LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 15, 2024 6:07:30 GMT
Welp, finally gotten around to it.
Been sounding like a broken record (for *forty one years*--literally) that the darn thing can be done at a usable weight. And seeing the stats on the disassembled Windlass and the blade alone from a few years back? Repeated that all it needs is to redo the hilt in wood instead of, um, *solid bronze and steel.* And suggesting somebody try it. (Because, well, I'm lazy. And have a zillion half-finished rehilts already in the pipe.)
To the sound of crickets.
Long story short, sometimes you gotta do it yourself. So a few months ago I nabbed a Windlass from Outfit4Events when I saw they still had one, took it apart, and the hilt components are roughed out. Final stats are unknown, but when shaped further the final product will be DEFINITELY less than 4 pounds total and 4" POB. Still a chunky boy, but between the hand and a half grip and halfswording ability--usable.
Not bronze. Wood covered with bronze leaf or paint. It was always doable. :p
Pics to come as I go further along.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Nov 15, 2024 6:08:53 GMT
Crom!
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 15, 2024 6:11:12 GMT
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Nov 15, 2024 7:03:03 GMT
You solved the riddle of steel: Wood!  |
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Post by mrstabby on Nov 15, 2024 10:58:20 GMT
You could also do a layer of carbon fiber on top to sthrengthen the wood. Technically you could do the whole hoilt from wood or thermopastics as well, with the fiber generally being lighter and the plasic being heavier than wood.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 15, 2024 11:18:35 GMT
Oh there's always plenty of possibilities. Cold casting epoxy resin with bronze colored mica powder for instance. Just wanted to keep it close to the fictional technology of a "Hyborian age" world.
Might try coating the wood with my much cheaper and easier go-tos though; either fabric and glue--"poor man's fiberglass"--or layered rawhide. Then sand it down and paint it bronze.
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Post by mrstabby on Nov 15, 2024 11:37:41 GMT
Also, if you haven't thought of it, you should put some steel wire through the wood to hold it together from the indide as well. It looks like it would be a big block of wood with many overhangs, drilling holes through and glueing in a 1mm steel wire can add a lot of resistance to breaking.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 15, 2024 15:29:18 GMT
Already doing something similar: thin steel plate, 27 gauge, cut in the profile of the hilt, under the wood and epoxied to the sides. (For fictional historicity it would've been cutlers resin--or if done from scratch just the whole blade and tang made nearly "full tang" in profile.)
Done this--for as long as I've been a voice in the wilderness on the movie sword--with countless rehilts of other blades people like to complain about. ;)
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Including *cough* ones everyone from the peanut gallery tossing around "distal taper" as if its an incantation while sempriniing about blades being "too thin at the base" as if they're unsalvageable. And me pointing out that sheesh, doesn't *anyone* look at the many historical swords like many Indian khanda that *simply added "aftermarket" reinforcements to the blade?* :p
Just adhesive on reinforcing plates, widen the guard slot a bit to accomodate it all; or as I do put on different guards anyway. Somewhere on this forum a couple times (if I bother to search it should come up) I described my "artificial distal taper" over the years. Again, no less than re: fixing the Atlantean's "insurmountable" problems, all it got was crickets. ;)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 15, 2024 15:44:27 GMT
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Nov 15, 2024 19:31:00 GMT
Metal foam?
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Nov 16, 2024 3:00:00 GMT
If you like the results, consider casting in aluminium
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 16, 2024 7:26:49 GMT
If you like the results, consider casting in aluminium You mean just the hilt parts? Still almost certainly too heavy; aluminum is 2-4x the density of various woods. (Not to mention wasn't able to be really extracted very well from ore until industrial processes. Though I suppose an explanation involving "Hyborian Age alchemy/sorcery" could get around that. ;) ) Thin enough hollow bronze or brass filled with a cutlers resin is another process, inspired by historical Indian swords, that could work. (Again, I'd prefer to avoid it, as hot casting isn't my thing, but would welcome someone else stepping up and giving it a try.) |
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Nov 17, 2024 15:38:51 GMT
If you really feel rich, have the hilt fittings hollow 3d printed in whatever. Just over thinking....
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Post by mrstabby on Nov 17, 2024 15:57:30 GMT
There are also new AI infills that look like tunnels in anhills, these can lighten metal prints by a lot without losing strength.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 17, 2024 18:07:46 GMT
If you really feel rich, have the hilt fittings hollow 3d printed in whatever. Just over thinking.... I'm not--but somebody should! And as I said fill it with any kind of cutler's resin or even lighter material--like polyurethane glue. In fact a smart *manufacturer* should. Anybody have Windlass's ear? They're already making the decent--and licensed--blade! Imagine how many units they could start moving again if it was at a usable weight. (If my win-the-Powerball fantasy ever comes true, I've already pondered buying out the Conan/REH rights. You can bet I'll be making a call to Windlass in short order then. 8-) (rofl) ) |
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 17, 2024 18:17:58 GMT
There are also new AI infills that look like tunnels in anhills, these can lighten metal prints by a lot without losing strength. On a tangent note, a few times over the years I've also salvaged some too-thick, overbuilt swords people have carped are "unsalvageable" over the years by simply adding piercings to the blade. One might quibble they still function, with that blade geometry, more like an "axe" or "edged mace," and play semantic games to call them "SLOs." (Though I prefer the term "SLeW"--"sword-like weapons," as they're, handling-wise, still eminently usable weapons after the fix.) |
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Nov 18, 2024 2:52:39 GMT
Metal foam!
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Nov 18, 2024 4:41:38 GMT
Sure, maybe. :p If you get a foam on the lighter end, all the way down to 10% or less, then you barely GET to the density of fairly dense wood. Seems like a lot of trouble by comparison to just a little wood-chiseling. ;) But even then... how to explain it, in the context of approximate pre-modern tech? Or are you positing that involvement of Hyborian Age sorcery I mentioned, haha? |
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