A Spontoon or Spear blade 'Hawk

[Church & Son]

Spontoon’s are pure weapons, I can’t think of any other practical uses, although later
they were used as ceremonial ‘hawks. This thing is SCARY. 9 and 1/2″ across from the
point to the “belly ripper” sharpened spike.

Forged from a at least 100 yr. old plow point on charcoal , hot cut, hot filed, quenched in brine
water, all hand work. Haft is 20″ Oak split from firewood, drawknifed, oiled and toasted. No dye.
The head is burned threw in the old Celtic way , stuffed with pine pitch glue and wrapped with rawhide. The hand grip is garment
leather from a bag and wrapped with deer rawhide.

I'm stitching on a rawhide/fringed blade cover now.
This is my first weapon that I can’t call a tool of some sort and I’m kinda on the fence as to make
more but it was a fun and a very unusual experience…..Randy

 

[Wade Hougham]

Randy,
Very cool!! I really like this head shape and you done it justice. Like the whole package.
In the last pic it looks like you have been practicing horse head shrinking where the lanyard comes through the eye. Or I just inhaled too much of that hemp cord. Wade

 

[Church & Son]

Thanks Wade, lovely bride wondered what happened to her horses... or it's the smoke. Next lesson boys and girls we learn about peyote!
That's a cypress root I found on a river in Georgia while fly fishing with a client ( we were supposed to be at a show) TSA agents are starting to ask me questions now, why do you have a root in your pocket? I thinned down shellac and dropped it in a mason jar full for a month(forgot about it) and now it's hard as a rock. Primitive vacuum stabilizing.......Randy

 

[messerist]

Amazing stuff. Both the knife and hawk are spot on! I hope to have time to forge this weekend. I have alot of stuff to make before the snow flies.

 

[Church & Son]

Thanks Troy and you get that fire hot enough to create your own thermal updrafts you can warm Canada.Be safe up there......Randy

 

[Denny Eller]

That's a beauty, Randy! That is the first hawk I've ever seen like that and I really like it. I just hope I don't have nightmares of the Mrs. chasing me around the house with one the next time she gets P-Oed at me.

 

[grafton]

Looks great Randy! I really like the looks of that knife too.

 

[Church & Son]

Thanks Danny. I have a pic of an ancient Celtic 'hawk that is basically a spear stuck threw a stick. Seems like it would be the natural evulution from stone axes to modern 'hawks. There was tons of Spontoon shaped 'hawk traded to NDN'S . Lewis and Clark journals stated they had 50 for trade. Most were brass w/ pipe bowls. And I know that dream, I live it, I have big sharp pointy things laying everywhere.

Brother Grafton, good to hear from you. Thanks. I've got a couple of new ones almost finished but that knife is my fishing blade. It dispatched the Cottonmouth that almost dispatched me . Got on this 'hawk thing and they are addictive......Randy

Danny, here's a museum pic of a trade spontoon w/ added decorations from late 1800's.

 

[Keith Willis]

Great looking piece sir.

God bless,Keith

 

[jonathan creason]

Looks great, Randy. I really like the knife, too. That handle looks like it'll fit your hand like a glove.

 

[Church & Son]

Thanks Keith, means a lot.

Thanks Jonathon, I've got a couple of knives to show you when I get back ( had to go to work).........Randy