Turned the Reaper Scythe Into a War Scythe...

[@Skallagrim]

If you haven't seen the video about the history of scythes yet (functionality & tool vs. weapon): kzbin.info/www/bejne/b16WppqvqJJgmbM

[@bynightfall_4516]

Hey Skall have you ever played chivalry 2? Really cool game with some actually accurate stuff!

[@serronserron1320]

Good for you. Your crafting skill has increased by one level.

[@joenathan8059]

Have thought about making a video on how historically accurate is Chivalry 2

[@jerrybaker8597]

Its not supposed to be a war scythe the reaper is not a warrior he is a harvester of souls one fights death as wheat battles the thresh

[@serronserron1320]

@@joenathan8059 I saw this video that tried to dispute the concept of chivalry as something that was invented by novelists in the 1700s

[@verager2493]

The original war scythes were quick and easy mods so a few blacksmiths could render a bunch of tools into effective weapons without working too hard each one, so you doing a home project on it is just... really appropriate for this weapon style. Historically, people didn't make this by itself. They took tools and made them better weapons as it suited them, and your tests showed that while normal scythes have several issues as weapons, this design isn't perfect, but is reasonably workable, and much easier to use in a fight than a scythe while making minimal adjustments. In this case, the difference between a good tool and a good weapon is a 90 degree angle.

[@torg2126]

The war scyand the billhook are essentially two sides of the same coin, bothe being retrofitted tools that made a successful transition into a militarily effective tool.

[@riverraven7359]

You can see with the cutting video why so many would be Revolutionaries across Europe grabbed these. With enough friends willing to hold formation you can make a very economical pike block against cavalry.

[@montezmanning8524]

Scythe we're deadly weapon

[@montezmanning8524]

A war scythe were still effective with a highly skilled person

[@montezmanning8524]

The regular size were still very effective. Scthe

[@ClassicCase]

"I started drilling but I realized I was in the wrong spot" Sounds like my first time too.

[@TripperJonMD]

Additionally starting to drill and then changing my mind has led to a few awkward exchanges.

[@Skallagrim]

Wrong hole on the first time? Kinky.

[@ryebur7625]

A very common mistake when your excited.

[@ClassicCase]

@@Skallagrim I was young. I didn't know. I THOUGHT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO FEEL LIKE THAT!

[@MaGiCMushroomClouds]

There is no such thing as a "wrong hole"

[@sebipatru]

Actually this is extremelly historically accurate, excepting the second cutting edge. In Bucharest, at the military museum, there is a represantion of a romanian peasant, during an uprising, with a schyte mounted in this way.

[@fuckthiscomment]

Actual war scythes existed. Repurposed agricultural scythes are pathetically fragile blade-wise.

[@gozer87]

I saw a video of some German HEMA folks drilling with war scythes, apparently there is a military manual from the 1800s for arming your levy troops that has group drills.

[@barnyhitman]

@@fuckthiscomment it seems like it would be something made out of necessity though, if you have the money for a purpose built weapon why not something more effective like a billhook?

[@fuckthiscomment]

@@barnyhitman most records of the bill were from Britain. War scythes tend to appear in Slavic records. So probably region plays a role in choice in pole arms.

[@barnyhitman]

@@fuckthiscomment yeah i suppose but it seems that just having a straight blade would provide for a better weapon given the combat of the time and that they would be wielded by untrained peasant levy's. im not entirely familiar with their use but it seems they would fill a role similar to a halberd given the concave cutting edge, but without a proper point to stab with it seems much less useful

[@jordanezell5132]

Now this is My kind of war scythe. The shape of the blade still has that familiar profile we all know. Unlike the straighter blades that make the war scythe look more like a generic spear.

[@cyrilgigee4630]

I haven't seen what you're talking about but that just sounds like some sort of glaive or swordstaff.

[@jordanezell5132]

@@cyrilgigee4630 l was talking about how the blades were mounted to the hafts. Most war scythes have the blades mounted fully upright, making them look like generic polarms.

