Waster maintenance

[Greg Coffman]

I have a Hollow Earth waster with a cross that has come loose. The cross does not come off of the sword yet but does have some wiggle to it. Hollow Earth only glues their crosses in place. Sending the waster into Hollow Earth is not an option for me. What are some ideas as to how to secure the guard?

What I have seen before to fix this problem is drilling a hole through middle of the cross and pinning it in place with a dowel rod, cut to fit. However, this set up weakened the cross and it broke some time afterwards.

Suggestions and advice are appreciated.

[Matthew_Anderson]

A dowel through the cross is really the only way to relieve the stress on the hilt due to hard use IMO. Every waster I have ever made, and most of the good commercial ones use this method and I've never had one break at the cross or had the cross come apart. Drill a 1/4" hole all the way through the center of the cross and drive a glue-covered 1/4" dowel all the way through. After the glue sets, trim the ends and sand it flush with the cross. The secret to a tight hilt however, is a tight fit of the joinery there. Even with a dowel through it, the cross can loosen up and wobble a bit if it isn't fitted tightly. Even then, the joint can loosen over time due to shrinkage.

I really feel like wooden wasters are a disposable item. If you train hard with them they are going to chip, splinter, loosen and eventually become unusable. That's why I make my own from a few dollars worth of materials and just keep replacing them. The best home-made design I've seen, and the way I now make the hilts is here: http://www.arma-ogden.org/content/view/7/30/

The hilt design is especially durable if done correctly.

[JeffGentry]

Greg

I have made a few waster's myself, like Matt said the joinery of the cross can be difficult ie the little up/down wiggle, I would say try putting a wooden wedge in from the bottom and then use some Gorilla glue and then proceed as Matt said.

If i were you when the cross does breaks off I would simply make a new cross and reuse the blade portion, Like Matt said waster's are disposable, I also make my own it is much cheaper.

Jeff

[Matthew_Anderson]

Greg

I have made a few waster's myself, like Matt said the joinery of the cross can be difficult ie the little up/down wiggle, I would say try putting a wooden wedge in from the bottom and then use some Gorilla glue and then proceed as Matt said.

If i were you when the cross does breaks off I would simply make a new cross and reuse the blade portion, Like Matt said waster's are disposable, I also make my own it is much cheaper.

Jeff

Good tip Jeff, I've used that little wedge trick to tighten hilts as well.

[Brian Hunt]

Just be carefull not to drive the wedge in too hard or you may actually create the pressures neccessary to finish off your cross. Just enough to stop the wiggle, not so much that you over stress the wood of the cross and cause it to crack and break. I have also had luck on wasters that the cross is just glued on, using a rawhide mallet to drive the cross down over the grip area and giving me access to the area normally covered by the cross in order to get a good supply of glue in the area where the cross goes, then redriving the cross back into position and wedging as neccesary.

hope this helps.

Brian Hunt
GFS

P.S. I also see wasters as a disposable item that if you get a year to 2 years out of one you are doing really good. That is why I am excited to see how long a plastic waster lasts compared to a wood one.