Weapon building plans

[meek]

I plan on building a Flail next. No one here in Stormhaven has one and I really want to build one. I have been looking around the interwebs for tips and tricks and even noticed it is banned in some places and why I am not sure but if any of you guys have tips they would be much appreciated.

[Brevin Azura]

Well I know that they can be pretty dangerous if you're not careful. I haven't seen them very often either, although a few guys from Northern Steppes wield them pretty frequently (Lamp and Ragnar I believe).

You need to make sure that the flail can't wrap around things when you swing it. I know a lot of designs include foam rings between the shaft and the ball to prevent this. And have lots of courtesy padding on the shaft.

[Elik]

Flails can be harder to wield than clubs or swords. this can lead to many head shots...
I don't em. I don't like fightiing them... haha

[meek]

well I have been thinking it would be nice to have one just so people can get used to fighting them for one thing.

[drazz]

learning to fight against them is a good thing but.... there will b a ton of head shots and issues with flail control

[Brevin Azura]

Maybe set up some kind of dummy stand and practice throwing shots at it first?

[Brevin Azura]

What would people recommend I use for a core to build a red? I know regular PVC is generally a bad idea, because it will flex too much at that length.

[meek]

Oct 20, 2010 13:57:58 GMT -5 Brevin Azura said:

What would people recommend I use for a core to build a red? I know regular PVC is generally a bad idea, because it will flex too much at that length.

well I have heard the best you can get is the band-shoppe poles

[Batu]

Oct 20, 2010 18:30:57 GMT -5 meek said:

Oct 20, 2010 13:57:58 GMT -5 Brevin Azura said:

What would people recommend I use for a core to build a red? I know regular PVC is generally a bad idea, because it will flex too much at that length.

well I have heard the best you can get is the band-shoppe poles

What Meek said. Some form of fiberglass core is my recommended venture. My kanabo? Bandshoppe pole. Sure there was a lot of padding, but it barely bent when swung. They are light weight and durable. Sch 80 pvc can be heavy and will probably break after a few uses. Ryan Murphy's first red is a case in point.

You may want to hold off on ordering just yet. When I have the money, I too would like to place an order for bandshoppe. When you do it solo, it gets more expensive, but if many people buy at the same time, price goes down. So I can let you know about my order, but I gotta get the funds together.

[Brevin Azura]

That sounds great! I've used different reds before and though I don't really know what they used as a core, I preferred the ones that swung a little easier and had a little more speed to them while still packing a decent punch. Definitely let me know when you are thinking about ordering cuz I'll chip in to get one

[Batu]

As a suggestion, it might be prudent to go with the weapons construction classes that was mentioned earlier.

Lesson 1: Blues
2: Shields
3: Reds
4: Javvies, Daggers, and Spears.
5. Pole-arms.
6. Garb

Etc.

Especially if we want to immerse new players into the world of Dagohir.

[stubbie]

Oct 20, 2010 13:57:58 GMT -5 Brevin Azura said:

What would people recommend I use for a core to build a red? I know regular PVC is generally a bad idea, because it will flex too much at that length.

What kind / what length of read are you looking to make?

If anyone can dig them up (the only source I knew for them closed, and the more looking for new places; the better) 1/2" x 1/2" square solid fiberglass cores are excellent for minimum red swords / axes....up to say 5' core length. After that, they get a lil flexxy and unwieldy.

BS poles are great for your pole-arm weapons (spears,glaives, halbards, etc...) I just think they pack a bit too much umph for a minimum red sword. They ARE legal and do-able, just hit harder than one made on 1/2"sq FG.

Ignore this if you're not looking for unwarranted advice, but I'd swap your Red and Green classes.

[stubbie]

Yay for multi-posting to increase post count! Buwahaha, then everyone will know I speak the truth!..........or not.

So about your flail, dagorhir.com/HowTo/DagorhirFlail.html

I'll say this: This tutorial isn't the BEST way to go, but it is simple, and teaches you a lot.

The rings around the 'chain" are a REQUIREMENT, just saying. And to be on the safe side, they have to be about as many as you can fit onto the chain, bottom of the "head" down to the "shaft". Chain has to be under 6" long and trust me, thing will slip and your chain WILL grow. Fabric stretch, micro tears, tape lets go, etc... I usually tried to make my chains in the 3.5-4" range to prolong life without rebuilds.

I'd suggest either following the above tutorial or doing this:

Build your flail head. Can either be a ball or a can shape (cans are like building very large pommels...wrap,cap,wrap,cap,wrap,cap), then put that inside of a fabric bag just big enough to accept it. Sew it shut.

Build up a section of Sced 40 PVC like you were making a club, but you only have to build the "striking" end to 2" across. Then take a 2nd cloth bag, long enough to accept the head, 3-4" of chain and a good 6-8 inches down the weapons haft. Insert flail head, push down onto the haft section, leaving your "chain" slack. Measure this distance twice before you tape...not a bad idea to make it a tad shorter than your "goal", as you will develop slack during taping. Tape the begeezus out of the cloth on the haft. I like to work from top down. Tape again, in the opposite direction (like if you went clockwise the first time, do it again but counter clockwise). Be careful not to torque TOO tight, as tightly wrapped tape pre-compresses the foam and eliminates it's padding properties.

Add the foam rings (this is where pipe insulation shines, just cut to a 1/2" wide section, DAP the ends together, then wrap in tape. Fill the chain with these rings "aka dingleberries".

Make sure your haft meets the 2" rule on both ends, that the haft padding doesn't present a danger to be hit by (although you WON'T be hitting with this padding....on purpose....EVER, right?), that your chain is indeed less than 6" from bottom of the head to the top of the haft, and that at least 2/3rds of the haft is padded.

[Elik]

Flail..... CHECK!!! can't wait to fight with it Weds....

... and then 10 minutes later hate it.