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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2007 22:11:20 GMT
dig cold steel's polypropylene war clubs. i think these are great. anyone have any experience with them? any other manufacturers making wooden versions?
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Post by jpfranco on May 6, 2007 22:31:22 GMT
MRL parent company, Atlanta Cutlery actually produces a variety of native weapons including a war club: and a gunstock club: Along with various other weapons such as Tomahawks. Hope this helps.
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Post by rammstein on May 7, 2007 0:15:58 GMT
I actually think that AC's are quite a lot more historically accurate looking than cold steel's. They tend to have a penchant for making everything black and that is just not original or attractive. And why not use a wood stock? It would make the entire piece much less of an eyesore! Those clubs are actually pretty cheap now that I've noticed
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2007 0:34:59 GMT
i dig the black. and i think they didn't use wood because the polypropylene is a lot more durable. and cheaper. and easier to make. and not wood. hopefully i can make a purchase once my money tree starts blooming.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2007 0:57:42 GMT
This is indeed a much under appreciated and underglorified weapon. Thanks for posting Jason.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2007 5:14:43 GMT
i looked at rich mcdonald's site after reading cold steel's descriptions. hot hot hot!
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2007 5:45:46 GMT
War clubs are fantastic and very easy to use, hard to twirl though. Polypropylene is damn near indestructible, there is a picture of a car running over one of cold steels baseball bats and it only bends the bat. They also make a polyprop boken but i to am a fan of warclubs.
Jason V: lovely example there mate
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2007 6:03:58 GMT
True, polypropylene is great stuff. It's cheap, easy to mold to any shape, has some weight to it, and is extremely tough. Aside from some scuffs and dings, it should almost last forever. I'd go for a nice wooden one for display and a CS version for beating the &$%# out of stuff. Just think, 1,000 years from now some archaeologist will dig one of these up and go, "Ah, we see that in the early 21st century, people reverted to using clubs, but made them of higher tech materials. I believe these were probably the standard issue weapon for early 21st century soldiers." ;D
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Post by ShooterMike on May 8, 2007 1:38:43 GMT
War clubs are fantastic and very easy to use, hard to twirl though. Polypropylene is damn near indestructible, there is a picture of a car running over one of cold steels baseball bats and it only bends the bat. They also make a polyprop boken but i to am a fan of warclubs. Jason V: lovely example there mate I like the warclubs too. Part of my native culture... Does anyone know if the last one shown above is carved as one single piece or a handle and a wooden "ball?" Bloodwraith, gimme a break mate. I was temporarily overcome with giddiness. I promise I will never do it again. Hey Kreigschwert, since these are inexpensive maybe we should all go buy a couple and bury them around different sites. And we could throw in some of Tsafa's plastic drum armor. ;D
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2007 2:27:38 GMT
never do what again shooter?
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Post by ShooterMike on May 8, 2007 3:29:23 GMT
War clubs are fantastic and very easy to use, hard to twirl though. ... I thought that was a teasing reference to: ...also you need some more practice with your sword twirling Perhaps my skin be-uth too thin! ;D
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Post by chakobsa on May 8, 2007 23:29:30 GMT
Those wooden clubs are beautiful. . I've been intrigued by these weapons since seeing one wielded in the Michael Mann version of last of the Mohicans. Here's a question for you guys, are the Aztec maquahuitl and other similar weapons war clubs or a kind of non metallic sword"? do the shards of obsidian embedded in the edges of the weapon constitute a sword blade of sorts? I would imagine that the weight of a hardwood club combined with the razor sharp obsidian would cause some horrendous wounds, that said, I wonder how durable that volcanic glass edge would be, I'll bet that the individual obsidian flakes would need replacing from time to time.
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2007 18:50:34 GMT
Those wooden clubs are beautiful. . I've been intrigued by these weapons since seeing one wielded in the Michael Mann version of last of the Mohicans. Here's a question for you guys, are the Aztec maquahuitl and other similar weapons war clubs or a kind of non metallic sword"? do the shards of obsidian embedded in the edges of the weapon constitute a sword blade of sorts? I would imagine that the weight of a hardwood club combined with the razor sharp obsidian would cause some horrendous wounds, that said, I wonder how durable that volcanic glass edge would be, I'll bet that the individual obsidian flakes would need replacing from time to time. Good questions. I tend to lean toward thinking of the maquahuitl as a sword of sorts, since the obsidian shards often ran the length of the club, giving the longest cutting edge of any Aztec weapon (that I know of). The rest of their "sharps" were more knife sized (obsidian daggers, basically). Obsidian is very common here in southern-central Arizona, and I've had a lot of experience with it (I used to have a huge bucket full of chunks of it that I'd scrounged up). It is extremely hard, and can be far sharper than any steel I've ever seen, but it's also relatively fragile. Like other forms of glass, it tends to be very brittle, so I'm betting that Aztec warriors probably replaced a least a piece or two after any serious battle. Thicker pieces are actually quite tough, but when you start making the pieces thinner, it becomes obvious that it (obsidian) doesn't have the strength of true "flint".
