I don't use this sword when I am playing with the
Live Steel Enthusiasts of America, I use a cheapie.

The sword is patterned from actual swords used by French troops during the 100 year war between France and England near Poitiers, France. Which is why it is advertised by "Swords-n-Stuff.com" as the "Poitiers Sword" in their "Battle Ready" offerings.

You may want to see my design for an IDEAL "Modern Battle Sword".

It is carbon steel, and seemed like a great buy at the time.
When I decided to put a sharp on the blade, I ran across a problem with it.
There was an area about 4 inches long starting at about 3 1/2" from the tip that was MUCH harder than the rest of the blade.
After looking closer I could see that whoever ran the belt to cut the taper to the edge had allowed the steel to become much hotter than the rest of the blade, I can see that the grind there was over cut, probably because the sander did another cut there, and did it slower, without letting the blade cool between passes.

When the blade was tempered, that part of the blade did not temper out, it remained harder. I don't like a bright blade anyways, so I put the blade into a fire, and packed around the handle with snow until I could see that the steel had heated to the same dull red through that area, then rapidly cooled it by cutting into snow for several minutes. I've had a sword maker tell me that what I did was probably NOT the smartest thing I could have done to it. However I managed to get it right enough that it's not ruined, and will likely outlast me by many years to come.

We have probably all seen the movies, where the hero carries some impossibly long sword around on some sort of harness that suspends the blade so the handle is conveniently placed just behind the head of the hero. As if that were a comfortable and natural place to carry a sword, in a harness, across your back.

I carried a 1903 Argentine Mauser bayonet, with a 15 inch blade, about 20 inches overall for about 10 years before I bought my Poitiers blade. I tried for a solid WEEK to contrive some sort of harness that allowed me to carry it across my back.
I have some advice for those of you silly enough to try it. It's uncomfortable as hell, and it will keep you from bending over or sitting. The blade will flop away from your back and catch on damn near everything you come near. You'll have to stand with your shoulders behind your ass or the hilts will either be banging your ear with every step, or so far away from your head that you'll need help to get it out if you need it.You BETTER hope you never you need to get your blade out quickly. Unless you are pulling a blade that is less than the distance from inside your elbow to your wrist in overall length, you will certainly lose!

This is how I carry my sword, note the wide strap from my right shoulder, it runs a simple loop down to just above the bottom of my ribs, through the belt loop of the scabbard, then back up over my right shoulder.

Yeah. I can hear you thinking to yourself, "What an idiot. Does he actually think he's going to meet and fight someone else silly enough to carry a sword?", and "He's watched way too many movies, and has some sort of mental illness that makes him think he's some sorta 'Immortal' in a "Highlander" flick!, Oh Brother, gimme a break!!"

I live in Northwest Montana, I can be in complete wilderness in less than a half hour, and often do just that! Up here we have Mountain Lion that have been known to stalk, attack, and kill people. (very RARE, but it happens, not nearly as rare as having airplanes fly into skyscrapers, which says something about your "civilized" sensibilities.)
Black bears have been known to do EXACTLY the same thing, stalk and kill humans. Grizzly bears have killed people, but I have NEVER heard of one actually stalking a human, for any reason. We have wolves up here as well, but the ones I have seen the most, spend more time sitting on the couch than attacking anything, SIT, Woof!

When I lived near Tacoma Washington, I ended up being homeless for a while, about six months from December until June. During that time I "lived" in an alley beside my jobsite, at "40" Rentals in Federal Way, WA. I was rousted 3 separate times by someone trying to rummage through my belongings, at least twice I chased them off, and I was armed with my 15" bayonet blade, I had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and often did carry a Colt .380 as well.
Being in an area surrounded by houses, and street traffic, I did not feel comfortable poppin' caps if I could avoid it, and whenever there is gunfire, the cops show up way too quickly. (or not near quickly enough, depending on which end of the barrel you happened to be.) Pulling the blade was quiet, and impressed the hell out of at least 2 no-gooders. Oh yeah, the 3rd time I was rousted? That was the cops, it seems they decided to run a "rookie training scenario", using ME as the experimental bad guy. If someone had told me, I would have been happy to help them out, and probably could have been a lot more instructive. Oh well, as it was, the "rookie" almost got a screwdriver stuck in him, before the other cop reminded him to look at my hands. Anyways, I got handcuffed, (officer safety issues, and that rot, ya know), while the rookie played with my Colt, calling in the numbers on the radio, I watched the barrel during this time and noticed 4 SEPARATE instances that my weapon was inadvertantly pointed directly at ME. I called over the cop who looked to be in charge, of the six officers on scene. I asked him quietly if my weapon was safe, and as we both looked at the "rookie" the barrel once again came across me, and this time, the COP in charge, also was in line. The senior officer asked the rookie if he had checked that the weapon was safe.
I carried that Colt with a round in the pipe, 5 in the clip, hammer down, safety OFF!
I was stting, cuffs behind, and watched as the "rookie" explained that yeah, he had the numbers back from the "radio" and the weapon was "safe". The Senior guy sighed, and asked him if the gun is "loaded"? The rookie got a confused look on his face, and jacked the action back, which of course ejected a Winchester "Silvertip" onto the hood of his patrol car.
Are you following the action here? I just ask that you imagine what it feels like to have that barrel now pointed AGAIN across your chest, and realize that the trigger is being controlled by someone who behaves in a confused fashion that pulling the slide back ejects a live round of ammo. Of course the slide is released, and smartly snicks another round from the clip, and chambers it!

