Today I made some real progress on building myself a 16thC Boar Spear to go with the Boar Sword I have posted on here before.

The basis for this piece is a heavily modified Windlass Euro Spear Head. It has had the socket shortened by around 1.5" and the blade has been shortened to around 7" and re-profiled into the typical leaf shape. I made the additional metalwork myself (rotating toggle and pin).

I have a 6.5' long (round) ash pole to mount it on, but instead of the usual criss-cross of leather/studs you see in order to give it extra grip, I am thinking of carving it with a diaper pattern (after seeing one like this on the Hermann Historica site), as it will give me an opportunity to try out my carving skills.

I will, of course, post pics when it's complete.

Julian

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Nice!

I haven't seen a metal pin like that before, just wood or antler. Is there an existing piece you based it on, or is it an original idea?

The steel toggle is a feature of later 16thC boar spears. Earlier medieval ones either have a cross bar as part of the head (like a Viking winged spear) or they have the separate antler toggle held on with a leather thong.

Here's a pair of fine boar spears with steel toggles, I'm sure you'll find others if you Google.....

Julian

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And a couple more examples trawled off the internet. The first one has an elaborately carved haft, which distinguishes it from the leather thong binding you usually see. That's what I am hoping to do with mine......

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It took a while, but my Boar Spear is finished!

I carved the ash shaft with 67 quatrefoil paterae in a diaper pattern, that covers just over half the length of the shaft. It really lifts the whole thing into another category and has a definite 'wow' factor. It looks as if it would be quite at home in an Elizabethan Royal Hunting Lodge.

It's also very practical (I made it sturdy enough to be used in the hunt) as the carving gives a lot of extra grip, which is what you need when you have a wild boar stuck on the sharp end!!

I now have to fight the urge to carve decoration on everything I own that's made of wood.......!

Julian

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Dang! You stole my next project idea! Beautiful work! Happy hunting!

Julian, very impressive boar spear. :D :cool:

How did you get the pattern on the haft so regular ? Mostly low relief carving and/or wood burning used ???

In any case no matter how you did it the results are impressive and very attractive.

Cheers Jean,

It's all low relief woodcarving, with a little undercutting to give it definition, and finished with a dark paste wax to add depth. As with all decorative woodcarving, the pattern has to be precisely marked out. Then it's just hours of patient, methodical chisel and knife work (and ten years worth of woodcarving experience!).

It's the kind of enjoyable project I can do whilst watching TV in my front room.....

Julian

Beautiful work, truly.

What is the purpose of the lugs or toggle? Keeps the spear from going too deep into the boar I imagine, but why?

Basically to keep the boar from charging all the way up the spear to get the spear-holder.

As Marc says, a big, angry boar won't stop charging just because you've skewered it with a spear! And with a bite that will mangle your legs, and tusks that will open up your belly, you want to keep a little distance between you and it!

Hence the toggle; it gives over a foot of penetration, enough to fatally puncture lungs/heart, then goes in no further.

It's also the reason why there is no spike/steel cap on the other end, just in case it gets propelled in your direction. You don't want that in your face!

Julian