How to make an Amtgard legal 36” Ultra Light short sword
By Edler von Atta Raxia of Falling Fire
Sword Making – Best materials to use?
Here is a list of items I try and procure for the process
Item Cost per Sword (When making 3 at a time)
Frost King Foam- $2.50
Blue Camping Pad $1
Graphite golf club core $6
Sword cover $0.75
Packing Tape $1.00
GripTape $1.00
PVC Piece $0.50
Craft Foam $1.00
Small Pool Noodle $0.25
Total $14.00
Worst Materials to use?
I do not like PVC or bamboo cores as they seem to be too heavy for our game.
What do you look for in a core?
I like my cores to be light, I also give them the bend test on my knee to make sure they do not snap too easily
What is your favorite core to use?
For cost savings and ease of access I go to our local Mini gold range and look for either graphite clubs that have been tossed but are still usable or I go to our local goodwill and they sell them for $5-$6 each.
What makes a good handle?
Handles come down to preference, but I find that if you take craft foam and use it to thicken up where you will grip the sword, then you wrap that very tightly using packing tape and last you re-tape it with grip tape so it does not slip out of your hand. I prefer slightly contoured grips with a nice cone shaped pommel.
Common mistakes?
I have seen people try to cut pool noodle to make it smaller, this comes out lumpy. I also see people use PVC because you can easily get it from the local home depot or Lowes, but this is too heavy (My first swords are guilty of both mistakes.)
Sewn covers or tights and why do you prefer one over the other?
I prefer sewn covers as they will last longer and just have a knack to look better if done correctly. Though tights have their advantage in that they are cheap, super light and easy to put on.
Tips for someone new to the game looking to make their own?
Don’t rush it, work on your hand grip first, get that down and your pommel till it feels good in your hand, then blade it once you like the grip. Remember the blade needs to be twice the size of the hand grip + Pommel.
General advice and pointers etc:
My advice is to follow these instructions and you will be making your own swords in no time.
Core Grip: Make sure the core you are using is no shorter than 34 inches, and is made of either Graphite or Carbon fiber for the minimal amount of weight.
To prepare the core you will wrap craft foam around the thicker end and then clear tape it down to create a good sized handle for gripping. Slightly larger than ½ inch works well, but this can depend on the person and the size of their hand.
Pommel:
Using the core you will now attach the pommel
The pommel is a 2inch vertical piece of either Frost King, or Pool Noodle. The end of the pommel must be at least 2 inches wide and must be padded. To create a pommel you will cut your 2 inch cylinder shaped foam at an angle so that the bottom stays 2 inches, while the top part will almost form a point.
Once cut you will slip the pommel foam over the top of your core and slide it all the way down the shaft until you have roughly 1 inch on the core and 1 inch off the core.
At this time you want to tape the pommel in place on the core and put a small ½ inch circular piece of foam into the opening of the pommel.
You will then place 1 Blue camp pad 2 ½ inch circular foam on the bottom of the pommel by either contact cement or spray glue. You can add craft foam where needed to create a special grip (Optional)
Measurement of the sword:
At this time you will want to measure your Sword from bottom of pommel to the top of the core. You will want to cut it so that you are no larger than 34 ½ inches long (This is done after the pommel is on for best accuracy)
Safety Tip: Once the core is cut, you will want to sand it slightly to remove any sharp edges. You will then take an 8 1/2 inch by 4 inch piece of craft foam and wrap it around the top of the core with slightly less than ½ overlapping. You can then cut a small piece of foam to fit inside the craft foam and then clear tape this down.
Wiggle Prevention: Now you take a 1-2 inch wide piece of craft foam that is between 6-8 inches in length and wrap this around the core (about 3-4 inches below the safety tip) keeping it as even as possible to create a snug fit for your frost king foam. You will then use a little clear tape on this foam to prevent it from coming loose. You will take another 6-8 inch piece of craft foam and wrap it around the knuckle. All this foam will be clear taped down.
Attaching the Foam Blade: You will now take your 2 foot piece of Frost king foam and slide it over the top of the sword and leaving just a slight amount of space overlapping the safety tip. You should be able to put the tip of your thumb into the hole about up to your fingernails worth. You can take an Exacto knife or sharp blade to taper the bottom side of the sword as you did the pommel earlier. Once tapered you can then clear tape the bottom portion of the frost king to the core making sure to still leave room at the top for another small piece of safety foam. (Small cut out to fit into the hole)
Stabbing Tip: To ensure safety you will now place the small piece of cut out camp foam into the hole you left at the top of your foam. After that is in place you will take the 2 ½ inch camp foam circles (2 of them glued together) and glue it to the tip of the frost king foam. To reinforce this you will also want to add some clear tape.
Preserving your Foam: To ensure you can get the most use out of your foam you will want to take long strips of clear tape and run them from top to bottom of the blade as flat and without wrinkles as you can. This will allow your sword to last longer as it adds a layer of glued protection to the frost king. Once you have the entire blade covered you will then horizontally tape around the stabbing tip, making sure not to squeeze or tighten the foam too much.
Torque wrap Blade: With the tip in place and everything taped, you will now Torque wrap clear tape the bottom of the foam blade to the core. Torque wrapping is a technique where you are pulling the tape with force to create a much tighter grip compared to just loosely taping it down.
Grip: You now can use your grip tape starting from the bottom up going in a circular motion around the handle area until you reach the foam. You want to make sure you are not stretching the grip tape and that you do not have wrinkles in it as you will be holding the sword here.
Cover: I find that the opaque tights 3t-5t size from Walmart are a good fit for a sword cover. You will place the sword into one leg of the tights and slide it down all the way. You do not want to stretch the tight too far, but you also want to make sure you do not get a reservoir tip on your sword. Once the tights are in place you can use grip tape or electrical tape to wrap around the bottom of the foam blade to keep the cloth cover in place. You can then cut the cover right below the tape and add one more piece for a cleaner look.
*****You now have an ultralight short sword! HUZZAH*****