Hello! Long time since Ive posted.

I have a question that hopefully a couple of folks here can help me with. I will begin forging a late 15th century halberd soon.

http://www.rogue-artist.com/gothicgermany/hreweapons.html

The very top image with the array of halberds is an example of the type what I will be reproducing.

I plan on starting with a bar stock of carbon steel, forge-heating it and hammering it into shape. For the socket where the shaft fits into, I will use a cast-iron last, insert it into a split in the bottom and hammer around it for the depth and shape. The langets will also be hammered atop this last.

My question is this:
Is this a viable way to proceed? These were munitions weapons, made by the hundreds. So I cannot help but wonder what was done to make the process easier.

I am completely open to all suggestion and discussion. I would be especially appreciative of any close-up pictures of the area around the sockets of existing halberds. I have seen the back and front of an original and it is split at the back, while the front is a solid sheath. So Im still thinking they inserted a last like I originally plan to do.

*NOTE: I say "last", like what they use to shape shoes. But I am unsure what the correct term should be. My apologies.

Kindest regards,
-Jason

From an academic perspective (not from a blacksmith's), John Waldman (2005) goes into quite a bit of descriptive detail regarding halberd construction in his book about hafted weapons, and includes many closeups and some x-rays. The book is a little pricey (see the myArmoury bookstore), but you may be able to find it at a university library.

Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe: The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650 (History of Warfare 31)
by John Waldman

Good luck.
~Gregg

Excellent Gregg!!! Thank you ever so kindly for that lead.

-Jason

Hi Jason,

I think the term you’re looking for is “mandrel” rather than “last”. These were certainly used in manufacturing halberds and can easily be forged from mild steel, any undesirable deformation resulting from use, being easily repaired.

Rather than attempting to split the steel and drive the mandrel in as a punch, halberds of this type were generally made using two leaves of steel, forge welded around the mandrel. The langets were then, as you mentioned, hammered atop the mandrel, or perhaps hammered on to the leaves before they were joined, although I feel that this is less likely.

I’d also like to second Gregg’s book recommendation. It’s almost required reading for those of us looking to make polearms. As much as I'd love to, I haven’t come across a more informative resource on this topic.

I hope this helps, and I’d love to see photos of the end product.

Darren.

Jason Adams wrote:
I plan on starting with a bar stock of carbon steel, forge-heating it and hammering it into shape. For the socket where the shaft fits into, I will use a cast-iron last, insert it into a split in the bottom and hammer around it for the depth and shape. The langets will also be hammered atop this last.

hi all,
If my translation is correct.
From a metallurgical point of view it is wrong to put together a carbon steel with cast iron.
If you need to use the molds, before the part that you must enter the auction, then opens the rest.
A single material, not cast iron, one piece only.
If it is necessary to add pieces, weld hot hammering.
regards

The method described above appears to be the most common means of construction, and it's elegantly simple. You can use two separate leaves but I am under the impression that the steel is a single sheet folded around the mandrel, heated and forge-welded. I assume that means that both sides of the sheet would have to be at welding temperature, which might be a challenge without a forge. I'm not a metalworker, though, so that's just speculation.

It might be worth the time to buy a box of Sculpey polymer clay, roll it out to the desired thickness and practice with that to make a model/pattern that can be transferred to the steel sheet. Given that socket it might be easy to underestimate the size of the sheet you'll need.

If you want to make a more durable template you can model in clay, unroll the model onto a sheet of thin foam material (sheets in all colors at your local craft store,) trace and cut. That gives you a flexible but durable template. Cardboard would work just as well but might be less convenient to store.

Thats a great idea too. Ive been using some surplus coated paper. Much stronger and more flexible than normal paper, but the foam is a great idea because it wont permanently crease or tear.

I think Walmart caries sheets called "foamies" or some such in the crafts section. IVe gotten them before for crafts with my son.

You will need a forge, and you will need to practice forge welding. It's quite a skill to get the steel hot enough without burning it, then hammer it together quickly and accurately.

I have seen forges built in old round BBQs so it can be done. You will certainly need a blower to make the coal burn hot, and it should be lined with fire bricks or fire proof clay. You may be able to find books in the library on making forges. I'm sure there are resources somewhere on the web too.

Darren.

cool beans. I will see what I can dig up.

I made my first knife this afternoon :) I will post pictures when I get more batteries for the camera.

So should I just weld it with a torch or arc welder then?

Im planning on having each langets and socket half being one full piece. Then welding each half it its side of the blade.

Does that make sense?

I'd have to agree that a halberd is a very ambitious project, even for a fairly accomplished smith. Modern welding techniques will certainly make the project a lot easier, although it will lack the strength of a good forge weld.

quote="Jason Adams"]Im planning on having each langets and socket half being one full piece. Then welding each half it its side of the blade.

Does that make sense?[/quote]

This seems to be the way a lot of reproductions are made and it can certainly produce the desired shape. If you have a socket extending to the other edge, just behind the spike, you may want to make the blade from two pieces, the axe and spike from one, and the beak and flange from another.

Hope this makes sense.

Darren.

Yeah, that does make sense. Im just going to have to find a balance. I want to make as much by-hand as I can. But I do not have the capability of getting extremely hot temperatures over large areas yet.

This page has a lot of German halberds of the most diverse form, some are simple enough to be dealt with from a beginner point of view.

http://www.rogue-artist.com/gothicgermany/hreweapons.html

LOL yeah, that's my website actually :) Those are the halberds I want to try my hand at too. So it works out :D