How to Peace Tie Weapons?

[BLAKDUKE]

I have run into this problem before, and while I might have come back(in my younger days)  with "this is our realm let them beware", I also have to realize that they are the paying customers that keep our fantasy going, without them we would be home admiring a vast collection of weapons and garb with no place to go.  However I have to admit changing a bit due to an annoyance on my part.  I do not know if I am shrinking or what, but as of late I have seen an increasing occurance of my rapier scabbard getting caught up in my spurs.  so I am faced with a delicate balancing problem, keeping the tip low enough so as not to blind some wee one and yet high enough so as not to trip over it myself.  My personna is not conducive to a broadsword that hangs down, I have alway carried a rapier except for the first couple of years when I carried a gold swept hilt Charles II blade.   At last years Mobile faire I found a good compromise in a shorter clam-shell hilted court sword.  I will look this weekend to see if my baldric can be modified to have it as a straight down carry or see how far it will stick out with a normal rapier like angle.  If the baldric is not modifiable then I will have to see if I can fashion a frog for my belt.     

[SirRichardBear]

sword frog should be hung from your belt slightly behind the middle of your leg.  When you let your left hand drops to your side it should rest on the hilt of your sword naturally.    The sword itself should angle behind you.  You use your left hand to control the sword angle and direction in crowds the sword should be more directly behind you instead of at your side.  

[BLAKDUKE]

I wholeheartedly agree, however with a 38" blade it is getting increasingly more difficult to control the blade and scabbard and
still enjoy myself at faire.  I find that I tend to wander mentally at the sights and sound of my surroundings and all of sudden I have a slightly miffed parent shouting at me to watch the sword.  So I think it is time for a shorter blade.  I also thought it might be rather unique if I hollowed out a walking staff and put a rapier blade into it.  covering up the cup-hilt, swept hilt, clam-shell, or pappenhiemer hilt would be problematic.   

[Manwariel]

sword frog should be hung from your belt slightly behind the middle of your leg.  When you let your left hand drops to your side it should rest on the hilt of your sword naturally.    The sword itself should angle behind you.  You use your left hand to control the sword angle and direction in crowds the sword should be more directly behind you instead of at your side.  

Thanks I've been wearing it around the house to get used to it

[Carl Heinz]

The reason I went with the two position baldric was so that I could enjoy faire without having to spend a lot of time watching the location of the tip.  Obviously a sword doesn't lend itself too well to a mobility scooter so those days are no more.  A good dagger or other shorter pointie now meets my needs.

I think the question of angle should also consider whether how much attention it will require to avoid bothering others with it.  And, as I've said, kids are at faire, too, and allownaces should also be made for them.  I believe modern military dress swords/sabers are vertical.

[SirRichardBear]

Not totally vertical but its very close its at about a 85 degree angle, tip about three inch behind the leg.  However its no possible to carry a basket sword that way.  Also a veritical carry doesn't work well with a kilt tends to mess up the pleading.

[Carl Heinz]

As long as responsibility is taken for controlling the tip, then it's not a problem.

[SirRichardBear]

In that way I consider it the same as being responsible when I'm on the archery range or when I'm doing a martial arts demo.  You are always responsible for your actions.

[Carl Heinz]

Had some major grump sessions back in AFR days with those who felt it was up to others to avoid their hardware.  Not a problem with those who feel responsible.

[Hoowil]

I try to keep track of my rapier when in crowds or tight spaces, and will even spin it around to hook the tip in front of my left ankle to keep it close. If I'm in an open area, where there aren't too many people, I'll carry it normally. At that point, I keep an eye out, but realistically, if someone runs into it, why were they that close? As I said, this is in open areas.

[Lady Christina de Pond]

thanks for the reminder yall i forgot i need to go home and peace tie my dagger

[Carl Heinz]

I try to keep track of my rapier when in crowds or tight spaces, and will even spin it around to hook the tip in front of my left ankle to keep it close. If I'm in an open area, where there aren't too many people, I'll carry it normally. At that point, I keep an eye out, but realistically, if someone runs into it, why were they that close? As I said, this is in open areas.

I have the "fun" of having to use a mobility scooter so I have to be constantly on the lookout trying to antipicate the movement of those around me.  It's amazing how many near misses I've had with people who suddenly back up or dart rapidly to one side.  I'm not proposing that those carrying pointies need to exercise the same level of care, but it's really interesting to observe how little awareness many people have of what's going on around them.

When you exercise your choice to carry, you assume the responsibility for insuring that it does no injury to others.  You can't be sure that they are sufficiently aware and avoid you.  Nor can you be sure that what you thought was clear space around you won't suddenly have someone in it.

In these days of litigation at the drop of a hat, I can see an instance of someone sueing the event for such an injury.  This would have a chilling effect on all such events and could lead to long pointies being banned.  I'd really not like to see that happen.

[VIII]

Here at Scarborough Faire, performers have a class for carrying weapons.  IF you are going to carry a weapon on-site, even part-time, real or not, you MUST attend one of these classes or you can not carry it.

As far as I can recall, in my 22 years at Scarborough, we have not had an 'incident' (knock-on-wood) with a real weapon since 1990.

As to wooden swords, they are a hazard to life and limb!  We have Student Days and some of those dumb-@ss kids REFUSE to listen!  We have to threaten them with "Security will escort you and your entire group out of here and I will make CERTAIN that they ALL know it is because of YOU that they are sitting in a bus instead of having fun!"

[jcbanner]

we have a student days at my home faire also. its amazing how often we have to tell those kids not to swing those swords around.  but its the supervisors that come with them that I think are the problem there. they act as if once their group is inside the faire grounds, they are suddenly off duty it is the responsibility of the cast to police the kids actions.

there seems to be a strong mentality that since its not a real sword, it cant do any damage, but its still hard and heavy and has a point on it.


back to the other conversation about tip control,  I agree that it is the responsibility of the sword holder to make sure that it is positioned safely, and that they keep an eye on where its is when moving through a crowd, but Its a sad state when its their fault when someone runs into them!  If I'm wearing a sword, and my scabbard smacks someone when I turn around, I'm at fault. but if I'm standing or walking and someone runs into it because they aren't paying attention, its no different than if they ran into me, they are at fault.

whatever happened to personal responsibility?  Where if you screwed up, that was it?  Now, if you screwed up, its someone else's fault because there was the potential for someone else to do something stupid?

[SirRichardBear]

I've heard the story its only a wooden sword numerous times.  I always counter with the story of Miyamoto Musashi who fought over 60 duels many of them with a wooden sword and never lose and in fact killed the majority of his opponent with just his wooden practice sword.   But I agree the real blame is with the adults first for not teaching proper manners and behavior to there little angles and second for not controlling them when they are out in public.

My biggest problem is with my long bow not even carrying the arrows a six foot bow is a little difficult in crowds.