Flail help

working on a flail. whats a good length before too much flex. also how much padding should be on the shaft? 1 layer? 2? pool noodle? how long should the "chain" be.

the core will be 1/2inch pvc 40

i dont want it to be so short to be useless nor too long to be unwieldy

Barrikaide, you're a solid hitter. 1/2" sch 40 PVC is probably not going to stand up very well for you, although on a flail it may last longer. I would expect it to flex out when the core is somewhere around 28-30". The chain needs to be 6" or less, the head must have a circumference of 16" or more and the head must weigh at least 4oz. I usually make flails to be about 36-40" overall.

As far as padding, I usually put 2 layers of walmart blue for the last 12 inches of the flail handle (closest to the 'chain') and then do the remaining courtesy padding at one layer. Pool noodle breaks down pretty fast, skip it.

alright maybe ill roll with a 3/4 pvc i dont think weight matters as much with a flail as a bat or sword. as for the head i have a poof nerf football ill be cutting up i think

Nerf football should work great. Just measure it to make sure it's big enough around.

1/2" sch 80 would work fine for a while (those dark grey sprinkler sections, not the electrical conduit), but a 1/2" fiberglass rod would probably be best. Sch 40 may work fine at 3/4", but the sch 40 is just generally weaker and doesn't last as long.

Are you making a bag head flail or a rope flail? I would recommend going bag head, they usually last longer.

the wife is going to do it bag style i believe. with i guess a sheet or something. braided through the pvc and taped at the bottom and then the hilt dapped over it. hope its strong enough

That should work great. Tape up the inside lip of the pvc so it won't chew the fabric, or you can run the bag over the outside of the haft padding instead of up the middle.