Make a Sword out of Paper

The bugle has been sounded - it's time for battle. You don't have a real sword, but don't let that stop you! It's paper to the rescue! Not quite the same, but it'll do this afternoon. Fashioning a sword out of paper will have you dueling in no time.

Steps

Using Origami Paper

  1. Fold a square of origami paper on both diagonals. That is, hold the paper like a diamond in front of you, and bring the bottom tip to the top tip, making a crease. Then, rotate it 90º and bring that tip to the top tip, making another crease. You now should have two creases in the shape of an X on your paper.
    • Start with the pretty side of the origami paper facing you. If both sides are pretty, well, pin a rose on your nose.
  2. Fold the top and bottom tips to center, making a firm crease. At this juncture, top and bottom are just two opposing tips -- however the paper is lying now will determine that. Then, flip the paper over.
  3. Fold the flat edge to the middle. You're now looking at the underside of your paper. You folded two points in, so you should be looking at a shape that has two horizontal sides and two sides that come to a point. Fold the bottom, horizontal side to the middle. The under flap should then pop out.
    • Repeat for the other side. Your end shape should be a diamond (or square, depending on how you look at it) sandwiched between two triangles (of the colored side) and two diamonds (of the under side).
  4. Fold the two points of the center diamond to the middle. You should now be looking at something that resembles a finger trap -- alternating colors of little triangles on two lines. Yes? Hope so! Moving on.
  5. Fold it in half the short way. It should be half its original length. Then, open it back up.
  6. Fold one end to the inside edge of the opposing diamond. On both ends should be a diamond shape of the underside of your paper. Between those two ends are a series of triangles. Well, take one end and fold it over the triangles to the inside of each diamond on the end. Crystal clear?
    • The pretty side should line up with the triangles, resembling the shape of a medal ribbon (you know, the kind with the V cut in the end).
  7. Fold the outside point of the inner diamond to its center. Your strip has four diamonds currently. From the left, fold the rightmost point of the 3rd diamond to its center. Keeping that point on center, fold the strip back onto itself. This should form two creases that are fairly close together. Do the same for the leftmost point of the same diamond.
    • The center should now sort of pop out and the triangle should have disappeared (underneath the folds).
  8. Hold the sword in front of you horizontally. Fold the bottom line to the center and then unfold it (you just need the crease for later). Then, rotate it and do the same on the other side.
  9. Do a squash fold for the hilt. Facing you are four tiny triangles. On the left most triangle, fold the tip to its center. Then, open up the triangle, and squash it down. This forms an even teenier triangle pointing to the right. Can you see the handle starting to form?
    • Do the same for the opposite side. Now one side of your paper is much smaller and thinner than the other.
  10. Make another squash fold. Next to the folds you just made should be a triangle that was left intact. Not for much longer! Make the same teeny fold, bring its point to its center. Unfold it, open it up, and squash it down into a triangle facing to the side once more. This should halve the width of your sword.
    • Half of your handle is now present. A box shape is emerging about 2/3 of the way down the length of your paper, yes?
    • Repeat for the other side. Now all of your handle is present. What sweet reward!
  11. Fold the tip of the handle to square it off. It's great the one tip is pointed (your blade tip), but you don't want your handle to be pointy, too. Fold it in to make it square, finishing the handle.
    • There's your sword, hilt and all!

Using Rolled Paper (Quick and Easy)

  1. Pile together 7 or 8 sheets of newspaper. You can use any paper you like, but newspaper is extra big and lends to a much more intimidating sword.
    • If you're feeling rather crafty, spray paint the newspaper with silver spray paint -- or whatever color sword your ninja-self might carry!
  2. Roll the paper diagonally. Start at the corner and roll the paper on a diagonal until you reach the other side. The tighter you make it, the sturdier it will be.
    • If you roll in a tight, circular fashion, the sword will be more like a tube or light saber. If you roll it in more of an ellipse shape, it'll be more sword-like.
  3. Tape the ends of the sword. Sturdy, transparent packing tape works best, but any invisible tape should do the trick. If you do have packing tape, consider taping up the entire thing -- that sucker is never gonna come apart.
    • If the end of your sword isn't the right shape, grab your scissors and lob off a chunk on the end. Watch out for paper cuts!
  4. Repeat the same process of rolling for the handle. Only this time, don't tape it up. Bend it in half around the base of your sword. Tape the sword in between the halves. Then, tape the open ends of the handle together to form one continuous base.
    • The more tape you use, the longer it'll stick together and the more battles it'll endure. Be generous! Now, off to slay the Visigoths!

Using Popsicle Sticks

  1. Cut out a piece of paper to match the dimensions of your sword. Include the length of the handle! If you want a sword that's 3" (7.5 cm) wide and 15" (37.5 cm) inches long, cut out a piece of paper with those dimensions. (Don't worry -- you can just tape two regular A4s together if one isn't long enough.)
  2. Glue Popsicle sticks along the length of your sword. Your friends are about to fight you with measly paper swords -- they didn't say anything about what you're allowed (or not allowed) to put inside your sword. This makes your sword much sturdier and more powerful.
    • You may want to add double the amount of Popsicle sticks to the handle; the base should be wider than the blade. If you're short on Popsicle sticks, use them for your blade; you can always bulk up the handle with more paper.
  3. Wrap your sword in layers of more paper. Lining your template up with the edge of a piece of paper (of the right length), begin folding your Popsicle-lined strip in between layers of paper. When you hit the end, secure with transparent tape.
    • You can do this as many times as you'd like. The more paper you use, the sturdier your sword will be. Once you've reached your desired girth, tape all around the edges, making sure it won't unravel upon use.
  4. Trim the tip to a point. Different styles of swords take on different shapes -- is yours a Samurai sword? A ninja sword? More of a machete? Grab the scissors and cut the tip to whatever shape suits your dueling needs.
    • Once you've got that covered, tape up the tip with more transparent tape. If you don't, you'll just go around giving everyone and everything paper cuts -- a quick way to lose friends.
  5. Design your hilt. There are number of ways to do this and if a light bulb moment presents itself, hold onto it. If not, you can simply fold up a piece of paper on either side of your sword, and tape it to the base. About 3" (7.5 cm) wide and 6" (15 cm) long will look good on a sword that's 18" (45 cm) in length.
    • Some will choose to cut a hole in a rectangle of paper and insert the sword into it. Cardstock works well for this, but you could also substitute folded paper. If the hole is the right size, it should stay in place. If not, use more tape to keep it secure.



Tips

  • You can substitute popsicle sticks for cardboard.
  • If you're new to the origami game, start working with bigger paper. Making small folds and creases poses more of a potential for problems.

Warnings

  • It's made completely out of paper; don't let it get wet!
  • Don't attempt to hurt anybody with it. "It's just paper!" won't work as an excuse.
  • It's not a real blade, so don't bend or hit something too hard! You'll dent the sword permanently.

Things You'll Need

Method One: Using Rolled Paper (Quick and Easy)

  • Several sheets of newspaper
  • Transparent tape (packing tape is best)
  • Scissors

Method Two: Using Popsicle Sticks

  • Printer paper (or whatever you have handy)
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Tape
  • Glue
  • Scissors

Method Three: Using Origami Paper

  • Origami paper

Related Articles

  • Make a Halo Plasma Pistol out of Paper and Tape
  • Make a Ninja Sword Out of Cardboard

Sources and Citations

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