I recently purchased the Windlass Greek Spear head and the Greek Spear Buttcap from Kult of Athena to mount as a short spear, my objective wasn't to recreate a historical spear but rather to experiment with what would be a short spear good for close quarter work: The results in short are that It's very fast in handling spear, about 62" in total length and the reinforced point very strong probably due to the fact that the Greek pattern was probably first used in Bronze with a very thick mid-ridge.

Weight of spear 6 pounds.
Shaft maximum diameter 1 1/2"
Total length 62"
POB: Dead centre of the whole spear.

This length would be ideal for a boarding spear/pike, a home defence or tight quarters fighting in narrow medieval streets or narrow places when fighting at very close quarters, still long enough to outreach anything but a very long two-handed sword, and would be difficult for an opponent to get past the point and get away with it like when fighting against a much longer spear: The other end coming into play or even the middle of the shaft used in defence or counter attacks.

It could also work very well one handed with a shield and even work as a very close range javelin: At close to 6 lb. it's far from light but this gives it a lot of authority in a thrust with point or butt spike. The butt spike would also work well for strikes with the side of the butt spike and very mace-like.

This Topic is in part a review of the Greek Spear head and also a DIY Topic about how I made and assembled the spear.

http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...Spear+Head

http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=600036

The spear head is very robust and in hand sharpening first with a file and finishing with a diamond hone one can estimate that the steel is in the high 40 R.C. range or in the low 50 R.C. range in hardness and seems to be well heat treated as the file does bite into the steel but not too easily as it can easily skate off the surface without cutting into the steel if one doesn't apply enough pressure.


Now getting into the DIY part of the post: I found a long shovel handle made out of some good hardwood, probably Ash or Oak with very strait and dense grain at a tool and lumber supply store, the shaft is thickest about 1/3 from the top and tapers in both directions. The shaft as purchase does swell back up in diameter at the rounded butt end of the shaft but I cut off this part off before fitting for the butt spike.

The taper on which one would normally put on a shovel head fit perfectly into the Greek Spear socket without needing any fitting.

I also purchase a couple of long pieces of cold rolled steel 1/2" wide by 1/8" thick to use for the making of languettes.

I inletted the the shaft on both sides so that the steel languettes would be flush with the sides of the shaft and epoxied the steel languettes into the cut slots, I later drilled 9 holes in each languette staggered so as to not have the nails too close to each other.

Inletting was first done by defining the outside dimensions of the cut with a small narrow " V " gouge and then using a narrow chisel to remove the material between the cuts, and then using the very sharp edge of the chisel vertically as a scraper to smooth and even out the bottom of the cut. The steel languettes where bent slightly by hand to conform with the curved profile of the shaft.

After tapering the butt end of the shaft, nailing the languettes I just epoxied the head and but into place as well as secured them with heavier nails.

The pics should be more or less self-explanatory.

Great customer service from KoA as usual.

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Very robust reinforced tip.

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The steel for the languettes, the shovel handle/shaft for the spear, the Greek Spear Head and Butt.

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More pics of the assembly and the finished spear.

At this point the oil finish was on it's first applications and the finish with BLO is an ongoing process with the wood grain being nicely featured.

I'm also still slowly hand sharpening the edges to at least paper cutting sharp.

The point because of it reinforced tip will never be that sharp but it's meant to be able to pierce with little likelihood of bending or breaking off.

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Languette just placed in slot to check on fit.

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Close up of fit.

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Inletting.

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A&A Poleaxe, Greek Spear, Bardiche shown together for scale.

For some reason the pic is shown on it's side ?

And the last few pics of the finished short spear.

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Languette with nails.

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Holding ther spear to give scale.

Looks nasty. Nice job.

I made one very similar from a Windlass long bladed hewing spear and flattened buttcap. I find its relative shortness to be a boost to performance......mine is about 5'-5"....and I stand a mere 5'-7". The spear is lightning fast and very maneuverable. Now, seeing your cool langettes, I may have to disassemble and try again. :D Very good job!.........McM

Jean,

Nice work. These Windlass spear heads are great value for money and surprisingly good quality. I've used them to make boar spears, pikes and even used the Greek spearhead like yours to make an 'elephant spear' using an antique 7ft bamboo lance pole (after re-profiling and antiquing the head) as below. It adorns my 'man cave' along with various ethnic weapons!

As for the langets, when I've done them using similar methods to yours, I have actually continued them under spear socket for an inch or so, and riveted the spear head through the langets and haft, to anchor both in place.

Julian

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Very nice spears Gentlemen. This gives me some inspiration for future projects.

I would have mounted it with the haft the other way around. That is, with the thickest part towards the butt.

Just a super job on the spear! Especially the really good job you did inletting the languets.

I really had to laugh at your comment about fastening the languetes, the shaft and the head together by running the languette more deeply under the shaft. Only you would feel the need to make a spear stronger than that one! LOL!
I don't think the spear point could handle it but I think you could use the shaft to lever up one wheel on a small car as long as you were careful of the wood grain!

I can really visualize it as a close quarter weapon and I'm sure it's very quick and I agree with the other writer who said that it was NASTY!

I'd opt for some kind of cross bar two inches long or so on each side of the socket to catch an opponents weapon but you made it, I didn't and I'm sure you did it the way you wanted it.

On my long bladed hewing spear, I just used a small deer antler piece tied around the socket at its narrowest point, tied with leather lacing. It will spin around, but it does not move up or down. Great boar spear! I love it....One of the sweetest weapons I own. :D ......McM

Mark told us, "On my long bladed hewing spear, I just used a small deer antler piece tied around the socket at its narrowest point, tied with leather lacing. It will spin around, but it does not move up or down. Great boar spear! I love it....One of the sweetest weapons I own."

That's an interesting idea! I can see how it would look very appropriate as a hunting weapon that way. I noticed one of the professionals made their interpretation of Cedric the Saxon's Boar Spear from Ivanhoe and it had a pretty rustic somewhat twisted spear shaft that was clearly a debarked and dried sapling. Somewhat the same concept.

I imagine the socket would be soft enough to drill.and one could drawbore a hole through the sides of the socket and through the shaft so that a steel pin would serve to pull the shaft into the socket and essentially lock the whole thing together with the help of a drop or two of epoxy.

Wouldn't that be a beastly weapon? ( pun intended!)