Joseph Tinsley Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 does anyone have any good refrences on making one. not looking for cast heads, i was really wondering how to attache the flanges to the shaft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basher Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I have oft wondered about this but alas I have no useful insight. I would be interested if anybody does. I would throw an educated guess into the mix and that would be hot chiselling..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Forge brazing comes to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Depends on whether it is intended as a display-only piece or you plan on using it. For display only silver-soldering into grooves, for actual use you could try fold-forming a sheet of steel, or multiple sheets of steel and attaching them together.http://en.wikipedia....ki/Fold-forminghttp://www.metalwerx.com/workshop/132http://www.ganoksin....rary/subject/52http://www.facebook.com/foldforming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I was wondering about fold forming real wrought iron sheet and forge welding the folds before hot cutting the impact shapes and overlapping the sheet ends and welding it into a tube and drifting to fit the handle. One thing to remember---they were lighter than you would think! Speed makes a greater contribution to impact than weight does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Brazing is quite strong I would not dismiss it as a viable option. Especally when it flows into the whole joint. Vise screws were brazed and they are subjected to forces in the tons. I have seen many old tools made that way that have lasted 100's of years. All you need is some borax and some finely cut up brass scrap. Lay it in the joint and heat it up untill the brass flows freely. Scrape and file away the excess brass you will have a strong and nearly invisible joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I had to google them to see what they looked like. I have to agree with Tim on this one, brazing would be the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I just don't recall seeing any evidence of it on the originals I have viewed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Look at the Hungarian Flanged Mace - c. late 14th century scroll down. http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace3.html You can see traces of brass on the flanges and center tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Tinsley Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 ok, brazing seems to be the way. thanks guys. i have always loved maces, even more so than a blade or axe,so i figured i might want to try one one day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Seems to be *a* way; the english mace right above that one seems to have the heavy flanges forge welded to a base that was then wrapped around and copper braised to the iron neck according to the description. "showing the seam where the thin plate which the flanges are welded to does not fully meet as it wraps around the neck. This plate was copper braised to the iron neck" Others do show evidence that they were fullered out of a stout piece of stock, Like many blacksmithing tasks there may be multiple ways to skin the cat. Now what we need is enough examples to figure out what was common vs uncommon methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 This was the one I looked at. http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5211725 The chasing either side of the flanges may have been used to hold dovetailed bases in as well but to braze as well would make a lot of sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Seems to be *a* way; the english mace right above that one seems to have the heavy flanges forge welded to a base that was then wrapped around and copper braised to the iron neck according to the description. "showing the seam where the thin plate which the flanges are welded to does not fully meet as it wraps around the neck. This plate was copper braised to the iron neck" Others do show evidence that they were fullered out of a stout piece of stock, Like many blacksmithing tasks there may be multiple ways to skin the cat. Now what we need is enough examples to figure out what was common vs uncommon methods. True there are many ways to do it but I think the finest ones were brazed. If my life depended on it I may opt for one of the wonky forged heads though. I don't doubt there has been a paper written on this topic somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Years ago I pulled a mold off of a nice 6 flange iron mace and made ten silicone bronze castings of it for this arms collector/seller for his better clients as Christmas gifts. I saw no evidence of brazing on this mace at all, it was either fullered and the flanges drawn out or it was forge welded. Hard to tell as it was quite pitted from the rust. You could see where steel had been added to the edges of the flanges though as it had finer and more pits and the wrought iron body had the typical grain structure of wrought iron. At the time I thought I was really taking the guy for a lot of money at $75 a head for the finished castings with a nice green/brown patina on them. He said his clients were in awe of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 It's the end of the day on Friday; I have a mace story too. Close to 40 years ago I once made a mace using a gear from a car that I thought was "appropriate". Came out fairly usable and I called a friend over to see it. He liked it too. As he was leaving I asked him for a favor---I had been having some trouble with a downstairs neighbor who was