This page will take you through the basic steps to make a basic
broadsword in the "old standard" FanWar style with
the three and two chambered blades that are good for rough play
and offer a high degree of safety.
Three Chambered Broad Sword:
Cost: Low.
Safety: Excellent
Looks: Poor
Start with a length of Bamboo cut to three inches shorter
than you want you finished sword to measure. Next, wrap
duct tape around the tip of your bamboo msking sure to cover
the tip so no wood is showing. Build up a "ball at the
end by wrapping duct tape (and perhaps a little cloth if you
don't want to waste your tape) until the ball at the end fits
into the size of Pipe insulation that you have (hopefully 3/4
inch). Slide the bamboo stake with it's ball tip into the pipe
insulation as far as you like leaving enough bamboo sticking
out at the bottom for the size handle you would like. Tape the
Pipe insulation onto the bamboo where the pipe insulation ends
at the hilt (you should have something that looks like a bamboo
handle with a very long pipe insulation "blade" wiggling
around). Now, cut the pipe insulation off two inches past
where the ball at the end of your bamboo is. This is important
because if you cut it at where the ball is you will not be able
to thrust with the sword. Next, take a little cloth, foam or
cotton and stuff it into the tip of your sword and fill in those
two inches between where the bamboo ends and the pipe insulation
ends. Put a piece of tape over the tip so the cloth/foam/cotton
doesn't fall out. What you have now is what I like to call a
padded stick. NERO uses a version of this as their standard
sword, but for me it is not nearly safe enough for younger players.
Next, take your remaining pipe insulation and fold it in half,
creating a point in the middle. Run this remaining pipe up one
side and down the other of your padded stick and secure it with
a series of duct tape straps horizontal to the blade (see
image here). This creates two pipe insulatian chambers on
either side of the central on offer maximum cusion. This design
is the safest I have ever come up with and is highly recomended
for children and hard hitters. You can pad the handle too with
some scrap foam wrapped around it and duct taped on.
A video of making these type of swords is
now available to view
here!
 |
Two
Chambered Design - These weapons came along shortly
after the three chambered type and while harder to make,
they are very effective and served us for a very long time.
I highly recommend this design for the novice player who
wants a decent but reliable sword. |
