min 3/8 inch flat foam. (standard camp bedroll mat works fine)
9
squishy foam approximately 2 inches thick
10
duct tape (your choice in color)
11
spray glue
12
.610 or .505 kite spar. (most kite shops will have this. Or ask for the hollow fiberglass tubes They are normally black in color.)
13
hack saw
14
Long strait edge, such as a board.
Optional Supplies
1
2 feet of ½ inch pvc pipe
2
2 bags of ½ inch pvc pipe connectors.
3
1/32 or 1/64 drill bit, and drill
4
2 heavy duty or large paperclips
5
color tape decorations for blade
6
handle wrappings
7
pommel and hilt decorations.
8
5/8 inch boring tool.
Building Instructions
1
Begin by researching the blade style you wish to use. This can be done on the Internet. Mostly there are single edged or double edged weapons. This is fine, but, the different types of swords have different lengths. Therefore, choose what you want first.
2
Lay out the ½ inch foam on the floor. If making a double edged weapon, use the #A instructions . If making a single edged weapon, start at a corner of the foam, and measure out the longest part of the blade, which will be the back of the blade, using the tape measure.
2A
If making a double edged weapon, starting at a corner of the foam, measure the width of the blade, adding about ½ inch, and mark the foam. Measure BACK from that mark, the actual width of the blade. Blade width for a double edged weapon needs to be a minimum of 4 ½ inches. Measure from edge of the marked blade to the center of the blade width. From this mark, measure out the length of the blade, tip to hilt. Draw a line from tip to hilt. Make sure this line is strait. See pict. 01 at the end of the instructions.
3
For a single edged blade, measure from the corner, along the edge away from the back of the blade, the width of the blade. The minimum width for a single edged short sword or larger, is 2 ¾ inches. Mark foam. At the tip of the blade, repeat this process. Moving along the blade repeat this process every 5 to 6 inches, marking the foam along the way. Once this is done, connect the dots. You should have an outline of a rectangle. At the forward end of the blade, create a cutting point by drawing a ¼ sweeping circle from the corner of the rectangle to the cutting edge of the blade. See pict 01 at the end of the instructions
3A
For a double edged weapon, at the tip of the blade, measure in both directions, 90 degrees from the centerline, one half the blade width, mark foam. Connect these marks using a strait edge. Moving along the centerline, repeat this process every 5 to 6 inches, except, do not draw the line, just mark the foam along both edges. Once this is complete, connect the dots, forming a long rectangle. Create the point of the blade by drawing a sweeping triangle from the point to the cutting edges. The point of the triangle is the tip of the blade. See pict 01 at the end of the instructions.
4
Now, using the exacto knife, cut out the blade. Cut along the center of the outlining mark. This will produce the best results. WARNING: DO NOT RUSH ANY CUTTING When cutting out the blade parts, take your time and be careful. You know have the central piece and cutting edge of the sword.
5
Put the ½ inch foam to the side. Lay out the 3/8 inch foam on a flat surface. Take the center piece blade, lay it flat on the 3/8 inch foam. Use this to draw an outline of the blade. You want to do this twice, creating two (2) outlines of the blade.
6
Now, cut out the two blades. ON THIS CUT OUT, CUT ALONG THE INSIDE OF THE OUTLINE MARK. This will ensure that the blade center and the blade sides are the same size. WARNING: DO NOT RUSH ANY CUTTING When cutting out the blade parts, take your time and be careful. You know have the two sides of your blade. Set these to the side.
7
For single edged blades, take the center piece, and measure a minimum of 4 inches from the tip of the blade along the back. Mark the foam. From this mark, measure into the width of the blade a minimum of ¼ inch preferably a little over 3/8 inch, or just under ½ inch, and make a dot. From this dot, every 3 to 4 inches along the back of the blade to the hilt, measure and mark. Once this is done, at each mark, measure and mark further into the width of the blade using the following chart.
.505 inch
Measure 17/32
.610 inch
Measure 5/8
Once these marks are done, connect the dots, using a strait edge. There should now be drawn a single long skinny rectangle. From the hilt to four inches short of the tip of the blade. See pict 02.
7A
For double edged blades, measure back from the tip of the blade a minimum of 4 inches. Mark foam. From the centerline, measure out ½ the width of the kite spar being used using the following chart.
.505 inch
Measure 17/64 inch
Measure back 17/32 inch
.610 inch
Measure 5/16 inch
Measure back 5/8 inch
Mark foam. Measure back across the centerline using the measure back numbers in the last column of the chart. Repeat this process every 3 to 5 inches along the centerline to the hilt of the blade. Marking the foam. Connect the dots. You should now have a thin rectangle from the hilt to four inches short of the tip of the blade. See pict 02.
8
Cut out the rectangle. WARNING: DO NOT RUSH ANY CUTTING When cutting out the blade parts, take your time and be careful. You now have the channel for the kite spar. This is where the kite spar will fit, and the only channel needed to be cut. Do not cut out any channels in the blade side pieces.
