It is pretty interesting that I haven't seen these blades in more fantasy art compared to scimitars. You'd think fantasy artists would be in love with these things.
So in other words they're the closest thing we'll get in real life to functional fantasy swords that have all sorts of bullshit on their edges. *EXCELLENT*
It does make sense though that wavier blades would express status since the wavier the blade, more difficult it is to make, and consequently, the more expensive it will be.
not necessarily true for keris. its all different for everyone. the empu(keris maker) will determine what kind of keris suited for you. for example Hamengkubuwono X's keris is straight while my personal keris has 3 "waves". although his were much more lavishly decorated than mine.
The connection of waviness and status probably has more to do with richer/higher status warriors being able to afford them. Higher status people often want fancier adornments to show off and a wavy is more fancy than a straight one. I agree with the OP, it's likely just rich people who mostly can afford them. The average warrior wouldn't actually fight that often so spending a lot on a weapon that won't see much use is a bit of a waste. Another point is that most surviving examples in good shape tend to be more wavy. With most antique swords, better condition often means it was taken care of properly for a good amount of it's life. Swords that were properly taken care of usually belonged to higher status people. If I'm mistaken feel free to correct me.
no worries, if youre wealthy enough to have some of these things, then no need to bother sharpening them yourself when you can just hire an expert, and let the guy do the job for you.
I pride myself as an good sharpener but looking at that example i wouldn't even know where to start with the inside curves. Different radius round stones? And the transition from outside to inside curves. How do you keep a constant angle on the edge? Oh my god make it stop!
I would add that with weapons, every ounce of weight matters -- as you add weight your arm gets tired a little faster, your swings are a little slower, etc etc. A waved blade uses more material horizontally in, and so is slightly heavier than a straight/curved blade of the same length. If you were to make a waved blade the same weight as a straight/curved blade, it would not have quite the same strength and would be slightly more prone to bending/snapping/chipping. Basically, having a mildly sharper blade was less important to most people than making the weapon as quick in the hand and durable as possible. A straight/curved blade functioned "well enough" when cutting, and so didn't need replaced. Add to that your point about the degree of skill and labor necessary to make various kinds of swords, and it becomes surprising that the waved blade ever saw production as more than a one-off experiment here or there. One advantage of the waved blade that might have made the difference? Imagine you attempt to slash some fool with your trusty Flamberge, only you cock it up royally. You strike him, but with poorly displayed skill. With a normal straight/curved blade, you would get a single shallow cut in on your foe. But with a Flamberge? You just gave your foe a whole host of shallow cuts all in relatively the same place... shredding them and possibly extracting a piece of flesh. It's a messy thing to think about -- but in fact a Flamberge style blade requires less skill to slash with, as bad strokes will still do heavy damage. If you consider that most deaths by sword came not in battle but from infection of a bad injury, it's easy to see why the Flamberge might quickly develop a rather barbaric reputation. Another advantage is in parrying. You cannot slide your own blade up and down a Flamberge like you can against a straight/curved blade. It will bounce off and away, allowing the fighter holding the Flamberge to "push" into the empty space and lead your blade. One mistake in where you meet a Flamberge in parry is a bit more precarious. You can't as easily adjust your weapon to fix your mistake. But this is NOT double edged -- the one wielding the Flamberge can simply turn their blade along the flat while correcting, to avoid the blades bouncing off one another. Also, A Flamberge can slide along a straight/curved blade while "holding" (to a very small degree) that blade in the right position on your own blade. Straight/curved swords cannot do this (although some swords have bits of some kind to catch weapons and hold them in the parrying region of the blade). I believe you are probably correct that the necessary labor for a weapon that was not clearly superior (as swords are side-arms, not primary weapons) enough to alter the outcomes of fights... was probably the main reason waved blades never became the norm. Possibly none of what I mentioned mattered at all. It could be that this was the sole reason. As for needing a slightly wider and more durable scabbard? Nah. Those are light material, and can be built to hold the blade along the flat with no real concern for the blade damaging things much. Scabbards are also pretty easy/cheap to replace, requiring not much in skilled labor.
Thanks you. I see you put much thought into it. I didn't even consider that the Flamberge is actually heavier than a straight sword. Furthermore I figure that a regular footman couldn't even afford a simple sword not to mention a Flamberge.
might be true, but in the case of keris, the "waves" or "luk" does not designed to have a specific utilitarian purpose because despite being a blade, keris begin not as a "weapon" but rather "pusaka". its designed to be a "symbol" for a person (kind of like a brand for corporation) hence it was highly personalised. different person carry different keris because each dhapur(typology) deliver different message to communicate. and if we are talking about function, would our ancestor rather go to battle armed with keris? or sword and spear? sword and spear are simply much more effective. the only circumstances keris become a weapon is during execution. to execute criminal or to execute a defeated duelling opponent. its called "menyalang", where you thrust the keris from shoulder into the heart. its depicted in candi penataran relief.
Yes i believe they did carry keris into the battlefield as a talisman and a last resort weapon, when somehow they lost or broke their spear and sword, well keris it is, at least until they found another spear/sword to use
@@TheGodTell yes they did carry keris to battlefield (sometimes even more than one keris) as much as they carry keris anywhere outside their home. as Raffles(and backed by Pires) put it any man goes out without a keris is like going out naked. and ofc you were right about last resort weapon. although i think it is more like "improvised". something that isnt supposedly used but can be used. considering that most keris didnt even heat treated and older keris before 17th century is very thin and fragile.
