[Mokwepa]

Hey guys

Im still on leave and havent picked up a hammer for a few days. Im glad to see the thread still going and a bit more interest from some new fellows. Nice looking work to the recent pics, makes me jelous though, i still need lots of practice. Bought 80kg of anthrasite today so i intend to do just that. Also bought a new bench grinder and wire brush attachment and sanding belts for my belt sander(going to stick to forging though, stock removal doesnt appeal to me yet), drill set and one hell of a fancy volt meter that i have no idea how to use :) Its nice being in civilization again.

The spear im doing is called a Ikwla(dont ask me how to pronounce it) made famous by King Shaka Zulu himself in the late 1800. The zulus origanaly used spears called Isiphaphas (pronounced isifafa, learnt zulu in school for 4 years when i was younger and recognise the phapha part), they were fairly long with a light blade with a balanced shaft and were designed to be thrown. Shaka did not like his warriors disarming themselves and took 2 isiphaphas and had them forged together to create a heavier, stronger blade and gave it a short sturdy handle and called it the Iklwa. These are used for stabing and slashing their apponent. Zulus always disembowled the dead as they believed their spirit was contained in their stomach after death and needed to be released.

These Iklwa's are about 1.2 -1.5 meters in length. The Isiphapha was about 2 -2.5 meters in length. They do not have socketed tangs but they use a spike tang that is inserted into the shaft and is secured with gum and skin fron the tail of a recently slaughterd goat or cow. After the zulus started to trade with the malungus(white people that came from the sea) they used wire to secure the head into the shaft. The blades were origanaly made by a smith who was largely respected by the zulus of that area. It was believed that the smith had magical powers and that certain spears made by him were more effective at killing than others.

Unfortunately there are very few traditional smiths arround (havent met one yet), except a few (not even zulus but tswanas) that forge rubbish blades for rich americans(no offence) visiting our country.

When i start forging after leave, ill get some pics up. Ill hagve a hammer in hand in about 2 days from now.

PS. The zulus are fierce warriors and in 1879 (if i remember corectly) they slaughterd the british using nothing more than their Iklwas and leather shields. Quite impressive i think.:)

[7X57chilmau]

Sounds like a fun project! Will you be using traditional gum'n'skin securement, or more modern wiring?

If you wanted a more durable mounting still, you could make a tapered ferrule from some pipe..... It's alot easier than I'd thought it would be.

J

[hso]

Coal will burn much hotter than charcoal so keep a careful eye on your temperature while you're working with it. You may want to build a forge (http://www.knifenetwork.com/workshop/tut_coal_forge_warner.shtml) just for it since the process of forging with coal is so much more efficient.You can do amazingly well with a scrap brake drum from a truck. Since you're back in civilization look for a better anvil.

http://www.knifenetwork.com/images/wkshp_img/coal_forge/coal_f5.jpg

[Mokwepa]

If you wanted a more durable mounting still, you could make a tapered ferrule from some pipe..... It's alot easier than I'd thought it would be.


Sounds interesting but i have no idea what you are talking about(rough idea but im not sure if im thinking right). Can you explain please.

HSO thanks very much for the diagram. That system is almost identical to my setup except for the easy cleaning drain type thing(ash dump). I am going to have to learn how to watch the temp. ive melted too much steel already by leaving it in with the air sorce on for too long. Its my fault, i must just be more cautious and work slower instead of trying to rush.

Did some more research and am going to have to forge a new blade for my Iklwa. I have a awesome piece of tamboti (historically correct) for the Iklwa. The blade i have been working on will be ideal for a Isiphapha. I am being forced by the higher powers to make a set:)

Oh yes, No gum will be used, cannot and dont know how to extract enough gum (any tip???)

[7X57chilmau]

Heya Mok,

A ferrule is a metal ring that surrounds the spear shaft where the tang enters it. It prevents the wood from splitting out when the spear tip is subjected to side loads. Basically a socket without being a socket.

Just make the blade as you intend. Prepare a hole to suit it in the shaft of the spear, leaving the hole a tight fit.

Forge a 4-6" piece of pipe (start with one close to the diameter of the spear shaft) into a slight taper. Match the OD of the pipe to the spear shaft.

Slightly taper the end of the spear shaft. Loosely slip the ferrule over the shaft, then install the blade and ram the blade home to seat the tang all the way. Use a hammer to ram the ferrule down onto the shaft, compressing the shaft slightly around the tang to hold the works together.

Optionally, the ferrule can now be drilled thru and pinned.