I was having some sorta nightmare, watching the news and seeing King County trying to explain why some rookie cop shot a handcuffed citizen, with the legally licensed handgun he had confiscated FROM that citizen, as the rookie clumsily jacked 5 more rounds onto the hood of his car. I still remember his look of proud accomplishment as he finally unloaded my weapon, rendering it "safe".
 

Several nights later, I was leaving Tacoma, and The cops pulled me over. They were waiting for me actually. They wrote me a ticket for no helmet of course. They seemed somewhat perturbed that I had not elected to carry my 15" blade, I am certain that someone on the force really wanted that blade for his collection. In any case after they disarmed me, which is a 20 minute search and pickpocket ordeal for them, (usually they miss at least some sorta shit I have tucked away), they put me in the back seat, (unusual, very strange days, Mama), and gleefuly handed me a prepared statement, (just for me), that I was asked to sign indicating that I was aware that possession of a knife with a blade length over 3.5 inches was a crime, and that I was being arrested for possessing such a blade, and that such blade was being confiscated. Naturally, the fact that I was about to become a felon, meant that I was gonna lose my carry permit, AND my beloved Colt .380 Mustang. They were gonna get King County to pack up all my goodies in my alley, including my bayonet and GRBRK, and I'd be left with nuthin!

The next day I spoke with my Snap-On dealer and bought the BIGGEST damned screwdriver he had.
This is what it measures, blade length 20", shank width, (square) 1/2", total length is 26 1/2". Which is a bigger tool than my bayonet was! Of course I contrived a shoulder harness similar to what I use now for my Poitiers, and carried my "driver" religiously whenever I rode into Tacoma. On one occasion, I was due in court, Pierce County, for a helmet ticket, (go figure, but that is another story, I ended up beating 25 out of 30 tickets before I got so pissed that I left WA State, I was only convicted of one, the first one I got which was some crooked Judge between Tacoma and Seattle who thought the law was whatever she said it is, and besides she ran the collection agency for that town and stood to get a cut of the profits).

Anyways, I dutifully found the Police clerk, and patiently explained that I was due in Court, and the law does not allow me to carry my firearm into the courtroom, so you HAVE to receipt it for me, and no I can't lock it in my car because I don't OWN a car, I ride a motorcycle and no it has nowhere I can lock up a firearm, and yes I have a concealed weapons permit and yes, I'll be back for it and the rest of my armament, as soon as I beat this helmet ticket, (remember that night they made me sign the paper about blade length? yeah that ticket! And yes, I beat it, easily.)

In any case the Judge had some good humor about the whole affair, and never mentioned the fact that I was more dangerous now than if they had just left me the FUCK alone in the first place. The helmet ticket? Like I said, a non-issue, they wrote the law with 2 distinct exemptions, "Antique Motor-driven Cycles" and "Vehicles equipped with a roll bar and seat belts", my sled at that time had a DOT approved seat belt installed, but I would never WEAR the thing, (motorcycles are specifically exempt from being forced to wear a seat belt), and I have a roll bar installed, (the sissy bar is installed such that it prevents the vehicle from rolling on top of me and crushing me, assuming I was stupid enough to be on it in that case, because I was wearing that silly seat belt, which is the primary stated LEGAL purpose of a roll bar as concerns Washington state law.) The prosecutor got smart in King County and discovered that even though no judge was ever going to rule on what an "Antique" is, there is a legal definition of a "Motor-Driven Cycle", which means that the engine produces no more than 5 Brake horsepower whatever that is. My Harley 45 CI manual states that the engine produces 6 Brake Horsepower.
Somehow my defense attorney convinced me to produce that manual in court and read that part. (I'll NEVER trust a lawyer within blade length of me AGAIN!) Thank the WA State Legislature for also exempting the part about seat belts and roll bars.
Basically the Judge at that point threw up his hands and told me it didn't matter what the law says, he is convicting me and I have 30 days to cough up the fine. As I was leaving WA State I posted a letter to that King County Judge, patiently explaining that I understood that if I stayed, he'd have me arrested, and that I understood that if I wanted to keep my freedom I'd have to pay for it. Then I explained to him, as a WWII veteran, he should understand this, I'll never PAY for my freedom! I will FIGHT for it, I will DIE fighting for my freedom, but I won't pay for it.

As anyone can tell you if they are honest, after battle, ya feel a bit shaky and confused.

Now the the other dog is gone, Woof is threatening to entangle me in the harness, my blade is seriously in my way of getting me, the scooter and Woof all untangled and ready to go again. Sooo, I'm standing there along side the residential street trying clumsily to get the blade tip started into the scabbard and what with Woof jerking me around, and getting the shakes started from "battle", not having a good time of it. After several attempts I finally get my blade fully sheathed and slung out of the way enough to get me, and Woof untangled. As I was turning to get Woof turned around to begin unwinding us I see several cars stopped on the street, and several sets of eyes in those cars watching me. It was obvious that at least some of them had seen enough of the events to understand what had happened, others had seen something that was not near enough to reality to be believed, and still others had caught just my ridiculously silly attempts to resheathe, and then still others, only enough to know they had missed something, but had not a clue what it was.

So, I smiled and waved at them all, and finished getting Woof ready to go, and the cars moved on, and Woof and I headed home.
A few weeks later I recieved my citizenship award, for that hero stuff, so either the good folks of Flathead Valley trust that folks like me who actually carry a large knife are not necessarily a threat to society at all. OR them folks who saw some wacko beating dogs with a sword were from out of town.