Post by shikagemaru on Mar 1, 2006 22:28:26 GMT -5
Okay...I've been lazy or busy, I admit it, but I've finally got another guide up. I'm also working on a much longer, more detailed one for armored boots. but in any case, let's get going. This guide centers around katanas. So...let's go. The first thing anyone needs for a cosplay weapon, in my opinion, is an accurate image of it, and the second would be a comparrison, size wise, to the person that should be holding it. I've seen a lot of horrendous cosplays, made even worse by innaccurate weapons. If you're weilding a 9 foot long weapon and the weapons policy in your city limits it to 7 feet then that's one thing, finding ways around it is another...let's say if it were a spear, you could have a 7 foot pole and a two foot attatchable end. I doubt people will be walking around with measuring tape, and if there is a problem it can be disassembled and reassembled for pictures. But I digress, if you're supposed to weild the master sword, which should probably be around 3 feet long ( compared to the character playing link for more accuracy ) and the best you can do is two feet, it'll look weird and not quite right. So The first thing one should do when crafting a sword is to find good pictures for comparison shots, width, length, you name it. witht hat out of the way, comes the design phase. If your sword happens to be a katana then this guide should be able to help, pretty much nomatter what the length.
For this method you'll need your standard plastic dollar store toy "ninja swords". Figuring that each has a little more than a foot of blade and about 6 inched of handle, you can work from there. However many feet long your sword is, get that many of the swords, and then one extra for just incase, and find adjustments. Better to have too much than too little. ( same goes for the handle if there are special conditions, like a two foot handle and a two and a half foot sword. ) Aluminum tape and duct tape, as always.
( by the way, the "special" person in these pictures is my friend Adam, he doesn't quite realize that these pictures are for a cosplay how-to guide, not a 'how un-interested can you look' report. )
Here you have your swords, Albel Nox's sword is about 26 inches at the blade, and a little less than a foot at the handle, so a total of 3 feet. It can be constructed in 2 swords. ( they're a little more than a foot by the blade so it works )
all 3 that we got for the project, stripped down from their stickers, little plastic guard, and end tips
First thing you gotta do is remove the handle from the blade. There's a useless little plastic lump in the middle. kill it. Kill it dead.
Separated evenly, see the lump? have you killed it? kill it!
now comes the painful part...for the sword that is. You insert the tip of one sword into the back of the other. Fit it to how long you want it to be, and mark the line the top one makes on the bottom with some marker for accuracy. You'll probably find that where the two meet is a bit thick, if your sword needs to be thinner, simply remove the bottom one and trim it out a bit on the tip. The back is all you really need to keep it in there firmly.
Same goes with the handle, except it'll probably be fine with thickness all around. There's not much difference between the two in size, so it'll most likely need no modification from there. a small vertical slit at the top on either side should correct any fitting problems if any.
Booya, you have the sword. what? not much difference you say?
a nice comparison shot for ya. you've just built yourself a plastic sword that is the right length you need. if you feel better about it then hot glue them together or fill them with something. I was fine with this thickness so I didn't need to put anything else in. It's a katana so i'm worried more about thinness than sturdiness at this point.
So the handle got taped together at the place it needed to be, then completely wrapped. I then wrapped it again in some light guage aluminum tape and then another layer of duct tape, this secured its sturdiness pretty well and makes a comfortable grip.
the blade itself was then secured with aluminum tape, then completely wrapped, pressing down and keeping it relatively tight. This is how much thinner it can be made just with the aluminum tape.
The skeleton of the sword is now basically finished. There's not much more that needs to be done unless your sword has a particular decoration it needs. The fiberglassing and putty stages will finish up the hardness and all that.
another comparison shot, and also with the hilt guard i crafted for it. They have those stupid little plastic ones already with them, so i just made it squared off with the tape.
For this method you'll need your standard plastic dollar store toy "ninja swords". Figuring that each has a little more than a foot of blade and about 6 inched of handle, you can work from there. However many feet long your sword is, get that many of the swords, and then one extra for just incase, and find adjustments. Better to have too much than too little. ( same goes for the handle if there are special conditions, like a two foot handle and a two and a half foot sword. ) Aluminum tape and duct tape, as always.
( by the way, the "special" person in these pictures is my friend Adam, he doesn't quite realize that these pictures are for a cosplay how-to guide, not a 'how un-interested can you look' report. )
Here you have your swords, Albel Nox's sword is about 26 inches at the blade, and a little less than a foot at the handle, so a total of 3 feet. It can be constructed in 2 swords. ( they're a little more than a foot by the blade so it works )
all 3 that we got for the project, stripped down from their stickers, little plastic guard, and end tips
First thing you gotta do is remove the handle from the blade. There's a useless little plastic lump in the middle. kill it. Kill it dead.
Separated evenly, see the lump? have you killed it? kill it!
now comes the painful part...for the sword that is. You insert the tip of one sword into the back of the other. Fit it to how long you want it to be, and mark the line the top one makes on the bottom with some marker for accuracy. You'll probably find that where the two meet is a bit thick, if your sword needs to be thinner, simply remove the bottom one and trim it out a bit on the tip. The back is all you really need to keep it in there firmly.
Same goes with the handle, except it'll probably be fine with thickness all around. There's not much difference between the two in size, so it'll most likely need no modification from there. a small vertical slit at the top on either side should correct any fitting problems if any.
Booya, you have the sword. what? not much difference you say?
a nice comparison shot for ya. you've just built yourself a plastic sword that is the right length you need. if you feel better about it then hot glue them together or fill them with something. I was fine with this thickness so I didn't need to put anything else in. It's a katana so i'm worried more about thinness than sturdiness at this point.
So the handle got taped together at the place it needed to be, then completely wrapped. I then wrapped it again in some light guage aluminum tape and then another layer of duct tape, this secured its sturdiness pretty well and makes a comfortable grip.
the blade itself was then secured with aluminum tape, then completely wrapped, pressing down and keeping it relatively tight. This is how much thinner it can be made just with the aluminum tape.
The skeleton of the sword is now basically finished. There's not much more that needs to be done unless your sword has a particular decoration it needs. The fiberglassing and putty stages will finish up the hardness and all that.
another comparison shot, and also with the hilt guard i crafted for it. They have those stupid little plastic ones already with them, so i just made it squared off with the tape.