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David Martin
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 165
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 Posted: Fri 14 Oct, 2011 7:43 pm Post subject: Warhammer Advice Needed |
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Hello all,
I've been reading "Blood Red Roses," which got me thinking that I'd like to add a nice war hammer to my collection. I'd like to find a functional weapon with a fairly long square beak. I've been searching, but thought I could benefit from the wisdom and experience of the members here.
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
David
"When war-gods meet to match their might,
who can tell the bravest born?
Many a hero never made a hole
in another man's breast."
- Sigurd, The Lay of Fafnir
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Tim Lison
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| Posted: Fri 14 Oct, 2011 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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I had a hammer made by Lutel years ago that featured a square-ish head. It was solid and very nicely made. It was also reasonably priced. Try the "links" section for their webpage.
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Fri 14 Oct, 2011 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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A few Warhammers on this page at KoA:
http://www.kultofathena.com/maces.asp
What do you mean by " square beak " ? The hammer part or the " Bec the Corbin " part ? Sort of a thick diamonds section with most but could be square also.
This Pole Hammer by A&A has a much longer haft than a War Hammer but it does have a long " Bec ": You could custom order one with a shorter handle or maybe get it customized a bit more changing the hammer part to a different type ?
http://www.arms-n-armor.com/pole232.html
Or getting this one also from A&A as is or have it customized with a longer " Bec " ?
http://www.arms-n-armor.com/pole005.html
Maybe combine some features from each ? Not sure how easy this would be for A&A to combine parts of one with parts of the other, and at what extra cost ? ( E-mailing Craig is always a good idea as he could answer your questions, tell you what is possible, make a semi-custom Warhammer or a completely original design ? ).
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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David Martin
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 165
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| Posted: Sat 15 Oct, 2011 5:42 am Post subject: |
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Tim & Jean,
Thank you very much for the suggestions. I'm sorry I wasn't clear regarding the "square". What I'm looking for is a "Bec" with a square cross-section.
Thank you Jean for educating me on the correct terminology for the Bec de Corbin.
After reviewing the available options, I think I may need to take a different course. I can't seem to find the "Bec" that I want on a war hammer, but I've seen a few photos of tomahawks that look like they would fit the bill. The challenge will be finding one that is reasonably priced (about $200 or less would be ideal), as the prices I'm seeing are quite high. Perhaps they're being sold as art pieces.
Thank you again for your assistance.
David
"When war-gods meet to match their might,
who can tell the bravest born?
Many a hero never made a hole
in another man's breast."
- Sigurd, The Lay of Fafnir
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Eric G.
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| Posted: Sun 16 Oct, 2011 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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I have this one by Ritter Steel. I love the look of this thing, but it is too massive for a guy of average size like me. I have a friend that is 6'6" who has smashed the crap out of a 50 gal steel barrel with it. It was just perfect for him since the guy is pretty massive himself, but he still preferred two hands for this one.
One thing that I can say about it is that it is super sturdy.
http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...War+Hammer
Eric Gregersen
www.EricGregersen.com
Knowledge applied is power.
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David Martin
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 165
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| Posted: Sun 16 Oct, 2011 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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Wow! That is a beast of a weapon!
I've been thinking more about a tomahawk. It might be a nice weapon to carry while camping. With a nice thin sharp blade and a curved square cross-section spike/bec about 4-5" long, it would be an ideal weapon against an unarmored foe, bear, or other such animal. It would certainly be faster than a warhammer and easier to carry.
The trick is finding a good one at a decent price. I don't want an "art" piece, but rather something of 5160, well-tempered, with an oval or flattened octagon haft with a swell or pommel at the butt.
Perhaps I need a new thread...
"When war-gods meet to match their might,
who can tell the bravest born?
Many a hero never made a hole
in another man's breast."
- Sigurd, The Lay of Fafnir
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Henry H
Location: California Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Mon 17 Oct, 2011 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Hey David Martin
Why dont you go with a 5 or 10 lb sledgehammer-cut the handle down etc?You can stain it any color you want,and have it addorned withe leather etc.Just a idea.
Thank you,
Henry
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Eric G.
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| Posted: Mon 17 Oct, 2011 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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| David Martin wrote: | Wow! That is a beast of a weapon!
I've been thinking more about a tomahawk. It might be a nice weapon to carry while camping. With a nice thin sharp blade and a curved square cross-section spike/bec about 4-5" long, it would be an ideal weapon against an unarmored foe, bear, or other such animal. It would certainly be faster than a warhammer and easier to carry.
The trick is finding a good one at a decent price. I don't want an "art" piece, but rather something of 5160, well-tempered, with an oval or flattened octagon haft with a swell or pommel at the butt.
Perhaps I need a new thread... |
I have a buddy who uses a cold steel kukri as his camping weapon of choice.