[@jordanezell5132]

@@cyrilgigee4630 And thanks for the correction. :)

[@MM-ny7dv]

@@cyrilgigee4630 3:47

[@TheGM-20XX]

The guy who said don't fear the reaper didn't have that thing coming at him.

[@cster9261]

What about the guy who feared the Weedwhacker in the background

[@bigguy7353]

Correct........ they had Death's giant scythe coming at them. 🤦‍♂️

[@thhseeking]

It's OK if you're in the Cult of the Blue Oyster :P

[@Jayboyd1260]

When making this, Skall embraced the will of poor farmers past who rigged these up to fight with

[@thhseeking]

I was thinking that many a blacksmith did exactly the same thing as Skallagrim.

[@Herio7]

People, at least in Poland, created such war scythes from tools for uprisings, so your design is historically quite accurate.

[@maciejcocieto4361]

Sure, assemble isn't the cleanest, but I freaking love it Skall! It looks so logicly/historicly plaseble, it feats so well if you would put it next to bills, glaives and halberts. It just works!

[@lesROKnoobz]

Sounds like an ad on late night tv. This scythe just works!

[@maciejcocieto4361]

@@lesROKnoobz Thank you. That's cool.

[@tamlandipper29]

I like the comment, but just so you know your spelling is wrong several times there. Good overall construction, though.

[@maciejcocieto4361]

@@tamlandipper29 It's not my first language. Thanks a lot. Trying my best.

[@Adam_okaay]

Is this why both reaper scythe videos were back to back on my autoplay this morning? Holy shit good timing.

[@skeeverskeeyo7331]

Me: glancing over at an old scythe in garage The Scythe: sweating bullets

[@DotDusk]

I am always a fan of blades that "catch" the target when you hit.

[@VndNvwYvvSvv]

I'm not. I find it can capture the weapon, cause rotation, and slow the motion into another strike or repositioning for defense.

[@torg2126]

Billhooks where similar, and more common

[@sokosokolowski2823]

@@torg2126 Not in central and eastern Europe, where war scythes were very common...

[@JoshuaBenitezNewOrleans]

The amount of destruction was pleasantly balanced With the amount of nerding out. Skall doesn’t disappoint

[@valandil7454]

As those were repurposed for conscripted peasants by local smiths I'd say you did a great job, looks great and functional I'm looking forward to seeing how it measures up against the more polished weapons of the time ☺

[@demomanchaos]

No they weren't, actual scythe blades are paper thin and would crumple on impact against anything tougher than grass.

[@valandil7454]

@@demomanchaos from what I've seen the size and shape of the haft and the blade depends on where you are, it's down to the person wanting to use it I think keeping in mind it's a tool meant to be used all day I think Skall's actually made a video about it's historical uses too ☺

[@demomanchaos]

@@valandil7454 You mean that one expensive as hell and meticulously drawn manual showing people in the finest clothing of the era going through some postures alongside a bunch of other odd weapons that were most likely included purely for marketing purpose? Just like how tool axes are very different to combat ones, tool scythes are absolutely not suited for combat.

[@valandil7454]

@@demomanchaos I completely agree the original pieces regardless wouldn't be much use in a fight, but I meant actually museum scythes not the ones from any manual There're scythes of all different materials, shape variations and gauge, some of the earlier iron ones look pretty solid Tools need to be certain robust shapes and sizes to be suitable for the job, same as hammers and mallets or wood splitting axes, some of those scythes would've been reshaped into something that would make a better weapon than another club or staff. History shows that we do the best we can with what we can get

[@demomanchaos]

@@valandil7454 Considering that tool scythe heads are fixed at an angle (So when you hold it low it is parallel to the grass) and generally on a rather thin stem you'd need to basically do a full reforge of the material to get anything useful for combat from it. Tools are only as robust as they need to be, any more and they'd be too exhausting to use.

