Log in

View Full Version : Beech War Club


Queequeg
22nd June 2009, 10:15 PM
Still inspired by all of the shillelagh and war club talk we've had here, especially the ash club that Katana made, I made this out of a beech sapling which a farmer let me harvest, since it was "in his way".

I never worked with beech before; it's really heavy and fairly dense: the perfect material for a good root-ball war club. After stripping the bark, sanding, staining, and drying it, I soaked it for a full week in the linseed oil tank. I also found a new way to get a good, realistic looking patina going.

Full Shot:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd143/Detroit_Panday/AgedBeech1.jpg

With a 30" ruler:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd143/Detroit_Panday/AgedBeech2.jpg

From the top:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd143/Detroit_Panday/AgedBeech10.jpg

From the handle:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd143/Detroit_Panday/AgedBeech11.jpg

I love the head on this thing. While stripping and cleaning it, I found that it had a natural "hole" from the way a smaller root grew and connected with the rest of the head:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd143/Detroit_Panday/AgedBeech14.jpg

The roots had really deep fissures between them, making for some nice potential impact points. This is a shot directly overhead to illustrate further:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd143/Detroit_Panday/AgedBeech20.jpg

Finally, up against the tree in the yard:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd143/Detroit_Panday/AgedBeech15.jpg

Thanks for looking.

katana
22nd June 2009, 10:36 PM
Hi Queequeg,
good job :) , I love the 'organic' head. Did you notice any 'weight gain' after the club was soaked in Linseed oil ?

Regards David

Atlantia
22nd June 2009, 10:40 PM
Fantastic! I love the look, its like a clerics mace! Top marks mate. Great work!!

Queequeg
22nd June 2009, 10:40 PM
Did you notice any 'weight gain' after the club was soaked in Linseed oil ?

Yes! Actually, I did notice a weight gain, so I would say that the soak tank did its job successfully. One thing I did to the head, for which you gave me an idea, was to fire harden it.

So, I put it in my propane forge and started to heat up the head until it browned. I then immediately put it into the linseed tank ("quenched" it, I guess, for lack of a better term), figuring that, in addition to hardening, the wood grain would have expanded and soaked up more linseed oil.

Some test whacks proved my theory.

Queequeg
22nd June 2009, 10:42 PM
Fantastic! I love the look, its like a clerics mace! Top marks mate. Great work!!

Thank you very much. :)

VANDOO
23rd June 2009, 01:22 AM
VERY NICE WORK I NOTICED THERE IS A NATURAL OPENING IN THE CLUB HEAD, NOW ALL YOU NEED IS TO FASTEN A NICE SCALP LOCK THERE. :D
I AM ALWAYS GLAD TO SEE A NICE PIECE OF WOOD PUT TO GOOD USE.

David
23rd June 2009, 02:57 AM
Nice job. :)

Lew
23rd June 2009, 04:09 AM
Very nice :)

Jim McDougall
23rd June 2009, 07:03 AM
Nice:)

fearn
23rd June 2009, 04:37 PM
Sweet job! I wonder if you can get the wind to whistle through that hole if you swing it just the right way?

F

Atlantia
23rd June 2009, 07:23 PM
Sweet job! I wonder if you can get the wind to whistle through that hole if you swing it just the right way?

F

Great idea! lol
Perhaps a mournful cry or even a wailing?

Queequeg
23rd June 2009, 10:26 PM
VERY NICE WORK I NOTICED THERE IS A NATURAL OPENING IN THE CLUB HEAD, NOW ALL YOU NEED IS TO FASTEN A NICE SCALP LOCK THERE. :D
I AM ALWAYS GLAD TO SEE A NICE PIECE OF WOOD PUT TO GOOD USE.

Now that's a good idea! I have to work on finding a suitable candidate... :D

Queequeg
23rd June 2009, 10:32 PM
Great idea! lol
Perhaps a mournful cry or even a wailing?

You guys got me curious enough to (ahem) take this outside in the back yard and swing it around in the wind. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a whistling sound, and my neighbors now think I'm a bit more... eccentric than before. :D

Atlantia
24th June 2009, 12:37 AM
You guys got me curious enough to (ahem) take this outside in the back yard and swing it around in the wind. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a whistling sound, and my neighbors now think I'm a bit more... eccentric than before. :D

LMAO!!