Azael Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I was wondering how, in medieval times, "flanged maces", like the Thames River mace (see below), were forged. All examples, of Smiths making one that i could find, involved using modern Stick welders to attach the flanges to a core tube. But how would you do it without? Would you forge a solid, sizable cilinder/ball at the end, chisel in the general shape of the flanges and then finish using files? Or are the flanges somehow slotted into the socket and then forge weld? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Welcome aboard. Glad to have you. If you put your location in your profile it will help us. Now, we don't know if you are in Lapland or Tasmania. A surprising amount of answers are geography dependent. As to mace construction: You would have to determine if the mace head is wrought or cast iron. If the former, I suspect that it was probably some form of forge welding. Wrought iron is a lot easier to weld than modern steel. If the latter, it would be cast like any other object. The Thames mace is very tentatively dated to the 13th century but that could be little more than speculation. There was an iron casting industry in the English Weald in the 15th and 16th centuries. So, casting is a possibility. If I were to try to replicate a similar object without forge welding I think I would drill or punch the shaft hole and then insert a mandrel to preserve the hole and then punch or file the grooves between the flanges and then file the points of the flanges. Alternatively, you could forge weld the flanges on to the "pipe" of the stem, again with a mandrel in the shaft hole. I hope this helps. Others may have a different approach. I have never tried to forge a mace head but these are my preliminary thoughts. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 As forge welding was a typical method of working real wrought iron; there are several possible ways of using it to construct a mace like that, including one where you fold sheet wrought iron and weld the folds and chisel cut the flange shapes into the welded folds and bend the un folded sections to make the tube and forge weld it's seam. Forge brazing was also sometimes used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Another common mace was a simple head that slipped on a wooden handle like a pick head. For all the world they look like differential side gears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Spider gears probably would make a somewhat effective mace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I could be wrong but It kinda looks two piece to me, when I zoom in it looks like a socket over a socket, like the pokey part slides down over the socket mounted on the handle until its to wide to go further, and then the handle socket it’s riveted down to hold it in place, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Here’s a very terrible drawing of what I meant by being two piece, please pardon my chicken scratch, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I remember seeing a cast Chinese mace where the head was the Chinese characters for "Long Life". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Whoever casted the “long life” mace must have been the great granddaddy of the Chinese guy who sold “long life” branded stuff to Montgomery Wards and OTASCO stores, I guess after the market demand for maces started to decline the company just kept the name and started making other cheap stuff for export, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I think from now on step 6 will always be "bash dragon in head". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Daswulf, That’s the most important step! That’s how your supposed to test your heat treatment to make sure you built the mace correctly! lol, sorry I’m not up to date on the manufacture of antique head thumpers, so that’s the only thing I could come up with for step 6, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Forged in fire tests might be more brutal to the implement I think. I dunno. Never got to bash a dragon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 me neither… I hear tell that there’s a first time for everything though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Perhaps they have all been bashed on step 6 of mace making through the years and there are none left to bash. The final scene of the planet of the apes comes to mind. "You finally really did it!" adding, "you bashed All the dragons.. You Maniacs!". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 I guess that’s possible Daswulf, I agree step 6 of mace makin prolly isn’t beneficial to a dragons health and well being but surely it would take more than a little mace wack once in awhile to wear out a perfectly good dragon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Suppose so. Being all scalley and all. A little human mace shouldn't do too much. Well, If we Are out of dragons maybe it is high time I make one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 I agree! If no one’s got a good used dragon to spare then somebody has got to get a good durable one built! only problem I see, is if you build a really nice one then you’d prolly not be to keen on testing maces out on step 6! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 There was a nice large steel fire breathing dragon at Quad-State one year I was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 I swear that wasn't me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 TW, now knowing, I would reinforce the head. Lol Irondragon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 If you plan to use a mace to bash a fire-breathing dragon, probably best to make it from H13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHC Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Don’t know about dragons, but I’ve got gators and a permit! Also have a pretty nice smoker! Plus, gator skin makes real purdy leather goods. Anyone wanna send me a mace? Just for testing purposes, I’ll send it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Sorry guys but we have a complaint from PETA about the alligators and dragons... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 This is a tough one. I think the mace/flanged part is forged and filed from a solid piece. Then it is drilled. I also don't think the handle was wood. It seems if it was, it would be a single use weapon. The truth is, for every solution I can think of, I can think of a dozen reasons why it wouldn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Steve I assure you I would never PET A alligator or a dragon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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