The Armour Archive

So who has made one? I picked up one of these to make a mace as a back up weapon when fighting spear or pole arm:

[img]http://www.petproductsunderground.com/toys/kong-stuff.jpg[/img]

It has a hole on one side that fits perfect on rattan but the other side does not have a hole, so my question for those of you who have made a mace like this is how did you secure the Kong onto your rattan?

Thanks

Topical for me since I also just bought one.

Just take some nails or screws and drill / hammer right through the spongy bit. To keep marshalls from failing it because of the metal, you should cut the heads off flush with mace head, and cover them in duct tape...

Or, alternately, some contact cemect and lots of fibre tape...

James B. wrote:how did you secure the Kong onto your rattan?

James, I haven't made one of these yet but I'd recommend Lexel. That's what Giuliana uses on some of her mosaics.

This is what I did:

Step 1:
Using my drill stand and a 3cm Fostner bit, I drilled a hole in the side where the x-slot is. Mind you - bad smell ahead ...

Step 2:
I cut the rattan for the handle a little longer (maybe 2") than needed and tapered the end with a rasp.

Step 3:
The Kong is slid over the tapered end of the rattan and into proper position.

Step 4:
Using a fine-blade hacksaw, the tapered rattan end is sawn off and the edge rounded with rasp an file.

Step 5:
Strapping and Duct tape as usual. Done!

My end product:


Cheers,
William

Everyone I know has cored the small end out and then secured it on the top as William's picture illustrates.

The smaller kong, as he uses, is superior to the larger one. The larger one hits like a ton of bricks.

I drilled out the X side as well.... but I simply slid it on...put a thrusting tip on it and added an extra ring of tape a the bottom of the tip....slid the kong up until it was snug and then put a ring of tape below the kong as well just to be sure.

Its held up fine.

Thanks for the fast replies. I think I have a good idea on what I am going to do now.


Thanks

cement glue the top of the rattan to the kong. then use either a large washer or a flat piece of metal cut under the cir of the round top part and put a nail or screw thru it into the rattan. then cover with tape

We made one of these for Jaron (Polarus/Sgt. Heinrich here on the AA) last year. We did the same thing William illustrates, but our marshal insisted that we add a band of closed-cell around the thing since it hits like a truck.

James: I used a wood bit to drill out the hole that wouldn't fit, then I shoved it down onto the rattan and used two duct tape ropes to secure the head to the shaft. No sweat.


JB

blackbow wrote:James: I used a wood bit to drill out the hole that wouldn't fit, then I shoved it down onto the rattan and used two duct tape ropes to secure the head to the shaft. No sweat.

Sounds like a good idea too, thanks.

Just so you know: adding metal bits , particularly sharp ones like screws or nails may hold the head on fine but if you are caught doing in the SCA you might want to start looking for another hobby.

NO METAL, PLASTIC, OR PVC MAY BE USED IN THE STRIKING SURFACE OR SURFACES OF ANY WEAPON.

The only thing that I do differently than most of the responses is that after taping the kong into place I spray it with a couple of layers of black spray-on tool dip instead of duct tape. Gives it a very nice finish and lasts pretty well so far.

Alexander

Dalewyn wrote:Just take some nails or screws and drill / hammer right through the spongy bit. To keep marshalls from failing it because of the metal, you should cut the heads off flush with mace head, and cover them in duct tape...

Just so you all know, I am a SCA marshall; this first bit was pure goofyness. Yes, I know nails or screws in the head are a bad, bad idea, hence the smileys...

Wolf: no smileys, I have to assume you're serious. Your design should fail, no metal in the head, as pointed out.

ah ok kewl didnt know. thanks for point that out. i dont play the game so oh well no hard feelings.

So that means loading up the head with #6 lead shot is a no go? Shucks. I did sooo like the "dead blow" mallet effect too.

Dalewyn, Wolf, all,

No worries, It's just that I know some folks who do and have used metal in heads of weapons. I have seen every thing from wire used as big tieoffs fixing to the haft to lead tape for weight in the head to a trailer hitch in a mace (not the soft rubber hitch cover, THE BALL ITSELF!) "but it's got padding?!?"

Do I think it can be done safely? maybe, probably.
Am I willing to test that theiry against someone who doesn't know? No.

again no worries.

I'm also in the process of building a Kong mace. Perhaps we should form a Kong Squad.

Tool dip makes for a MUCH better look than the bare red or duct tape, IMO, but it does wear off and leaves the mace looking a little piebald. But it's RED bits, so maybe it just looks like blood! LOL

Clinker wrote:So that means loading up the head with #6 lead shot is a no go? Shucks. I did sooo like the "dead blow" mallet effect too.