playing a music not to my taste very loud in the middle of the night when I was trying to study. They tended to leave their door open as well and I had noticed this to be the case when I met my friend at the main door. So I asked my friend if I could chase him down the stairs and out the front door with the mace. "No Problem" So we went thundering down the stairs past their open door and my friend "escaped" through the front door of the apartment building. I strolled back past their open door, (which now had a number of spooked faces looking out of it), twirling the mace on it's lanyard. Ever after that when I politely asked them to turn it down, It Went Down! And they started keeping their door closed a lot more. Better living through Medieval Weaponry! (actually another mace story too: Fast forward a couple of decades: I had forged another flanged mace and had taken it over to show it off at a friend's house. Well you really can't "show it off" without trying it out right? Turns out that his landlord was remodeling part of the place and had asked my friend to do some wall demolition for him---so we spent a happy hour bashing old plaster and lath walls with a mace instead of a sledgehammer. It does build up a powerful thirst though...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno C. Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Joseph, I've made a flanged mace. I thought it would be a fun project, and allowed me to test some of my skills. It took a while to make. But basically what I did, in a few "easy" steps was. 1) Forged the handle, made of some Sucker Rod, I had laying around. I used the top portion of the sucker rod, the part with threads on it, for the top so as to add weight. Added a couple twist's. 2) Made 4 flanges out of spring steel, nicely ground and shaped. 3) Made some spikes 4) Used an arc welder (6011 rod) and steady hand to weld the flanges and spike's in place. Cheating, I know. But was within my realm of equipment and knowledge. 5) I used an angle grinder to gut out the nasty weld lines, and formed it as smooth as I could without removing too much weld. 6) I heat treated the whole head in my forge. Then the handle. For strength. 7) A nice oil coat for color, and some leather to save mine tender fingers from the handling. I don't normally show my work on the internet, so this hurts like cherries. Jealousy I guess, but I get so much from this Forum, I felt the need to contribute on something. Some Pics: Weigh's about 6 pounds, but nicely balanced so it can be swung single handed. A decent temper. I've broken rocks with it, without damage. And does some nice tearing of the softer stuff. Still need to add some chain to the handle for the ultimate mace experience. :) Hope I could help. -Bruno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Tinsley Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 HOLY XXXX THAT THING IS WICKED!!!!!!! :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Look at the Hungarian Flanged Mace - c. late 14th century scroll down. http://otlichnik.tri...m/medmace3.html You can see traces of brass on the flanges and center tube. that was quite informative thank you for the reference!will be making some maces soon getting ready for ren fare! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I really actually think you could make a more competitively and nicer mace by avoiding electric welding and forge brazing the whole assembly. Get the flanges water jet cut do a little file work to nicely bevel them and remove the machine cut edge. construct some form of jig to hold it all together for brazing that can apply pressure to hold it tightly together. if you used thin sheets of brass properly sized under the flanges there would be little excess to flow outside of the joint. You could also use white out as a resist to stop the brass from flowing out of the joint. You could also acid etch designs into the flanges if you like. Heating up the head to brazing heat is a one step operation as opposed to welding and grinding each joint also you save on the cost of consumables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper Iron Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 For wall hanging I'd have to say braze it. For actually hitting something. I'd have to say weld the flanges on. You could file or angle grind the welds down. I plan on making a 6 flanged mace myself. I'm just not sure how the brass joints would hold up to harsh impacts compared to welded steel. I'm no expert. Just tossing my 2 cents in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharmus Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I had an idea about this. what if one were to forge weld four "L" bent strips of steel onto the steel centre, like so: '> (made by swordandsheild) so that the flats were parallel to the centre, and then spit these strips somehow, so that you had eight flanges. then perhaps hand sharpen them? i know in this picture it is simply MIG welded, but i think this could be forge welded, with a bit of careful thinking. anyway, you get my point. do that, then "somehow" split the four flanges to get eight, sharpen them, yada yada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 1 picture = 1000 words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayne Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 I'm a rookie so maybe this is easier said than done but would there be a way to start with a cube of steel, haft would run down through the "top and bottom" corners leaving the other four corners around the edges to be drawn out. Like i said though, I'm not sure really how to do this but if i had to that's what id try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.