Or, what amych said.

Who I was going to rec as a sabre consultant, since I am not. StY is a long-time martial arts student, knows Japanese swordwork, and we have had extensive conversations about it, and he's available for consult when I need it. H was a college fencer and has been my consultant in random knowledge. But my sabre is merely decorative in function at the moment, and has an intentionally blunted edge, and I am clueless as to how one would wield it.

The blades I lust after are 12th century European two and three-handed broadswords and Scots claymores--relatively blunt iron blades of very little finesse. I imagine a sort of edged bludgeon.

Wikipedia supports bronze.

I am with amych on Bronze (=copper+tin) vs Brass (=copper+zinc). Hey, I didn't study The Bronze Age for nothin'. Also of interest: [link] which shows tensile strength and hardness of various copper alloys.

Bronze it is.

Thanks, y'all!

Loves me some hivemind.

I repeat, amych knows whereof she speaks--I retract my brass and throw my opinion behind her bronze.

Dude, I JUST taught a lesson on metallurgy, including talk about the Bronze Age. Of course, I know nothing about brass, but I do know that bronze started an age because it was more useful than copper or tin by their lonesomes.

throw my opinion behind her bronze.

I'd like to get behind amych's bronze, too....

t does Grouch Marx eyebrows

msbelle! Overzealous healthy!coworker clearly has no appreciation for moderation in all things.

Sox, were it possible, I would print text for you. Correcting onscreen is Less Fun.

New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa,

While the dolphin story was heartening (Hey! They're not all abductors and rapists, they don't all torture and kill juvenile members of their own species! They're not necessarily Just Like Us!), I now have to go live in a place where random names of things are so melodic.

But brass has the advantage that you can make French horns out of it....

One of my characters is going to carry this sword, and if the book sells I'm buying it to celebrate: [link] I still need to pick a sword for my other hero--his probably needs to be a little more fancy/distinctive.

Those of you who've been around awhile might remember my DH's head exploding over my intent to buy a working replica Baker rifle if my last book had sold. He's relieved at the idea of me being sword-toting rather than gun-toting. But I still want my Baker rifle, eventually...