In order to minimise risk of injury to yourself and others, weapons and armour should conform to the following standards, as well as being properly maintained. Note that some sellers will market weapons as "battle-ready" or "combat safe" even if they are not suitable for steel-on-steel fighting. If in doubt, stick to the vendors we recommend or check with a fellow Wychwooder before you buy.
Weapons
Swords and langseaxes
- Must be made from a suitable steel (EN45 or possibly chrome-vanadium steel)
- May be tempered, but this is not essential
- Must have a full tang
- Edges must be at least 2mm thick, end should not be pointed (diameter of a 5p piece or wider)
- Must be well maintained and any sharp burrs removed before next use
- Guidelines to authentic designs are on the Weapons Typology page.
Spears
- Head must be well blunted and tightly mounted on shaft
- If the edge of the butt end of the head is sharp, it should be filed smooth or covered with leather or hide.
- Shaft must be made out of a suitably robust, seasoned wood (ash is best)
- Winged spears (where there are metal 'prongs' below the head) are more dangerous, as they can catch on weapons, shields and most importantly joints! They should only be used by people who are specifically trained in that type of spear use and are competent with it, and should not be considered to be of equal threat or difficulty level as a non-winged spear.
- Guidelines to authentic designs are on the Weapons Typology page.
Axes
- Must be bottom-hafted or have the head riveted to the shaft
- The 'eye' of the axe-head should be large enough to fit a shaft thick enough to be bottom hafted (it will be necessarily thinner at the base than the top)
- The triangular 'wedge' of metal joining the 'eye' to the 'axe-head' must be thick enough to withstand use without buckling - this will be larger in a dane axe than in a hand axe
- The head should not curve up into a long point and the edge of the blade must be at least 2mm thick
- Shaft should be made out of a suitably robust, seasoned wood (ash is best)
- It is recommended that you soak your axe overnight prior to use
- Guidelines to authentic designs are on the Weapons Typology page.
Knives and small seaxes
- Mild steel is acceptable for small knives, but EN45 is preferable and will stay looking sexy for much, much longer
- Edges must be at least 2mm thick, end should not be pointed (diameter of a 5p piece or wider)
- Guidelines to authentic designs are on the Weapons Typology page.
Armour
Helmets
- Must be made from a suitable steel (mild steel) and be either padded with sheepskin or worn over a padded coif in order to fit closely to the wearer's head
- Must have a nasal (cheek pieces, aventails, spectacles etc. are optional)
- Steel dome caps for worn under soft hats do NOT give sufficient head protection as they leave your temples exposed and can move around
- Note that some styles of helmet will cut down on your vision (e.g. Gjermunbu-style helms). It's fine to use these - they're great for protecting your face and eyes - but be aware that they will limit what you can see
- Also note that while spun steel helmets are acceptable (the Wychwood spangenhelms are spun), beaten helmets are usually more robust. And they are obviously more authentic
- Guidelines to authentic designs are on the Helmets page.
Gloves
- Should be close fitting, well padded and backed with stiff 4mm+ leather and/or maille
- Should not compromise your ability to hold and move your weapon safely
- There is no evidence for these being used in-period, but they are essential for safety
Shields
- Should be made from suitable wood (1-2cm thick plywood recommended) and edged with hide or metal. Note that metal shield rims require a lot of upkeep, to remove burrs and keep them safe (as well as weighing more)
- If you add a boss, it should be EN45 steel and not have a point
- There should be nothing sharp on your shield - hide and metal rims should have no 'corners' sticking out and tacks used to hold hide in place should be hammered flush with the shield's surface
- You may wish to pad your shield to protect your arm and leg (in the case of kites) from bruises
- Guidelines to authentic designs are on the Shields page.
Caring for edged weapons
Steel weapons being constantly battered against each other will require regular care. Even if they are left unused, they will rust if not stored properly, or regularly attended to. What you have to do and how often depends on how heavy the use is, the properties of the blade and the blades it is used against, and the conditions i.e. weather.
Damage to edges
There’s two sort of damage to weapon edges, “burs” and “chips”.
A bur is where the metal has been dented. Metal will have moved inward from the edge of the blade, and been pushed outwards into a lip that “thickens” the blade.
A chip is where metal has fragmented off the blade and left a gap, usually with sharp edges.
It is also sometimes possible to pick out where a spark has been struck off the blade. Spark sites are often discoloured with metal oxides, usually blue or purple.
Removing Burs
There’s a couple of things that can be done with burs. Either you can just grind them off with a file or a whetstone, or you can try to beat them back into the blade. If the lip of a bur has folded back on itself, hammering will only make it into a sharp flake of metal lying flat on the blade, that will flake off in combat. On the other hand, hammering will work-harden the edge more and reduce the wear on the sword.
Dealing with Chips
Once the chip is there, there’s no way to replace the metal, so the best you can do is smooth the edges of the chip so they aren’t sharp.
Whetstone or File?
A file should not be used on hard edges. This is likely to damage the file and takes a lot of work anyway. Files are better for untempered edges, of mild steel or EN45 where there is no point in using a whetstone. The best way to use a whetstone is in a circular motion, using as much of the blade as possible. The edges of the whetstone can be useful for getting into chips.
The downside of a whetstone is it leaves a grey dust behind. That’s whetstone ground off in working on the steel. Whetstones will only last so long before they’re work out and start to fall apart. The whetstone dust can be useful to collect on a rag. After you’ve finished working on the sword, you can use the whetstone-covered rag as an abrasive (although it will leave faintly visible scratchmarks).
Is it Safe?
After you’ve finished working on a blade, run a gloved hand down the blade looking for sharp bits and notches. If you can feel the glove catching on the blade, then it needs more work.
Rust!
Rust is infinitely easier to avoid than it is to get rid of. Getting rid of rust requires a great deal of work. Lets assume that as usually, battle practice got rained on (and you didn’t just slope off to the pub). The first thing you’ve got to do is get the sword dry. Use a towel, or a dry bit of kit, or even a damp bit of kit, but get rid of as much of the moisture as you can, immediately. When you get home, get out the WD40 and spray the blade. This will drive out any remaining moisture, but WD40 evaporates too easily to protect the blade for any length of time. So wait a bit, then wipe off the WD40 and replace it with bike oil or engine oil, which is thicker, and will form a coating. It doesn’t have to be slick with oil, just coated.
Getting rid of rust completely is nearly impossible once it takes hold. A good way to go about it is to put some tooth paste (which is a mild abrasive) on a rag, and rub hard on the rust-patch to remove it. Applying WD40 and scrubbing with a plastic pan scourer can also be effective. Metal polish may restore some of the shine to the blade, but you will probably be able to tell where the rust was by a sort of black patina.