9
Take the kite spar and on the end that is in the channel, take just enough squishy foam to cover the tip of the kite spare and tape it in place, tightly. This will eliminate the sharp edges of the kite spar and protect the flat foam.
10
Place the kite spar in the channel cut out of the centerpiece blade. Using strips of tape, tape the kite spar to the blade. To do this, take a piece of tape that can wrap from one side of the blade, around the kite spar to the other side of the blade. When placed, the tape should "U" around the kite spar to both sides of the blade. About 2 to 3 inches down, do this again, except in the opposite direction. So, if you did the first strip of tape ‘down’ then the next strip should be ‘up’. Repeat this procedure until you reach the hilt, alternating directions. This will secure the kite spar to the blade. Now, run a strip of tape from the hilt of the blade, to just about 1 inch past the end of the kite spar on both sides of the blade. See pict 02.
11
Now, find a couple of large heavy books. US West Dex or the Yellow pages work very well.
12
Take one of the blade sides, the center blade, and the spray glue. Go to a well ventilated area, or outside. Place the center piece on a hard surface. Line the blade side piece on the center piece so that they match up. Remove the side piece and flip it over. This puts the two sides that are to be glued face up.
13
Spray both blade parts. Now let it set for about 1 minute.
14
Place the two sides together. Then, if outside, bring the sword inside, set on a hard surface and place the books on top of the blade. Let set for about 10 to 15 minutes.
15
Repeat instructions 12 through 14 for the second side of the sword.
16
Take a box knife blade, and along the striking edge, create the actual edge look by cutting the corner off of the sidewall of the blade. This should be done at about a 45 degree angle so that the blade takes on a more realistic look. WARNING: DO NOT RUSH ANY CUTTING When cutting out the blade parts, take your time and be careful. Also, do not cut into the center portion of the blade. This is the actual striking edge and you want this surface to be flat. See pict 03.
17
Repeat this procedure on all sidewall edges that lead to the cutting edge of the blade. See pict 03.
18
Now, tape the blade edges first, lengthwise. Single strips of tape are to be used. One strip to equal the length of the blade. Do all edges first, snipping the tape so that it will lay flat. See pict 04.
19
Tape the sides of the blade in the same fashion. Wrap the excess tape at the hilt over the edge of the hilt to seal the hilt. This will prevent water from getting into the foam.
20
Measure out the length you wish the handle of the sword to be. The handle should be a little bit longer than the actual length that you wish. This is what the pommel will be attached to. Mark and cut the kite spar using a hack saw.
21
The actual hilt of the sword is up to the owner. This is an optional accessory and can be in many shapes, sizes and directions. The simplest form is to cut one square out of the ½ inch flat foam and one square out of the 3/8 inch flat foam. Glue and tape the two pieces together.
22
Center the hilt to the blade, mark and cut a hole slightly smaller than the diameter of the kite spar. Push the hilt onto the kite spar up to the blade.
23
Using the exacto knife, mark an outline of the blade in the hilt. Remove the hilt.
24
Cutting through only ONE LAYER OF FOAM , create a hole, or notch that the blade will fit into. This will help keep the hilt in place and prevent it from rotating.
25
Place the hilt on the sword, locking it into place against the blade.
26
You are know ready to build up the handle of the sword. If you are going to use just tape or string, continue with directions here. If you want to build a PVC handle, go to the optional handle instructions starting at "Optional PVC handle build" and continue from there
27
Take the ½ inch flat foam and cut out a strip about 3 inches wide and 4 inches long. This will be the base of the pommel. Wrap this around the end of the kite spar, 1 inch deep. Tape in place.
28
Take the 3/8 inch flat foam and cut a strip 2 inches wide and about 1 inch long. Roll this into a cylinder that is 2 inches long. This will fit inside the ½ inch flat foam as a plug. If the cylinder is to large to fit, unroll it and trim off a little at a time until it fits within the ½ inch flat foam cylinder. Tape the 2 inch cylinder together before inserting it into the hole. See Pict. 05.
29
Use the spray glue and spray the taped 2 inch cylinder of foam. Slide the cylinder into the hole.
30
Put tape over the top and wrap one layer of tape around the pommel and partially onto the handle. This will hold the pommel in place.
31
Cut out a square from the squishy foam that is about ½ inch larger than the pommel all the way around. To say it a different way, the square should overhang the pommel base by ½ inch on all sides.
32
Tape the squishy foam into place on the pommel. Be sure to cover all the foam, but do not pull the tape down tight, only secure the squishy foam so that it will not come loose.
33
Take the exacto knife or a pin and puncture holes in the taped squishy foam. This will allow the air to escape and to re-enter the foam. THIS IS A MUST DO. The squishy foam is required to protect people when waylaying. It must be able to collapse and to reconstitute.
