The inside view, design, and construction of factory blades that come to us for repair

[Egon]

From my experience, just removing the edges below the chord makes the blade 20Hz slower and a little more flexible. Other solutions are change of the handle, like Victas Award Offensive or cutting channels above the handle, like Yasaka Gatien Extra 3D. Award Offensive handle change one of my blades from 1200Hz to 1050Hz, was too much flex, but fun to play.

The frequency changes as the blade size changes. As the blade size decreases, the frequency increases. By the way, the speed in the game also increases, but control (may the BrokenBall forgive me), in my opinion, decreases.

 

[Lazer]

The frequency changes as the blade size changes. As the blade size decreases, the frequency increases. By the way, the speed in the game also increases, but control (may the BrokenBall forgive me), in my opinion, decreases.

BB has been gone for ages, but I hear Your concern... Do not wake the sleeping tiger....

Cheers
L-zr

 

[belllfador]

The frequency changes as the blade size changes. As the blade size decreases, the frequency increases. By the way, the speed in the game also increases, but control (may the BrokenBall forgive me), in my opinion, decreases.

I agree but will add some thoughts.

Blade frequency is related to speed and stiffness but can be misleading when it is used for comparison of blades with different mass and dimensions. Type of wood can affect blade behavior as well, carbon layers, etc. Just frequency can be useful to trace changes in the same blade (signs for delamination, moisture, glue degradation) or rough comparison of blades with similar composition.

The logic behind blade frequency is basic physics - mechanical resonance, related to elasticity and mass. Heavy and flexible blades will have lower frequency. Change of the blade dimensions affect both variables. Some examples: the reduction of Sword Razor head from 165x155 to 160x155mm, increase frequency from 1160 to 1190Hz. Removing wood edges below the chord adds 20Hz more with loss of unsignificant weight. Above the handle is where most of the bending happens. So, removing wood around that area will impact blade stiffness and frequency more.

Blade control is something subjective and depends on rubbers and play style. Stiffer blade is bad for looping, but is good for blocking and smashing. Heavy blade provide more stability but require more physical effort.

 

[WeakLoops]

I like this data you're gathering @Egon . Interesting to see how blades that even cost a few hundred dollars are not immune to variations in their blades. Have you worked on OSP or Nittaku (instrument line) blades and were there also variations like youre seeing on butterfly and DHS high end blades?

 

[Egon]

I like this data you're gathering @Egon . Interesting to see how blades that even cost a few hundred dollars are not immune to variations in their blades. Have you worked on OSP or Nittaku (instrument line) blades and were there also variations like youre seeing on butterfly and DHS high end blades?

OSP blades has never been sent for repairs, Nittaku blades have been sent, but of different types, so there are no statistics yet. I was surprised by the Xiom Stradivarius blade, which I plan to write about soon.

 

[lodro]

Now you know what to do ))

Brutalizing blades with a dremel is nothing new for me but i never had this invaluable information before. Just for the general amusement this pic shows a blade i really like but it never quite fitted my small hand. Now it does 😂 P.S you are looking at FH and i am a lefty)

 

[Egon]

I don't know why, but we used to think of the Xiom Stradivarius as a budget alternative to the Viscaria. After repairs, it turned out they're completely different blades.
The first difference is the cavities in the handles and blade itself. The second difference is the completely different fiber, in which the aramid fibers are arranged longitudinally and the carbon fibers are transversely. The third difference is the very large chord – 92 mm. And the fourth difference is the very hard glue used to attach the handles. Often, to remove the handles, we use heat, a utility knife, and patience. This time, heat didn't help at all; my patience was running out, and the handles still wouldn't budge. In the end, I won this battle, but I came away completely exhausted
Blade Parameters:.
Head Size - 149х157 mm
Weight - 84 grams
Thickness - 5.9 mm
Chord - 92 mm!
Handle - Fl 100,6 mm in length, there are cavities in the handle and blade itself
Frequency after repair - 1523 Hz
Balance after repair - 34 mm

 

[lodro]

This time, heat didn't help at all; my patience was running out, and the handles still wouldn't budge. In the end, I won this battle, but I came away completely exhausted

Ohhhshit ! what a mess. Some things are really here to try our patience. Do you think the glue was the famous Xiom musical instrument glue ? 😂 😂 😂

 

[Egon]

1-ply wood hinoki Blade Armstrong Castellian made in Japan.
To avoid what happened in the photo, be very careful with these blades.
By the way, there was a surprise here too. For some reason, the weight decreased after the repair, even though we didn't do anything to reduce the weight. I think the blade dried out.

 

[Wakkibatty]

Ohhhshit ! what a mess. Some things are really here to try our patience. Do you think the glue was the famous Xiom musical instrument glue ? 😂 😂 😂

Couldn't be the glue, unless Xiom takes a very liberal interpretation of the words 'traditional', 'instrument' and 'glue'.

Traditionally, luthiers used either hard hide glue or else some other protein-based glue. Main reason being, hide glue is fully reversible with the application of heat and water. If the glue didn't at least soften a little with the application of heat, then it wasn't hide glue.

 

[Egon]

Ohhhshit ! what a mess. Some things are really here to try our patience. Do you think the glue was the famous Xiom musical instrument glue ? 😂 😂 😂

It looks very much like it was cyanoacrylate glue.

