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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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 Posted: Tue 02 May, 2006 12:22 pm Post subject: Italian Roncone |
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I thought you guys might like to see this... or maybe not the pictures are pretty weak. However here is a coupel of my finished Roncone. The head was made by Arms and Armor and they market it as an "Italian Bill." The pole is ash from a friends tree that came down in a storm. The inletting of the langets was all done by me and a big pain in the but it was too. As well as all the head attachment etc.
This is the first large pole arm (I've also got an A&A pollaxe and Danish axe) that I've had the opportunity to test out. The power behind the blows is absolutely devastating.
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Sean Flynt
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Tue 02 May, 2006 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Sean Flynt wrote: | There must be something in the North Alabama breeze, Russ...I finished mounting my halberd on Sunday! 
Your's looks great! (so does mine , but I have yet to stain the haft and "conserve" the antiqued head). Excellent work!
I discovered the block plane for this one. It's a great feeling to watch that paper-thin, 6' ribbon of wood curl off the haft! |
So you are going to stain the haft? I was going to but the grain was just so nice I clear coated it instead. Not strictly speaking historical perhaps but it looks nice. Let's see some pictures!
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Sean Flynt
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| Posted: Tue 02 May, 2006 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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IIRC from Waldman, hafts were typically just boiled in vats of linseed oil, so your treatment is probably closer than mine to the historical reality. But, like my others, mine won't look "stained" like a bookcase or other fine wood. I go for the slop job--multiple opaque layers that completely obscure the grain. The idea is to simulate an oil finish plus 500 years of filth and natural darkening–I tend to think of it as The Graz Look. I actually don't care much for the look of a carefully stained haft. I like 'em either light, like yours, or dark, like mine. My halberd head arrived already well-rusted so I opted for the antique look overall. Should be pretty cool after "conservation". I did some drilling of the blade to match historical examples and that turned out very well.
This reminds me--I need to smash the haft around a bit tonight, add some woodworm holes, etc. I should finish the piece this week, so maybe photos next week.
Congratulations, again, on a beautiful weapon!
-Sean
Author of the Little Hammer novel
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Hammer-Sean-Flynt/dp/B08XN7HZ82/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+hammer+book&qid=1627482034&sr=8-1
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Tue 02 May, 2006 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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Russ;
Now I'm jealous  Well mostly because I'm still waiting for my custom A & A Langue de Boeuf: I expect it should be soon, but my patience is better at the start than close to delivery time. 
One thing I'm confident about is that I'm going to be happy with the results: One of the reasons it's taking a bit more time than estimated is that Craig has told me that there was a lot of unplanned for handwork. So, I probably should be paying a lot more for it.  This is a good reason to NOT pester Craig about it. (At least for a while )
Now as for a finish I would just have used boiled linseed oil and re-applied so as to create a real oil finish over many months of re-application.
Cutting ! We need all the scary details: Any telephone poles, recently, shorter than normal around where you live? 
More and better Picts also please.
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 6:05 am Post subject: |
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| Sean Flynt wrote: | IIRC from Waldman, hafts were typically just boiled in vats of linseed oil, so your treatment is probably closer than mine to the historical reality. But, like my others, mine won't look "stained" like a bookcase or other fine wood. I go for the slop job--multiple opaque layers that completely obscure the grain. The idea is to simulate an oil finish plus 500 years of filth and natural darkening–I tend to think of it as The Graz Look. I actually don't care much for the look of a carefully stained haft. I like 'em either light, like yours, or dark, like mine. My halberd head arrived already well-rusted so I opted for the antique look overall. Should be pretty cool after "conservation". I did some drilling of the blade to match historical examples and that turned out very well.
This reminds me--I need to smash the haft around a bit tonight, add some woodworm holes, etc. I should finish the piece this week, so maybe photos next week.
Congratulations, again, on a beautiful weapon! |
See I wondered about that. I had read the linseed oil bit too, but since I've never boiled anything in linseed oil (don't even want to think about how much boiling linseed oil I'd need for this thing) I don't really know what sort of finish ti would produce. I wondered however if the dark poles we typically see on historical examples were simply dark because of age/dirt/oxidation. I also considered putting the "eyelash" typical to roncones (or maybe even that spiffy scorpion makers mark) but figured I would probably mess it up...  I need to buy some punches...