[@DepravedSluggy]

I honestly like this little "unpolished" look quite a bit more. Since it works, it's awesome!

[@entropy11]

I would argue that a warscythe in this configuration, though a somewhat competent cutter, would really be optimal for burying that point somewhere uncomfortably deep.

[@ashadder795]

It looks like a bec de Corbin but with a blade. I imagine it would also function that way

[@kitirena_koneko]

I would also think that it would be fairly effective at unhorsing a mounted knight or soldier as well, meaning that one good swing with that baby means that the cavalry trooper riding down on you is now flat on his back on the ground and fairly vulnerable for a follow-up attack.

[@DeathTheKid6778]

Words never spoken more throughout human history. "At least it works." I am finding a motivational poster for this one.

[@daryleaton7110]

It looks good Skall for someone that isn't a Craftsman in that field

[@shawnwolf5961]

I love these videos, definitely good to see you getting back into testing/cutting stuff and talking about the designs :D

[@ethankendall9499]

YAS!!!!! I HAVE WANT THIS FOR SO LONG!!! IDK WHY I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS, IT MUST BE THAT I'M JUST SO EXCITED!!

[@joshalmightyblades]

Love this design! Thanks for the inspiration Sir!

[@connorandrews2859]

Looks in fact properly done and pretty functional. Nice.

[@CazadorSlayer]

When you are trying to reap souls but someone turns your scythe into a weapon, making more souls to reap... *RATTLES BONES ANGRILY*

[@FrostyFyre]

*mission failed successfully*

[@NaturalTreeHugger]

Smashing job on the form mate, slash on !! Love the videos.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I love this, and the blade cover is briliant.

[@El_Chompo]

I hope to see more Skall crafts. Form following function has its own beauty.

[@400and4]

Actually, a very historically accurate weapon, except maybe for the double sided blade as this was not as common. A related historical trivia: The famous Polish, Lithuanian and American General from the XVIII century, Thadeus Kosciusko, led a company of a few thousand peasant insurrects armed with agricultural scythes that were repurposed very similiarly to this one here, to serve as a makeshift spear (they were more upright and straight than this one) and a military scythe at the same time, to the battle of Raclawice, against Russian military. He won the battle, in no small part because the scythe was such an effective and scary weapon. An enormous panorama-style painting of the battle is still displayed to this day in the city of Wroclaw in Poland, along with an electronic model depicting troop movements in the battle. Very cool weapon. Those bottles will think twice next time they think about trying to be obnoxiously full of water.

[@victorhugoeh974]

Wow! That's one fearsome pole weapon! I definitely like it!

[@Pensive_Scarlet]

I like it a lot! ;D Also, I can't get over that hilarious little angry skeleton in the thumbnail. XD

[@willhall796]

Yesss thank you for doing this skall!❤️

[@maccurtis730]

Look at those great cuts only the Skallagrim Reaper can make.

[@youraveragebinchicken6807]

I was just watching one of your scythe videos earlier today lol

[@tedrex8959]

Have you ever played with an agricultural sickle? I have an old one with a metre-ish long blade from handle to tip of the point in a straight line. It's not a weapon I would choose but if it was all I had I wouldn't want to be at the wrong end of it.

[@tbishop4961]

Tang and setup on snath is totally different from what skall has going on

[@maxejnar9934]

Historically the peasant properly ran his scythe trough the local blacksmith to straighten the bottom of the blade out. That way a normal scythe becomes basically a very long single edged blade that you can mount one a long stick. Not the best weapon but as mentioned if that is all you have.

[@joshlitz4509]

@@maxejnar9934 He ran the blacksmith through with his scythe?!?!?!

[@maxejnar9934]

@@joshlitz4509 ha ha f.. handed his scythe over too the blacksmith in a nice none killing way

[@tbishop4961]

@@maxejnar9934 it may seem more convenient to straighten the tang, and in fact some may have. But there is a way to handle it with no trip to a smith

[@avanskow9302]

Definately my go to channel for weapons

[@Yimothy]

can't watch the video while i'm working but i'm popping in to praise that thumbnail, shit slaps

[@RichardT2112]

Am I the only one who had “Don’t Fear The Reaper” playing in their head during the entire video?

