Amateur Knife Making

[Mokwepa]

Hey guys

Im still on leave and havent picked up a hammer for a few days. Im glad to see the thread still going and a bit more interest from some new fellows. Nice looking work to the recent pics, makes me jelous though, i still need lots of practice. Bought 80kg of anthrasite today so i intend to do just that. Also bought a new bench grinder and wire brush attachment and sanding belts for my belt sander(going to stick to forging though, stock removal doesnt appeal to me yet), drill set and one hell of a fancy volt meter that i have no idea how to use Its nice being in civilization again.

The spear im doing is called a Ikwla(dont ask me how to pronounce it) made famous by King Shaka Zulu himself in the late 1800. The zulus origanaly used spears called Isiphaphas (pronounced isifafa, learnt zulu in school for 4 years when i was younger and recognise the phapha part), they were fairly long with a light blade with a balanced shaft and were designed to be thrown. Shaka did not like his warriors disarming themselves and took 2 isiphaphas and had them forged together to create a heavier, stronger blade and gave it a short sturdy handle and called it the Iklwa. These are used for stabing and slashing their apponent. Zulus always disembowled the dead as they believed their spirit was contained in their stomach after death and needed to be released.

These Iklwa's are about 1.2 -1.5 meters in length. The Isiphapha was about 2 -2.5 meters in length. They do not have socketed tangs but they use a spike tang that is inserted into the shaft and is secured with gum and skin fron the tail of a recently slaughterd goat or cow. After the zulus started to trade with the malungus(white people that came from the sea) they used wire to secure the head into the shaft. The blades were origanaly made by a smith who was largely respected by the zulus of that area. It was believed that the smith had magical powers and that certain spears made by him were more effective at killing than others.

Unfortunately there are very few traditional smiths arround (havent met one yet), except a few (not even zulus but tswanas) that forge rubbish blades for rich americans(no offence) visiting our country.

When i start forging after leave, ill get some pics up. Ill hagve a hammer in hand in about 2 days from now.

PS. The zulus are fierce warriors and in 1879 (if i remember corectly) they slaughterd the british using nothing more than their Iklwas and leather shields. Quite impressive i think.

 

[7X57chilmau]

Sounds like a fun project! Will you be using traditional gum'n'skin securement, or more modern wiring?

If you wanted a more durable mounting still, you could make a tapered ferrule from some pipe..... It's alot easier than I'd thought it would be.

J

 

[hso]

Coal will burn much hotter than charcoal so keep a careful eye on your temperature while you're working with it. You may want to build a forge just for it since the process of forging with coal is so much more efficient.You can do amazingly well with a scrap brake drum from a truck. Since you're back in civilization look for a better anvil.

 

[Mokwepa]

If you wanted a more durable mounting still, you could make a tapered ferrule from some pipe..... It's alot easier than I'd thought it would be.

Sounds interesting but i have no idea what you are talking about(rough idea but im not sure if im thinking right). Can you explain please.

HSO thanks very much for the diagram. That system is almost identical to my setup except for the easy cleaning drain type thing(ash dump). I am going to have to learn how to watch the temp. ive melted too much steel already by leaving it in with the air sorce on for too long. Its my fault, i must just be more cautious and work slower instead of trying to rush.

Did some more research and am going to have to forge a new blade for my Iklwa. I have a awesome piece of tamboti (historically correct) for the Iklwa. The blade i have been working on will be ideal for a Isiphapha. I am being forced by the higher powers to make a set

Oh yes, No gum will be used, cannot and dont know how to extract enough gum (any tip???)

 

[7X57chilmau]

Heya Mok,

A ferrule is a metal ring that surrounds the spear shaft where the tang enters it. It prevents the wood from splitting out when the spear tip is subjected to side loads. Basically a socket without being a socket.

Just make the blade as you intend. Prepare a hole to suit it in the shaft of the spear, leaving the hole a tight fit.

Forge a 4-6" piece of pipe (start with one close to the diameter of the spear shaft) into a slight taper. Match the OD of the pipe to the spear shaft.

Slightly taper the end of the spear shaft. Loosely slip the ferrule over the shaft, then install the blade and ram the blade home to seat the tang all the way. Use a hammer to ram the ferrule down onto the shaft, compressing the shaft slightly around the tang to hold the works together.

Optionally, the ferrule can now be drilled thru and pinned.

J

 

[hso]

I am going to have to learn how to watch the temp.

You can get a contact thermocouple and "watch the temp", but what you really need is to be able to control the temp.