 

[Egon]

Since I share blade balance data in my posts on repairing and making new blades, someone might be interested in how quickly and easily this can be done.
I call this method the three-ruler method, since it requires three rulers. In principle, you can get by with two rulers, but three is more convenient. Perhaps someone else has an easier way to do this? Let me know.
The method is simple. Take a ruler, place it edgewise on a table, and hold it there. For example, I use two clamps. Place the blade on it, and find the balance point where the handle and blade balance. Then place a second ruler on this line, and use a third ruler to measure the distance to the handle.
Based on this data, you can draw conclusions about the blade's balance. And this is very important. Conventionally, up to 30 mm is considered lower balance, which means heavier rubber can be used. And vice versa. This method can also be used to indirectly judge whether the handle has cavities, as some people like them and others don't.

 

[Egon]

Another great Butterfly defensive blade is in the repair - Joo Saehyuk
Composition 5-plywood planchonello?/koto/ayous/koto/planchonello?
Head size - 165x156 mm
Thickness - 5,94 mm
Chord - 87 mm
Weight - 104,4 gr
Handle - St 100x22,9x28,5mm no cavities
Balance - 39 mm high
Frequency - 1195 Hz
The intermediate layer is definitely koto, as is the central layer, ayous, but the surface wood is something I haven't personally encountered, possibly planchonello. Judging by the way it was removed during the renovation, it's a fairly soft wood.

 

[returnee]

This is a great topic on the forum—there is a lot to learn from it. Well done for sharing your knowledge and for the excellent photos that show your work on repairing the blade.

I have a few logical questions. I understand that repairing damage on the edges of the blade head (from stronger or weaker hits against the table) will have very little or no influence on the blade’s characteristics after the repair.

However, I don’t think the same applies if the blade completely breaks at its weakest point, which also carries the greatest stress — the area just above the handle scales. I also understand that you very carefully joined the large part of the main blade face with the smaller part located below the handle scales.

You probably did this using small wooden dowels about 1–2 mm in diameter and very precise drilling with drill bits of that size. In the end, with wood glue and properly adjusted clamps, everything was pressed together carefully and precisely to create a strong joint.

For example, ordinary wooden toothpicks—the kind sometimes used as small eating utensils—could be quite suitable for something like this, or something similar.

However, in my opinion, a blade repaired in this way can never have exactly the same feeling as it had before it was broken and damaged. It may even feel better than the original in someone’s hand, but that is completely subjective.

With such a joint, the characteristics of the main blade face inevitably change.

If I’m mistaken, please feel free to correct me.

 

[Egon]

This is a great topic on the forum—there is a lot to learn from it. Well done for sharing your knowledge and for the excellent photos that show your work on repairing the blade.

I have a few logical questions. I understand that repairing damage on the edges of the blade head (from stronger or weaker hits against the table) will have very little or no influence on the blade’s characteristics after the repair.

However, I don’t think the same applies if the blade completely breaks at its weakest point, which also carries the greatest stress — the area just above the handle scales. I also understand that you very carefully joined the large part of the main blade face with the smaller part located below the handle scales.

You probably did this using small wooden dowels about 1–2 mm in diameter and very precise drilling with drill bits of that size. In the end, with wood glue and properly adjusted clamps, everything was pressed together carefully and precisely to create a strong joint.

For example, ordinary wooden toothpicks—the kind sometimes used as small eating utensils—could be quite suitable for something like this, or something similar.

However, in my opinion, a blade repaired in this way can never have exactly the same feeling as it had before it was broken and damaged. It may even feel better than the original in someone’s hand, but that is completely subjective.

With such a joint, the characteristics of the main blade face inevitably change.

If I’m mistaken, please feel free to correct me.

You are absolutely right, after repair the blade will not be new, but this does not mean that it will be worse than new .

 

[lodro]

You probably did this using small wooden dowels about 1–2 mm in diameter

There are also 1.5mm thick carbon fiber rods on the market which are perfect for jobs like that.

 

[Egon]

A great old Stiga Erik Lindh blade, made in Sweden. Over time, the glue failed and the top veneer had come off in chunks. There was also some delamination of the internal parts, which we also fixed. The handle lens looks very classy. Why don't they make them like this anymore?

 

[kapahoo]

A great old Stiga Erik Lindh blade, made in Sweden. Over time, the glue failed and the top veneer had come off in chunks. There was also some delamination of the internal parts, which we also fixed. The handle lens looks very classy. Why don't they make them like this anymore?
View attachment 40788

Agree! The handle shape is also great.

 

[Egon]

Butterfly Keyshot Light blade 3 layers of wood + 2 layers of pure arylate (no carbon).
This was a long-standing repair and there will be few technical details on this blade, but still in the photo you can see what the red arylate looks like and also a very large cavity in the handle.
The core is probably ayous, but that's not accurate , the surface is koto.
Weight - 87/88 gr
Frequency before repair - 1324Hz
After repair -1406Hz

 

[returnee]

I’m interested in whether the handle grip plates can be easily removed when they are factory-glued. A friend has an old Viscaria that he has been playing with for more than 10 years, and the handle plate on the FH side — the one with the small Viscaria badge — is quite damaged. For now, he has a piece of cork glued there and sanded down.

He has bought new high-quality handle grip plates and would like to replace the old ones. Thank you for your answer.