balls for a flail?

[LicencetoChill]

I'm looking for suitable balls to make a nice three-headed flail, 50 to 70mm balls would be just right. That would be around 2 inches I believe. Any thoughts/ideas?

regards

[SCBrian]

McMaster-Carr?

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

My thoughts are I hope you know how to use a flail because one wrong move and it's Concussion City.

I've beaned myself in the head with those cheap heavy foam flails they sell at Renaissance festivals and those hurt like hell, so I can't even begin to imagine the headache a metal one would cause.

[Alpha_Texas]

Go to a metal/ fence supply store, they sell metal fence caps that may fit the bill. There not solid steel there hollow but may work for what your trying to do.

[SRO1911]

amazon has 2 inch steel bearings, be careful - they are chrome plated, if you are planning on welding an eye on them then grind well, mask up, good crosswind or fan - hexavalent Chrome poisoning is no joke.

you could also use a hollow ball, and fill it with some type of epoxy/sand or epoxy/bb mix

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

What about ball bearings ?

I know they come in various sizes from small to insanely large.

[Rev]

My thoughts are I hope you know how to use a flail because one wrong move and it's Concussion City.

I've beaned myself in the head with those cheap heavy foam flails they sell at Renaissance festivals and those hurt like hell, so I can't even begin to imagine the headache a metal one would cause.

Don't try anything fancy with them and they're not too bad. About like using any other farming implement.

[calicojack]

I would be worried about how your going to mount them. Gun Smoke did an episode where they were making a custom double barrel cannon, with two balls linked by a chain. In the end they had to cast the balls with mounting ring imbeded in them. food for thought....

[echo2]

go to kingmetals.com

http://www.kingmetals.com/Catalog/ItemContent.aspx?ItemNumber=7D24FDFA82F9C619D844FBAAD8F2375C6C5A8CBFD041B2B7E4A3E57EACEAF8DE008FEE2525260CA122D271438B780E2A7536A08B9EAE897ADE474286B163579793AA8918E7276C58AF671EB9AC275B40F0C86C653667BA5DD99B8FDEC503358233E6D87292E8BFFAB4CDB17B24E693DC210AD990

[RickOShea]

Cannon Ball fishing sinkers: http://www.ocean-angler.com/large%20cannonball%20sinker

[ForgeCorvus]

Make sure the handle is longer then the chain......Crush injuries to the knuckles are bad.

Remember that your 'beaten zone' has a radius as long as your arm plus the handle plus the chain plus the head....plus a bit for wobble
Remember also that you are in the centre of it, with all your breakable and squishy parts.

Make yourself a 'trainer' using the handle and Monkey's fist knots in the ends of some bits of rope, that way you can work out the correct length for the chains


BTDT got the dents to prove it, so I know a bit about these

[LicencetoChill]

thanks for the advices. I already got a production flail, and I already knew about making the handle longer than the chain. But it can't be told to many times

I found some massive steel balls that I ordered, thinking of drilling the head and tap it. Then screw in some bolts that I've sharpened.
For the handle I'm thinking of putting a big screw with a ring attaching the chain to it and weld it shut.

[ForgeCorvus]

Into the end grain?
Bad idea

Better option is to use a cap over the end (with your welded ring on it) which has two or four legs (Langets) running down the length of the shaft, these you drill through from one side to the other (through one, through the timber and then through the other) and the wack a long rivet in there (we used to use four or six inch round nails and cut the point down)....If you use four langets, remember to stagger the rivet holes by at least the thickness of the shaft


Pic of a warhammer, but it shows the langets clearly

[AmirMortal]

If you felt like getting fancy, you could try these guys:

http://www.salemball.com/brass.htm

That's a pretty wide variety of materials and sizes.

[KentsOkay]

Big brass balls people like hanging off things:
http://www.bullsballs.com/brass/truck/balls.html

[ForgeCorvus]

BTW, made one once using custom cast brass skulls as the weights....... Took two days to decide if the ring should go in the top of the skull or under the jaw.

Three oil blackened chain tails (13 links each ) with a polished brass skull weight and a bog-oak handle (hard waxed)

Pity I dropped and broke the camera before I took the film out but after we'd sent the thing off

[Czechnology]

broke the camera before I took the film out

Film camera? Now we're talking ancient implements!

[ForgeCorvus]

broke the camera before I took the film out

Film camera? Now we're talking ancient implements!

Was a while back

[bonanacrom]

Spikes on a swinging weapon should not be sharpened, it will stick into and not pull out of ( head ? ) the shape of a point but not sharpened. Solid steel balls ? A wee bit heavy, I went with a 1950's field hockey ball, they are compressed leather and easy to work with.

[jamoni]

Hell, I'd just get some 1.5" square barstock. Cut into cubes, weld chain to one corner, done.

[echo2]

Hell, I'd just get some 1.5" square barstock. Cut into cubes, weld chain to one corner, done.

well....if you want to be logical and all....

[NamelessStain]

Yea, there's nothing saying they have to be round. A friend made on using round stock and just cut cylinders then welded spikes to them. Tire rims never had a chance!

[LicencetoChill]

yeah, I know like the bishop flail.. a long cylinder form.

[ninja-elbow]

Try fence or gate finials. I'd link some but my first 2 search results came up with hollow ones. If you look hard enough you will find large solid metal ones that may fit your needs.

ETA: close - http://www.brassfinders.com/endcaps_finials.php