You can do that by controlling the air to your fire. If you can't continuously vary your blower then you can put an opening in the pipe between your blower and the forge. Make a cover with a soda/beer can to allow more or less air to escape. The opening should be about 1/3 of the circumference of the pipe and about 8 cm long.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I used to use pipe caps for ferrules for some of the quick-and-dirty pilae (which were a lot like long-necked isiphaphas). Just drill a hole in the middle of the cap that's the right size to let the iron shaft through, rasp down the end of the wood shaft to where the threads of the pipe cap can get started, use the hole in the cap as a drill guide for the iron shaft hole, tap the iron shaft home, and tighten the pipe cap with a pipe wrench. It holds the iron shaft kind of like a drill chuck.

 

[Mokwepa]

Make a cover with a soda/beer can to allow more or less air to escape.

Very cleaver, I think i might need to try this on my forge. Thanks HSO, a nice simple solution. I think a beer can would work well, wait, i dont have a empty one, not for long

7x57: That also sounds like a good idea. Sounds like it'll be nice and strong.

I used to use pipe caps

Thanks for the idea Waldo, but if a plumber saw my Iklwa, he'd say, thats no zulu spear, thats a spear made by a game ranger using parts from a hardware store. Its a good idea if i was making a spear that i was going to use to kill warthog but im trying to replicate a traditional spear, and a end cap wouldnt be convincing to others, it is still a good idea, just not for this specific spear.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Yep.

As we used to say in the SCA, "There's the spears that you show and the spears that you throw. Don't mix 'em up."

I always liked to keep a bunch handy for when the friends drop by. Good, friendly competition always breaks a few shafts... .

-Anyway, didn't the Zulus just use a strip of the hide from the tail of a fresh-killed cow for this?

 

[7X57chilmau]

I've never had a friendly contest with the spear points actually mounted.... But I have a pathological inability to make a blade that isn't sharp....

We just use 6' x 1.125" dowels bare. That's plenty real enough for me

J

 

[Mokwepa]

Zulus just use a strip of the hide from the tail of a fresh-killed cow for this?

Yes they did.

They basically cut a incision arround the base of the tail and pulled it back (basically skinning the tail in one piece). This left them with a tube of freshly skinned tail. It was usually salted and dried untill needed. Then cut to length, soaked in water and fitted to the shaft and allowed to shrink tight onto the shaft. I might do this if a wildebeest conviniently drowns fairly soon, their arnt many cows being slaughterd regularly where i live. If I cannot get tail skin then ill do the ferrul or wire binding.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Thanks for the description, Mokwepa. The version that I heard wasn't very clear.

The spears that we made never hunted anything but frogs and hay-bales. I'd dress the bales in carpet-and-tin armor suits, then we'd see who could hit the "chinks" in the armor.

-And we harvested a lot of very tasty frog's legs!

 

[Mokwepa]

I'd dress the bales in carpet-and-tin armor suits, then we'd see who could hit the "chinks" in the armor.

Dont know if "chinks" is very PC but who cares sounds like allot of fun.

I'm off to the happy forging ground. I'll chat and post some pics as soon as I get to a comp. Cheers guys. Thanks for the info.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Chink means a spot that isn't fully protected by armor. Legs, face, joints, stuff like that. Hitting the helmet (actually half of a frying pan) would bounce the spear half-way back to the throwing line, which brought on a lot of derisive comments from the other competitors. It also tended to break the spear, which is why I redesigned them to be fixed quickly.

 

[Mokwepa]

Thanks Waldo, ive learnt to be fairly careful on these forums. Never know whos reding

Ive finished my Isiphapha. I used a piece of river bush willow for the shaft, nice and straight but im not sure how tough it is. Feels nice and heavy. The tamboti that i had was not straight enough. I used the Bartia bowie to "CHOP" down 5 or 6 branches about 1.5" thick, it was blunt afterwards (wouldnt shave) but i expected it to be. One sesion with my diamond stick and it is as good as a manora. I whraped the shaft with wire and then mixed epoxy with ash from the forge and coverd the binding, might not bet authentic but strong and functional and looks nice and old. Looks like gum mixed with ash and cow dung type of glue, i think it looks good. Ive thrown it a few times and seems strong enough to turn a person into a kebbab Ill get a pic up tomorrow when im back at work.

Time for the Iklwa, going to use some other wood shaft though.

 

[7X57chilmau]

Sounds good.... Waitin' for them pics!

