Vishal Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Hello Experts Im from India and new here for you precious suggestions . Im going to build a spear for using during my walk through forest . Now I have contacted an old black smith to make a spear head . He showed me two types - one to go into the shaft and the shaft is to go into the other one . Please inform me which one is better . Also what would be the length , wideness , thickness and shape of a good spear head suitable for easy carring but lethal blow . Ill prefer any shape of real utility ie leaf , Greek anything . Now Im in trouble regarding a good shaft . I would like to have a very strong , light , durable shaft suitable for heavy fight and use ( I know how friendly the wild beasts are ! ) . I would like to use any easily available thing as shaft as wood , bamboo , rattan etc . Everyone praise ash tree wood as shaft . Also East Indian rosewood , teak are popular . But I want to use the possible best thing . ( I don't know whether wood shaft is stronger than bamboo . Will they break easily ? ) Also say me about length and diameter of a good shaft ( Im 6 ft , 74 kg ) . Hope your precious suggestions will help to make a good spear suitable for easy handling and toughest fighting ( The thing on which I can depend solely for my life in jungle ) ! Thank you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Lethal to mice or lethal to elephants? I would go with a socket rather than a tang And look into woods used locally to make bows as a tough not prone to breaking shaft. Here in the USA my top choice would probably be osage orange, then hickory. For a "walking spear" I have used high grade industrial supply mop handles before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backwoods Blacksmith Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Bamboo is very strong and light. I would most certainly use it with a tang and a wire wrap. Also a matching cap on the other end. Both the Japenese and the Chinese used bamboo for this.. Mahogony is heavier but also is very strong but does not flex very much. Teak also. Don't know about rattan. Try to keep the over all length under 6 ft.. How big are your hands? You want to be able to grip the haft and not touch your finger tips to the palm of your hand. Leaf shape blade 8 to 12 inchs long and about 1 3/4 to 2 inch at the base and 1/4 inch spine. The butt cap should weigh about the same for ballance. To keep the size of the butt down use brass or bronze. You might think of a para cord or wire wrap every 16 to 18 inchs for reinforcment and grip ability. Remember, this is a defensive weapon. You want it to be fast and easy to handle with enough weight to peirce deeply and slash quickly. Good luck and have fun. Let us know what you come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Welcome to the site, If you have a smith close to you making the spear head, have you asked him about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 If I may inter a few things for you to consider in making your choice, and as your life may depend on it it is your choice. I would choose a design that, would be easyer to replace in the field, if you were to break it. As to shafts, what grows in your forests that are readaly a avalable? Bamboo and rattan are both good , light and strong, and I believe readily available in your part of the world. As to bamboo, drill a small hole in to each joint to prevent heat from spitting the shaft. I would chose a shape that can be readily used as a knife if it is broken off the shaft, as well as having A butt cap, preferably of a 3 or 4 sided long point. I wouldn't make it longer than your arm span and as already said, conferrable to grip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header we won't have to keep bugging you about it. Tough questions and possibly serious consequenses. From what little I know about Indian jungles I'm left between snakes, large cats too what, wild pig, water buffalo? I don't know what wood is available either. I'm going to make a wild guess based on MY logic. Rattan is reasonably light, very strong and shatters in a reasonably safe manner. It's about the only wood available in your country I know anything about, if I were there it's what I'd use. It's strong enough to be used as a fighting staff and would support my weight if I had to keep a large animal off me after stabbing it. I think a leaf blade about 5-6" is what I'd hang my life on and socket mounted. A little whittling with the spear blade in a pinch could shape a new shaft in the field. It'd be decent for spearing a large animal and also serve to slash, say a cobra. BUT if there were a 450lb tiger on the end I'd want a boar stopper too. A boar stopper is a cross piece a little way down the shaft from the point say 12-18" from the spear head. This prevents a speared animal from charging you down the shaft after being stabbed. A good butt cap is important for balance and preventing the shaft from splitting in hard use. It can be almost any shape you like. A ball has the advantage of not sinking in soft soil so easily as a sharp point and makes a good club like a long handled mace. A spike point would serve as a back up spear point, a wedge shaped blade with the flat edge pointed away from the shaft might be good for pinning a snake to the ground or even digging while not sinking in soft soil ass easily as a point. Maybe a cross bar with smallish balls on the ends would be a good sake pinner and serve as a war hammer like thumper. No, it'd be a trip hazard, forget that one. I think the over all spear length should have the blade and or boar stopper above your head when the butt is on the ground beside you for safety sake, you'd be a LOT less likely to slash yourself or fall on your own spear. It'd also give you a little distance from a large animal. What does the blacksmith say? Are there people using spears for protection where you live? Maybe a history museum? those are just the places I'd START looking for advice before making something like a spear I'd risk my life on. It scares me to think you'd hang your life on one of MY ideas, I'm seriously thinking of deleting rather sending this off at all. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Tiger will just break the spear shaft---if it's a 6' spear won't need to, will just reach out and break you. Going after tiger with spear presupposes a brave friend with a purdy double barrelled elephant gun standing next to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Tiger will just break the spear shaft---if it's a 6' spear won't need to, will just reach out and break you. Going after tiger with spear presupposes a brave friend with a purdy double barrelled elephant gun standing next to you I agree, a tiger is pretty much a paid up one way ticket to the other side. Still, reaching out for you is the idea behind a boar stopper. I've messed with 1 1/2" rattan and it isn't going to break under anything I could do to it. All these things are why I was so reluctant to even reply. I'm not sure why I did, too far out of my experience range. If I were worried about running into a tiger I probably wouldn't go there and would carry a 458 Weatherby mag and have a similarly armed buddy along if I had to. A .357 revolver and snake shot would do for cobra. Frosty The Lucky. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vishal Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Thank you all for sharing your precious thoughts . I'll like to use a 6 ft long 1.25 inch diameter bamboo staff for the spear . Yes I'll like to go for bamboo . Today I met an old carpenter who proved me that bamboo shaft is much more better than that of wood . A really mature bamboo shaft is lighter than wood but with proper flexibility to go for more . Besides I found the old man also had a bamboo staff that is a really reliable weapon . I'll try to make a leaf shaped spear 10 inch long , 2 inch wide with a tang . Bamboo staff has an extra benefit . Its bottom part is heavier and so easy to balance the weight of the spear . Please inform me the benefits of the leaf shape and its aprox weight . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I can't tell you anything, seems like you have local expert help. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Vishal Dave Canterbury of The Pathfinder School has videos on YouTube about what type of spear point to use. Nice thing about a Leaf point spear is you have a knife as well. I would not make one that weighed more than fixed blade knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirly Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 G'day Vishal, From your first post, it sounds like you want this spear more for self protection, rather than hunting? If so, I think Frosty has given you some good advice. The first thing I thought of was a stopper/cross bar. If something large comes at you and you have time then the best thing is try to escape, but if not, you'll have to plant the butt of that spear and wait 'til whatever it is runs/leaps onto it, trying to get to you. Either way, good luck with that....... 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.