Amusingly, you could probably obtain the most dense possible plastic pellets and do the same thing without violating the rules against metal in the head. Could be interesting...

But not in Northshield.

Kevin O'Shaughnessy (thinking like an Engineer, not like a Marshal)

Morgan wrote:Tool dip makes for a MUCH better look than the bare red or duct tape

Where do you get this stuff? I haven't been able to find it. Is there a particular brand name I should be searching for?

I have one of the large Kong heads on mine. HG Sir Ulsted has one of the smaller ones with a thrusting tip. He reports the smaller head is much faster and excellent for close work - I will be building one.

Fergus

I have been toying with the idea of mounting the biggest Kong stuff-a-ball I can get on a 48in stick and calling it a Godendag or a maul.

Any ideas about how you would feel about getting whacked about the head and shoulders with a Kong two-handed?

I would say not - the heavy Kong head hits HARD.

Ceddie wrote:I have been toying with the idea of mounting the biggest Kong stuff-a-ball I can get on a 48in stick and calling it a Godendag or a maul.

Any ideas about how you would feel about getting whacked about the head and shoulders with a Kong two-handed?

Percival (one of our local fighters, a dragon's tooth recipient from Midrealm) got KO'd by such a maul recently. I believe they were banned in Meridies? If you make it, realize that it hits like a sledgehammer, an any fast shots you throw to the head may actually stun someone. I would go with something less weighty (and I've recently retired my poleaxe of Doom! because of the same issue).

Skutai wrote:

Morgan wrote:Tool dip makes for a MUCH better look than the bare red or duct tape

Where do you get this stuff? I haven't been able to find it. Is there a particular brand name I should be searching for?

There's some you can get at home depot or lowe's, but you have to dip it (comes in a can). The stuff I've been using for my weapons is a spray-on tool dip from Harbor Freight (there's one right down the road from where I work).

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=42776

Ceddie wrote:I have been toying with the idea of mounting the biggest Kong stuff-a-ball I can get on a 48in stick and calling it a Godendag or a maul.

Any ideas about how you would feel about getting whacked about the head and shoulders with a Kong two-handed?

I fight with a one-handed kong mace, and I have no problems getting hit with it. For one done two-handed, I'd say that I would probably feel the same way about getting hit in the head with anything. I'd better move quicker...



Seriously, though - I don't feel that that kind of weapon is any more dangerous than any other weapon out there as long as the wielder realizes they don't have to put as much force into the blow as they would "normally".

By the way - love the quote. That's my favorite movie.

Kong makes some of their toys in black rubber, if only we could convince them to offer this one in black...or silver.

-Justus

The colour of the Kong is actually related to the hardness of the material it is made from. The black Kongs are a much tougher material and I doubt that a Kong stuffer made from the black material would have the necessary compression needed to make it a legal weapon head. My Olde English Bulldogge puppy Sarge (5 months old, 47lbs, see pic below) can chew through the red ones - he hardly makes a dent in the black ones.

Fergus

One suggestion for anyone worried that this type mace may hit too hard.

If you drill out the head so that it will actually slide freely on the rattan, you can then use tape to hold it in place. If you leave a slight gap between the tape and mace head you will allow the mace head to compress a bit easier than it would if the ends were not allowed to move at all. This will make the mace a bit more forgiving.

I also second the above statement about using Black Spray-on Tool Dip. I use that type of tool dip on my Kong mace and it holds up well and makes it look a lot better than the red rubber would.

Ceddie wrote:I have been toying with the idea of mounting the biggest Kong stuff-a-ball I can get on a 48in stick and calling it a Godendag or a maul.

Any ideas about how you would feel about getting whacked about the head and shoulders with a Kong two-handed?

Like my knight says. If you make a weapon that looks like it could hurt someone YOU must recieve the first blow. So Ceddie are you willing to let someone hit you with it first?

My next door neigbor happens to be a 320lb 6ft5in Knight who take great delight in my exparamenting! Sometimes I like the results sometimes I don't.



It's like living on the set of jackass around here sometimes.

I ended up using the beehive-shaped Kong toy instead. Loved it, but the mean Earl Marshall of Meridies said I couldn't use it no more.

Adriano wrote:I ended up using the beehive-shaped Kong toy instead. Loved it, but the mean Earl Marshall of Meridies said I couldn't use it no more.

SO you can not us it in Meridies, you can always ask are Earl Marshall if you can use it.