Props Engraved Energy Sword

[The Ragin Pagan]

Hey guys, I'm back. Having upgraded from cardboard and duct tape armor, I'm now upgrading yet again. I don't have much yet, only the outline. Hopefully soon I'll have the steel, as well as having it cut with some kind of water jet tool.

Energy Sword: 36" long by 12" wide at the hilt. The hilt will be made of two pieces of wood secured across the crossbeam where the hilt is located. The "beams" in the center of the blades are made to stabilize them, while looking like energy arcing from blade to blade. This sword will be engraved with a small mural of battling Elites, and will be meant as more of a Sangheili training sword than the plasma Energy Swords we see in game.



And just for kicks and giggles;

This is the Pumpkinhead Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts II, and I'll be making this for my girlfriend. It will be crafted the same as my Energy Sword, but will be spray painted black. The Pumpkin will be painted orange, and will be hung from a chain connecting it to the Keyblade. It will be engraved with characters and images from the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas." It will be 40" long and 15" wide at the widest points (both the hand guard and the Key)

 

[Jakelton117]

Hey guys, I'm back. Having upgraded from cardboard and duct tape armor, I'm now upgrading yet again. I don't have much yet, only the outline. Hopefully soon I'll have the steel, as well as having it cut with some kind of water jet tool.

Energy Sword: 36" long by 12" wide at the hilt. The hilt will be made of two pieces of wood secured across the crossbeam where the hilt is located. The "beams" in the center of the blades are made to stabilize them, while looking like energy arcing from blade to blade. This sword will be engraved with a small mural of battling Elites, and will be meant as more of a Sangheili training sword than the plasma Energy Swords we see in game.



And just for kicks and giggles;

This is the Pumpkinhead Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts II, and I'll be making this for my girlfriend. It will be crafted the same as my Energy Sword, but will be spray painted black. The Pumpkin will be painted orange, and will be hung from a chain connecting it to the Keyblade. It will be engraved with characters and images from the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas." It will be 40" long and 15" wide at the widest points (both the hand guard and the Key)

This is brilliant! How much do you guestimate it will cost to build

 

[The Ragin Pagan]

This is brilliant! How much do you guestimate it will cost to build

The Energy Sword has been priced at $30 for the sheet of steel, and around $80 for the service of cutting it out. So roughly $110. I have no clue for the Keyblade.

 

[S1l3nt V1p3r]

Will the edges of the Keyblade and the Energy Sword be sharpened or blunt?

 

[The Ragin Pagan]

The edges of the Energy Sword will be sharpened, but the Keyblade would be too difficult to sharpen, so it'll remain blunt. I do plan to paint it black, so when I engrave on it, they'll show up as silver lines.

 

[S1l3nt V1p3r]

The edges of the Energy Sword will be sharpened, but the Keyblade would be too difficult to sharpen, so it'll remain blunt. I do plan to paint it black, so when I engrave on it, they'll show up as silver lines.

Awesome, just as I thought. Can't wait to see how this turns out.

 

[whiplash101]

i recently purchased a metal energy sword replica off of ebay and am really pleased with it. Looks great in my halo display room.

 

[The Ragin Pagan]

i recently purchased a metal energy sword replica off of ebay and am really pleased with it. Looks great in my halo display room.

Was it the ones with the plastic hilt?



Speaking of, does anyone have any suggestions for a good type of wood for the hilts on my swords?

 

[AlexSpartan177]

MDF and plywood for detail?

Im not sure, Im not into wood

 

[Burke]

MDF seems to be the choice for most props ive seen. probably easier to work with than plywood as well.

 

[TyrDropProps]

MDF would be the best for any type of cut out prop, plywood might splinter between the layers as it goes.

MDF is a lot easier to clean up when all is said and done too.

 

[Xbox Fanboy]

Be careful with wood because it could crack from being too dry or too humid. If you want take a wooden pole, cover it up with clay and work from there.

 

[mustang2500]

Be careful with wood because it could crack from being too dry or too humid. If you want take a wooden pole, cover it up with clay and work from there.

That depends on the wood you use. Most woods will not crack when humid, they will usually just warp. Plus, it takes a long time for water to affect wood. (That is, depending on how it was dried)



Wood is a great medium, but requires some master handwork. If you're not familiar with wood and the basic tools, I'd say avoid it.



EDIT: For the hilt, I'd say MDF would be fine. However, if you went with it, go with some high-end stuff. If you use cheap, weaker stuff there's almost a sure chance it'll break from the tension. However if you used some type of support (like a metal rod) I could see even cheap(er) wood being usable.