J

[hso]

I am going to have to learn how to watch the temp.

You can get a contact thermocouple and "watch the temp", but what you really need is to be able to control the temp.

You can do that by controlling the air to your fire. If you can't continuously vary your blower then you can put an opening in the pipe between your blower and the forge. Make a cover with a soda/beer can to allow more or less air to escape. The opening should be about 1/3 of the circumference of the pipe and about 8 cm long.

[theotherwaldo]

I used to use pipe caps for ferrules for some of the quick-and-dirty pilae (which were a lot like long-necked isiphaphas). Just drill a hole in the middle of the cap that's the right size to let the iron shaft through, rasp down the end of the wood shaft to where the threads of the pipe cap can get started, use the hole in the cap as a drill guide for the iron shaft hole, tap the iron shaft home, and tighten the pipe cap with a pipe wrench. It holds the iron shaft kind of like a drill chuck.

[Mokwepa]

Make a cover with a soda/beer can to allow more or less air to escape.

Very cleaver, I think i might need to try this on my forge. Thanks HSO, a nice simple solution. I think a beer can would work well, wait, i dont have a empty one, not for long:)

7x57: That also sounds like a good idea. Sounds like it'll be nice and strong.

I used to use pipe caps

Thanks for the idea Waldo, but if a plumber saw my Iklwa, he'd say, thats no zulu spear, thats a spear made by a game ranger using parts from a hardware store. Its a good idea if i was making a spear that i was going to use to kill warthog but im trying to replicate a traditional spear, and a end cap wouldnt be convincing to others, it is still a good idea:), just not for this specific spear.

[theotherwaldo]

Yep.

As we used to say in the SCA, "There's the spears that you show and the spears that you throw. Don't mix 'em up."

I always liked to keep a bunch handy for when the friends drop by. Good, friendly competition always breaks a few shafts... .

-Anyway, didn't the Zulus just use a strip of the hide from the tail of a fresh-killed cow for this?

[7X57chilmau]

I've never had a friendly contest with the spear points actually mounted.... But I have a pathological inability to make a blade that isn't sharp....

We just use 6' x 1.125" dowels bare. That's plenty real enough for me :)

J

[Mokwepa]

Zulus just use a strip of the hide from the tail of a fresh-killed cow for this?

Yes they did.

They basically cut a incision arround the base of the tail and pulled it back (basically skinning the tail in one piece). This left them with a tube of freshly skinned tail. It was usually salted and dried untill needed. Then cut to length, soaked in water and fitted to the shaft and allowed to shrink tight onto the shaft. I might do this if a wildebeest conviniently drowns fairly soon, their arnt many cows being slaughterd regularly where i live. If I cannot get tail skin then ill do the ferrul or wire binding.

[theotherwaldo]

Thanks for the description, Mokwepa. The version that I heard wasn't very clear.

The spears that we made never hunted anything but frogs and hay-bales. I'd dress the bales in carpet-and-tin armor suits, then we'd see who could hit the "chinks" in the armor.

-And we harvested a lot of very tasty frog's legs!

[Mokwepa]

I'd dress the bales in carpet-and-tin armor suits, then we'd see who could hit the "chinks" in the armor.


Dont know if "chinks" is very PC but who cares :) sounds like allot of fun.

I'm off to the happy forging ground. I'll chat and post some pics as soon as I get to a comp. Cheers guys. Thanks for the info.

[theotherwaldo]

Chink means a spot that isn't fully protected by armor. Legs, face, joints, stuff like that. Hitting the helmet (actually half of a frying pan) would bounce the spear half-way back to the throwing line, which brought on a lot of derisive comments from the other competitors. It also tended to break the spear, which is why I redesigned them to be fixed quickly.

[Mokwepa]

Thanks Waldo, ive learnt to be fairly careful on these forums. Never know whos reding :)

Ive finished my Isiphapha. I used a piece of river bush willow for the shaft, nice and straight but im not sure how tough it is. Feels nice and heavy. The tamboti that i had was not straight enough. I used the Bartia bowie to "CHOP" down 5 or 6 branches about 1.5" thick, it was blunt afterwards (wouldnt shave) but i expected it to be. One sesion with my diamond stick and it is as good as a manora. I whraped the shaft with wire and then mixed epoxy with ash from the forge and coverd the binding, might not bet authentic but strong and functional and looks nice and old. Looks like gum mixed with ash and cow dung type of glue, i think it looks good. Ive thrown it a few times and seems strong enough to turn a person into a kebbab :) Ill get a pic up tomorrow when im back at work.

