Im a new player and at this time im trying to get my things ready for the next event. Im to be using a spear and shield, with this i would like to ask peoples help on a matter i have to explore. I got the matieral to make my spear (Wood doweling) and i would like to know if this is indeed a acceptable material or do i need to rethink and get myself some fiberglass for the core? the shield i know can be made from plywood with foam apon it but the spear at the moment is what im worried about.
Wood dowling is NOT LARP safe. It is too brittle and prone to splintering. You need to use a fiberglass reinforced core. While wooden cored shields are acceptable, they are frowned upon. They need to be WELL padded and latexed. Especially on the edges. have you made weapons before?
Making a Spear:
(specifically these are generic weapon making, but they contain good advice)
In general youâll pay a lot more to make a weapon/shield that passes safety checks, but it will be your own in a way that a âmass producedâ (I know they are not truly mass produced, but they are made to a set of templates) item will not. I believe that boffa weapons would fail, but even if they might not, youâll not be liked, because they do not suit the look of the game.
I would really advise not making LARP weapons until youâve been LARPing for a while. Buy a weapon or two, take part in several battles and youâll get a feel for what these weapons need to do and how safe they need to be.
Wood is not an acceptable core material.
At the minimum your weapon will fail weapons check and your time and money will have been wasted. At the worst you could seriously injure someone else.
ALSO, bear in mind that to use a shield and a spear, the spear must be stab safe, which is a very complex way of constructing a spear (you cannot swing a spear one handed, it is far too dangerous)
This would of been the first time yes i had taken a look at tutorials and i love woodwork but if wood is a no go atlest now i know might be best to just buy one.
Sorry to be a downer, making things is great, but LARP has the potential to be a pretty dangerous hobby, so we have to be very careful about what weapons are carried
It is fine just if i want to be ready for the September one i need to get a move on. the wood i got for my spear i can make into something for myself but for larp ill find one to buy.
I would look at getting it in field. So you can have a try and get a feel for it. Maybe look at the stores that go and if you find one you like the look of, ask them to bring it to the field to see in the flesh.
If you are wanting a stab safe spear (the only kind you can use one handed), be aware that not many stab safe spears are brought to site by vendors, so you should contact Having a LARP or Gems (other vendors may do them too, not sure) to be sure they have stock at site for you to try.
If you are aiming to buy a sword, or a normal two handed weapon, you can definitely find a wide range of weapons at the vendors who will be on site, as they sell a lot of weapons, so bring a lot of stock.
HOWEVER, if you are wishing to run a spear and shield combination, things get more complex, because in order to use a spear one handed the spear must be STAB SAFE.
Stab Safe is a special way of constructing a spear with a collapsible tip and a much stronger cap on the core to stop any chance of the core coming out (you cannot stab with a normal LARP weapon). It is a style of construction that is not supported in all systems, because stab safe spears are arguably more dangerous than normal spears, but Empire allows their use.
Because not many people buy stab safe spears, not many vendors bring them to site. So if you want to buy one at the site (after testing it), send an email to the vendors who sell them, asking them to bring them to site.
Take a look at these traders first as they are the ones that sell in field. You could also ask to have one made specially. Talk to the makers and try them out.
If youâre interested in getting into weapons making I can recommend talking to the weapons checking team when theyâre having a quiet moment as they should be able to talk to you about common problems and the like. But be prepared for your first few weapons to fail weapons check as there is a definite learning curve there.
So to start with buy and the above advice is good stuff .
Ok with that i have planned to buy a spear i must ask however anyone got ideas on the best foam to use for a shield im using Plywood as the main bulk of the shield and then need the foam but cant decide if its litterly just any foam or a certain foam is best.
.