[@maccurtis730]

Is it weird that I envy you?

[@thomashanson6603]

@@maccurtis730I guess we are both weird

[@ZergleJerk]

I just heard the cowbell.

[@nicholasricardo8443]

I really liked the usage of the false edge as a kind of super curved naginata

[@ReaperEOD]

Still looks good! Can't wait for version 3! 😁

[@엘제-k9u]

Ah, it's good to see my favorite medieval weapon on this channel.

[@lunarkomet]

Skall reinvents the wheel and makes content out of it, impressive

[@morlath4767]

I loved the moments when the scythe kept catching the green screen's green. You had a floating blade tip whenever it happened!

[@zasha9539]

I think the crudeness adds to the quality. Looks like something someone without major weapon reworking experience could make

[@Skallagrim]

Well, if I had actually made the blade and haft too it would look REALLY crude. :)

[@zasha9539]

@@Skallagrim well I think you did a good job 👍

[@Skallagrim]

@@zasha9539 Thanks.

[@MrShikamaruTV]

Hm, sounds to me that a fantasy switching weapon with war pick and war scythe modes is quite awesome! Thank you for the video!

[@Gatoryama2003]

I'll be honest, i really love this new design of the scythe, and now is VERY more functional

[@tbishop4961]

🤣

[@Gatoryama2003]

@@tbishop4961 what?

[@jacolitethepumpkin765]

Skall... You are being exiled from Mr Bones's wild ride. The Grim Reaper is very unhappy with you. In all seriousness, I think the new design looks very cool!

[@TheWarmotor]

I WANT TO GET OFF MR BONES WILD RIDE

[@randallpetroelje3913]

I like it, love it and want more of it. The curve of the blade is a farmer’s and a warriors best friend. Thanks, as is always.

[@bobhaynes8169]

Nice. Though it was beautiful before- functionality is even more beautiful. I also love the billhook effect the back spike offers.

[@Raziel_Hijikata]

This reminds me a lot of a scythe from a video game called Knight's Contract where the main character used a scythe where the blade could go all the way straight or even fold up for easier storage.

[@AllTheOthers]

Love your design!

[@kencoffman7145]

I like it!! I have a habit of modifying weapons as well and mine never look as good as the original, buuut, as long as it works well and fits my needs....alls good.

[@ezrafaulk3076]

I'm sure you *already* suspected this Skall, but the Reaper Scythe *can* in fact be a practical weapon, you just need to make sure that the blade's not so *strongly* curved that it throws the tip *out of line* with the rest of it; make sure to avoid *that* , and you've got a great *thrusting* weapon. Yes, I said *thrusting* weapon because as much as the motion you'd do with it would *look* like a swing, it'd result in a *stab* , which's why it'd be a *hooking thrust* . Anyways, next time you have a Reaper Scythe made for you, why not design it with its blade being shaped like I described, and see how well that works? I'm sure it'd make for a good video.

[@jblackburn995]

That looks cool as hell man, 10/10 would carry into battle

[@mjb7015]

For combat, it definitely looks like a big improvement. Changing the blade alignment makes it look a lot more like other polearms, like the glaive guisarme, or billhook. I like it.

[@Scarlet_Soul]

Thank you KZbin for not notifying me of this one. Who doesn't love a scythe, even if it is sideways

[@purplespeckledappleeater8738]

War scythes were once famous weapons. Very underrated.

[@supersaiyandiclonius3056]

I personally had this idea for a warrior reaper that used a bec de corbin, but this is cool too.

[@acemarvel1564]

Sounds great, like with death themed armor and shadowy cloak

[@INCIESSE]

Bec de corbins in place of scythes and warpicks in place of sickles are good ways to go, theres also some neat connotations with using tipless executioner swords as well.