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Post by chakobsa on May 9, 2007 20:59:18 GMT
I found some interesting Polynesian examples in catalog 71 at www.faganarms.com these are actually referred to as "sword clubs" some of the Pacific islanders studded the edges with sharks teeth and I've read that some Fijian examples were decorated with the teeth of fallen foes!
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Post by hankreinhardt on Jun 6, 2007 14:58:32 GMT
I have always love clubs and maces. You never have to sharpen them, and the work pretty well. Speaking of the "wooden" swords. In one of the museums, Ethnographical I believe in Brooklyn) there is a truly beautiful weapon. It is a curved wooden sword, made of a dark and well polished wood. Looks very much like a saber. The edge of the sword is grooved, and all along the blade there are shark's teeth, and each is glued in place, and then wrapped along the side projections. I must confess that I spent a long time trying to figure out how I could break the glass, and hide the sword...but couldn't. One of the most beautiful and fascinating weapons I've ever seen. I've made several clubs myself. My favorite is made from Maple, and one that I cut from a tree. If I ever learn post photos, will post them. I have to admit that I am a big fan of the Cold Steel spears, but not of any of Lynn's other stuff. None are even close to being accurate. Generally they appear crude and just plain ugly. Very utilitarian. That could be OK, but in today's world a good utilitarian weapon is a .45 or .40 S&W. So frankly I see no purpose in them. If anyone is interested, I can tell them where you can buy some nice iron studs for clubs.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2007 22:31:12 GMT
Nice.. I mentioned in another thread the movie Apocalyptica.. Lots of similar blunt objects ;D These clubs remind me of the Irish shelaghlagh (Who can spell that?) used in the bonking of leprechauns....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2007 0:37:08 GMT
In one of the museums, Ethnographical I believe in Brooklyn) there is a truly beautiful weapon. It is a curved wooden sword, made of a dark and well polished wood. Looks very much like a saber. The edge of the sword is grooved, and all along the blade there are shark's teeth, and each is glued in place, and then wrapped along the side projections. I must confess that I spent a long time trying to figure out how I could break the glass, and hide the sword...but couldn't. It's too bad you weren't able to liberate that piece, Hank. I'd love to see the weapon you described. Could you give some details as to the overall size of the weapon? You say it's much like a saber, but I'm not sure if that means just the basic look, or if it also indicates similarities in size and/or proportion. Many thanks in advance.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2007 2:27:16 GMT
Found a few Maori clubs, but can't find any piccies.
Kotiate - A short club made from whale bone. It has an indent on each side that are used to catch and disarm an opponents weapons. Wahaika - A short club made from wood/whalebone. It has an indent on one side which is used to catch and disarm an opponents weapons. Mere-Pounamu - A short club made from greenstone, when made out wood or stone it is called a Patu/mere. Patu - A wooden club made in the same shape as a Mere-Pounamu. Maripi - A short decorative club with teeth down one edge that are used for cutting. All of the short club weapons were favoured by the brave because of the close proximity needed to despatch the adversary. The Toa who chose to go into battle with these weapons were especially feared. Taiaha - A long club that varies in length from five feet and longer. This is one of the most well known and commonly taught weapons of the Mâori. The elite warriors of old were skilled in the Taiaha because of the poise and dexerity needed to "get in close" to see the enemy "eye to eye", the favoured proximity of the old school Toa (warriors). Toki Pou Tangata - An adze that is made for ceremonial occasions. The greenstone head is intricately carved. Tewhatewha - A long club that is decorated with anything from feathers to live birds. Pou Whenua - A long club that can be made from the rib or jaw bone of a whale. Hoe - A long club that can be uses as a boat paddle or a weapon. Tao - a long spear that was the weapon of choice by a majority of the warriors of old each measuring from 7ft - 8ft long.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2007 3:15:05 GMT
I had the oportunity to handle one of the small green stone clubs when in NZ. The edges had a bevel on them so it was almost a cutting tool,with the weight in it (I watched get made over a period of 2 weeks from a BIG lump of greenstone) it would be a nasty peice of work. I beleive its in the Aukland museum now as it was a commissioned replica peice. (my ex-brother-in-law is a greenstone carver of some renown, he also did the pendants given to the CHOGUM meeting members there in the 90's as well) BTW Sandman... Bonking has a whole different meaning in Aus
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Post by hankreinhardt on Jun 7, 2007 3:24:35 GMT
The club/sword had a blade about 30-31 inches. Really a beautiful piece. I hope to take some pictures of a bunch of stuff in the very near future and will post all of them in a separate posting. My brain doesn't work like it used ot, so its easier to do it that way that to go to the various site...after all, age should have some advantages...Hank
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