NFS (Needle Felt Sword) Construction site

[DECIMvS MERCATIvS VARIANvS]

Just wanted to announce that Caius Man of LEG. VI <[size=75:33mby2jc][url:33mby2jc]http://www.legionsix.org/[/url][/size]> has finshed an outstanding article on how to make a NFS gladius. ;-) ) To check it out, go here: [url:33mby2jc]http://www.reenactor.net/Ancient/nfs/[/url]

With this, we have a good start on getting this sytem more codified and universal. Also, I know CAIvS FABIvS has been working on NFS pila... Soon, we shall have the ability to have much more relistic battles and more tacticals vs. just doing events for the public! ;-) )
Best, DMV

[Lucius Aurelius Metellus]

Excellent article! Thanks for sharing that with us, Marsh! wink:

[rusty myers]

Tried to sen it to caiusmans email, but his draconian earthlink spamblocker seems to hate me from any email address.

We have experimented with the same design and make the following recommendation.

3. Carefully melt the fisrt 1/2 inch with a lighter to burn off the epoxy (do not breath the smoke). You will find the epoxy catches fire. This will create a fiberglass fiber "q-tip" and assure no punch thru of the rods. Cap both ends with a couple of layers of tape to prevent the tubes from poking through while thrusting. Then wrap the length of the tubes together with tape in a diagonal spiral like used to be used on bicycle handlebars.

[Gaius Opius Fugi]

My curiousity is itching again. I wonder if there would be some way to construct glandes out of needlefelt with enough mass to sling like a real glande yet without endangering anyone.....hmm.....Maybe yet another summer project (if I can manage to get around to it) to work on.....If nothing else, it would allow slingers to participate in combat.

Vale,
Gaius Opius Fugi

[Daniel S Peterson]

During the last big Hastings reenactment I atttended in Britain (as a Norman), the Saxons pelted us with sling shot tennis balls. They are a bit largish, but they did work okay and were fairly safe, though I don't think you'd want to get hit in the mouth or nose by one!
Dan

[GaiusManliusMagnus]

Ave Rusty et Omnes,
Sorry about the spamblocker nonsense, I get about 200 spam a day. I've opened a new email account at centurionsixatearthlinkdotnet to try and get only humans sending me mail.
In response to your suggestion, I don't know that it is needed, but probably couldn't hurt. A couple layers of good tape pillowed onto the end of the rods makes them pretty puncture safe and avoids carcinogenic smoke. Burning epoxy is serious poison. Still, outdoors with a fan or something and it could be done, if you feel it's called for.
As for sling stones, I made a little plaster mold using a real lead one I have and have been injecting household silicone into it to make test sling stones. I'm just using gray 100% silicone for masonry work that I got at Home Depot. We're still testing these to see how badly they hurt. Makes easy, cheap, soft ammo, but I don't yet endorse them as safe without more testing. Eye protection will obviously be mandatory with these as well. If our testing goes well, I'll do an article on the mold and casting and let Marsh post it. We'll see.

[Caius Fabius]

we're pretty happy with the pila we tested at Lafe, which may or may not have some link to their constructions somewhere, and we found some SCA 'blunt' rubber arrow points that may be okay with eye protection. Of course, the Keltoi want to count all arrow hits against the body, while the Romans want any hits against torso armor not to be counted.
We have tried two sling projectiles, tennis balls, (painted brown) and racket-balls. The problem is that with bows, you can limit the poundage, with a sling, the strength and skill of any slinger makes the weight of the strike impossible to control. Using any solid projectile, such as a solid silicone or rubber "stone" ,gives the possibility for concussions at the least, especially since many of our opponents don't have helmets. The up side is that sling hits against armor would be counted, (also against the helmets!).
With a "staff sling" one can get a really good velocity to whatever you are throwing, unless it is bundles of feathers or styrofoam balls....

[F. Antili Oregensis]

Ave All.

A couple of week ends ago I talked to a group of LRPers at an event here in town to scrounge up some opponents for my legion to drill against. We talked a bit about missile weapons, and they seem to have come up with some interesting answers to use them and keep them safe. We might learn some stuff from LRPers even if we don't participate.

Slainte
Jeff I.

[DECIMvS MERCATIvS VARIANvS]

A couple of week ends ago I talked to a group of LRPers at an event here in town to scrounge up some opponents for my legion to drill against. We talked a bit about missile weapons, and they seem to have come up with some interesting answers to use them and keep them safe. We might learn some stuff from LRPers even if we don't participate.

[size=150:2j063rnx]O[/size]kay, spill some of this great info ;-Þ What did they tell you? And what were some of their interesting ideas????

[Magnus]

What about using those plastic, fluted, training golf balls as sling weapons? If I remember, they don't have a huge range, but have minimal impact if you slammed it into someone.

What about bean-bag sling bullets?

Personally, I'd laugh my ass off if I saw someone get beened in the face with a tenis ball, especially if I knew them, but then, I've a sick sense of humour.

[Marcus Mummius]

That bean bag idea could work. It's heavy enough to have good reach and it won't break you're nose if you're hit (I think :? )