If you're anticipating bears of any kind I would recommend either a big gun or some good running shoes. =)
Eric Gregersen
www.EricGregersen.com
Knowledge applied is power.
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Mon 17 Oct, 2011 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Henry H wrote: | Hey David Martin
Why dont you go with a 5 or 10 lb sledgehammer-cut the handle down etc?You can stain it any color you want,and have it addorned withe leather etc.Just a idea.
Thank you,
Henry |
Would sort of work for a " Thor " hammer ( Not very Historically correct ) but 5 lbs is very heavy at the end of even a short haft and 10 pounds would extremely difficult to use after the first committed blow one would have an extremely slow recovery time.
Most period Warhammer where closer to the 2 to 3 pound weight: About the same of as the average one handed sword but with almost all of the weight concentrated in the head and thus feeling a lot more heavy than the swords.
Even at 3 pounds a full power hit with a Warhammer or Mace is devastating and 10 pounds would be much too tiring to use for any extended period of time in my opinion.
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Henry H
Location: California Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Mon 17 Oct, 2011 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Jean Thibodeau
You are correct with regard's to the weight etc.I would not want to swing a 5-10 lb neither,lol-only for ceremonial use is what I had in mind.I made one for a buddy that is in to the Vikings in a big way.
Thank you,
Henry
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Mon 17 Oct, 2011 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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| David Martin wrote: | Wow! That is a beast of a weapon!
I've been thinking more about a tomahawk. It might be a nice weapon to carry while camping. With a nice thin sharp blade and a curved square cross-section spike/bec about 4-5" long, it would be an ideal weapon against an unarmored foe, bear, or other such animal. It would certainly be faster than a warhammer and easier to carry.
The trick is finding a good one at a decent price. I don't want an "art" piece, but rather something of 5160, well-tempered, with an oval or flattened octagon haft with a swell or pommel at the butt.
Perhaps I need a new thread... |
Well here is one by Cold Steel:
http://www.coldsteel.com/spike-hawk.html
Seems to fit your description and for a utility rather than historic piece, and the price is affordable.
Should be of good steel and take a god edge.
Better price here: http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=...Spike+Hawk
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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David Martin
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 165
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| Posted: Tue 18 Oct, 2011 9:18 am Post subject: |
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Eric: I have a Cold Steel Kukri as well. They are wonderful tools, but I wouldn't want to use it for self-defense, given that it is primarily a chopping weapon. I actually stopped bringing my kukri camping, as I found the Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe to be a much better tool for cutting wood. It's similar in size/weight to a Hudson Bay axe and is made from exceptional steel (edge RC about 58 if memory serves).
You're absolutely right about bears though: A firearm is probably the best bet. The problem is that New York State, in their infinite wisdom, doesn't allow firearms in the Adirondacks. My solution is a Viking Hewing Spear. 8^ ) I would, however, like to have a tomahawk for up-close-and-personal defense. If I can ever make it to Alaska (I've wanted to do a two-week wilderness canoe trip for some time), I have a .45/70 Marlin lever action and a custom 5-shot .45 Long Colt Ruger Bisley. I also have a Remington 870 12ga. and .45 Long Colt Ruger Redhawk for my camping buddy, so I'm pretty well set in the firearms department.
Henry: I love the idea of cutting down a sledgehammer, but I'm afraid that would be a beast of a weapon to carry and wield. Even a three pound sledge would be terribly unwieldy in a self-defense situation. I'm also guessing that impact weapons would not be the best choice when fighting hungry bears. For ceremonial/decorative use, I'd want a great big black iron monster - as close to Mjollnir as possible.
Jean: Thank you for the link for the Cold Steel spike-hawk. It looks very similar to what I'm hoping for. I'll definitely keep that as a fall-back weapon should other opportunities fail to surface. I'm working on some concept drawings now. My hope is to be able to commission a weapon by one of our resident craftsmen.
"When war-gods meet to match their might,
who can tell the bravest born?
Many a hero never made a hole
in another man's breast."
- Sigurd, The Lay of Fafnir
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Tue 18 Oct, 2011 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Henry H wrote: | Hey Jean Thibodeau
You are correct with regard's to the weight etc.I would not want to swing a 5-10 lb neither,lol-only for ceremonial use is what I had in mind.I made one for a buddy that is in to the Vikings in a big way.
Thank you,
Henry |
No problem: At times one wants to make something impressive that only a Super Hero or Norse God could use, also the modern sledge hammers look a great deal like the Warhammer used by Thor in the early Comic books.
To make it look like this one has to grind out any modern markings or brand lettering on the sledge hammer, remove any finish and then blue or antique it. Adding leather cross strapping on the handle and crossing over the hammer head would complete the original Comic Book look.   
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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