Need to make a glaive .. tonight!

[waveicle]

I know glaives should be easy to make but I'd still like to ask for some help so that I can make Thursday practice and get to work!

I have this rattan staff, 6'. It's all I have at the moment. It's shaved on two sides only. The end dimensions are 1.9" x 1.3". So it's too thick for my grip to be comfortable. I have this idea to band saw the other two side to produce a uniform shaft diameter. I can then use the cut off parts as blade clackers. I have awesome closed cell foam that's super hard to tear. Tape, tools I've got all that stuff. Can you guys advise me on good ways to create and attach the blades? Should the blades have slight curves to them terminating at the shaft? Does anyone know how to construct a hook or have pictures?


Thanks in advance,


Waveicle/Diedrich

[Maeryk]

I always prefered to only shave the two sides.. thus the rounded side still fit in my fingers/palm and gave me positive feedback on where my edges were without having to look.

I used to make heads out of foam and leather, and tape. And tape em TIGHT so they have progressive give, but don't bottom out easily. Thrusting tips/buttspikes were made up out of circles of foam, with a leather "collar" which were taped individually, then taped onto the haft in a "pile", with the leather collar going around them, up to about 1/4' from the top of the stack, and then the whole mess taped down, then wrapped and duct-taped.

I never worked with a clacker.. so I couldn't tell you.. but I did find the stack-and-collar to work well, as I could get "tip shot" kills with the thrusting tip, yet it was soft enough that a marshal could find progressive give in the end.

[Cedric Adolphus]

I like to make one solid head with a hole through it to put the rattan through. Then drill very small holes through the head and rattan and sew it on. I also use glue on the inside of the head and tape securely.

[Aaron]

My wife's naganata was 3 inch thick rattan, shaved down. No need for padding because it was just one piece of rattan. Hit well IMO, but a bit slow. Nobody ever called light.

-Aaron

[waveicle]

Thanks guys, I'm going to skip anything fancy. So just tape a strip of foam to both sides of the top of the glaive that has a 1/2" progressive give, reinforce and cover with tapes. Should I put a leather strip on the striking surface? What's a good length blade for a 6' pole? I was thinking of making the blade about 18-24 inches long. I have a Mandrake tip that I can use for a butt spike. I'll do the leather foam stack for the thrusting tip. Do I need to have three colors of tape - blade, tip and body?

I'd still like to hear about a way to make a hook.


I appreciate the help,

Waveicle/Diedrich

[Maeryk]

A hook can be made with layers of foam, and outer layers of leather. My best results were a full sized, on piece leather layer.. IE: it wrapped ALL the way around the pole with the ends being the shapes of the hook.