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Centurions vine staff
#1
Calling all centurions, where did you acquire your vine staff from.
Richard Craig AKA Aulus Maximus
Cohors I Tungrorum
Cohors I Batavorum
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#2
I'm not a centurion, but you can get one from a wild grape vine...that's where theirs came from. Other vines left for a long time make 3cm and larger vines. Quick slash with a gladius or a pruning saw, and you can harvest a bunch of them all at once.

Break one over a soldier's back? call out "Fetch me another!"
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)

Saepe veritas est dura.
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#3
Hi

I cheated.

I obtained the base from a wisteria vine a friend was cutting out. 2.5 - 3cm dia. with 4 - 5cm dia. at the handle, which is knobby and makes for a good hand-grip. I reckon it will make a decent walking stick in my old age.

Regards

Peter MacKinnon
Sydney Ancients
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#4
Wisteria should do just fine. Grapes don't grow just everywhere, but centurions went all over the Empire.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)

Saepe veritas est dura.
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#5
From a Vinetree, where else? I got mine from a vine-yard where I explained my needs and just had to wait till they took down some pieces again. You could also look into some gardening deco shops.
________________________________________
Jvrjenivs Peregrinvs Magnvs / FEBRVARIVS
A.K.A. Jurjen Draaisma
CORBVLO and Fectio
ALA I BATAVORUM
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#6
I picked up one just looking for a walking stick. I later found out that it was poison ivy wrapped around the branch.
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#7
I'm not a Centurion, but I play one on TV ... Confusedilly:

We cut ours from our grape vines at the end of the season a couple of years ago. It is not a nice as some I have seen, but it would likely wake-up any recalcitrant legionary.

:wink:

Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
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#8
Quote:I'm not a Centurion, but I play one on TV ... Confusedilly:

We cut ours from our grape vines at the end of the season a couple of years ago. It is not a nice as some I have seen, but it would likely wake-up any recalcitrant legionary.

:wink:

Narukami

You play one on TV? What program??
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
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#9
Quote:I later found out that it was poison ivy wrapped around the branch.
A nasty discovery. Poison ivy like that usually has hundreds of rootlets that anchor it to whatever it's growing on, so you can use that as a visual cue not to handle it (hah!) but as long as it's very dry, you may not have the sap-oil to worry about. Then again, if it's very dry, the stick part isn't as useful.

One thing, imho, that we overlook: it's not like the modern "swagger stick", and not supposed to be a finely carved piece of art. It's a long club for smacking soldiers. Not decorative, not varnished and well tended. These were just an expendable piece of equipment, or at least that's what I've read. So those of us who have gone to the trouble to make a nice-looking one may be moving that vitis in the wrong direction.
:?:
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)

Saepe veritas est dura.
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#10
Quote:
Narukami post=337415 Wrote:I'm not a Centurion, but I play one on TV ... Confusedilly:

We cut ours from our grape vines at the end of the season a couple of years ago. It is not a nice as some I have seen, but it would likely wake-up any recalcitrant legionary.

:wink:

Narukami

You play one on TV? What program??

My apologies Gaius Julius, I should have been more explicit that I was joking. ("I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV.")

The vine staff I cut for for my grandson's Halloween costume from a few years ago. Perfect for a 5th Grader but somewhat 'creative' in the accuracy department.

Again, my apologies for any misunderstanding. (On the other hand, if anyone knows of a show looking for a centurion I'd love to audition ...)


[attachment=7150]Halloween09CleopatraandCenturion.jpg[/attachment]

:wink:

Narukami


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David Reinke
Burbank CA
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#11
Ha ha! ok no probs, just thought I had totally missed something in the years I have been reading your posts on here!
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
Reply
#12
Quote:
Quote:I later found out that it was poison ivy wrapped around the branch.
A nasty discovery. Poison ivy like that usually has hundreds of rootlets that anchor it to whatever it's growing on, so you can use that as a visual cue not to handle it (hah!) but as long as it's very dry, you may not have the sap-oil to worry about. Then again, if it's very dry, the stick part isn't as useful.

One thing, imho, that we overlook: it's not like the modern "swagger stick", and not supposed to be a finely carved piece of art. It's a long club for smacking soldiers. Not decorative, not varnished and well tended. These were just an expendable piece of equipment, or at least that's what I've read. So those of us who have gone to the trouble to make a nice-looking one may be moving that vitis in the wrong direction.
:?:

Yeah, it was old and dry but still had some of the sap, so it got itchy a little on my hands. Got rid of it after an hour. I was in boyscouts, so I know how to identify poison ivy, but this was just stupidity/oversight.
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#13
"which is knobby and makes for a good hand-grip."

It seems to be the standard thing for re-enactment centurions to carry interestingly twisted pieces of vine wood. However, any contemporary images which I can recall show straight sticks. Added to that, I have heard the opinion expressed that a 'vine staff' could just as easily be a staff of a typical length for supporting grape vines as a piece of actual vine wood.

Just a couple of thoughts.

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
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#14
Here is one i made from a vine.... Thoughts?
[attachment=7178]image.jpg[/attachment]


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#15
Richard,
I bought my vine staff from this Co. in Kentucky U.S. www.kywalkingstick.com
Randy Paul Spencer is the man you need to speak with, and he was very good to deal with. I had mine shipped to Australia with no worries at all.
Here a few samples of the type he sells.

[attachment=7180]vinesticks.jpg[/attachment]


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Phil McKay
Illustrator
www.philmckay.com
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