Hubby's friend handmade me a 4 foot sword with an antler and brass grip.
At a point about 2 1/2-3 inches away from the hilt, you can balance it on one finger.
[he was sorta surprised when "balancing it" was the first thing I did when he handed it to me]
Dunno how he does it but although it's heavy it's like swinging a feather....:)
Some of those bladesmiths are akin to magicians.
And some people are just very skilled with it to the point of seeming magical.
I'd still love to know how they do it.
(And make one or three myself.)
Dunno how he does it but although it's heavy it's like swinging a feather....:)
Well, I think you've already hit on it. If you think of a sword as a lever, then the balance point is the fulcrum. By moving your hand gripping the hilt, the blade pivots around the balance point, delivering great angular momentum and force out further on the blade. This force is further concentrated by the small area of the cutting edge at the point of impact.