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 6:13 am Post subject: |
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| Jean Thibodeau wrote: | Russ;
Now I'm jealous Well mostly because I'm still waiting for my custom A & A Langue de Boeuf: I expect it should be soon, but my patience is better at the start than close to delivery time.
One thing I'm confident about is that I'm going to be happy with the results: One of the reasons it's taking a bit more time than estimated is that Craig has told me that there was a lot of unplanned for handwork. So, I probably should be paying a lot more for it. This is a good reason to NOT pester Craig about it. (At least for a while )
Now as for a finish I would just have used boiled linseed oil and re-applied so as to create a real oil finish over many months of re-application.
Cutting ! We need all the scary details: Any telephone poles, recently, shorter than normal around where you live?
More and better Picts also please. |
Hey Jean,
I was wondering about that when making my initial post. I was thinking "hey I wonder if Jean ever got that piece that he had Craig making did I just miss it?" I'm betting you will be happy with the results as well. As for the cutting, I tried it out first on a box. It was a heavy duty cardboard box that part of my children's playset came in. I've cut such things with swords and although not a heavy medium it can be resistant to cuts with lighter weapons. Not to cuts from this beast. I stood the box up on its end so that it was approximately 5 feet tall. One tentative overhead cut completely smashed and cut through the entire length of the box. Obviously I needed a harder target. Next I tried some quarter inch plywood. A couple of chops later I had a bunch of quarter inch splinters. The top spike also smashes effortlessly through quarter inch stuff. The force you can generate with one of these things is scary. I wouldn't want to meet a line of guys armed with these things at all at all... Pictures at 10:00...
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Sean Flynt
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 6:13 am Post subject: |
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Looking through lots of contemporary artwork last night, I noticed that there are both light and dark-colored hafts. Light seems to predominate, so I think your piece has the look of many weapons at the time of their use. I think that all existing original hafts are now dark. The color plates in Waldman show many natural/oil finishes that resemble yours. I wonder if some hafts were covered in pitch or something similar. Maybe we should just fight and see which finish performs best.
-Sean
Author of the Little Hammer novel
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Hammer-Sean-Flynt/dp/B08XN7HZ82/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+hammer+book&qid=1627482034&sr=8-1
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 6:20 am Post subject: |
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| Sean Flynt wrote: | | Looking through lots of contemporary artwork last night, I noticed that there are both light and dark-colored hafts. Light seems to predominate, so I think your piece has the look of many weapons at the time of their use. I think that all existing original hafts are now dark. The color plates in Waldman show many natural/oil finishes that resemble yours. I wonder if some hafts were covered in pitch or something similar. Maybe we should just fight and see which finish performs best. |
Sounds like a great idea. A duel with polearms at dawn! Of course now that I think about the cutting ability of these things I might be a little late for the duel. In fact if you want to go ahead and get started without me that would be fine. I'll show up later maybe bring some sandwiches or something...
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 6:28 am Post subject: |
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| Russ Ellis wrote: | | Sean Flynt wrote: | | Looking through lots of contemporary artwork last night, I noticed that there are both light and dark-colored hafts. Light seems to predominate, so I think your piece has the look of many weapons at the time of their use. I think that all existing original hafts are now dark. The color plates in Waldman show many natural/oil finishes that resemble yours. I wonder if some hafts were covered in pitch or something similar. Maybe we should just fight and see which finish performs best. |
Sounds like a great idea. A duel with polearms at dawn! Of course now that I think about the cutting ability of these things I might be a little late for the duel. In fact if you want to go ahead and get started without me that would be fine. I'll show up later maybe bring some sandwiches or something... |
Hmmmmmmm ......... After the duel: " So where is Russ ??? ( A Bit like the where's Waldo, if you remember that )
" Well, he is over here ....... and over there ......and there .......there .......... and there.
Oh, for really good armour or a fast horse.
