"painted shafts" Topic

Are pike & halberd shafts painted or natural wood in the Renaissance period? Specifically for the Swedes but more generic information is also welcome.

I'm from a Napoleonic background where even Cossacks painted lance shafts but I'm not sure about this period.

No evidence att all for painted shafts issued to the rank and file. At best they were treated with oil or tar to prevent rot.

When I look at many examples of beautifully painted miniatures, I often see the shafts in a yellowy-beige.

Nearly all unpainted wood will go grey. Oiled wood darkens.

What does the light coloured, yellowy-beige shafts represent?

I'm pretty sure it's simply most gamers' default "that's what timber should look like" colour – based primarily on 21st century pine furniture rather than 16th century pike shafts….

OK then, what colours to use gents? I'm a Vallejo man BTW :)
Cheers

I have seen a lot of Swiss Pikes and Halberds in museums and they are dark chocolate colour – similar to Vallejo Game Colour 72.045 Charred Brown.

Thanks, Mick.

BTW I wonder why this thread was moved from the Discussion section? Is it because the title sounds mildly suggestive?

87)))

While I have seen the same dark colour as Mick in the Graz Armoury and in Emden one has to keep in mind that it is the result of centuries of storage during which the shafts have gotten a lot of patina and no small amount of dust and dirt on them. Period artwork frequently shows much lighter coloured shafts.

Others show darker shafts but still not as dark as the preserved pikes & halberds in Graz

Thanks, Daniel. Fantastic illustrations.

Whatever color you paint him, this cat is a bad mother …

I paint mine yellow brown or light brown because shafts stand out and look cool. Darker colors are more plausable but don't looks as good on miniature's battlefield.

I use Vallejo 821 German WWII Cam. Beige for my spear shafts, it gives the appearance of wood that has aged a little, as opposed to looking like a new piece of wood.

Stuart.

Daniel S yes wonderful thankyou, and thanks all others for their input too for your help. ochoin you too, been to your site and must say you are no shabby painter either :)
I have tended to use Vallejo green ochre, my reasoning is that all the wood objects that are pike/spear arms seem best in this colour, I use mahogany brown or darker red browns for muskets but that's me :)
Finally I usually do one highlight (sometimes darker wood grain done depending) on wood objects to create less depth to them as they normally have a more solid feel to it.
Cheers and happy painting all.

I was under the impression that ash was the preferred wood for pike shafts (I can't recall where I read that)so I painted mine to look like the handle of my new axe which is ash wood- a light yellow-y beige. Some I paint a warm grey (Coat D'Arms Roan) to reflect weathered wood.