Foil          5.5
  F17   01/09/96     Foil        5.5-6

  D1    01/07/96     Dagger        2-3
  D2    01/07/96     Dagger        2-3
  D3    01/09/96     Dagger        2-3
  D4    01/09/96     Dagger        3-4

  D5    01/11/96   Prier Dagger    8-10
  D6    01/09/96   Prier Dagger  9.5-14
  D7    01/09/96   Prier Dagger     11

  D8    01/07/96   Prier Dagger   12-15

  E1    01/09/96      Epie       5.5-6
  E2    01/07/96      Epie         6-7
  E3    01/09/96      Epie         6-7
  E4    01/09/96      Epie         6-7
  E5    01/07/96      Epie         6-9
  E6    01/09/96      Epie         6.5
  E7    01/09/96      Epie       6.5-7.5
  E8    01/09/96      Epie         7-7.5
  E9    01/07/96      Epie         7-8
  E10   01/09/96      Epie         7-8
  E11   01/09/96      Epie       7.5-8
  E12   01/07/96      Epie         8-9
  E13   01/11/96      Epie         8-10

  M1    01/09/96    Musketeer      14

  A1    01/11/96    Antir Rapier+   6

  S1    01/07/96    Schldger        9
  S2    01/09/96    Schldger(2)    10.5
  S3    01/07/96    Schldger       11
  S4    01/07/96    Schldger       12
  S5    01/09/96    Schldger       13.5
  S6    01/07/96    Schldger       16
  S7    01/07/96    Schldger(3)    26

  S6*    01/07/96  Broken Schldger  23

+ Antir Fiberglass rapier, 5 years old. They now make them stiffer.
* This is the same blade as S6, above, after 4.5 inches broke off the end. 
(N) The numbers in parentheses indicate this number was stamped on the Schldger blade.

CONCLUSIONS

Another observation was that the lighter schldgers have about the same flex as the stiffer epies, and schldgers of medium stiffness equate to musketeer blades. Although we have no proof that the stiffness of the blades correlates to the likelihood of inflicting blunt trauma damage it does seem logical to assume they are related.

We also noted that when one of our blades broke the stiffness increased markedly. With the loss of only 4.5 inches from the end of the blade the flex rose from 16 lbs. to 23 lbs. -- an increase of 7 lbs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

This test is designed to determine what sort of material is necessary to prevent a blade from punching through a fighter's protective garments. I checked with Tivar to find out how the original punch tests for foils were conducted. Using the same methodology I recreated those tests with schldger blades. This was done on two separate occasions and at the second one Robin of Gilwell assisted me and also provided broken foils and epies for comparison.

METHODS

One of our schldgers broke during testing, allowing us to perform our tests with an actual broken schldger. I have been told by several sources that schldgers break flat and even and in fact when the blade broke it was indeed flat and almost as strait as a machine cut. Because the corners were somewhat sharp we performed additional tests to determine if that would be a problem.

Alternate testing methods were used to gather additional data. To determine what protection a single layer of trigger provides we grasped unbroken practice schldger blades by the hilt in a standard fencing grip and thrust at the cloth. To test the reliability of the HTM rubber rabbit blunts we are using as protective tips we placed one on a practice schldger, unmodified from how it came from the manufacturer (a slightly pointed tip) and then thrust against 1 layer of trigger (to keep the tip from sinking into the ground) laid on soft ground.

RESULTS

In the material punch tests we found that an untipped or broken schldger could penetrate 4 layers of trigger, though it would not do so every time. Penetration occurred about 1 out of 3 to 1 out of 4 hits. With 5 layers of trigger we did punch through once using our stiffest blade, but could not repeat it with the other blades. Six Layers was proof against the schldgers.

By contrast, we were not able to penetrate 4 layers of trigger with a foil and only once with an epie.

