Changes

Without a large and expensive laboratory, it is almost impossible to determine orcategorise the exact grades of steel that have been used in the construction of aweapon.<br>We allow some weapons to be made from mild steel. This is fairly easy to spot as,generally, it dents and burrs readily and will bend and stay set to that bend. Otherweapons we insist are made from “spring steel”. EN42, EN45, case hardening andother terms abound, and very few people have any idea what they are or whatthey mean. It is easy to accept the reply “oh it’s spring”, when we ask a manufacturerwhat he has made a weapon from.<br>{{Special Mention Box|Title=Addition for 2015: |Caption= Many European sword smiths use 51 CrV4 steel, this is an acceptableequivalent to EN45 spring steel.}}What is needed is a test of whether a weapon is suitable for re-enactment purposes,and the approved method for testing a suspect item will be as follows:<br>'''Bending Test'''<br>When a bending load is applied, a blade should take up the load progressivelywithout yield or set. The deflection of the blade should be proportional to the varyingload applied to it (a slight variation on Hooke’s Law). When the load is released,the blade should spring quickly back to its original state, exhibiting no evidenceof deformation.<br>'''Notch Hardness (Strike) Test'''<br>When the edge of a blade is struck with reasonable force by the edge of anotherblade of known and approved properties, the edge of the struck blade should notshow excessive burring or chipping. On inspection of any notch produced in thestruck blade, the depth of the notch should not exceed more than half of the widthof the notch (see fig below).<br>These tests will not normally be carried out at regular kit checks but are providedmerely as a guide. Obviously, they may be carried out by the MaA or one of hisappointed deputies on any weapon believed to be of suspicious construction.<br><br>'''NOTE'''<br>Pattern welded or leafwelded blades may beconsidered to be a“composite spring” steeland although theseblades will all be judgedon their own merit, theabove tests may be appliedto determine theirsuitability for reenactmentuse.