[@acemarvel1564]

@@INCIESSE or should we call it the “grave sword” ?

[@supersaiyandiclonius3056]

@@acemarvel1564 I also picture the corbin's hammerhead being a skull.

[@acemarvel1564]

@@supersaiyandiclonius3056 and the back a ravens beak

[@Keelsman]

Nice one! Shame about the modification whoopsies... But you can't make an omlette without cracking a few eggs, and a noob may crack more than that! Your appreciation for the fine original work is entirely tangible, the pain of your sacrifice through DIY remounting too ❤️

[@slaughterhound8793]

It's a happy coincidence that I'm watching this video on the date of its premier; I just so happened to want information about scythes/war scythes as weapons today and you debuted this video for all of us. Good timing! Also, since the ones back in the day were made my hand by blacksmiths, I think the extra holes can be excused since I'm sure there was experimentation with the designs going on a lot back then.

[@idonthaveskill5054]

When the main hero's weapon breaks, and he comes back with it upgraded

[@JoCr2]

Nice! I would think the outward curve (on any blade) would cut better due to being spread out over less area on the target, but not sure about it with that design, since the curve seems a bit inconveniently located.

[@marctaco2624]

it could allow for retreating slashes, which adds possibilities

[@verager2493]

It's important to note that people generally didn't just make war scythes, they modded normal scythes into something they could reasonably fight with. The point was rendering a tool into something reasonably useable in a fight with minimal effort and cost, to find the easiest route from peasant to soldier. As Skall demonstrates, this isn't necessarily the best weapon, but if you already own a scythe, it's really damn easy to make one.

[@TrollDragomir]

This now looks much better than originally and functionally reminds me a lot of the falx, except on a longer pole.

[@rebiscothebind975]

fantasy reaper scythe vs. Real life War Scythe Thank you Info ☺️

[@kalinkapavlova9398]

With the advent of the reaper class in FFXIV I really needed this video so I can pretend that all the "war" scythes in the game lopk like this and make a tiny more sense in my brain. Thank you.

[@seanpfister993]

Cool bill hook. Not going to lie we need to update the grim reaper. Can’t wait to see what else you make.

[@Azrael79a]

I think the idea behind the reaper scythe is that the Grim Reaper harvests souls like wheat lol. And theoretically, if the scythe was some kinda magical artefact, it should be able to penetrate armor, flesh, bone, even magical barriers and stuff like that. I remember designing a scythe in one of my stories that essentially transforms from the reaper shape, into the warscythe shape, or even more like a real spear/polearm. Now that I think about it though, a long time ago, I remember a game called Dante's Inferno, where the player character had a magical scythe as his main weapon, which could transform into various shapes, stretch and grow, et cetera. The game was like God of War, but for Xbox.

[@takuoku2546]

I expected him to say "let me show you it's features!" like joergsprave

[@daveirwin6903]

Now I’m going to be hearing that laugh in my head until I go watch one of his videos to get it out of my mind….

[@CotaViking]

Love the sound of it

[@NaturalTreeHugger]

That awesome piece of steel is quite nastyyy. May you give ole Grimmy a battle for the ages at the end of your road.

[@MythicMagus]

If you want to get that copper look back in some fashion you could always use a brass wire wheel to color the metal strips on the shaft (I don't remember the actual name for them). That's the best way I've seen to add color to a weapon without adding weight or compromising the durability. I don't know the exact details of the process, but you use some kind of a torch to heat the brass wheel up and then use the wheel and a drill or something to brush the color on to the desired metal surface.

[@Darkfreed0m]

Cool pruning saw

[@Filther-13]

As a massive bitch for autumn and all things related, i appreciate the greenscreen image you chose for the background

[@BoxJoe136]

That is exactly how my dream weapon looks. Gorgeous. I am in love to be quite honest. In this configuration that point can bury itself into flesh and kind of rip its way out, and the momentum from a good swing will give it a lot of penetration power for less input energy (i would imagine).