J

 

[Mokwepa]

Hi guys

Ive been slacking a bit. Promise ill get a pic up soon.

Ive finished the first spear, kind of. I decided to use the head from the isiphapha to make a more modern iklwa(shortly after shakas death). Short shaft. Used a nice piece of tamboti for the shaft but i tried to get away without the HT, bad idea. I figured that after the heat and beat, the steel should be hard enough for a speer after i temperd the blade shaft and tip. Its still too soft and doesnt hold a good edge. Can i HT with the blade in the shaft, thought of wraping a wet towl arround the shaft and bit of the steel blade-shaft. Would this keep the wood cold enough during the heating?

If i get this right, how should i HT a speer(what colors where?) it is designed to be a close combat stabing speer.

 

[hso]

You don't want it to be brittle so it should be just a tad softer than your big chopper.

 

[7X57chilmau]

temper to purple/blue... Basically a sword/spring temper. In "battle", you'd prefer a dull spear to a broken one.... But a bent one would be worst!

You can HT the blade while it's hafted if you like, with one risk in doing so: You may leave an short annealed spot on the tang, which could leave that spot bendy. If the tang is fairly substantial, this won't be a problem.

I've been pretty unproductive these last few myself, but I did spend some time playing with my own spear last night.... I can now say with absolute confidence that it will easily penetrate a car door.... And the occupant of the adjacent seat...

For such deceptively simple weapons, spears carry alot of power....

J

 

[Mokwepa]

For such deceptively simple weapons, spears carry alot of power....

I certainly agree. I played arround with my Iklwa and a car tire. With a tiny amount of effort it goes through both sides of a pickups tire. Would be fun in a road rage confrontation (only kidding, im as peacful as a new born lamb, haha who am i kidding).

 

[7X57chilmau]

I remember the first time a spear's penetrating power surprised me. It was about a month after making the spear I've posted photos of above.....

I'd spent an inordanent amount of time stabbing my knife-throwing backstop (3/4" ext. ply), water filled pop bottles, and whathave you.... But nothing fleshy...

One day, I spotted a porcupine near the back of my lawn. An hour later, he'd moved only a couple feet. I went out to take a look.

He didn't react much as I approached. I gave him a little whomp from the butt of the spear, to see what was up. It made a weak grunting noise and didn't move. I flipped him over, and it was clear. His belly was laid open with at least a half dozen deep, long gashes across his belly. I assume one of the local bobcats missed a meal. That or bear, nothing else in our wood is likely to cause this sort of grevous injury...

I took it upon myself to end his misery. I swapped to the business end of the spear, and drew back for a powerful stab. schliCLICK! The spearhead penetrated 8" of porc-u-flesh and bone, 4" of sod and topsoil, and had impacted a rock hard enough to bend the last 1/4" of the tip. This blade doesn't show any damage after passing thru a car door.....

Porc was done, so I pitched him in the recycle/compost bin.... The local scavengers don't clean these guys up, ya know.

Seems it would have done the job with only a gentle push. A human ain't a whole lot tougher than these animals. I don't ever want to contemplate having to actually USE this weapon for what it was intended.... But I'll have confidence in it should I ever NEED to...

Those who doubt the efficacy of a spear in warfare have never weilded one, methinks. 'Course, they're the same people who think a spear is primarily for throwing.... Heh.

J

 

[Mokwepa]

A human ain't a whole lot tougher than these animals

Ive met and carefully handled and hunted these creatures and i can assure you that they are tougher than most humans. I found a site www.huntingwithspears.com (i think, otherwise google it). Its a 75 year old dude that has killed 583 big game animals, including buffalo(cape and american), bears and lion with nothing more than a spear. On 40 occasions, he has thrown 2 spears at the same time and killed 81 animals this way ( I dont know where the extra one comes from). He sells his super duper hunting spears for $250. Quite interesting, have a look.

 

[7X57chilmau]

That's a hell of a hunting spear he sells! Looks to be ALL business..... I'll have to have a look around that site when I have the time...

J

 

[Mokwepa]

Chilmau, when you head into the great out doors angain to hunt/kill car doors with your spear, could you take your camera along, id love to see some pics, if its possible.

I saw some footage on CS DVD of car killing, looks loads of fun and a goog test of equiptment. I did buy a CS boar spear after i watched the DVD(BDay presant from the parents actually)

 

[7X57chilmau]

I'll see what I can do, Mok....

I don't tend to hunt autos very often, it's really not friendly even to a decent blade, but once in a while I have trouble resisting....

Where're the photos of yours?

J