34
34. Now, it is time to wrap, or build up the handle to the sword. You can use just about any material to build up the handle, but when you do, make sure it is secure, and, the wrap covers about ½ inch of the bottom of the pommel.
CONGRADULATIONS
YOU NOW HAVE A FLAT BLADE
BOFFER SWORD.
Optional PVC Handle Instructions
1
Take the ½ inch PVC pipe and cut off a length of about equal to the handle length for the sword. You won’t need that much, but it is easer to make something shorter than longer.
2
This is for if you use the .610 kite spar. Take the 5/8 inch boring tool, and bore through the ½ inch PVC tube. This will widen the diameter of the internal hole of the pipe. This must be done for the .610 kite spar to fit.
3
Take the ½ inch PVC pipe connecters and start laying them out in a row, end to end until you have the approximate length of the sword handle. Count them and set them aside.
4
Take one of the connecters and place it on the end of the PVC pipe. Mark the pipe where the edge of the connecter ends with the black marker. Remove the connecter. See pict 06.
5
Measure from the end of the pipe to the edge of the black mark and double the measurement. This is the length that each piece of pipe needs to be cut. See pict 06.
6
Cut the pipe, and measure the next piece out. Repeat this process until you have one piece of pipe to go between each two connecters. ONE OF THESE CONNECTION PIECES NEEDS TO BE CUT APPROXIMATLY 3/32 OF AN INCH LONGER. SET THIS PIECE ASIDE, MARKED THAT IT IS LONGER.
7
Now you need to cut two more pieces of pipe. One should be able to stick out past the edge of a connecter by 3/4 inch, this will be the back of the handle, where the pommel will attach. And one needs to stick out past the end of a connecter by ¼ of an inch. This will be the front of the handle, that plugs into the hilt. Please clearly mark these pieces and where they go. Set them to the side.
8
Now it will get messy.
9
Take a connecter and the piece of pipe marked as 3/32 inches longer than the other pipes. Spray adhesive into the connecter and insert the pipe. Take another connecter, spray adhesive into it, and put it on the pipe. There should be a 3/32 inch groove. This is the back end of the handle.
10
Using the rest of the normal sized pipe, repeat this process until there are no more connecters and normal sized pipe pieces. You are now almost done with the handle of the sword.
11
Take the pipe cut out labeled for the front of the handle, and glue this into place on the front of the handle.
12
Repeat this with the pipe cutout labeled for the back of the handle.
13
The handle for the sword is now built up. See pict 07. for finished look.
14
Slide the handle onto the kite spar, the groove at the back. Press the ¼ inch section into the hilt of the sword. If necessary, cut the foam out from around the kite spar for the handle to fit.
15
If you are using .505 kite spar, either build up the handle to fit snugly with tape, or fit .610 kite spar over the .505 and then slide the handle over it. You may have to sand down the .505 kite spar to get it to fit into the .610 kite spar.
16
Make sure the handle fits snugly against the hilt.
17
Take the drill, and drill a hole in the groove that is in the handle. This hole should go all the way through the handle to the other side.
18
Once the hole is placed, if any kite spar is sticking out of the end of the handle, remove the handle and cut it off about 1 to 1 ½ inches away from the drilled hole in the kite spar.
19
Re-attach the handle.
20
Line up the holes.
21
Take one of the large paper clips, unfold it, and push it through the hole.
22
Wrap the paperclip around the handle in the groove, twist, fold over, and clip off the excess.
23
Take a few practice swings, make sure everything is snug and tight.
24
Wrap a piece of tape around the grove with the paperclip.
25
Take the ½ inch flat foam, and cut out a piece of foam 3 inches wide and 4 inches long.
26
Wrap this around the end of the handle that sticks out ¾ of an inch, cut off the excess length, and wrap with tape.
27
Take the 3/8 inch flat foam and cut out a piece 2 inches wide and 4 inches long. See pict 08.
28
Roll this up tightly, and fit it to the hole. If it does not fit, then cut off small sections of the length until it does fit. pict 08.
29
Once it does fit, wrap tape around it, spray it with adhesive, and insert it into the hole.
30
Place a piece of tape over the end of the pommel and then wrap the pommel with tape, wrapping it around and down the handle about 2 inches.
31
Cut out a square from the squishy foam that is about ½ inch larger than the pommel all the way around. To say it a different way, the square should overhang the pommel base by ½ inch on all sides.
32
Tape the squishy foam into place on the pommel. Be sure to cover all the foam, but do not pull the tape down tight, only secure the squishy foam so that it will not come loose.
33
Take the exacto knife or a pin and puncture holes in the taped squishy foam. This will allow the air to escape and to re-enter the foam. THIS IS A MUST DO. The squishy foam is required to protect people when waylaying. It must be able to collapse and to reconstitute.
34
Now, it is time to wrap, or build up the handle to the sword. You can use just about any material to build up the handle, but when you do, make sure it is secure.
