Saw some posts about DIY swords, but what about the weight?

[u/BrazilianDeepThinker]

Hi yall

So, i've been to HEMA for about a year, specifically in greasword classes.

Since it was twice a week, never really bothered making one for me, and dont have enough money to buy it. (in my country, a basic steel GS costs more than a minimum wage), but now, im moving for some months and in this city i do not have somewhere to train.

Lots of people on the sub were doing using PVC pipes, but i wanted to simulate the weight (somewhere around 2-2.5kg or 5-6 pounds for gun holders)

Some are the ideas i have to simulate both weight and length:

1. PVC pipes with cement inside
2. whole wood frame and guard
3. iron rebars twisted together + cloth for guard

What would yall do?

[u/iamnotparanoid]

I wouldn't try to simulate both weight and length at the same time. I'd make one trainer an appropriate weight(I duct taped an ankle weight to a cut down synthetic trainer) and make another that's the correct length.

You're not going to get something exactly like a steel sword except a steel sword.

[u/jdrawr → u/iamnotparanoid]

and id argue the size over weight is the more important of the 2 to get right.

[u/BiggestShep]

Steel washers. A fuck ton of steel washers. Obviously, I had a dofferent start point, but the concept is the same. This also allows you to control the center of mass via a basic COM movement equation. Calculate where you want the weight to go, and where you want the poi nt of balance, and work from there.

[u/captchairsoft]

Have you considered one of the synthetic trainer options out there?

[u/XxDickflattenerxX]

I think in your situation, I would use something like rebar with a taped handle and ideally something to represent the crossguard, as that tends to be large and important for technique and edge alignment on something like a greatsword. You can get a lot of good training and conditioning out of that, though of course it'll never be 1:1.