All blades intended for use in SCA rapier combat, (including fighter practices, demos, tournaments, or melees) must first be inspected. Any blade that is degtermined by the marshals to be unsafe (i.e., showing signs of metal fatigue such as a sharp kink or a "soft spot" when it bends) must be removed from use by one of the following methods:

Permanent Marking of Failed Blades: The failed blade shall be painted red or orange for at least half its length, or else cut or broken off so that it is obviously too short for SCA use. The owner of the blade shall choose the method of marking.

Temporary Marking of Passed Blades: Passed blades shall be tagged with a dated, temporary sticker on the forte of the blade near the guard. This sticker is good for that date only, and may be removed at any time if the owner or a marshal decides the blade is no longer safe. Under this method, failed blades may also be tagged with a six-inch "flag" of duct tape near the tip, but this is not mandatory.

Appeals: If a fighterdisagrees with the inspecting marshal's decision, the questionable blade must be inspected by two other marshals. The majority opinion of the marshals shall prevail. The fighter may appeal this decision up the marshallate chain of command, but may not use the questionable blade while the appeal is in process. Fighters are advised to keep a spare blade or two on hand, so that a blade failing inspection is an inconvenience rather than a major problem.

Masks: It is also recommended that if a mask fails a 12-kilo spring punch test, then it should be similarly marked.