hello all, i am working on getting a pole-arm, and im hoping to purchase something thats very cheap and will cover the 1460-1530 range. all the halberds ive seen (that are suitable for re-enactments) are quite expensive. the GDFB glaive looks like a good solution. but, would it be used by a landsknecht? i know a doppelsoldner would more than likely have a halberd, but as the Landsknecht all equipped themselves, would there might be a couple glaives floating around the fahien? would it be acceptable for re-enactment use? and pictures of Landsknecht using glaives? btw, how the devil does one come around pins to attach langets to the shaft? do you hot peen them, or simply tap them down? cause its either a halberd or glaive, and they are both gonna need attaching.

Landsknecht are depicted using lots of different polearms inc. glaives and bills(Here are some of my 16thC polearms) my glaive happens to be my favorite weapon but its the only one not in this pic :lol:

Just use nails or rivets and peen them over the other side, or use big tacks or nails on either side.

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As far as I can tell, the form that looks like a big chef's knife was common among bodyguards (Trabanten) ca. 1550. If the GDFB version you're looking at is of the more spear-like variety with integral rondel, I'd say it's MUCH earlier and not appropriate for a Landsknecht. A good halberd would, indeed, be pricey, but there's an excellent alternative. If I were in your shoes, I'd get the Windlass/MRL "European Spear Head" and mount it on a 6" poplar dowel from the hardware store. That makes you a low-level Landsknecht officer for less than $50! :D Of all your options, this one is by far the most historically appropriate in terms of design. You'll find lots of images of L. officers with what are essentially boar spears, usually decorated with a tassle.

KOH has 'em:
http://kultofathena.com/product~item~600766.htm

Download this PDF to see hundreds of images of the Landsknecht in different roles and in different periods.
http://www.serner.de/758

heres a pic of the GDFB glaive

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Yeah, I'd say that's about 25 years too early, at best, if you're wanting something for 1510-1550. You'll see these all over the most famous copy of Froissart's Chronicles (ca. 1475) and the painting below is dated to 1453.

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Therion has a GDFB halberd head for $50 that would be perfect for your project.

http://www.therionarms.com/reenact/therionarms_c1017.html

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thanks sean! perfect! haha, more ridiculous indecisiveness! i really like the look of the pollaxe. at 60$, its only 10 bucks more, ands a good bit lighter. (2 as opposed to 3.5lbs) would that work for the period? if not, ill just use the halberd. both look like really awesome pole-weapons. btw, the website says it has a sharp point here and there on both weapons. how would i dull a point?

That's are both nice looking polearms. They're probably untempered medium carbon steel so use a sharpy to mark how rounded you want the tip and use a grinding stone to round it out to your marks while dipping the point in water after each pass. Dunking it in water will simply keep it from blueing which will make additional finish work for you (you could also do this with a file, a lot more grunt work, but no less heat to worry about.) Then clean the edges with a file and you won't even mess with the finish.

The poleaxe will still be a bit too early, but not as much as some might think. These were certainly used through 1500, but not by the Landsknecht, as far as I can tell. If you're worried about the weight of the halberd head, keep in mind that Landsknecht images show a great variety of haft lengths, from what I'd consider poleaxe length on up to around 8'. I still don't understand why there would have been such variety--could be artistic concerns at work in those images, but who knows. Your best bet would still be to haft the head to an average length based on period artwork.

okay, then the halberd it is! and as far as the weight goes, its not a big concern. just a plus.