@@ayudyahratuninggaluh9878 yes, you are correct. but there are several consideration: 1. keris is more often seen used as the weapon of choice in civilian conflicts and as execution implement. both tome pires and ma huan talked about this. added to the fact that javanese were very racist compared to today's standart, and more easily offended, keris was pretty much seen many uses there for "tujah" 2. to make a statement whether the keris before 17th cent. is considered a weapon or not based on its heat treatment is too bold in my opinion. we must COMPARE first, are those pre-17th century spearhead heat treated? they do definitely used in battles. collect samples. keris, tombak, pedang, golok (basically all those that are considered as war weapon by 16th century "sanghyang siksakandang ing karesian" manuscript) compare their hardness using standart methodologies, and publish the result. my bet is most war implement were actually not heat treated to today's standart (around 50 HRC). same like in europe pre-15th cent
@@arpioisme 1. you speak of Javanese duelling tradition to settle conflict. yes it exist, which i briefly mention in previous comment. as far as i recall both pires and ma huan didnt mention the use of keris as weapon in fighting. they did mention however keris used as a weapon to execute. meaning the fighting will use other weapon(pires do mention that every man in Java have at least a keris, a lance and shield), then only after the fighting over, victor will draw their keris to execute the defeated opponent(tujah/menyalang). furthermore, we must be careful because both ma huan and tomé pires didnt explicitly mention keris. they do mention dagger or short sword. which bring up another question, being an outsider, do they know the differences between Keris and Sundang? and also, duelling mostly are the practice of upper class. ordinary citizen rarely would duel because to them, rarely any issues in their life worth risking your life. 2. i did mention both the SHAPE and the heat treatment. older keris usually were much thinner than keris from PB era onward. and yes, compared to actual weapon it is much fragile to the point you can break them with your own hand. if you use this as active fighting weapon, there is a chance you would destroy it or harm yourself. real weapon were heat treated properly(yes im aware of the differences with current standard) and constructed to be more robust. and they were made by different material. there wouldnt be "pamor"(the nickel alloy used to create the pattern). unlike real weapon, keris "heat treatment" were mostly symbolic not intended for physical use. which kinda incorrect if you consider that to be "heat treatment" to add, you likely read the translated version of Sanghyang Siksakanda ng Karesian which lost the CONTEXT(all-caps bcos this is scholagladitoria channel). in original text, the word used is "ganggaman" (lit: something to be hold) from root word "Gama" (example of use: ageman, hanagama, ugama, nagarakartagama) which means: rules/principle. it describe Keris(and other mentioned stuffs, which also implying not all weapons is a "weapon") not as weapon but as something that represent values, principles, codes, ethics, etc. to live by. ganggaman= you wear the physical form daily, and you hold on into the values it represent as principles to live by.
Another consideration, especially on longer swords, is that every one of those waves is a place that will concentrate stress on the blade. It doesn't matter as much on shorter blades, but as the blade gets longer, and thinner to keep the weight down, every one of those waves becomes a point where your blade is more likely to bend, or break.
Yes, that is why the main drawbacks of a flamberge being the extra weight because they need to be thicker in order to not break easily, meaning due to its complexity it also costs more, has basically not bad disadvantages but they were enough so that they were only used amongst high ranking soldiers due to much higher cost
In indonesia, it's called a keris. They were more ceremonial and traditional rather then actually being used in battle. In battle they would use a cleaver type weapon.
Indonesian kris is another world renowned wavy blade. It's a shorter blade made primarily for stabbing. The warrior would stab the opponent between the ribcages, then twist the kris before pulling out, essentially creating a bigger wound and possibly cracking the rib of the enemy. Also don't get me started on the mystical aspect to the kris, where the number of curves are determined by the auspicious date the blade was forged, etc.
@@scholagladiatoria I prefer the word serpentine to wavy. Also... is there a functional difference between these serpentine blades and ... more Holly leaved designs? So the undulations on one side match up with the other... essentially going thick, thin thick thin rather than left right left right... am I making any sense?
@@AnonEyeMouse I suspect that such "Holly leaf" designs would be much more structurally fragile. Each of those "thinner" parts of the blade would be a weak point that could bend or break much more easily. You could get around this by thickening the blade as a whole so that the thin points wouldn't be much thinner than the thick points, but then you're adding more mass to the blade.
"more difficult to produce" simply means more time + a good blacksmith = steep price, so it definitely got to be a status thing, since few could afford those. Besides, I really, really would love to see a rapier with such blade.
When I saw that sword initially I thought you pulled out some fort of foam wall hanger or fantasy weapon for lack of a real example. This looks like something the elves from some fantasy show could be using. I would have never guessed this was a real weapon, mental.
I live in the Philippines and I've been wanting to buy a Kris in Bagiuo one day for those cutting capabilities that you mentioned from your previous Kris video, not to mention it has that intimidating factor. They sell a lot of cheap blade weapon souvenirs in Bagiuo, my bro who went there bought me a katana, kodachi and 2 kamagong arnis (translation: mahogany fighting sticks. And man, they are heavy and tough!) whenever he visits there.
In the Philippines the number of nodes on a stick denotes superiority because it's tougher and harder with more knots to crush bone with so it would follow that waves on the blade would denote a finer blade taking more time and money to create and could possibly cause more damage pushing or drawing as well.
Another interesting thing is it has a longer edge than the blade length, when you draw it across something it's sort of as if you used a longer motion with a straight blade
Also I’ve read, that when striking the flamberge it provides more friction and bite for the opponents sword. More difficult for the opponent to hit u and parry
They are primarily thrusting weapons. The wavy shape increases their width without using more metal (which was very precious back then), so you get a lighter, less expensive blade that makes a bigger wound.
On Forged in Fire episode 33, they made a Flamberge Rapier. The winning sword was the sword that impressed me the most of any episode. www.history.com/shows/forged-in-fire/season-5/episode-33
5 reasons why we don't see this more often: 1) Forging. Forging a good wavy blade is tougher than a non-wavy blade. 2) Maintenance. Sharpening and scabbarding and everything related is more difficult with a wavy blade. 3) Point. You're not going to be able to get the same kind of penetrating, thrusting point out of a wavy blade as a straight blade. 4) Shape. You're not going to be able to easily, realistically, get a strongly curved blade at the same time you get a wavy blade. You're not going to get a single edged blade of any kind, or it's a serrated edge rather than a 'wavy blade'. It's just limiting. 5) Weight. A wavy blade by nature compresses the area of the material you're using. If you straightened any wavy blade, you'd find you have a greater length and reach for the weight and material used. With all this, it's a bit remarkable wavy blades have caught on in a real martial capacity anywhere. They must have sone real cutting and slicing advantages tbh, with all that considered.
Visually I assumed they were worse for cutting. However I had learned that the waves were for causing uncomfortable vibrations or awkward strikes for your enemy if the blades were to meet.
I saw another video that explained that when another sword hits your sword in combat, the waves make it difficult for the opponent's sword to slide off and touch you.
I agree. I've spent a lot of time around knives and have accidently cut myself on quite a few occasions. A cut with a straight, sharp edge like a whittling knife is rarely felt until you notice the blood, but a cut with an equally sharp serrated blade like a spyderco hurts a whole lot more. So maybe (some) wavy blades are made that way to inflict extra pain so that your opponent knows he's been cut and will hesitate or back off rather than persisting in attacking you? Just a theory.
A combat saw that can catch weapons and pole arms making a bind easier to make. It combines the curves with the straightness to make a great cutting and stabbing weapon
2:00 wikipedia right now states authoritatively that these shapes offer zero advantage in cutting, and youtube videos aren't allowed as sources. Matt, could you perhaps write some kind of an article with some test data, so we can update the wiki with a source?
