Thread: My son wants a sword

Originally Posted by Christel

Not to sound confrontational but how many instances can you cite where a swords tang has separated, causing the blade to impale another person? You say there are plenty of examples but I can't help thinking that would be a freak occurance.

I can tell you this: I also have a sword that turned out to be a fake that I use for trimming trees. While trimming some low hanging limbs during a big icestorm, I had the sword to depart the handle, fly up about 20 feet and then stick into the ground about 30 feet away from me. My wife had just went inside due to being cold or she could have been out there too. This particular katana has only one bamboo pin and I guess all of that use that day along with impacting ice (1/2" thick), then the limb in the same stroke was too much and sheared the pin. It has been replaced with a proper bamboo pin for swords and will not be used again until I take it to the drill press to put another pin in it like the rest of my swords.

In fairness that isn't just swinging it a few times through the air - that's subjecting it to use that even a properly assembled sword would be tested by. I digress though and acknowledge that such things can happen, leading to tragic outcomes.