The Gladius
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The M16 of the Roman Empire. The sword that is the most deadly
weapon ever made. Maybe for a millennium the weapon of choice in its
design.
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| Historical Gladius Types | |
| Mainz Gladius |
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| Fullham Gladius |
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| Pompaii Gladius |
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| Custom Gladius Recreation | |
| The Blade | |
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The base chunk of 4140 before any cutting or shaping. Starting size was ¼” x 1.5” x 36’ |
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After it has been ‘rough cut’ prior to any heat being
applied. The blade portion of the rough shape is 21” at this point and the ‘tang’ is 10” |
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| Heating and hammering in the bevels to achieve the 'diamond' shaped form. |
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| First stage
completed. The blade is beveled out to 2" wide and it is 3/16" thick through at the ridge. Length is 20.5" |
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| Fire scaled surface. |
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| The Point | |
| Layout: Triangle is 2" x 5" |
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| Point cut |
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| Gladius point |
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| The Grip | |
| Turning the
grip/Hilt using Maple. 1.5" x 7" long. |
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| Fit with temporary wood guard. |
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| Fitting Brass
Guard. Grip ahortened 1/2" and stained Stained. |
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| Ready to be broken
down for final finishing. Blade to be 'polished', sharpened and heat treated. |
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| Finished | |
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