Today we take at look at a custom spear we just completed for a customer. It features a lugged or winged head made of hardened and tempered 4140 carbon steel mounted on an ash haft. The spear features a butt-cap that helps to balance the dynamics of the weapon, a braided leather turkshead that helps the user know where exactly on the haft their hand is, and brass nails along the length of the shaft that aid in edge alignment for cuts. The shape of this spear is based on a famous example in the Kunsthistoriche Museum in Vienna that belonged to Frederick IV of Austria. The overall length of the piece is seven feet, which is based on the apparent dimensions of fighting spears in Fiore de’i Liberi’s late 14th Century fight book. You can learn more about Fiore here.
For custom project inquiries you can email us at aa@arms-n-armor.com As always, our swords and other weapons are entirely made by us, by hand, at our shop in Minneapolis, MN. Sword blades are hand ground of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. All of our products are made to look, feel, and function just like the historical originals on which they are based. Arms and Armor is dedicated to quality and authenticity. For over four decades we have worked with museums, collectors, and scholars around the world to develop a deep understanding of European weapons; knowledge we use to make products that exemplify the finest qualities of the very best historic pieces. When we select historic items to reproduce, being pretty isn’t enough, they have to move with grace and beauty, and beg to be used when in the hand. These are pieces that feel as good as they look, and that work as well as they feel. Our mission is to craft items that recreate the look, feel, and function of the best historic originals. Check out our website with all of our products, blogs, and upcoming events here.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at many HEMA events including Longpoint, SoCal Swordfight, and WMAW, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985
