Sub-meter decorative swords just not cutting it for you? Try this method for legendary blades of up to 1.82 meters (6 feet) that won’t slice into your budget too much.
This technique comes to us through the tweets of cosplayer Maxi from Fukuoka, who’s never-ending search for low-cost cosplay solution had led him to the discovery.
The secret to Maxi’s super-long cosplay swords are floor transitions, which are long and thin strips that run along different types of flooring such as between carpet and linoleum. They come in a variety of materials and shapes but Maxi uses PVC because some cutting will be necessary.
They also come a in a range of shapes among which Maxi chose one modeled after the Japanese character for “he” (へ). If you’re outside Japan this might be difficult to find and you’ll have to use your best judgment to find a comparable shape.
His hardware store sold them at lengths of 1.82 meters (6 feet) for about 520 yen (US$5) each, but results may vary depending on the store. He also purchased a metal track for sliding doors.
Once all the materials were gathered, it was just a matter of putting the two floor transitions against each other and hold them together with the metal rail. The sword point was made simply by cutting along the edge.
To give the sword tip a more realistic appearance he filled it out with some epoxy putty.
Maxi then used some aluminum foil tape to give the blade the necessary shine.
It’s already looking very impressive, but he wasn’t finished there. Maxi lightly sanded a wavy line along the edge to create the sword’s hamon, which is the line that indicates a change in the hardness of Japanese sword and knife blades.
And that’s it. Maxi also provided a comparison of this sword with one he made using a cheap plastic paper holder. Since were just looking at the tip of that one sword, you can get a sense of how huge it is.
Although it’s unclear if that is the same sword, the top right image at least gives an idea of what the end result would be like.
Of course, without a handle your sword is only half done. That will depend on the particular character you’re working towards, but Maxi has a lot of good ideas on how to make realistic looking grips out of cheap toys and other household items. You can see them on his Cosplayers Archive page or Twitter account.
Even if you’re not into cosplay, it’s just interesting to see what can be accomplished with a minimum of money.
Source: Cosplayers Archive/Maxi, Twitter/@Maxifactory (Japanese)