I have also heard of "old trigger" and "new trigger". Supposedly, the old trigger was stouter and the new trigger is thinner and less resilient. By chance the first test was performed with new trigger purchased in 1995 to conduct the test, and the second test was performed with old trigger that Don Robin had left over from a garment he built years ago. Both were in like -new condition. The results of the two tests were virtually identical, even to the single penetration of 5 layers by the stiff schldger. While this does not prove that there are no variations among different manufacturers it does show that in this case there was no significant difference between old trigger and new trigger.

We tested leather as well, testing both 3-4 oz. leather and heavier 4-5 oz. leather. Both were suede, not top grain. The 3-4 oz. was not penetrated by the foils and epies, but the schldgers did penetrate a few times. The 4-5 oz . leather was not penetrated by foils, epies or schldgers.

The shape of the end of the schldger blade also made a difference in how easily the blade penetrated. the four blade ends were:

1. mostly rounded, but with a slight point (many blades come this way)
2. fully rounded ( some blades come this way)
3. broken end, flat but slightly sharp on the edges and end cut flat and lightly filed to remove burs and sharp edges.

Blade end #1 penetrated the most easily, as one would expect. However, blade end #2, the rounded end, also penetrated fairly easily. The flat broken end (#3) did not penetrate as easily, nor did the #4, the flat smooth end. The main difference between #3 and #4 was that the sharper cornered #3 end scarred the materials more -- actual penetration was the same.

We were concerned about the sharp corners of end #3 so we conducted tests striking at an angle so the sharp corner would hit the material first. Scarring increased, indicating that a fighter might have been scratched through a single layer shirt or similar clothing, but actual penetration decreased markedly.

Stiffness of the blade also seemed to play a part in penetration. Given the same type of blade end, the stiffest blade penetrated most easily.

CONCLUSIONS

The fact that a stiffer blade penetrates more easily would seem to be one reason for limiting the stiffness of blades allowed on the field.

The sharp corners on a broken schldger blade may cause scratches and other superficial damage to a fighter, but should not be a factor in serious or life threatening injury.

The flat, smoothed blade end (#4) seems to be the safest of those we tested.

Schldgers, whether untipped or broken, clearly penetrate more easily than do broken foils. While a foil that has lost or punched through it's rubber tip is not particularly dangerous, a schldger that has lost it's tip is a real hazard.

The HTM rabbit blunts hold up well. Although, like any tip, they will eventually wear out the thick rubber in the head (we measured it -- 1/8 inch ) should protect well for a long time.

RECOMMENDATIONS

HTM rabbit blunts should be the standard tip for use on schldgers. Before any other tip is passed by the marshalate it should undergo similar extreme testing. Under this tip I recommend a strip of 4 oz. leather be used to tighten the fit and to help insulate the rubber from wearing against the metal blade end. The tip should be inspected separately as it is so critical here. A good inspection would be to examine the tip for wear, then grasp the blade with one hand, the tip with the other and give it a few firm tugs to assure it will stay in place.

Schldger blade ends should be required to be cut flat, then lightly filed to remove sharp corners and edges. Rounded and pointed blade ends should be prohibited.

The stiffness of schldgers allowed on the field should be limited, in part to reduce the risk of penetration from an untipped blade.

Greetings From Don Savian Dori, Heavy Rapier (Schlager) marshal for Ansteorra.

I am posting this information for those who are interested. These are the results of several tests conducted over the past month. If you do have an interest, please feel free to comment to me at jtc@io.com.

Note: Maintainer reformatted and removed personal notes found in the original posting. Original document is available without any modifications.

Blade Flex Testers:

Don Savian

Don Robin of Gilwell

Don Alaric Greythorne

Lord Collin Bevins, Cadet to Don Iolo

Aethelyan of Moondragon

Punch Test Crew:

Don Savian

Don Robin of Gilwell

Don Alaric Greythorne

John Hidalgo

Additional Blades Provided By:

Armory of the Barony of Bryn Gwlad

Doqa Gwenneth

Lord Antonio Bastiano, Cadet to Don Alden

Lord Otto, Cadet to Don Savian

Lord Dave de Menthe

Lord Collin Bevin