One more function I want to add is . . against armor. Armor made from fabrics strands. Straight blade is less effective for cutting rope. Spiderco brand have navy blade, with small saw tooth, on full length of the blade. Would be interesting if modern blacksmith, make a curve blade (sword) with small saw tooth.
Matt, can I have your opinion on this one? There's one thing I heard a while, not sure if it is to be trusted: the guy gave his theory that flamberg wavy blades were there to protect the blade from breaking. And here's an explanation he gave: if a swing you make meets a defense such as a shield, a spear or some other weapon - you will never strike it as you would with a straight blade. the point of impact will be changing during the hit as the sword slides to fit the wave relative to the object it hits due to it's form. Thus the energy is distributed around the point of impact rather than being at the point. And although logic says its not really likely that this was a purpose of making the blade wavy - it still sounds logical from physics point of view. And that explaination went further as the guy said later 2-handers are straight because basically metallurhy became better and breaking the sword as an object became less of an issue.
Kris type blades, all I know about serrated blades is that they are much preferred for cutting rope. That is the first blade I have seen with such tight curves.
i have been waiting a while for this video thank you. also just a thought of mine would it be fair to assume that the waves along the length of the blade would also make a wound chanel wider while saving weight over an equally wide straight blade while the hollows might reduce "suction" as the weapon is with drawn from the wound. any thoughts.
Moro keris originated from Majapahit empire founded in 13th century. Majapahit was first founded after a downfall of a kingdom in Java, Indonesia. Moro keris was the evolved version of keris that first made in 9th century Java and mainly used in Philipines due to high rate of open wars compared to other place ruled by Majapahit empire
Would it create points of extra stress along the blase when thrusting? This could least to an increase in snapped and broken blades if true. Just wondering.
In general the more a blade evolves towards cutting it evolves away from piercing and vice versa right? So aren't these waves an evolutionary cheat, a way to add (some) cutting ability to a piercing oriented blade without sacrificing piercing ability? You don't need them on cutting oriented blades because a curved blade is essentially one big wave. This is the only reason I can think of to go through the extra effort of making the waves and maintaining them over a simple curved blade. The flamberge and celtic lancea had waves, both were primarily piercing blades that also benefited from extra cutting power. A wavy rapier might be another blade that would've benefited. I don't know about the kriss, did their fighting style emphasise piercing but still used some slashing or chops?
My thoughts exactly. Wavy blades gives a cutting improvement for straight blades and curved one doesnt need it. There is a reason chainsaw's surface isnt even, but it got gaps...
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finally! i was beginning to think you ditched your kerises or rather Sundang to be precise. More of them!
@scholagladiatoria: could you do a video, where this sword is beeing used? Maybe a compare to a normal Blade in similar length. Cutting though tatami for example
Hey Matt. Just adding a bit, the number of waves were more related to bragging right of the wealthy as they can pay a swordsmith of considerable skill and there were also times where the the number of waves on the blade on could get is limited by their social standing. Like when you try to show of wavier blade infront of a sultan and you're only a chieftain, he may take offense with it or ask you who made your Kris. More often than not, it depended form one group of chieftains to another as the Philippines where not completely unified in the emergence of the Kris, referring to the latter point and the former point is more for 19 century onwards
Of Moro descent here, I'd like to say that when you stab and twist someone with a Kris; there'll be a wound that would be quite hard to close. It's similar to the triple-edged knife's purpose, though more ancient and not as effective; yet still, it is very deadly.
I was taught in Kali that the wave on the kris was used to trap the opponent's arm to create an opening in the opponent's guard for a strike to the torso or head. Maybe a similar purpose with the 2-handed swords for polearm hafts?
There's a cutting dynamic here, where in a slash, the relative edge angle gets effectively sharper (More acute) when you cut laterally, instead of chopping straight in. With this kind of seration, this edge angle changes, (Between concave, and convex) more, and less acute, as the serrations undulate over the work you're cutting. (Obviously something soft, like flesh, leather, or cloth. Not metal, or hard wood. Some succulent tropical stalks, as a machete, though.) With cloth, pointed serrations can get caught, especially in silk which is relatively cut resistant for it's fiber diameter. These rounded serrations don't catch, and drag that fabric along, so may actually cut silk better. (Though I haven't actually tested this myself. With a kris vs let's say a serrated Spiderco on Silk.)
Hey scholar got a question how do you date your wepons. I found an old hewing axe in a creek it appears to be 18th century but I would like to know for sure
They had the same sort of spearheads as other peoples. You may have read speculation about Cuchulain's gae bolga spear, which made one wound going in and three when pulled out.
Another reason might be that for the same reason that the closest path to two points is a straight line, the blade might be shorter than a straight blade made of the same amount of metal
this is a great video. i always wondered why the funny looking blades were a thing. my questions is what are the disadvantages of this shape as everything you said makes it sound better. Also, does this blade shape work well at knife lengths ?
I worked in antique arms for a short while. Wavier Kris are indeed generally more decorated, with rarer matierals, or with more "showy" techniques, revealling their owner's social level. However I'm not aware of any document indicating the direct relation with number of waves and heirarchy. BTW, I personally have a flamberge Ottoman Khanjar and it's my favourite piece.
i always had the opinion that a wavy blade also improved thrusting, not in penetration, it obviously resists that but instead in damage. your essentially using the same weight and materiel as a normal blade (ok slightly more than a normal blade to get the same length) but getting a much larger diameter between the crescent of each wave as its being pushed into a material, opening a larger wound channel than the actual thickness of the blade would suggest. the shape of the blade would also not be as drastic on drag through an object as a blade indicative of the wound channel it creates because it would still have less material than the larger blade it emulates in contact with the material its thrusting into.
I think one more consideration might be the effect on the mechanical strength/weight of wiggly blades. There are more stress concentrations and the lines of force don't flow as directly as in a straight or simple curved blade, meaning for a blade of equal length and mechanical strength wavy blades might be either heavier or more expensive to make.
True, but you don't always want the lowest mass necessary for a sufficient strength of blade because a weapon can be too light to perform well. If your metallurgy is good enough or the sword short enough, you may want to find something else to do with that mass. Taking the example in the video, that sword could loose quite a bit of mass without even removing the waves or compromising its strength.
I read somewhere (actually, in a novel, but a very thoroughly researched historical novel by Neil Stephenson) that wavy blades on rapiers were to prevent the opponent grabbing your blade. This made sense to me, as treatises do teach grabbing of the opponents' blade in rapier fighting, and grabbing a wavy blade would seem to result in severed fingers. Might also aid in preventing over-penetration?
