I've always added a wrap of glued cordage near the striking end of my wooden clubs, too. I feel it helps reduce the chance that the club's grain will split on contact, dunno for sure.
Lunumbrus i loved how I thought you would say that you did it so you wouldn’t hurt the other person so much, but it more for the benefit of the weapon 😂😂😂
I wanted to add that I have come to appreciate a lanyard on a weapon and understood its neccesity as I have been fighting full contact HEMA for 5 years this month. I have had my weapon, usually a waster or steel blunt knocked from my grip or simply fumbled it & dropped on numerous occasions, mid play, it has happened to opponents too. Or you or they manage to purposefully strip it whilst grappling. The risk of it happening is high, its no wonder we see tethers. Where we don't on much older weapons, I would think it has rotted. Chaos of combat is to chancey. From ancient clubs to modern long guns, a sling or lanyard is still needed. Incidently I have a pocket club of my own. 20th century, lead head, covered in laquered leather, wood shaft , leather thong, no weight at other end. 9 inches. Weight of 350gr/12oz It was purchased from a lady who failed to sell it at auction and told me it belonged to her grandad who carried it on the railways. This was in the UK. It could be homemade but its interesting.
Interesting. I meant overrated (but not pointless) for various reasons... a long and heavy enough weapon like a war hammer can come back down and hit you because of the lanyard when knocked out of your hand, not always having the chance to re-establish your grip after losing it anyway, not being able to throw/ditch your weapon should the need arise, it can be used to painfully bind your wrist by your opponent. Still, I take your point. It can literally be a lifesaver. It's been a very long time since I did weapons sparring. Railroad sap... cool. In the US the railroad industry security guards using them were called railroad dicks, harness bulls, yard bulls, etc. Do you know what the slang for them in the UK was?
I occasionally fight with an axe trainer. Use a lanyard with that too. Not had probs. I am afraid I dont know any slang terms other than the ones you mention, I imagine there must be quite a lot. Perhaps a more thorough google may bring them to light.
Wanted to comment on your confusion about the second strap before the end (middle strap). More than likely, drawing from my knowledge of bamboo tools (non weapons), the second strap from the top is to prevent the bamboo from splitting during use. I think one of the previous comments alluded to that, but I am stating 98% that this is why it's there. More than likely, it was wrapped with stretched wet leather, which would dry tight and minimize flexing of the fibers during impact from the working end. Many babmboo impact tools (non-weapons) feature a similar wrap with leather or other cordage.
Just a little follow up to this item. There's one that just went up for auction in England and it's said it was from China so maybe there's a little more weight to it being manufactured in the Far East for the English market. Also, here's a quotation from Yorkshire, 1860. Wish it was more descriptive but it's still noteworthy, "With a loaded bamboo as his only apparent weapon, but also well provided with a brace of double-barreled pistols, he left the castle on foot..."
david bradley It sure is hard to tell a fish priest from a self-defense weapon from a mix of the two. For whatever it's worth, the dealer who sold the other example called it a Georgian Era defense weapon. I e-mailed asking what they based that time span specificity on but got no response.
As any weighted stick that fits in the pocket be classed as a weapon the dealer's comments are fair and are "sexier" advertising than selling a used fishing tool.
david bradley Agreed, many a street weapon had another primary purpose. There's another specimen like this coming up for auction right now so that makes 3 total that I've ever seen. It doesn't have a lanyard and the one here was obviously added so I'd say lanyard-less was how this particular style was made (3 for 3).
Interesting video, here is a similar club that was captured in the first world war although that does tell us nothing about when or where it was made, It is described as a trench club but it seems a bit light for that. www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM08018/ Here is a couple pics of one I own, it has a wire wrapping that leads me to believe it was used as a loaded riding crop with the wire as a handle. also included are two webfind pics of blackjacks with similar wrappings. imgur.com/a/s7Ex4 On my example you can see there is a small loop coming off the leather braid that is about a third of the way down from the head. I think these are rattan or as some call it mallaca Often rattan shaft coshes with braided white heads are I think fish priests but a tool in peace may be a weapon in war On your "Bosuns cosh" have you put a magnet on the shaft to see if it is steel? I think the whalebone shafted ones originally had braided covers like yours.
fringehead I have yet to acquire a wire wrapped cosh like your web find (2nd link). Models specifically like that come up semi-regularly on E-Bay, etc. so that configuration was apparently popular for a while. I really like your rattan one! It looks closer to mine from this video in design than the trench club. The wire wrap over a wood shaft looks awesome and is not something I've seen before. Bosun's cosh- can't believe I forgot to mention it on the video but I did and it's a metal shaft. Disappointing but it was still a super find ($26).
I've always added a wrap of glued cordage near the striking end of my wooden clubs, too. I feel it helps reduce the chance that the club's grain will split on contact, dunno for sure.
