Ballista bolt

[MDF]

Hi guys,
this is my first attempt at replicating a roman ballista bolt ... unfinished.
Iron for bolt head and hazel for shaft, total length 47 cm.

I think that the power of these machines was very impressive for the enemies :twisted:

[P. Clodius Secundus]

Bellisimo Marco!
Very nice work. Almost too pretty to shoot. A few trips downrange will season it up. What are you going to use for fletchings? What type of machine are you going to shoot this from?

[Epictetus]

Yes, it looks so good that it seems like a display piece. But if it is used, I sure would hate to be hit by that thing.

[RelPel]

Beautiful.

I think, that the best for fletchings will be rawhide. What wood you used for this bolt? I have read somewhere, that some wooden fragments from boltshead exist and analysis of this wood too, but i havent find any.

[Robert Vermaat]

Not meant to be critical, but does it not look a bit too good? As if not made by human hands but by a machine? But maybe it's just the picture.

[John Conyard]

It would make a fine target bolt, to be used as a member of a matched set, away from close public inspection.

For something to show the public I would follow the Dura bolt construction.

[attachment=1:okny7kkz]<!-- ia1 CIMG3226.JPG<!-- ia1 [/attachment:okny7kkz]

They show a tapered multi-facited shaft, as if it was finished using a knife. I spend too much time each summer making bolts, and it is something you can do around a campfire. I fear I don't spend too much time on each one, since I may not be getting them back

[attachment=0:okny7kkz]<!-- ia0 8. Long Dura style bolts top and bottom. A caged head for fire, plus socketed and tanged bodkin heads..jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:okny7kkz]

[MDF]

Hi,
As John showed this is similar to Dura bolt, and the wood were also the fletchings.
I used Hazel wood, but findings show pine, ash...

Very interesting tip incendiary John!

Robert, thanks for criticism because are always important.
For this bolt, after forging the point, I used a belt grinder, including shaft.
Maybe I'm used to finishing more because it is a long time that I make custom knives, but I assure you that the human hands can make very precise things that seem made by machines :wink:

Look here, this is a fuller that I made on my seax blade, well I made this with absolutely no machinery...only human hands 8)

[John Conyard]

The belt dander/grinder is the best human invention ever.

I lost an incendiary bolt at Vindolanda one year, I would like to get that back before I die.

Generally I use birch of which we have an abundance. At Dura it seems tamarisk was also used, and last summer I made a number of bolts from "hard wood", former coal mine pit props of great age. Frankly the hardness of the wood meant each bolt took ages to make, since I was using a side axe and draw knife. But I hope those bolts will last a while.

Generally the fletchings get stripped from the shaft when the bolt goes through the target. But they are easy to replace.

[RelPel]

Guys, have you got that analysis of wood used for bolts? I want it for reconstuction of Cremona catapulta.

[John Conyard]

James S. (2004) Excavations at Dura-Europos 1928-1937 Final report VII The Arms and Armour and Other Military Equipment (London 2004).

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ID/86639

[jvrjenivs]

James S. (2004) Excavations at Dura-Europos 1928-1937 Final report VII The Arms and Armour and Other Military Equipment (London 2004).

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ID/86639

Or get his thesis for free from Ethos.

[John Conyard]

Cheeky!

[RelPel]

Thanks John, but i am only looking for one information and i dont have money for this book.

[gneuspartak]

Gentlemen!
I’d like to show you my human-hands-bolts and bolt that made my friend.
So I think that Marco’s bolt is very beautiful :wink:

[MDF]

If anyone interested this is another example from Dura.

http://wattsunique.com/blog/wp-content/ ... a-bolt.jpg