Time for the Iklwa, going to use some other wood shaft though.

[7X57chilmau]

Sounds good.... Waitin' for them pics!

J

[Mokwepa]

Hi guys

Ive been slacking a bit. Promise ill get a pic up soon.

Ive finished the first spear, kind of. I decided to use the head from the isiphapha to make a more modern iklwa(shortly after shakas death). Short shaft. Used a nice piece of tamboti for the shaft but i tried to get away without the HT, bad idea. I figured that after the heat and beat, the steel should be hard enough for a speer after i temperd the blade shaft and tip. Its still too soft and doesnt hold a good edge. Can i HT with the blade in the shaft, thought of wraping a wet towl arround the shaft and bit of the steel blade-shaft. Would this keep the wood cold enough during the heating?

If i get this right, how should i HT a speer(what colors where?) it is designed to be a close combat stabing speer.

[hso]

You don't want it to be brittle so it should be just a tad softer than your big chopper.

[7X57chilmau]

temper to purple/blue... Basically a sword/spring temper. In "battle", you'd prefer a dull spear to a broken one.... But a bent one would be worst!

You can HT the blade while it's hafted if you like, with one risk in doing so: You may leave an short annealed spot on the tang, which could leave that spot bendy. If the tang is fairly substantial, this won't be a problem.

I've been pretty unproductive these last few myself, but I did spend some time playing with my own spear last night.... I can now say with absolute confidence that it will easily penetrate a car door.... And the occupant of the adjacent seat...

For such deceptively simple weapons, spears carry alot of power....

J

[Mokwepa]

For such deceptively simple weapons, spears carry alot of power....

I certainly agree. I played arround with my Iklwa and a car tire. With a tiny amount of effort it goes through both sides of a pickups tire. Would be fun in a road rage confrontation (only kidding, im as peacful as a new born lamb, haha who am i kidding).

[7X57chilmau]

I remember the first time a spear's penetrating power surprised me. It was about a month after making the spear I've posted photos of above.....

I'd spent an inordanent amount of time stabbing my knife-throwing backstop (3/4" ext. ply), water filled pop bottles, and whathave you.... But nothing fleshy...

One day, I spotted a porcupine near the back of my lawn. An hour later, he'd moved only a couple feet. I went out to take a look.

He didn't react much as I approached. I gave him a little whomp from the butt of the spear, to see what was up. It made a weak grunting noise and didn't move. I flipped him over, and it was clear. His belly was laid open with at least a half dozen deep, long gashes across his belly. I assume one of the local bobcats missed a meal. That or bear, nothing else in our wood is likely to cause this sort of grevous injury...

I took it upon myself to end his misery. I swapped to the business end of the spear, and drew back for a powerful stab. schliCLICK! The spearhead penetrated 8" of porc-u-flesh and bone, 4" of sod and topsoil, and had impacted a rock hard enough to bend the last 1/4" of the tip. This blade doesn't show any damage after passing thru a car door.....

Porc was done, so I pitched him in the recycle/compost bin.... The local scavengers don't clean these guys up, ya know.

Seems it would have done the job with only a gentle push. A human ain't a whole lot tougher than these animals. I don't ever want to contemplate having to actually USE this weapon for what it was intended.... But I'll have confidence in it should I ever NEED to...

Those who doubt the efficacy of a spear in warfare have never weilded one, methinks. 'Course, they're the same people who think a spear is primarily for throwing.... Heh.

J

[Mokwepa]

A human ain't a whole lot tougher than these animals

Ive met and carefully handled and hunted these creatures and i can assure you that they are tougher than most humans. I found a site www.huntingwithspears.com (i think, otherwise google it). Its a 75 year old dude that has killed 583 big game animals, including buffalo(cape and american), bears and lion with nothing more than a spear. On 40 occasions, he has thrown 2 spears at the same time and killed 81 animals this way ( I dont know where the extra one comes from). He sells his super duper hunting spears for $250. Quite interesting, have a look.

[7X57chilmau]

That's a hell of a hunting spear he sells! Looks to be ALL business..... I'll have to have a look around that site when I have the time...

J

[Mokwepa]

Chilmau, when you head into the great out doors angain to hunt/kill car doors with your spear, could you take your camera along, id love to see some pics, if its possible.

I saw some footage on CS DVD of car killing, looks loads of fun and a goog test of equiptment. I did buy a CS boar spear after i watched the DVD(BDay presant from the parents actually)

[7X57chilmau]

I'll see what I can do, Mok....

