Good morning, Crossbow enthusiasts: Geezer here, with news... at least for some of you. My apprentice, Lightly, just jogged my foggy memory. About 2 years ago, a rather difficult customer ordered a very lovely bow from me. He fitted it with a very handsome medieval type prod/lath from: www.digitarc.com If you're hot to have a very-correct prod, with properly rolled ends, that's tapered in thickness rather than width, these folks have a very good item. Cost quoted at 145 Euros is pretty reasonable, all things considered. Geezer.
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Medieval steel prods
Geezer- Master Crossbowyer
- Posts : 1188
Join date : 2010-01-12
Age : 73
Location : Austin, Texas, USA
- Post n°1
Medieval steel prods
Ivo- Admin
- Posts : 1041
Join date : 2009-11-25
Age : 32
Location : NJ, USA
- Post n°2
Re: Medieval steel prods
.....a rather difficult customer ordered a very lovely bow from me. He fitted it with a very handsome medieval type prod/lath from: www.digitarc.com....
Interesting...how was this customers difficulty expressed? Was it a reproduction crossbow you were building for him by any chance?
PS: Good resource.
Geezer- Master Crossbowyer
- Posts : 1188
Join date : 2010-01-12
Age : 73
Location : Austin, Texas, USA
- Post n°3
the difficult customer
The customer had definite ideas about what he wanted and was a passive manipulator. I tried to give him advice, he disregarded ALL of it. Nothing was ever right, but he wouldn't tell me what he actually wanted, while remaining perfectly pleasant and apparently reasonable. It was positively infuriating. This is the guy who didn't want a Matuls cranequin... it was 'too expensive'. Then when he got his 350 lb. crossbow (he might have used a belt-hook, but he wouldn't have a foot-stirrup) he discovered he couldn't span it. Imagine that! Eventually, he got his bow and I got my money. Two months later, he was back, wanting a new bow to new specs. I told him to go elsewhere.
The name was Alvarez... he lives in California, if he comes calling, for up and call for the SWAT teams!
Still, it was a beautiful bow. I'll see about digging up some pictures to post.
Geezer
The name was Alvarez... he lives in California, if he comes calling, for up and call for the SWAT teams!
Still, it was a beautiful bow. I'll see about digging up some pictures to post.
Geezer
balbi- Fresh Blood
Doesn't mean
I'm new to crossbows - Posts : 9
Join date : 2009-12-25
Age : 58
Location : auckland,nz
- Post n°4
Reproduction prod styles
How about this style of Prod tip, is this a pin end? kinda looks like a 3 claws to me, it's from an original 16 century bow. Is there a generic name for this style?
Thanks
B.

Thanks
B.

Last edited by Ivo on Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:44 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Balbi, you have the power to - "edit" and even "delete" your posts...please don't post two-three topics in a row for no good reason.)
Geezer- Master Crossbowyer
- Posts : 1188
Join date : 2010-01-12
Age : 73
Location : Austin, Texas, USA
- Post n°5
Prod end
Answer to balbi: Yeah, I would call that a 'pin' end, as differentiated from a slot and wheel at least. Some pin ends are essentially a three-pronged fork, some have a flattened flange and a pin, and some have the flattened end of the prod/lath rolled up into a tube. I particularly like those... they're elegant and should be strong. Geezer.
Vidar Halvslak- Fresh Blood
Doesn't mean
I'm new to crossbows - Posts : 31
Join date : 2010-11-08
Location : Sweden
- Post n°6
Re: Medieval steel prods
I believe the best forgerer of steelprods with historicly correct measurments and nocks is the legendary Jens Sensfelder, e-mail jens.sensfelder@googlemail.com.
See some samples at our website http://armborst.forum24.se/armborst-about25.html
See some samples at our website http://armborst.forum24.se/armborst-about25.html
Michael- Techno Weeny
Lets put a laser on it!!!
- Posts : 52
Join date : 2010-09-29
Age : 69
Location : Oak Creek. Wisconsin
- Post n°7
Prods (bows) a great one is from:
Hello crossbow friends: Mr Halvsiak is correct about the workmanship of a prod forged by Jens Sensfelder. Mr Sensfelder makes one hell of a prod. I know I purchased one from him not long ago. Nr 116 draw wt is 350kg. that come to about 751lbs draw wt.US. He is a great guy to deal with also. Mike
basileus- Crossbow Building Wiki
Founder & Curator - Posts : 86
Join date : 2010-06-18
- Post n°8
Re: Medieval steel prods
Hmm, interesting prods. I wonder if the thickness taper is linear... doing that correctly (following the cube root curve) is fairly difficult.Geezer wrote:Good morning, Crossbow enthusiasts: Geezer here, with news... at least for some of you. My apprentice, Lightly, just jogged my foggy memory. About 2 years ago, a rather difficult customer ordered a very lovely bow from me. He fitted it with a very handsome medieval type prod/lath from: www.digitarc.com If you're hot to have a very-correct prod, with properly rolled ends, that's tapered in thickness rather than width, these folks have a very good item. Cost quoted at 145 Euros is pretty reasonable, all things considered. Geezer.