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Author Topic: North Star Wire Spears  (Read 9784 times)

Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #15 on: February 10, 2020, 05:18:53 PM »
Hammers. 2 hours for 20 spears. So going by my spears, £8 for 40, you worked for £2 an hour  lol

I don't know what you do for a living, but if you'd done an hours overtime you could buy my spears and still be quids in.

Only teasing, we do what we want, that's why it's a hobby.

Andrew_McGuire

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #16 on: February 10, 2020, 05:39:45 PM »
I recall from my early days in the hobby that some ancient wargamers - including luminaries from WRG - advocated the use of 'butterfly pins'. I have never encountered one of these gruesome instruments, but in view of the looming crisis have now researched their availability. The current term appears to be either entomological pin or insect pin (possibly out of consideration for the feelings of butterflies).

No doubt there are many suppliers, and there are certainly several sizes, but the nearest in dimension to the North Star article appears to be this:

http://www.wobam.co.uk/Insect-Pins-Size-007_ANDCT.aspx?nh=70276

Edit: the images shows all sizes. Item 007 is 52mm long, with the others being shorter. Some work will be required with the tip to flatten it, so it is not a straight substitution, but it may be as close as we are likely to get for the foreseeable future.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2020, 06:08:24 PM by Andrew_McGuire »

Offline Hammers

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #17 on: February 10, 2020, 06:35:40 PM »
Hammers. 2 hours for 20 spears. So going by my spears, £8 for 40, you worked for £2 an hour  lol

I don't know what you do for a living, but if you'd done an hours overtime you could buy my spears and still be quids in.

Only teasing, we do what we want, that's why it's a hobby.

Fair enough. :)

Offline OB

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #18 on: February 10, 2020, 09:03:00 PM »
Thanks for the heads up.

Offline SteveBurt

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #19 on: February 11, 2020, 10:14:03 AM »
Yep. I went through the same experience lol

I used to do the very same thing with piano wire, pliers and a hammer, then file down the flattened ends to points using my Dremel. Then I discovered ready-made wire spears with nice regulation points, and I never looked back :D

Piano wire is *way* too hard - would take a lot of hammering.
Brass flattens easily.

Offline SteveBurt

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #20 on: February 11, 2020, 10:16:06 AM »
Hammers. 2 hours for 20 spears. So going by my spears, £8 for 40, you worked for £2 an hour  lol

I don't know what you do for a living, but if you'd done an hours overtime you could buy my spears and still be quids in.

Only teasing, we do what we want, that's why it's a hobby.

The brass wire takes about 15 seconds per spear, I find. So 20 spears is about 5 minutes.

Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #21 on: February 11, 2020, 04:56:16 PM »
Still got to buy the brass rod...

Online OSHIROmodels

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #22 on: February 11, 2020, 05:06:20 PM »
I put an order in even though I’ve never used them before  lol
cheers

James

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Offline Cubs

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #23 on: February 11, 2020, 05:15:19 PM »
I like the NorthStar spears, and at 20p each for the 40 x 100mm pack I can't find anywhere that comes close to being as cheap buying the brass or iron rods myself.

I would really like slightly thicker and shorter spears available though. So rather than 1mm wire (which I think these are) 1.5mm and 50mm long, for hefty spears and lances in 28mm scale. I don't mind if the metal's softer than the steel, like iron or brass.
'Sir John ejaculated explosively, sitting up in his chair.' ... 'The Black Gang'.

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Offline Hammers

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #24 on: February 11, 2020, 07:41:17 PM »
Piano wire is *way* too hard - would take a lot of hammering.
Brass flattens easily.

Piano wire softens easily with a torch.

Offline Hammers

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #25 on: February 11, 2020, 07:44:22 PM »
I like the NorthStar spears, and at 20p each for the 40 x 100mm pack I can't find anywhere that comes close to being as cheap buying the brass or iron rods myself.

I would really like slightly thicker and shorter spears available though. So rather than 1mm wire (which I think these are) 1.5mm and 50mm long, for hefty spears and lances in 28mm scale. I don't mind if the metal's softer than the steel, like iron or brass.

Another reason why I make my own. You buy rod to fit the purpose, both length and girth.

Offline has.been

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #26 on: February 12, 2020, 11:04:55 AM »
Over 30 years ago, while working for a Bank, I helped the stationery clerk sort out the stationery ROOM (much bigger than a cupboard).
I came across a load of long pins (About 40mm long). At one time
they had been stored in paper bags, but these had disintegrated
(God knows how long they had been there). He said I could have them
as the Bank had moved on (to staplers!) All I had to do was collect them all up. This task involved the taking apart of a big wooden drawer unit,
emptying out all of the forms, and picking out  (often one at a time)
the pins. It took all of my lunch hours that week, but I did it.
I use, & have used them for a variety of tasks, e.g. Hoplite spears,
lances, flagstaffs. I squeeze the tip (1 or 2 mm) with pliers, then when I paint it that bit and the next 3 mm as metal, the rest of the pin as wood)  I have also given a lot away to friends. There are STILL lots remaining,
 but they will not last forever, I will order some from North Star
 (Just to be safe).

Offline AKULA

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #27 on: February 15, 2020, 12:25:13 PM »
Piano wire softens easily with a torch.

It’s beginning to sound like you are literally forging these spears....  ;)

Offline Cubs

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #28 on: February 15, 2020, 03:43:22 PM »
It’s beginning to sound like you are literally forging these spears....  ;)

It's easier than it sounds to mine iron ore you know. Then you smelt the rocks to extract the iron ...

Offline AKULA

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Re: North Star Wire Spears
« Reply #29 on: February 15, 2020, 07:50:44 PM »
It's easier than it sounds to mine iron ore you know. Then you smelt the rocks to extract the iron ...

I get the impression that Hammers is inscribing runes onto every weapon....

 ;)