Lunumbrus i loved how I thought you would say that you did it so you wouldn’t hurt the other person so much, but it more for the benefit of the weapon 😂😂😂
@@sushipaolosame with boxing mitts 😏
Very enjoyable videos. Please keep them up.
Really appreciate it Matt.
I wanted to add that I have come to appreciate a lanyard on a weapon and understood its neccesity as I have been fighting full contact HEMA for 5 years this month. I have had my weapon, usually a waster or steel blunt knocked from my grip or simply fumbled it & dropped on numerous occasions, mid play, it has happened to opponents too. Or you or they manage to purposefully strip it whilst grappling. The risk of it happening is high, its no wonder we see tethers. Where we don't on much older weapons, I would think it has rotted. Chaos of combat is to chancey. From ancient clubs to modern long guns, a sling or lanyard is still needed.
Incidently I have a pocket club of my own. 20th century, lead head, covered in laquered leather, wood shaft , leather thong, no weight at other end. 9 inches. Weight of 350gr/12oz It was purchased from a lady who failed to sell it at auction and told me it belonged to her grandad who carried it on the railways. This was in the UK. It could be homemade but its interesting.
Interesting. I meant overrated (but not pointless) for various reasons... a long and heavy enough weapon like a war hammer can come back down and hit you because of the lanyard when knocked out of your hand, not always having the chance to re-establish your grip after losing it anyway, not being able to throw/ditch your weapon should the need arise, it can be used to painfully bind your wrist by your opponent. Still, I take your point. It can literally be a lifesaver. It's been a very long time since I did weapons sparring.
Railroad sap... cool. In the US the railroad industry security guards using them were called railroad dicks, harness bulls, yard bulls, etc. Do you know what the slang for them in the UK was?
I occasionally fight with an axe trainer. Use a lanyard with that too. Not had probs.
I am afraid I dont know any slang terms other than the ones you mention, I imagine there must be quite a lot. Perhaps a more thorough google may bring them to light.
Wanted to comment on your confusion about the second strap before the end (middle strap). More than likely, drawing from my knowledge of bamboo tools (non weapons), the second strap from the top is to prevent the bamboo from splitting during use.
I think one of the previous comments alluded to that, but I am stating 98% that this is why it's there. More than likely, it was wrapped with stretched wet leather, which would dry tight and minimize flexing of the fibers during impact from the working end. Many babmboo impact tools (non-weapons) feature a similar wrap with leather or other cordage.
Very interesting. Thank you for adding that.
Just a little follow up to this item. There's one that just went up for auction in England and it's said it was from China so maybe there's a little more weight to it being manufactured in the Far East for the English market. Also, here's a quotation from Yorkshire, 1860. Wish it was more descriptive but it's still noteworthy, "With a loaded bamboo as his only apparent weapon, but also well provided with a brace of double-barreled pistols, he left the castle on foot..."
Bamboo is naturally hollow so the separator between lead and skin/sleeve would be the hollow core.
Most likely a Fisherman's Priest.Leather loop goes from end to shaft but has been replaced with lanyard type.(Fish made hands slippery).
david bradley It sure is hard to tell a fish priest from a self-defense weapon from a mix of the two. For whatever it's worth, the dealer who sold the other example called it a Georgian Era defense weapon. I e-mailed asking what they based that time span specificity on but got no response.
As any weighted stick that fits in the pocket be classed as a weapon the dealer's comments are fair and are "sexier" advertising than selling a used fishing tool.
david bradley Agreed, many a street weapon had another primary purpose. There's another specimen like this coming up for auction right now so that makes 3 total that I've ever seen. It doesn't have a lanyard and the one here was obviously added so I'd say lanyard-less was how this particular style was made (3 for 3).
The loop would go from end to 2/3rds up the shaft to go round the back of slippery wet hands
Interesting video, here is a similar club that was captured in the first world war although that does tell us nothing about when or where it was made, It is described as a trench club but it seems a bit light for that.
www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM08018/
Here is a couple pics of one I own, it has a wire wrapping that leads me to believe it was used as a loaded riding crop with the wire as a handle. also included are two webfind pics of blackjacks with similar wrappings. imgur.com/a/s7Ex4
On my example you can see there is a small loop coming off the leather braid that is about a third of the way down from the head. I think these are rattan or as some call it mallaca Often rattan shaft coshes with braided white heads are I think fish priests but a tool in peace may be a weapon in war
On your "Bosuns cosh" have you put a magnet on the shaft to see if it is steel? I think the whalebone shafted ones originally had braided covers like yours.
fringehead I have yet to acquire a wire wrapped cosh like your web find (2nd link). Models specifically like that come up semi-regularly on E-Bay, etc. so that configuration was apparently popular for a while. I really like your rattan one! It looks closer to mine from this video in design than the trench club. The wire wrap over a wood shaft looks awesome and is not something I've seen before.
Bosun's cosh- can't believe I forgot to mention it on the video but I did and it's a metal shaft. Disappointing but it was still a super find ($26).