I don't tend to hunt autos very often, it's really not friendly even to a decent blade, but once in a while I have trouble resisting.... :)

Where're the photos of yours?

J

[Mokwepa]

I know ive said this before, but soon.

Have a question, im thinking of doing a survival knife/spear combo. Flat tang wrapped in parra cord will be a better knife than spear. and socket spear would be better spear than knife........what would you go for?

[7X57chilmau]

I'd do the socketed head. The socket actually makes a pretty decent handle, and it's very easy to quickly haft a socket.... Just taper the stick (using the head), slip the head on and sharply bang the butt on the ground.... Done!

but to haft a tanged head requires boring a hole in the shaft.... And something to bind it all....

I found my socketed heads to be very easy to sharpen, in part because of the relatively soft steel I make'm from, and in part because the large, 7" long socket gave great control....

For your idea, I'd probably aim for a 4" blade on a 4" socket, and tap a wooden pommel ball in the socket for "normal knife" use. Pop out the ball and ram on a shaft, and it's time to hunt!

J

[Mokwepa]

Here are a few pics of my Zulu Fighter.

Ill try get a action shot.

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv283/mokwepa/Dylan1019.jpg

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv283/mokwepa/Dylan1018.jpg


http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv283/mokwepa/Dylan1016.jpg

[messerist]

Very niiiiice! Shaka would be envious.:)

[7X57chilmau]

I like it, Mok! Very businesslike! Looks like your hammer control is improving nicely too.... :)

J

[Mokwepa]

All i need to do now is pick a fight with one of them big cats now, and see how she works:)

[7X57chilmau]

Don't get yerself killed.... This thread would miss ya :)

J

[Mokwepa]

Oh sweet, i feel so loved, only kidding. Im not that dumb, got to keep all my limbs in tact so i can keep forging :) Going for a ride on my bike this afternoon along a river to look for spear shafts. Hoping for tamboti or spike thorn or anything else hard and straight. Ill let you know what i find.

[Mokwepa]

I have started a new spear.

Its going to be a hugely strong armor piercing battle spear :). Im quite keen on hunting car doors and need something suitably strong. Im battling with the socket part, its hard work beating it flat and im still not sure how im going to form it into a cone. I dont have a big steel spike and i dont have a proper anvil.

Any ideas what i can use to form the cone/socket?

[7X57chilmau]

Ok, forming the socket.... It is ALOT of work to make the socket, I'll tell ya.

When I formed spearheads from RR spikes, the entire first day, about 7 hours of forging, was spent spreading the metal for the socket. This goes much faster if you have a straight pein or cross pein hammer. Otherwise, alternate between the ball pein and flat hammer face. Use the pein (ball or straight) to produce a lumpy surface, and then the face to smooth it out again. This simply moves metal faster than beating away forever...

Once you've got a roughly triangular and thin mass of metal, trim the edges up with grinder, hardie, chisel or whatever you like. The base of the triangle should be about pi X shaft diameter (close to 3x diameter). For a 1" shaft, that's a 3.14" socket base.

Position the heated socket over the edge of your anvil (rr track). Start bending the edges first, and slowly move the bend in. You don't need to do it all at once.

Once you've got it about halfway curved, you can start to continue the bending of the cone by placing it on the face of the anvil and coaxing it closed with the hammer. Gentle work. Curve the sides first, curve the middle (the centerline) last...

If you overcurve any part, I kept a 1/2" iron bar, which I'd forged to a blunt point, in my vice. Just slip the socket over it and use it to help correct whatever sin you committed. Also useful for correcting a banana shaped socket, if ya know what I mean.

You want the edges of the socket to pretty much meet, but there is no need to lap or weld them.

Now, "order of operations"....

When I make a spear or arrowhead,

- I first flatten out the socket triangle (the entire first day, typically, when forging from RR spike)

- then forge transition from socket to blade, (a couple heats.... Leave this thicker than you think you need. You can thin it later, but adding material later is difficult or impossible)

- then forge the blade (an hour or 2),

- then form the socket (an hour)

- then do final straightening of blade and socket, then HT. (half an hour)

Point the open end of the socket away from you when quenching, or it may throw gobs of hot (maybe burning) coolant at you.... which is unpleasant.

Hope that helps, Mok.

J

[theotherwaldo]

The most effective armor-punchers that I have used were long, thin, and very hard.

Historically, they were called "bodkin points."