[@cster9261]

I think somebody in the background was doing a similar thing that you did to the scythe but with a Weedwhacker

[@karmichel]

Skall will have stuff to talk when the new ridley Scott movie comes out

[@rileyernst9086]

Well that design is quite similar to a brush hook i have. Can confirm very practical design.

[@66shadowwolf66]

*No bottles were harmed in the making of this video.*

[@defmachinax1926]

Making a character in dnd that uses a way scythe. This is helpful!

[@afasdfasafd314]

its like a spear but focused on slashing rather that in stabing, i like it!

[@prismaticc_abyss]

This looks much more badass than the original

[@Twilight5007]

In bannerlord there is a polearm that looks like that called the Rhomphalia which is a freaking beast of a weapon that i would always use. That thing would cut through people, and shatter shields with the best of them.

[@JanKowalski-dn3js]

Nice, you can already do a reconstruction of the battle of Racławice ;)

[@latemanparodius5133]

Reminds me of those pole mounted tree pruners.

[@xAxCx]

Ngl the war scythe looks kind of like a hockey stick. Which surprisingly is kind of cool. The Hockey Scythe of Doom.

[@beitophfongfu]

I still remember the guy using a farm scythe deleting his video because I said to him to watch your channel

[@ambuknight]

You say Modify And I'm here saying "You made it Historical accurate"

[@ninja5861]

I always thought of the scythe as more of a pick with a sharpened edge

[@waynehaygood3122]

As a lover of all bladed wepons this is the first war sy

[@Stre79]

Ooohh it's kinda like a reversed naginata, looks so badass

[@jordanhowe188]

Have you considered making a scythe sword? It's very obscure sword from history. It's basically a war scythe's blade on a sword handle. I'd be very curious to see how effective it is as a weapon. Really good video by the way.

[@Rj-pw7zs]

Not sure if something like this exists, but I had an idea. Using the double edged scythe blade shown here and adding two curved hooks at the bottom of the blade. I think it would produce a solid weapon.

[@richardAttenborough-s3n]

Scythes are still my favourite weapon

[@theeyeoftheyinyangs]

I’ll be honest, if I craft a scythe, I’d go with this similar design. Practical, effective, historically accurate, and can still be wickedly stylish.

[@p.turgor4797]

Oh sharp! Oh sharp, Our sharp scythes, They will be enough for a short Moscow broadswords Fragment of polish folk song from XVIII century.

[@FortyTwoBlades]

The original was too curved even for truly good war pick work. The appropriate curve of a scythe is determined by the arc that it travels in use. Agricultural scythes were adjustable to match the presentation of the blade to the user for this reason. In the new configuration it's finally open enough, though it would be better if the blade was shaped to better balance the cutting stroke with the handle. That being said, that would require making an entirely new design, so it's a moot point. The modification is a drastic improvement from a functional perspective.

[@Zulnahdwiin]

Loving the thumbnail, lol

[@Birdf33d3r]

Adding an elongated back spike would counter balance the front and help with getting better edge alignment.

[@justinbremer2281]

I have a homemade burlap scarecrow costume I routinely bring out for the season. I was at the Halloween store today, looking for parts for an unrelated Ghostrider/Tron thing, when I saw the scythes. Decided to check them out, aaannd a 5' plastic toy just doesn't look intimidating in the hands of a 6'4" scarecrow. This would probably work much better, but be unsafe to carry with my sight compromised lol

[@Vidhur]

It's almost harvesting season!

[@ethanlyons3571]

If only Grim reapers could be depicted with a war scythe, or perhaps have servants that possess war scythes to do the reapers work whilst he's busy harvesting souls with his harvest scythe. That would be a nice and new idea to work with.

[@jamieshoemaker9986]

I would love to see you take a bladesmithing class, or something where you have a bladesmith help you make an original design