Asteroid X | 19 Mar 2020 11:11 p.m. PST |
I use metal pikes for spears on 28mm figures (because they are of a thicker diameter than metal "spears" and are far more "to scale" with plastic spears and lead ones). I cut them down to more accurate lengths and am left with more than half of a 100mm pike. What is the best/easiest way to flatten the end of what remains to make another spear? I am going to guess using a grinder (bench) would be the easiest to shape the flattened part to a point? |
Brian Smaller | 20 Mar 2020 1:39 a.m. PST |
Smack the end flat with a hammer and shape with a grinder or a file. A friend made pikes for his Selucids like this and I lost count of the number of times I got impaled moving troops into contact with his pike blocks. |
HMS Exeter | 20 Mar 2020 1:54 a.m. PST |
The "easiest" way is to buy North Stsr prefabbed spears. Their metal is more rigid than you're likely to find and the spear points are uniform. You may want to blunt the points juuuuuust a little. Failing that, get suitable wire, (you can get straight lengths of wire from craft shops. These can be found in the dried flower aisle.) Get a vise with an anvil plate at the back. You may well already have one. Get a hammer. I use a ball peen personally. Lay the end of the wire on the anvil and strike with hammer twice. If you hit it too many times the metal will grow too thin and lack strength. You can use a grinder to shape the flattened metal to a point. You may want to strike once, rotate 180 then make your second strike. This really only works if you aren't looking for much uniformity between points. If you are, you'll end up discarding large numbers of points that stray too far from your visual ideal. I used to try to make my own. Now I North Star. |
Prince Rupert of the Rhine | 20 Mar 2020 2:20 a.m. PST |
I used to use brass rod to make my own. I'd flatten the end with a hammer and grind them into a spear shape with my Dremel. Hard work if you need a lot so now I buy pre-made but as you are looking to recycle spare wire hammer and grinder by in/ Dremel/ good hand file is the way to go. |
Dexter Ward | 20 Mar 2020 3:09 a.m. PST |
Brass rod is pretty easy to flatten. Put the end in a big pair of flat-grip pliers and hit the pliers with a hammer. Easier to control than hitting the rod with a hammer. May nee a couple of strokes with a file to make a point. It is pretty quick. |
Prince Rupert of the Rhine | 20 Mar 2020 3:14 a.m. PST |
Maybe I should have said boring work rather than hard. You are correct brass rod is relatively soft to work with. The steal spears Northstar make are like Wolverines skeleton in comparison. |
Timmo uk | 20 Mar 2020 3:17 a.m. PST |
I make my own for both 15mm and 25mm using brass rod. 0.5mm for the former and 0.8mm for the larger figures. Brass is very easy to work – I use and anvil and small hammer. Having flattened the the end, which often only needs a couple of hits. I then snip this to a point and then file off the ragged edges. Once I'm in production line mode I can churn these out dozens and dozens during a session. The only thing you have to watch with brass is getting it chemically clean for primer. Being a naturally greasy metal means that a sound process is necessary – use a good primer to really bond with the metal. |
FusilierDan | 20 Mar 2020 4:32 a.m. PST |
I heard Northstar wasn't going to have the pikes/spears anymore once existing stock ran out. link |
Puster | 20 Mar 2020 5:14 a.m. PST |
I use broomsticks and flatten these with a plier, usually in three steps going a fraction more to the front each time. I am quite sure normal rod should work the same, if you have a good plier. Make sure its harder then the metal rod. Do not try it on steel, unless you have pliers to spare… BTW: I swapped some 600 Landsknechts from metal to broomsticks, after some nasty accidents where my boys definitely won in the "first blood" category. |
Prince Rupert of the Rhine | 20 Mar 2020 5:22 a.m. PST |
I assume you mean the broom bristles? In my neck of the woods the broom stick is the big wooden handle which would make for some pretty impressive pikes in 28mm ;) |
Thomas O | 20 Mar 2020 7:18 a.m. PST |
Look for florist wire, not the stuff on a roll but in straight pieces about 12" to 18" Michael's or Hobby Lobby should have it, though I got mine at a Dollar Store. It is soft enough to smash the end flat with pliers (you do need to use smooth jawed pliers0. I use a grinder bit in my dremel tool to grind the wire to a point take the pliers and smash it flat , maybe a lick or two with a file and I'm done. Here is the tutorial YouTube link |
Asteroid X | 20 Mar 2020 7:23 a.m. PST |
Well, if Nick's getting an engineering firm to make them it's not that easy to do. I can tell the end is compressed with a machine, not with a hammer. I tried a hammer on an anvil prior to writing this and it didn't flatten the end of the wire he sells. |
Asteroid X | 20 Mar 2020 7:30 a.m. PST |
Thank you Thomas O! Subscribed, as well. |
Asteroid X | 20 Mar 2020 7:36 a.m. PST |
Here's another tutorial I know about: YouTube link I just didn't want to waste the remainder of the pin and I only need so many flag poles for 20mm figures. |
Andy Skinner | 20 Mar 2020 7:57 a.m. PST |
I once made some swords by bending sewing pins in the middle and flattening with hammer on vise anvil. I was converting some American Indians to Martians, so having unique swords was good. I liked the way they looked. andy |
Asteroid X | 21 Mar 2020 2:00 p.m. PST |
I went out and bought a broom head at a local hardware shop. It cost less than 10 pounds and is comprised of at least 4800 bristles. Each bristle is just tiniest bit wider than the Northstar pikes. They are super easy to cut! Very easy to flatten the ends on and fairly easy to cut to shape! You can also easily add a butt spike like the Greek hoplite spears and pikes. A little ball of green stuff would make them into pila. They are flexible but also rigid and very easy and quick to make! |