Ming compact piercing spear

Ming compact piercing spear is constructed based on the description in the Long Spear Manual

by Master Cheng Zong You.  These small spear tips, mount on long poles were the most lethal weapon in the Ming arsenal.

Long Spear heads need to be engineered to be extremely lite weight so as not to droop the tip of the long spear.  The spearheads for long spear are more like arrow heads or bullets than daggers. 

Length:  10 cm (4")

Socket Inner Diameter: 20 mm

40 grams (1.4 oz)

The spear is made of carbon steel cast in one piece by lost wax method. Heat treatment after casting further stiffen the spear tip.

Heat treated 1045 carbon steel.

Element Percentage

Fe         98.7

C           0.45

Mn        0.8

S           0.05

P           0.04

Investment casting (also known as lost-wax casting in the art world), is the oldest known metal-forming technique.  The key benefits are versatility, accuracy, repeatability, and integrity, and the wax can be reused.  It is more expensive than other casting methods; however, it can incorporate intricate contours and the end components are near perfect, so they require little or no rework once cast.