When you take the same amount of steel for a blade, would it be shorter with a wavy blade? Or is the center cross section generally thiner. It may depens... but anyhow, would be nice to know if there is an average. maybe general blade stability with bad steel could be an issue if the length stayes the same for the weight.
Do you think the waves have any use in parrying/blocking/binding? They look like good friction and small capture points, and that 2 wavy blades would have a much different interaction on contact than 2 non-wavy blades
I would love to have a wavy bladed rapier, kind of an expensive way of ameliorating the lessened cutting performance compared to an arming sword or side sword.
Good video, but i hoped to see something about blocking/parrying with a wavy blade, as I am sure that it will have a great effect on the mechanics, with the opponents sword probably not sliding off the blade as easily as it is the case with straight swords. Also, would there be a lot of vibration if somebody hits a wavy blade with a straight sword? Anybody more ideas how the wavy shape would effect combat?
When parrying with a wavy blade it'll cause the attackers blade to vibrate intensely, effectively slowing their swing with the increased friction. However that's only if you're parrying another sword since most other weapons had wooden handles which absorb the vibrations
BTW, the flamberge patern of blades also increase the amount of stress you put on enemie blades while they are parrying, augmenting the chances of them breaking (speaking of small swords) it also helps at breaking lances. it is not that mutch significant in blades breaking, but breaking 2% to 4% more swords is already a big improuvement. and for lances it is more around 10% to 20% more breaking power.
I also wonder about the way it would feel as the blades move past each other. Not that I think there would be enormous vibrations that cause your opponent to drop his weapon. But, given the relative rarity, it might just feel strange enough to throw your opponent a bit off his game.
By it's very nature it must cause a differential vibration in any contact where blades would slide against one another in edge contact sliding one against the other at much of any angle... It would be distracting to the opponent to some degree. So now I have a new thing to want. Hmmm Want a sword...build a sword! Yup going to take a pretty good chunk of 1084 and 15N20. Lots of folding and forge welding. Wonder what it would look like in raindrop Damascus pattern. HMMMMM lol what if one were to put a 1 in 3in twist in the billet a use that as a starting point for the serpentine wave?
In SE Asia the shorter Kris daggers were usually regarded as a close quarters, assassin's weapon, and were also used by court executioners... both because they more easily slipped past bone.
I saw the flamberge rapier on a recent episode of Forged In Fire. One was too tip-heavy and not very effective, but the other one was well balanced and could cut remarkably well, though obviously not so well as an actual cutting-oriented sword. Still, I'm completely sold on the idea: I want one of those
you would have more subs and views i think if you added pictures and popups once in a while to keep visual stimulation because your video is really good and educational. i liked it a lot and i think it should have more views. just a friendly thought
Someone brought up the likeness to bread knives but they usually have a concave edge, even though there are some bread knives with convex edges aswell. What are the differences in cutting ability between a wavy convex and concave edge?
The new Gillette with 5 Flamberge blades ... for the most painful shave a man can get
I haven't owned a TV or seen an ad in years, but are they really up to five blades now?
THE BEST A MAN CAN GET Forsen CD
@@hilbertsinn6886 I'm not sure...
@@hilbertsinn6886 Yes.
@@hilbertsinn6886 Many companies are making 6 now.
HAVE YOU SEEN THE WARRIORS FROM THE PHILIPPINES? They’ve got wavy blades. WAVY. BLADES!
They've got wiggly blades. WIGGLY. BLADES!
Swiggity
@@leonardogerbassi8030 read it with the guards voice. Can't stop laughing
It is pretty interesting that I haven't seen these blades in more fantasy art compared to scimitars. You'd think fantasy artists would be in love with these things.
Giggity!!!
So in other words they're the closest thing we'll get in real life to functional fantasy swords that have all sorts of bullshit on their edges.
*EXCELLENT*
Wait till you see the sword hammer, mace and pick hybrid weapon. Ironlily made an art about it and it's 100% true weapon.
It does make sense though that wavier blades would express status since the wavier the blade, more difficult it is to make, and consequently, the more expensive it will be.
sharpenig it will be a real pain in the butt
@@Nivolasy For one of the owner's servants...
not necessarily true for keris. its all different for everyone. the empu(keris maker) will determine what kind of keris suited for you.
for example Hamengkubuwono X's keris is straight while my personal keris has 3 "waves". although his were much more lavishly decorated than mine.
Contrary to that, the hilt is a better measure of status
The connection of waviness and status probably has more to do with richer/higher status warriors being able to afford them. Higher status people often want fancier adornments to show off and a wavy is more fancy than a straight one. I agree with the OP, it's likely just rich people who mostly can afford them. The average warrior wouldn't actually fight that often so spending a lot on a weapon that won't see much use is a bit of a waste.
Another point is that most surviving examples in good shape tend to be more wavy. With most antique swords, better condition often means it was taken care of properly for a good amount of it's life. Swords that were properly taken care of usually belonged to higher status people. If I'm mistaken feel free to correct me.
I be scared for his arms and fingers sometimes when he demonstrates.
Antoine Bandele Well Youre alive
@@stitchowi you be alive
What a crossover, love your videos
Me too! He makes me nervous 😬
Right!? everytime he is doing some spinning with the weapon i get scared thinking he is gonna take a filet off of his scalp
It'd be such a pain in the ass to sharpen those
Especially if you use the aforementioned ass to sharpen them...
Bad joke, I know, sorry, but I just had to.
Aldor, what does sword have to do with you? You only do explosion. XD
no worries, if youre wealthy enough to have some of these things, then no need to bother sharpening them yourself when you can just hire an expert, and let the guy do the job for you.
I pride myself as an good sharpener but looking at that example i wouldn't even know where to start with the inside curves. Different radius round stones?
And the transition from outside to inside curves. How do you keep a constant angle on the edge? Oh my god make it stop!
@@CanalTremocos I should think a good old fashioned scythe stone would do it. A hand held whetstone with an oval cross section.
We have wavy blades in the Philippines... just wait until we invent Wavy Pommels!
Wavy pommels, the power to surpass metal gear xd
just make sure you are still able to throw it
Is that the reason why we are the "master race"
Mother of god!
Absolute madlads...one error and philipines will turn into a crater.
I would add that with weapons, every ounce of weight matters -- as you add weight your arm gets tired a little faster, your swings are a little slower, etc etc. A waved blade uses more material horizontally in, and so is slightly heavier than a straight/curved blade of the same length. If you were to make a waved blade the same weight as a straight/curved blade, it would not have quite the same strength and would be slightly more prone to bending/snapping/chipping.
