Whether you want a sword to have fights with your friends, or you want a totally killer prop for your Halloween costume, wikiHow has your black-clad back. Included are instructions for making a basic wood sword, as well as a method for making a sword out of metal. Just See Step 1 or the sections listed above to get started.
Steps
Wooden Sword
- Get a thick, straight stick. You can find one in the woods or you can buy something which is similar, like a 2" diameter dowel rod.
- You can buy dowel rods at your local hardware store for just a few dollars.
- Cut the sword to length. Real ninja swords were short, allowing them to fight it close combat and move more easily. A good rule of thumb is for the blade to be the same length as the distance from your elbow to the tips of your fingers. Just be sure to leave an extra 4-8" for the handle on the end.
- Clean up the wood. Shave off the bark using a knife or whittling tools. If you are using a dowel rod, this will not be needed.
- Carve the sword into the desired shape. Using a knife or whittling tools, carve the sword blade into the shape you want. Point the tip and add some curve if you want to, but real ninja swords probably had little curve and an angled point.
- Sand the blade smooth. Once you've got the rough shape that you want, use sandpaper to get the final look right. Sandpaper will make it easier to get the shape just perfect, since it only removes a little at a time.
- Wrap the handle. Using some electrical tape, wrap the handle of your sword.
- Create the hand guard. Cut a piece of cardboard so that it will fit down over the blade. Paint it black and slip it on to create the hand guard.
- Slide the hard guard onto the sword. Do this from the blade side, not the handle.
- Tape the hand guard in place. Use some extra tape to really seal the hand guard to the main part of the sword.
- Add finishing touches. You can make your sword look even cooler if you want to, by painting the blade silver. Use tape and newspaper to protect your handle and then use silver metallic spray paint to paint the blade. Do this outside. When it's done drying, enjoy your new sword!
Metal Prop Sword
- Get your materials. You'll need a sheet of 1/4" flat stock aluminum, a band saw or jigsaw, a metal file, a piece of plywood, a 1-1.5" diameter dowel rod, electrical tape or ribbon, and metal glue or epoxy.
- Make your template. Draw a template onto paper or cardstock to get the outline of the sword blade you want. Leave a straight portion at the bottom for the handle, about 1-1.5" wide.
- Roughly cut out your sword. Trace your template onto the sheet of aluminum using a Sharpie or other marker. Then, cut it out using a band or jigsaw. Be careful: you want to cut the metal not your fingers. When making this cut, you want to get as close to your outline as possible without actually cutting along the line.
- File it into shape. Clamp your sword in place and then use a file to get the edge of the metal down to your outline. A metal grinder will make this job faster.
- Bevel the edge. Using the file, bevel the edge of the blade to get that "cutting" edge. You don't want it to be too sharp though: then you can't play with it.
- Create the handle. Cut a square, oval, or circular hand guard from the plywood, cutting an extra gap at the center that you can fit your blade through. Paint the guard black. Next, using the saw, cut the dowel rod in half so that you get to half circles. You want to use a dowel rod that is the same size as the handle you cut out. One half will go on each side of the handle, creating a round surface for you to hold. You can use the metal glue or epoxy to secure the pieces in place.
- Use a little clear caulk to secure the blade side of the handle guard once the dowels are in place.
- Wrap the handle. Using the electrical tape or wide ribbon, wrap the handle until the whole thing is covered. You can wrap it in a basic spiral, or you can try to do the decorative wrapping of real Japanese swords. Enjoy your new sword!
Tips
- Make sure the stick is not going to break if you hit something. Hit a tree hard, not as hard as you can but hard enough. If it doesn't snap then, you have a perfect stick.
- Soak the sword in water. Pour some water on the sword with a paper cup or whatever does best. Now let it soak in the water for ten minutes. This will make it a lot easier to shave the sword.
Warnings
- This is not a toy, if handled stupidly it can seriously hurt or even kill someone, so while making it for yourself or someone else seriously consider if they are mature enough to have something that is dangerous, and sometimes deadly.
- Cops don't like you if you have a weapon, so steer clear of the feds.
- If it has a crack in it , or breaks throw it out because it is now very dangerous to handle.
- Do not hit animals with this, and only hit people if you have good reasons, or their consent, or if you are sparring with them.
- Don't cut yourself with the knife or scissors - it hurts, trust me
- If your parents don't like weapons don't make it.
Things You'll Need
- Strong Stick
- Electrical tape (any color)
- Scissors
- Cardboard
- Knife
- Water
- Common sense
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