SaberSmith brand any good?

I double checked the weight of that jian and found that it had indeed been weighed with scabbard. Weight of the sword alone is just under 2 lbs.

While MUCH of the info posted on SFI is misinformation at best, Scott Rodell is one of the best in the field of antique Chinese swords. I have visited with him at his home several times.

I would throw away your figure of 40%. That doesn't fit ANY of the historical pieces I have seen. Even the 350 yr. old battle jian in my lap right now has a POB only 2 1/2 inches out from the guard. And it's a heavy at around 3 lbs.

A really basic rule is that if it doesn't feel good in your hand then it isn't a sword you could actually use. Most beginning swordsmen use way to much wrist and arm. Try cutting using the legs, waist, and shoulder.

Daniel
 
I try to maintain good relations with the good people at SFI, even though over the last few years I have come to see biases and mob mentality there even moreso than here (no place is perfect though). I do understand what you mean by misinformation, which is why I have usually taken things with a grain of salt. The same I think applies to Netsword and BFC and other places as well, but we all do the best we can to sort through and find the pearls of information. There is not a great deal of solid research available, nor do I have any collections that I can look at to learn about Chinese swords, so Scott Rodell has been a good resource for me.

A post of Scott's seems to coincide with the 40% estimation, which you said to throw out entirely. This is one of those strong contradictions that make me question what is right, and frustrates the hell out of me because I can't just go test and find out on my own!

http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11207

He mentions in the second to last post in that thread:
There really shouldn't be any debate at the proper balance point for a jian. I've handled hundreds of Qing period examples & they all have essentially the same balance. And by the way, the few genuine Ming & Korean examples I've handled, balance the same as the Qing period jian.

This balance point is usually about 6 inches ahead of the guard for a 'full' length chang jian. But you shouldn't judge the balance by inches but by how the sword handles. A properly balanced jian will easily rotate tip forward to back for a quick, smooth transition from deflecting to draw cutting (chou).
Click to expand...

I definitely agree with his comment about not judging by a balance point specifically (I suggest this for Japanese swords too) but having a number is often nice to give an idea of where that weight should be.

I know folks who think that the balance should be far out near the tip so the sword follows through easier and cuts more powerfully, but also folks who think the balance should be at the guard if at all possible to make the tip move quickly for delicate work and the tip flicks and what-not. The way I tend to move the jian, the "typical" specs I have received through reading Scott's posts make a lot of sense to me, but without having used a high quality jian for form, I am left a little curious about modifying the way I move.

In the production and even much of the custom blade world, there's not much to be found in the way of high quality jian, so I feel a little deprived :grumpy:.
 
I'm from Hong Kong. I can read Chinese and I've plenty chances to see some antique jians.

The 40% figure is indeed accurate in my opinion. If you goto http://www.chinesesword.net and check out the exhibition room, you'll find that all dao and jian have balance point at around 40%, very specific. Even the bronze one has the same balance rule.

Moreover, this 40% figure is recorded in the book

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¥_¨ÊÊ^¨|¤j¾Ç¥Xª©ªÀ
®]¨û®eµ¥¾ã²z

translation:

Sun style taiji jian
Beijing Sports University Publication
Written by Sun Su Yung and others

In the book, it's said that the balance should be of 2/5 total length, which is exactly 40%.

Not to mention that it fits what Scott's said as well. :) The problem is that not many people realize how far out the balance an antique jian has. They thought jian must be so light and whippy that the balance has to be close to guard.
 
and, for those of you who have high-end tastes, get yerself one of the jians or daos from this site.
http://www.chinesearms.com/

I have dealt with Alex before and purchased two spearheads from the late Ming Dynasty (450-500 years old) and they have a wonderful assortment of old Wushu weapons as well.

Alex does the restoration himself.

Keith
 
Hey Keith...

That is one site I periodically refer to in hopes of seeing a jian I would like to see a reproduction of. The only issue I have with the jian there is in terms of aesthetics. Their assortment of chang jian doesn't change a whole lot, and the ones they currently have don't appeal to my visual tastes all that much. If I'm going to pay over $2000 for a Chinese sword, it needs to appeal to me on all levels...being an antique alone doesn't cut it :D

Yeah I'm a pain in the butt, I know.

Sorry for veering way off the original topic of this thread...
 
Alex has more stuff than is actually posted on the site. If you email him wit what you're looking for, He'll contact you when he finds a match. After i got the 2 spearheads, he lets me know when he's got newer ones in, or specialones he thinks i'll like.

Continuing the Tradition of OT.

Keith
 
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