Basically, having a mildly sharper blade was less important to most people than making the weapon as quick in the hand and durable as possible. A straight/curved blade functioned "well enough" when cutting, and so didn't need replaced. Add to that your point about the degree of skill and labor necessary to make various kinds of swords, and it becomes surprising that the waved blade ever saw production as more than a one-off experiment here or there.
One advantage of the waved blade that might have made the difference? Imagine you attempt to slash some fool with your trusty Flamberge, only you cock it up royally. You strike him, but with poorly displayed skill. With a normal straight/curved blade, you would get a single shallow cut in on your foe. But with a Flamberge? You just gave your foe a whole host of shallow cuts all in relatively the same place... shredding them and possibly extracting a piece of flesh. It's a messy thing to think about -- but in fact a Flamberge style blade requires less skill to slash with, as bad strokes will still do heavy damage. If you consider that most deaths by sword came not in battle but from infection of a bad injury, it's easy to see why the Flamberge might quickly develop a rather barbaric reputation.
Another advantage is in parrying. You cannot slide your own blade up and down a Flamberge like you can against a straight/curved blade. It will bounce off and away, allowing the fighter holding the Flamberge to "push" into the empty space and lead your blade. One mistake in where you meet a Flamberge in parry is a bit more precarious. You can't as easily adjust your weapon to fix your mistake. But this is NOT double edged -- the one wielding the Flamberge can simply turn their blade along the flat while correcting, to avoid the blades bouncing off one another. Also, A Flamberge can slide along a straight/curved blade while "holding" (to a very small degree) that blade in the right position on your own blade. Straight/curved swords cannot do this (although some swords have bits of some kind to catch weapons and hold them in the parrying region of the blade).
I believe you are probably correct that the necessary labor for a weapon that was not clearly superior (as swords are side-arms, not primary weapons) enough to alter the outcomes of fights... was probably the main reason waved blades never became the norm. Possibly none of what I mentioned mattered at all. It could be that this was the sole reason.
As for needing a slightly wider and more durable scabbard? Nah. Those are light material, and can be built to hold the blade along the flat with no real concern for the blade damaging things much. Scabbards are also pretty easy/cheap to replace, requiring not much in skilled labor.
Thanks you. I see you put much thought into it. I didn't even consider that the Flamberge is actually heavier than a straight sword.
Furthermore I figure that a regular footman couldn't even afford a simple sword not to mention a Flamberge.
I didn't read the whole comment but nice, I felt reading the whole old testament XD
@@FabianLubker I don't think you've read the whole old testament.
@@dramalexi that's why I didn't read this comment, I don't have the patience :-/
might be true, but in the case of keris, the "waves" or "luk" does not designed to have a specific utilitarian purpose because despite being a blade, keris begin not as a "weapon" but rather "pusaka". its designed to be a "symbol" for a person (kind of like a brand for corporation) hence it was highly personalised. different person carry different keris because each dhapur(typology) deliver different message to communicate.
and if we are talking about function, would our ancestor rather go to battle armed with keris? or sword and spear? sword and spear are simply much more effective. the only circumstances keris become a weapon is during execution. to execute criminal or to execute a defeated duelling opponent. its called "menyalang", where you thrust the keris from shoulder into the heart. its depicted in candi penataran relief.
Yes i believe they did carry keris into the battlefield as a talisman and a last resort weapon, when somehow they lost or broke their spear and sword, well keris it is, at least until they found another spear/sword to use
@@TheGodTell yes they did carry keris to battlefield (sometimes even more than one keris) as much as they carry keris anywhere outside their home. as Raffles(and backed by Pires) put it any man goes out without a keris is like going out naked.
and ofc you were right about last resort weapon. although i think it is more like "improvised". something that isnt supposedly used but can be used. considering that most keris didnt even heat treated and older keris before 17th century is very thin and fragile.
@@ayudyahratuninggaluh9878 yes, you are correct. but there are several consideration:
1. keris is more often seen used as the weapon of choice in civilian conflicts and as execution implement. both tome pires and ma huan talked about this. added to the fact that javanese were very racist compared to today's standart, and more easily offended, keris was pretty much seen many uses there for "tujah"
2. to make a statement whether the keris before 17th cent. is considered a weapon or not based on its heat treatment is too bold in my opinion. we must COMPARE first, are those pre-17th century spearhead heat treated? they do definitely used in battles. collect samples. keris, tombak, pedang, golok (basically all those that are considered as war weapon by 16th century "sanghyang siksakandang ing karesian" manuscript) compare their hardness using standart methodologies, and publish the result. my bet is most war implement were actually not heat treated to today's standart (around 50 HRC). same like in europe pre-15th cent
Also a lot of kerises are made straight without waves.
@@arpioisme 1. you speak of Javanese duelling tradition to settle conflict. yes it exist, which i briefly mention in previous comment.
as far as i recall both pires and ma huan didnt mention the use of keris as weapon in fighting. they did mention however keris used as a weapon to execute. meaning the fighting will use other weapon(pires do mention that every man in Java have at least a keris, a lance and shield), then only after the fighting over, victor will draw their keris to execute the defeated opponent(tujah/menyalang). furthermore, we must be careful because both ma huan and tomé pires didnt explicitly mention keris. they do mention dagger or short sword. which bring up another question, being an outsider, do they know the differences between Keris and Sundang?
and also, duelling mostly are the practice of upper class. ordinary citizen rarely would duel because to them, rarely any issues in their life worth risking your life.
2. i did mention both the SHAPE and the heat treatment. older keris usually were much thinner than keris from PB era onward. and yes, compared to actual weapon it is much fragile to the point you can break them with your own hand. if you use this as active fighting weapon, there is a chance you would destroy it or harm yourself.
real weapon were heat treated properly(yes im aware of the differences with current standard) and constructed to be more robust. and they were made by different material. there wouldnt be "pamor"(the nickel alloy used to create the pattern). unlike real weapon, keris "heat treatment" were mostly symbolic not intended for physical use. which kinda incorrect if you consider that to be "heat treatment"
to add, you likely read the translated version of Sanghyang Siksakanda ng Karesian which lost the CONTEXT(all-caps bcos this is scholagladitoria channel). in original text, the word used is "ganggaman" (lit: something to be hold) from root word "Gama" (example of use: ageman, hanagama, ugama, nagarakartagama) which means: rules/principle. it describe Keris(and other mentioned stuffs, which also implying not all weapons is a "weapon") not as weapon but as something that represent values, principles, codes, ethics, etc. to live by. ganggaman= you wear the physical form daily, and you hold on into the values it represent as principles to live by.
could you demonstrate it on a loaf of bread?
