[S Ghajar]

Good day to all,

I dabble in bronze casting, and have been wanting to cast a reproduction of a bronze mace from West Asia for quite some time. While some seem to be hafted a bit like an axe or tomahawk with a socket, many aren't socketed in the same fashion and I can't seem to find information on how they were affixed. Attached is an example of a Seljuk-era mace to better illustrate what I mean. It seems as if many examples from earlier eras (maybe even some Luristans) have a similarly closed top as well. How were they secured for use? Certainly some were ceremonial but many look more suited to actual martial intent.

Thank you for any assistance!

[Leo Todeschini]

Nice piece.

To be honest I don't know for sure, but if there is no wedge and no cross pin, then it must be bonded.

If for example you close fitted your shaft, then put some resin compound into the mace and warmed the mace head and the shaft then pressed the two together, you will get a very good and comprehensive bond. Mix up your resin compound right and only significant heat will get it off.

Tod

[Ralph Grinly]

From what I understand a lot (most?) of Indian hilt's and blades were secured together with melted pitch or resin. If it worked well enough for swords, it should be just as viable for mace heads ?

[Kai Lawson]

I'd certainly go with Tod's recommendation, and there is a long history of using strong adhesive in much of East and Central Asia, but I also came across an interesting method when I was researching bronze age pommels (don't remember where--maybe Jeroen Zuiderwijk posted it on Bronze Age Forums?). If you split (or cut with a stop hole) the shaft and add a small wooden wedge and seat the head carefully and slowly over the top of that, the act of the head sliding down will force the wedge into the cut, and push the shaft against the interior walls. It seems pretty strong, and that combined with a strong adhesive seems to me like it would be plenty secure.

Just think of it as hafting an axe with a wedge, but you make the cut, then add the wedge, then careful put the head on over the lot of it. I'm sure it would require some careful doing to get everything the right length and size, but not much expertise beyond that.