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 6:47 am Post subject: |
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| Jean Thibodeau wrote: |
Hmmmmmmm ......... After the duel: " So where is Russ ??? ( A Bit like the where's Waldo, if you remember that )
" Well, he is over here ....... and over there ......and there .......there .......... and there.
Oh, for really good armour or a fast horse. |
Yeah I'll wear the stripey red shirt and everything... I was wondering about that too... actually. Even with really good armor it seems like the blunt force trauma from getting a wack with one of these things would be tremendous. If you took a direct hit I can't help but think it would definitely knock you down whether it actually penetrated the armor or not.
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Sean Flynt
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 7:01 am Post subject: |
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I think I'd be happy just to wait for the sandwiches and call it a day. I'm already covering too much ground. I once observed a couple of ARMA colleagues going through some slow freeplay with MRL's German Halberd and Swiss Axe. That gave me the polearm bug, but it also demonstrated that in a fight in earnest, both parties would be likely to leave on the field important parts and fluids. Even if you manage to kill your opponent, if you're relatively evenly matched and armed I just can't imagine that you wouldn't be injured. I've had to stay very focused just to avoid ripping open my hands on the multiple points of my halberd. The thought of those points coming at my body with force and malice behind them makes me feel a bit ill. Contemporary artwork shows the grim results of polarm combat. It takes shockingly little effort to deliver powerful blows with these weapons.
-Sean
Author of the Little Hammer novel
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Hammer-Sean-Flynt/dp/B08XN7HZ82/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+hammer+book&qid=1627482034&sr=8-1
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 7:02 am Post subject: |
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| Russ Ellis wrote: | | Jean Thibodeau wrote: |
Hmmmmmmm ......... After the duel: " So where is Russ ??? ( A Bit like the where's Waldo, if you remember that )
" Well, he is over here ....... and over there ......and there .......there .......... and there.
Oh, for really good armour or a fast horse. |
Yeah I'll wear the stripey red shirt and everything... I was wondering about that too... actually. Even with really good armor it seems like the blunt force trauma from getting a wack with one of these things would be tremendous. If you took a direct hit I can't help but think it would definitely knock you down whether it actually penetrated the armor or not. |
Not to forget the leverage and momentum of a strike with the back spike at speed: if anything could " hole " a breast plate ??? And even if the plate deflects the blow you could probably find a nice place to pry with the top pike on the unconscious victim !
Or the hook behind the knee pulling the opponent off his feet or off his horse ............
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Addison C. de Lisle
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| Posted: Wed 03 May, 2006 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Russ Ellis wrote: | | [Next I tried some quarter inch plywood. A couple of chops later I had a bunch of quarter inch splinters. The top spike also smashes effortlessly through quarter inch stuff. The force you can generate with one of these things is scary. I wouldn't want to meet a line of guys armed with these things at all at all... Pictures at 10:00... |
What type of clean-up did you have to do on the head afterward?
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Thu 04 May, 2006 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| Addison C. de Lisle wrote: | | Russ Ellis wrote: | | [Next I tried some quarter inch plywood. A couple of chops later I had a bunch of quarter inch splinters. The top spike also smashes effortlessly through quarter inch stuff. The force you can generate with one of these things is scary. I wouldn't want to meet a line of guys armed with these things at all at all... Pictures at 10:00... |
What type of clean-up did you have to do on the head afterward? |
Actually none, it came from the guys at A&A in very good shape.
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Addison C. de Lisle
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| Posted: Thu 04 May, 2006 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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I meant after cutting up the plywood
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Fri 05 May, 2006 6:20 am Post subject: |
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| Addison C. de Lisle wrote: | | I meant after cutting up the plywood |
Oh duh... sorry... It wasn't that big a deal hit it with the buffing wheel in a couple of places and retouched the edge more because I'm anal about edges then anything else.
TRITONWORKS Custom Scabbards
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Sean Flynt
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Mon 08 May, 2006 8:41 am Post subject: |
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| Sean Flynt wrote: | | What's the length & weight on this piecce, Russ? |
Drat you know I don't know? Once I finally got it together I was to excited to go try it out and forgot to do due diligence on it. I'll see about getting that data together for you.
TRITONWORKS Custom Scabbards
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Sean Flynt
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This is a standard topic