I assume you know most bread-knives have saw-tooth like edge, right?
@@johan.ohgren #thatisthejoke #nottoputwordsintotheoriginalposter'smouth #butitisprettyobvious
😮 I want that tooo, slice a baguette with a sword.
@@nathanbrown8680 it's not that obvious, all things considered.
The classic bread-knife has a wavy edge.
Wiggly bois
Who would win: a normal looking Chad sword or some wiggly bois?
Thom id think the wiggle will win biggle
What a spectacular explanation. Thank you for sprinkling such learnings.
Is there a petition to change the terminology to 'wiggly blades'? 'cause they should definitely be wiggly blades from now on.
From this day onwards I will use wiggly blades. And will try to nake friends say wiggly blades as well
What about, bear with me, we call them wiggly bois?
How about Wiggly Woggly Swordy Wardy?
@@BaronVonQuiply I understood that reference.
Is your icon a loaf of bread in a basket...or a cat sleeping in a basket?
Something enjoyable about a wavy weapon. I love flamberge zweihanders.
I love the full German names for those. Flammenschwert zweihander! It just sounds so stupid yet intimidating at the same time.
@@azazelreeds should just call them flammenhander
If Waviness is the symbol of status, the Bread-knife is the most royal weapon, or the chainsaw.
I'd think, if you came with a chainsaw, or tigersaw, into the medieval area, you'd be royally feared.
And possibly executed for witch-craft.
just remember to bring your boomstick and they won’t be able to execute you
I got mine at S-Mart.
shop smart, shop s-mart
You didn't...sigh..go watch Evil Dead 3.
Been waiting 3 years for this video.
You have succeeded into delving into the mind of the ancient physicist that came up with this idea. Thankyou.
thank you and I look forward to hearing more about wavy blade's from you in the future.
Another consideration, especially on longer swords, is that every one of those waves is a place that will concentrate stress on the blade. It doesn't matter as much on shorter blades, but as the blade gets longer, and thinner to keep the weight down, every one of those waves becomes a point where your blade is more likely to bend, or break.
Isn't it the opposite
Yes, that is why the main drawbacks of a flamberge being the extra weight because they need to be thicker in order to not break easily, meaning due to its complexity it also costs more, has basically not bad disadvantages but they were enough so that they were only used amongst high ranking soldiers due to much higher cost
longer thinner sword are usually designed to be somewhat flexible
In indonesia, it's called a keris. They were more ceremonial and traditional rather then actually being used in battle. In battle they would use a cleaver type weapon.
Yay! I’ve been waiting for this one. :)
never watch a video like this before! this is class !!
Indonesian kris is another world renowned wavy blade. It's a shorter blade made primarily for stabbing. The warrior would stab the opponent between the ribcages, then twist the kris before pulling out, essentially creating a bigger wound and possibly cracking the rib of the enemy.
Also don't get me started on the mystical aspect to the kris, where the number of curves are determined by the auspicious date the blade was forged, etc.
How do these blades perform on tatami mats? Have you tried it or seen it? I just wonder how smooth the cut is.
There are quite a lot of vids on TH-cam of that.
@@scholagladiatoria that's fair! I was more curious of your experience, but I will look them up! Thanks.
@@scholagladiatoria I prefer the word serpentine to wavy. Also... is there a functional difference between these serpentine blades and ... more Holly leaved designs? So the undulations on one side match up with the other... essentially going thick, thin thick thin rather than left right left right... am I making any sense?
@@scholagladiatoria I can't find single video of wavy blade vs tatami
@@AnonEyeMouse I suspect that such "Holly leaf" designs would be much more structurally fragile. Each of those "thinner" parts of the blade would be a weak point that could bend or break much more easily.
You could get around this by thickening the blade as a whole so that the thin points wouldn't be much thinner than the thick points, but then you're adding more mass to the blade.
"Expensive to make" was my first thought when you asked why it wasn't more widespread.
brother, thank you for making these videos. very informative. +1
I also own a Kris and have thought about this. Its amazing that I did find the same conclusion as your theories about Wavy Blades Cheers ! 😆👍
"more difficult to produce" simply means more time + a good blacksmith = steep price, so it definitely got to be a status thing, since few could afford those.
Besides, I really, really would love to see a rapier with such blade.
so glad someone finally explained this.
Also they look super rad.
Status weapons and conspicuous consumption has always been a part of warrior culture. We see a lot of that at Star Trek conventions.
When I saw that sword initially I thought you pulled out some fort of foam wall hanger or fantasy weapon for lack of a real example. This looks like something the elves from some fantasy show could be using. I would have never guessed this was a real weapon, mental.
Very interesting. .....more blades from the Philippines please. ...☺
Finally, yes! Thank you
I live in the Philippines and I've been wanting to buy a Kris in Bagiuo one day for those cutting capabilities that you mentioned from your previous Kris video, not to mention it has that intimidating factor. They sell a lot of cheap blade weapon souvenirs in Bagiuo, my bro who went there bought me a katana, kodachi and 2 kamagong arnis (translation: mahogany fighting sticks. And man, they are heavy and tough!) whenever he visits there.
I like Flamberge Zweihanders and cup hilt rapiers. That is a very nice Kris you have Matt!
These are my favorite looking swords. The kris is so visually pleasing.
In the Philippines the number of nodes on a stick denotes superiority because it's tougher and harder with more knots to crush bone with so it would follow that waves on the blade would denote a finer blade taking more time and money to create and could possibly cause more damage pushing or drawing as well.
Lol, I could've sworn this sword was from some video game! xD
Really interesting, never would've guessed this style of blade can be that useful!
That's a beautiful blade.
Another interesting thing is it has a longer edge than the blade length, when you draw it across something it's sort of as if you used a longer motion with a straight blade
Also I’ve read, that when striking the flamberge it provides more friction and bite for the opponents sword. More difficult for the opponent to hit u and parry
They are primarily thrusting weapons. The wavy shape increases their width without using more metal (which was very precious back then), so you get a lighter, less expensive blade that makes a bigger wound.
On Forged in Fire episode 33, they made a Flamberge Rapier. The winning sword was the sword that impressed me the most of any episode.
www.history.com/shows/forged-in-fire/season-5/episode-33
Great video! And I was wondering if will you do a historical analysis video of outlaw king?
5 reasons why we don't see this more often:
1) Forging. Forging a good wavy blade is tougher than a non-wavy blade.
