Last practice we had two minor injuries, both from the unpadded handle part of spears hitting somebody near the eye while the spear was being used for blocking. I would hate to have to outlaw that use of a spear, since it's pretty central to spear combat, but I can't just let this go on until we squish somebody's eye.
So, two construction questions:
This spear was built with a relatively thin (1/4"?) solid fiberglass core. I have since gotten some 26mm (1") PVC tube that seems stiff enough for the task. Does the thinness/solidness make any significant difference for this issue?
The rules say that non-striking surfaces should be padded, no exceptions made for handle parts. What do people who actually pad the handle part do to make it not wear off quickly, yet be handy in combat?
Thanks,
-Hårdgrim Bonebreaker of Monachium