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BenGunI In reply to Nhlaqgor [2018-10-03 09:17:59 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much! It was the first rapier I did. It ist made of foam like the whole weapon, but the rings are reinforced with cable ties inside of 2 layers of foam. In the End it was build up ring by ring every part glued to the previous one with the cable ties stuck inside of the other ring. But I think for the next one I will use another technique and secure it with cevlar too. And the handle is just the pure core rod with lead string around it and then additional cord around it to get it on the right thickness. And at last there is the leather around it.

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Nhlaqgor In reply to BenGunI [2018-10-03 15:33:54 +0000 UTC]

That's an interesting technique.

I'm pretty new to Larp/Foam weapon building (i haven't even started yet, materials need to arrive). But i have read some tutorials and watched some videos for now. Previously i have build some swords out of wood, but i think Foam allowes more creativity, especially in Hilt construction and Blade stability.

I wonder is the cable construction sturdy enough? I could imagine that an impact could deform it pretty easily.

But man it looks beautiful, sideswords/Rapiers have always been my favourite kind of swords.

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BenGunI In reply to Nhlaqgor [2018-10-03 16:29:33 +0000 UTC]

Than i would recommend building simple weapons first to get a feeling for this. It's not that easy I think. The foam ist sometimes a little tricky. And you need a really sharp blade to cut it properly. 

Yes, the hilt deforms by being hit, but the amount depends on the spot. The stronger bent rings are quite stable, also the crossguard is really strong, it deforms only slightly because there is one cable tie on each side of the core rod making it very stiff. But that bending is ok, it will reform afterwards and by proper use you will catch most hits with the blade and the stiff crossguard. And in the end the weapons you parry are also still made of foam so no real danger for your hands. But I'm thinking of using another technique next time wich allows me a slimmer build with more stiffness at the same time. But it will be as experimental like this one. So dont fear to try new things on your own!

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Nhlaqgor In reply to BenGunI [2018-10-03 17:18:17 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm planning to start with relatively simple constructed swords, perhaps something like a migration era or Viking sword. If it works out well i'm going to try some Medieval swords and Messer/Falcion types.

I wouldn't dare to even start with a rapier without having a certain amount of experience and the materials aren't really cheap either.

Btw, i had no idea that Fiberglass staffs and other neccessary materials are that hard to get (and quite expensive) in the first place, lol.

Heck i have seen carbon steel rods/sheets that are cheaper than fiberglass and Latex and all the other materials needed to build one single sword.

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BenGunI In reply to Nhlaqgor [2018-10-03 19:52:37 +0000 UTC]

Really? Where are you living? In Germany you get it quite easy, but i don't know whether they ship in foraign countries. Take a look here: www.marketender.de/Webshop/Mat…

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Nhlaqgor In reply to BenGunI [2018-10-03 20:39:04 +0000 UTC]

For 2 weeks i was looking mostly at amazon.de (doing most online shoping there) and various local hardware stores, so far i have only found one online shop (i won't mention the name   ) that sells them and i'm still waiting for delivery.

I could kick myself for not finding the shop you liked above. I could have saved at least 40€ if not more if i had bought one of the construction kits they sell. (I think they are a good starting point imo)

Anyways, thanks for the link i'll surely will take a look at that shop next time i'm buying something.

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BenGunI In reply to Nhlaqgor [2018-10-05 12:50:51 +0000 UTC]

No problem. Good luck!

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BenGunI In reply to JackFarwest [2017-06-01 05:43:51 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for your interest! Yes, the core is a rod made of glass fiber reinforced plastic with 10x5 mm, but after finishing I noticed it is a bit too flexible for my taste. Next time I use a 10x8 mm rod. The material for the rest of the weapon is foam calles Plastazote. All the materials are common for building LARP weapons in Germany an can be bought in several shops (mainly online).

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