2) Maintenance. Sharpening and scabbarding and everything related is more difficult with a wavy blade.
3) Point. You're not going to be able to get the same kind of penetrating, thrusting point out of a wavy blade as a straight blade.
4) Shape. You're not going to be able to easily, realistically, get a strongly curved blade at the same time you get a wavy blade. You're not going to get a single edged blade of any kind, or it's a serrated edge rather than a 'wavy blade'. It's just limiting.
5) Weight. A wavy blade by nature compresses the area of the material you're using. If you straightened any wavy blade, you'd find you have a greater length and reach for the weight and material used.
With all this, it's a bit remarkable wavy blades have caught on in a real martial capacity anywhere. They must have sone real cutting and slicing advantages tbh, with all that considered.
Visually I assumed they were worse for cutting. However I had learned that the waves were for causing uncomfortable vibrations or awkward strikes for your enemy if the blades were to meet.
I saw another video that explained that when another sword hits your sword in combat, the waves make it difficult for the opponent's sword to slide off and touch you.
Anyone who has ever cut themselves with a bread knife can vouch for these!
I agree. I've spent a lot of time around knives and have accidently cut myself on quite a few occasions. A cut with a straight, sharp edge like a whittling knife is rarely felt until you notice the blood, but a cut with an equally sharp serrated blade like a spyderco hurts a whole lot more. So maybe (some) wavy blades are made that way to inflict extra pain so that your opponent knows he's been cut and will hesitate or back off rather than persisting in attacking you? Just a theory.
A combat saw that can catch weapons and pole arms making a bind easier to make. It combines the curves with the straightness to make a great cutting and stabbing weapon
Best of both worlds of a saber/scythe.
I have a wavy blade dagger that I use as a left hand piece, mine is too sharp to tap the edge with your finger, and cuts amazingly.
TH-cam, YOU HID THIS VIDEO FROM ME.
Still an excellent video, Matt.
2:00 wikipedia right now states authoritatively that these shapes offer zero advantage in cutting, and youtube videos aren't allowed as sources. Matt, could you perhaps write some kind of an article with some test data, so we can update the wiki with a source?
One more function I want to add is . . against armor. Armor made from fabrics strands.
Straight blade is less effective for cutting rope.
Spiderco brand have navy blade, with small saw tooth, on full length of the blade.
Would be interesting if modern blacksmith, make a curve blade (sword) with small saw tooth.
Hey Mat, could you please do a video on sword grips, e.g. wood, bone, and horn vs leather and/or wire wrapped? Like if you agree, and thanks!
Matt, can I have your opinion on this one? There's one thing I heard a while, not sure if it is to be trusted: the guy gave his theory that flamberg wavy blades were there to protect the blade from breaking. And here's an explanation he gave: if a swing you make meets a defense such as a shield, a spear or some other weapon - you will never strike it as you would with a straight blade. the point of impact will be changing during the hit as the sword slides to fit the wave relative to the object it hits due to it's form. Thus the energy is distributed around the point of impact rather than being at the point. And although logic says its not really likely that this was a purpose of making the blade wavy - it still sounds logical from physics point of view. And that explaination went further as the guy said later 2-handers are straight because basically metallurhy became better and breaking the sword as an object became less of an issue.
Kris type blades, all I know about serrated blades is that they are much preferred for cutting rope. That is the first blade I have seen with such tight curves.
i have been waiting a while for this video thank you.
also just a thought of mine would it be fair to assume that the waves along the length of the blade would also make a wound chanel wider while saving weight over an equally wide straight blade while the hollows might reduce "suction" as the weapon is with drawn from the wound. any thoughts.
Also a main consideration is that it looks cool while being perfectly fine to handle.
I've just noticed, Matt has a new watch.
Moro keris originated from Majapahit empire founded in 13th century. Majapahit was first founded after a downfall of a kingdom in Java, Indonesia. Moro keris was the evolved version of keris that first made in 9th century Java and mainly used in Philipines due to high rate of open wars compared to other place ruled by Majapahit empire
Would it create points of extra stress along the blase when thrusting? This could least to an increase in snapped and broken blades if true. Just wondering.
I believe this on zweihanders had the benefit of making it harder for an opponent to grab the weapon as well.
It also looks cool.
In general the more a blade evolves towards cutting it evolves away from piercing and vice versa right? So aren't these waves an evolutionary cheat, a way to add (some) cutting ability to a piercing oriented blade without sacrificing piercing ability? You don't need them on cutting oriented blades because a curved blade is essentially one big wave. This is the only reason I can think of to go through the extra effort of making the waves and maintaining them over a simple curved blade. The flamberge and celtic lancea had waves, both were primarily piercing blades that also benefited from extra cutting power. A wavy rapier might be another blade that would've benefited. I don't know about the kriss, did their fighting style emphasise piercing but still used some slashing or chops?
My thoughts exactly. Wavy blades gives a cutting improvement for straight blades and curved one doesnt need it. There is a reason chainsaw's surface isnt even, but it got gaps...
finally! i was beginning to think you ditched your kerises or rather Sundang to be precise. More of them!
For a close combat weapon, looking scary and outlandish is probably a plus.
When did the wahaika on the wall get there? Will fighting clubs be featured in an upcoming video?
@scholagladiatoria: could you do a video, where this sword is beeing used? Maybe a compare to a normal Blade in similar length. Cutting though tatami for example
The Wavy Blade Army always hated the dreaded Sharpening Day
And I was sure this is some kind of fancy fantasy sword. Nice!
"This is a particularly wiggly example." I don't know why but I just lost it when he said that! 5:29
Hey Matt Easton, cheers folks here.
Hey Matt. Just adding a bit, the number of waves were more related to bragging right of the wealthy as they can pay a swordsmith of considerable skill and there were also times where the the number of waves on the blade on could get is limited by their social standing. Like when you try to show of wavier blade infront of a sultan and you're only a chieftain, he may take offense with it or ask you who made your Kris. More often than not, it depended form one group of chieftains to another as the Philippines where not completely unified in the emergence of the Kris, referring to the latter point and the former point is more for 19 century onwards
Of Moro descent here, I'd like to say that when you stab and twist someone with a Kris; there'll be a wound that would be quite hard to close. It's similar to the triple-edged knife's purpose, though more ancient and not as effective; yet still, it is very deadly.
I was under the impression that the Moro kris was a status symbol for the noble class when I did my projects... maybe it's a feat of design
I was taught in Kali that the wave on the kris was used to trap the opponent's arm to create an opening in the opponent's guard for a strike to the torso or head. Maybe a similar purpose with the 2-handed swords for polearm hafts?