They were triangular or square in cross-section and looked like this, only with a sharper point and more gradual taper:

http://www.medieval-fightclub.com.au/images/frame_arrow_bodkin_med_blk.jpg

The best bodkin point spear that I made started out as a triangular file, which I dressed to a point on a wet rotary grindstone, incidentally dressing the wheel true in the process. The spear point shattered the fourth time I threw it, but only after it punched a neat hole through the fender of a '63 International truck - the toughest sheet metal that I had on hand.

[Mokwepa]

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv283/mokwepa/Dylan1020.jpg

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv283/mokwepa/Dylan1022.jpg

Here is the spear so far. It was more than just hard work but it looks OK, i think. Im a little woried about where the blade meets the socket area, not sure how strong itll be. It is wide and fairly (4mm) thick, but not sure if its thick enough. Whats your view?

Thanks for the info 7x57, i did basically what you said.

Going to forge the blade today.

OAL = 48cm
Blade length = 33cm
Socket = 15cm

[Mokwepa]

Here is a side on diagram of my spear. If i forged it like in the diagram, would this be stronger?

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv283/mokwepa/Paint-spear.jpg

I missed the part on " leave more metal than you think you need :("

[hso]

Any acute angles lead to greater likelihood of failure as they tend to focus stresses. The second drawing would not be stronger and instead would be more likely to fail.

[theotherwaldo]

Looks good to me.

Just remember, this kind of spear is expendable, like a rifle bullet. It is meant to concentrate a lot of energy in a very small space, but it is very likely to be damaged in the process.

So fine finishing and careful attention to detail are pretty much a waste of time, in this case. Like I said earlier, some spears are for show and some are to throw.

[Mokwepa]

HUGE,HUGE,HUGE disaster!!!

I was forging out the blade last night and when i was done and let it cool, I SAW IT......It cracked right where i thought it would, where the socket meets the blade :(
Suppose its life of car hunting is over before it began. The crack stretches about half way through the tang(what ever that part is called.

I supose i could turn it into a dagger or a shorter spear with a flat tang. I am so P&^$%$#ed off :(

[hso]

That's just part of the "fun" of forging.

Louis Mills, one of the truly GREAT Japanese-style blade smiths, forged a sword I have. Louis's work is so perfect other great blade smiths look up to him. Louis has been forging for decades. The sword I have is the only, ONLY, large blade that survived the year he made it. Every single sword he forged cracked or revealed some other catastrophic flaw that year.

Everybody has pieces fail and the important thing to do is to learn from it.

[messerist]

The majority of my knives are from scrap steel and files and they are full of hidden flaws. I wish I had a dime for evertime I found a crack or some other blemish that qualified under the :banghead::cuss:catagory. Keep your chin up and go make something better, then you'll feel better! :)

[Mokwepa]

Im going to have to, i feel quite sh&^%y right now. Ive designed another blade, a versatile machete/short gladius/spear head or camp knife rolled into one. Itll have paracord wrapped handle and basically be shaped like a gladius (double edged) that can be lashed to a pole (spear). Its going to be thick and very strong but simple.

Hope this turns out better. Going to cut the shape tomorrow. Ill keep you posted.

That's just part of the "fun" of forging.


Dont know if id call it "fun" but i supose it happens to all of us :)

[7X57chilmau]

AArgh, I hate it when that happens.... It really is easy to make the transition from socket to blade too weak. I've taken to leaving it very heavy, and grinding or forgeing it down after about all else is done.... And I seldom have to when that time comes.. Too big is just about enough :)

It did look like business, though! Pity.

J

[HoosierQ]

Make a dagger of it...or a spear without a socket.

[Mokwepa]

Think im going to do a dagger at a later stage. Im first going to make my BIG spear, somehow. Ive got a rough idea, but ill keep you posted as i go.

Going to have to sort out some car trouble for the next few days but as soon as i get a gap, ill light a fire and get cracking.

[T.A.DAVISON knife maker]

Louis Mills, one of the truly GREAT Japanese-style blade smiths, forged a sword I have. Louis's work is so perfect other great blade smiths look up to him. Louis has been forging for decades. The sword I have is the only, ONLY, large blade that survived the year he made it. Every single sword he forged cracked or revealed some other catastrophic flaw that year.

Everybody has pieces fail and the important thing to do is to learn from it

I wasn't forging, but I have built a couple folders that I bounced off the drive way.
Talk about your lesson for the day......:eek::( :banghead:

You gotta get back on the horse and ride.....:)

Later

Todd