The gladius was a short, Wide sword used by the Out of date Roman army for close-combat infantry fighting. Normally less than 18 inches in length, the gladius was shorter than the other sword Often employed by the Romans -- the spatha -- which was extra generally used by cavalrymen. From the third century, operate of the gladius declined as fighting styles changed, and speedy combat became less of a component of roman military tactics. Forging a gladius from wood is the example journey to reproduce the weapon for purposes such as page productions or dramatic reenactments. The relatively lightweight and sturdy medium allows an actor to wield the weapon with relative benefit.
Instructions
1. Chop a plank of wood 3 inches in broadness and 10 inches in length. The plank should be approximately 2 inches thick. Speck the midpoint of the broadness of the plank, and frame a border running along this midpoint, equal to the two faraway sides.4. Abbreviate a abundance of dowel to 7 inches in length. Drill a gap in the dead center of the nontapered stop of the plank, Identical to the diameter of the dowel. This hole should be 1 inch thick.
Bring about this on both sides of the central wrinkle; then turn the plank over and repeat. The plank should at once keep a diamond cross cut.
3. Practise a point on both elongate edges 3 inches from the location of the plank. Saying a diagonal abbreviate from one of these marks to where the central border touches the objective of the plank. Repeat this from the other stop to bring the blade of the gladius to a end. Plane all four horizontal surfaces until they are uniformly smooth.
This Testament be the ridge in the Centre of the sword.2. Purpose a midpoint in the thickness of the plank too, and custom a hacksaw to chop a Rugged diagonal from the central line to the midpoint of the thickness. Drill an identical hole into the dead center of the base of the cupboard handle.
5. Apply wood glue to each hole and insert one end of the dowel into each. Leave the gladius to dry, and then use a file to remove any excess dried glue or untidy edges of the wood.
6. Spray the gladius with a coat of white primer; then allow it to dry before spraying the whole piece silver. Hand paint the handle of the gladius with a deep mahogany brown, taking care not to splash any on the blade part of the sword.
7. Dip your brush into some black matte paint and wipe thoroughly with the tissue paper. Paint the blade of the sword with the remaining flecks of paint on the brush, returning to the pot to dip the brush and wipe with the tissue after every four or five strokes. This gives the silver a rugged, aged effect, making the sword look more realistic. This is a technique known as dry brushing.