Wavy blade also increases the perimeter of the cutting edge without increasing length.
There's a cutting dynamic here, where in a slash, the relative edge angle gets effectively sharper (More acute) when you cut laterally, instead of chopping straight in. With this kind of seration, this edge angle changes, (Between concave, and convex) more, and less acute, as the serrations undulate over the work you're cutting. (Obviously something soft, like flesh, leather, or cloth. Not metal, or hard wood. Some succulent tropical stalks, as a machete, though.) With cloth, pointed serrations can get caught, especially in silk which is relatively cut resistant for it's fiber diameter. These rounded serrations don't catch, and drag that fabric along, so may actually cut silk better. (Though I haven't actually tested this myself. With a kris vs let's say a serrated Spiderco on Silk.)
Hey scholar got a question how do you date your wepons. I found an old hewing axe in a creek it appears to be 18th century but I would like to know for sure
Didn’t the celts have a spear with a wavy bladed head?
Could be wrong. I just think I remember that from somewhere
They had the same sort of spearheads as other peoples. You may have read speculation about Cuchulain's gae bolga spear, which made one wound going in and three when pulled out.
Another reason might be that for the same reason that the closest path to two points is a straight line, the blade might be shorter than a straight blade made of the same amount of metal
I'm curious if it would be a good idea to have a longsword with a 36 inch blade with a wavy blade would be practical
this is a great video. i always wondered why the funny looking blades were a thing. my questions is what are the disadvantages of this shape as everything you said makes it sound better. Also, does this blade shape work well at knife lengths ?
It's also a fine wavy knife and there's only 3 disadvantages
Scabbard would get damage and it's hard to unsheathe
Hard to create
Hard to maintain
I worked in antique arms for a short while. Wavier Kris are indeed generally more decorated, with rarer matierals, or with more "showy" techniques, revealling their owner's social level. However I'm not aware of any document indicating the direct relation with number of waves and heirarchy.
BTW, I personally have a flamberge Ottoman Khanjar and it's my favourite piece.
i always had the opinion that a wavy blade also improved thrusting, not in penetration, it obviously resists that but instead in damage. your essentially using the same weight and materiel as a normal blade (ok slightly more than a normal blade to get the same length) but getting a much larger diameter between the crescent of each wave as its being pushed into a material, opening a larger wound channel than the actual thickness of the blade would suggest. the shape of the blade would also not be as drastic on drag through an object as a blade indicative of the wound channel it creates because it would still have less material than the larger blade it emulates in contact with the material its thrusting into.
I think one more consideration might be the effect on the mechanical strength/weight of wiggly blades. There are more stress concentrations and the lines of force don't flow as directly as in a straight or simple curved blade, meaning for a blade of equal length and mechanical strength wavy blades might be either heavier or more expensive to make.
True, but you don't always want the lowest mass necessary for a sufficient strength of blade because a weapon can be too light to perform well.
If your metallurgy is good enough or the sword short enough, you may want to find something else to do with that mass.
Taking the example in the video, that sword could loose quite a bit of mass without even removing the waves or compromising its strength.
I read somewhere (actually, in a novel, but a very thoroughly researched historical novel by Neil Stephenson) that wavy blades on rapiers were to prevent the opponent grabbing your blade. This made sense to me, as treatises do teach grabbing of the opponents' blade in rapier fighting, and grabbing a wavy blade would seem to result in severed fingers. Might also aid in preventing over-penetration?
When you take the same amount of steel for a blade, would it be shorter with a wavy blade? Or is the center cross section generally thiner. It may depens... but anyhow, would be nice to know if there is an average. maybe general blade stability with bad steel could be an issue if the length stayes the same for the weight.
Do you think the waves have any use in parrying/blocking/binding? They look like good friction and small capture points, and that 2 wavy blades would have a much different interaction on contact than 2 non-wavy blades
They are just works of art, it takes some effort to make one I am sure.
I would love to have a wavy bladed rapier, kind of an expensive way of ameliorating the lessened cutting performance compared to an arming sword or side sword.
Good video, but i hoped to see something about blocking/parrying with a wavy blade, as I am sure that it will have a great effect on the mechanics, with the opponents sword probably not sliding off the blade as easily as it is the case with straight swords.
Also, would there be a lot of vibration if somebody hits a wavy blade with a straight sword?
Anybody more ideas how the wavy shape would effect combat?
Do wavy blades have any major effect on interactions with your opponent's blade, such as during a bind?
ive heard its easier to catch blade and prevent from sliding off during a bind
When parrying with a wavy blade it'll cause the attackers blade to vibrate intensely, effectively slowing their swing with the increased friction. However that's only if you're parrying another sword since most other weapons had wooden handles which absorb the vibrations
BTW, the flamberge patern of blades also increase the amount of stress you put on enemie blades while they are parrying, augmenting the chances of them breaking (speaking of small swords) it also helps at breaking lances.
it is not that mutch significant in blades breaking, but breaking 2% to 4% more swords is already a big improuvement. and for lances it is more around 10% to 20% more breaking power.
I also wonder about the way it would feel as the blades move past each other. Not that I think there would be enormous vibrations that cause your opponent to drop his weapon. But, given the relative rarity, it might just feel strange enough to throw your opponent a bit off his game.
By it's very nature it must cause a differential vibration in any contact where blades would slide against one another in edge contact sliding one against the other at much of any angle...
It would be distracting to the opponent to some degree.
So now I have a new thing to want. Hmmm
Want a sword...build a sword! Yup going to take a pretty good chunk of 1084 and 15N20. Lots of folding and forge welding.
Wonder what it would look like in raindrop Damascus pattern. HMMMMM lol what if one were to put a 1 in 3in twist in the billet a use that as a starting point for the serpentine wave?
In SE Asia the shorter Kris daggers were usually regarded as a close quarters, assassin's weapon, and were also used by court executioners... both because they more easily slipped past bone.
I saw the flamberge rapier on a recent episode of Forged In Fire. One was too tip-heavy and not very effective, but the other one was well balanced and could cut remarkably well, though obviously not so well as an actual cutting-oriented sword. Still, I'm completely sold on the idea: I want one of those
you would have more subs and views i think if you added pictures and popups once in a while to keep visual stimulation because your video is really good and educational. i liked it a lot and i think it should have more views. just a friendly thought
Someone brought up the likeness to bread knives but they usually have a concave edge, even though there are some bread knives with convex edges aswell. What are the differences in cutting ability between a wavy convex and concave edge?