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M. Livermore
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 Posted: Sat 12 Jul, 2014 9:02 am Post subject: |
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The head looks very nice. Was it made by the forum member who supplied it or does it have it's origins elsewhere?
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Benjamin H. Abbott
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| Posted: Sat 12 Jul, 2014 9:43 am Post subject: |
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| Mart Shearer wrote: | | There's really no reason to go to heat treating or hardened edges. See Williams, Dr. Alan R. & J. G. O'hara, The Technology of a 16th Century Staff Weapon. They broke up an Italian bill into 8 pieces and analyzed it: The metallurgy is complete junk. Remember bills were mass produced for common infantrymen. |
Yes, but this wasn't necessarily ideal. Sir Roger Williams wrote that "Bills must be of good stuffe, not like our common browne Bills, which are lightlie for the most part all yron, with a little steele or none at all; but they ought to be made of good yron and steele." According to John Waldman's Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, an analysis of a sixteenth-century halberd in a museum in Bern showed it to be a mix of iron almost free of carbon and much harder steel. I suspect the better bills and halberd had at least hardened edges and points. And the sixteenth-century bill tested by Alan Williams was fairly hard (VPH 313) in places even if it wasn't specifically hardened by heat treatment.
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Marik C.S.
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| Posted: Sat 12 Jul, 2014 10:04 am Post subject: |
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Oil is next on the agenda, yes.
First thing on monday.
Europe - Where the History comes from. - Eddie Izzard
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Mark Griffin
Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys. Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 802
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| Posted: Sat 12 Jul, 2014 11:51 am Post subject: |
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I'd just linseed oil then use it.
Its a very nice example of a wokaday item, and not too fancy. Very nice, will look good carried by a basic soldier. All you need now is a jack and sallet and off you go!
Griff
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Sean Flynt
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Marik C.S.
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| Posted: Tue 15 Jul, 2014 2:16 am Post subject: |
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Well who would have thunk it. Linseed Oil in itself is a topic for the ages.
Reading up on it in different languages I've now managed to thoroughly confuse myself 
So we have linseed oil itself, which is basically like any other oil for cooking but made from linseeds.
So far so good.
Then we have boiled linseed oil which may or may not have chemical additives and drying agents in it and may or may not be the same stuff that is sold here as "Firnis" (a type of linseed oil based varnish) depending on how the stuff is labelled.
Due to these additives these different additives and mixtures there may or may not be different finishes achieved with the stuff and the drying period and thickness of each coat may or may not be different and will provide varying amounts of protection against the elements.
Am I right in thinking that I want the raw, pure oil because even though it will take quite a lot of time to cure completely it will leave me with the best result (and be the most historic)?
I've got an old can of that Firnis-Varnish stuff right here - which again may or may not be what is sold as boiled linseedoil elsewhere - but I'm wary of applying it because I really don't want a finish that looks varnished.
Oh and I missed that post about the head, it was made by Andy Kirkham.
Europe - Where the History comes from. - Eddie Izzard
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Philip Melhop
Location: Wokingham, Berkshire, UK Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 132
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| Posted: Tue 15 Jul, 2014 4:46 am Post subject: |
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Nice bill mate, Andy Kirkham does fabulous work(and a thoroughly nice guy too). Hope you intend to secure the head with a rivet or pin of some sort.
Now, linseed oil. To make a long story short, go to an artist supplier they have real, unadulterated linseed oil and real turpintine(in small bottles and not cheap) dilute the linseed oil with the turpintine about 50/50 and apply a couple of light coats. The wood should soak it up quickly. Remix the linseed/turpintine to about 75/15 and apply a more light coats, let each one soak in fully. Finally use linseed oil only, as many coats as you can be bothered doing. Let the bill stand for a few days, then reapply if any areas appear dry. After all of this, an occasional wipe over will mainatin the wood. Please dispose of the rags carefully as there are instances where they have spontaneously caught fire.
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Marik C.S.
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| Posted: Tue 15 Jul, 2014 5:31 am Post subject: |
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Rivet is already in place. I cut it a bit short, so one end is almost flush with the socket rather than having a nice head but I think it'll do to keep it very solidly attached.
Thanks for the manual on how to use the oil, I'll see if I can find someone selling the real deal around here.
Europe - Where the History comes from. - Eddie Izzard
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This is a standard topic