Paper Mache Sword

I've been wanting to make a prop of a sword or other item for so long. I looked for any instructions that could help make an accurate prop, but I didn't have much luck. So I decided to try making a paper mache prop myself, and writing this instructable, for roleplay or decorative purposes.

(A little warning, some of the instructions are written in a way to incite creativity in your own way.)

The list of resources and supplies are fairly simple. But it can be a little tricky to get a hold of.

The materials you need are:

1. Cardboard
2. Paper
3. Card-stock
4. Newspaper
5. Glue
6. Primer
7. Paint
8. Hot Glue Sticks

And the tools you need are:

1. Scissors
2. X-acto knife
3. Box Knife (unless you don't have one)
4. Cutting Mat
5. Rotary Cutter (Optional)
6. Container (bowl, cup, ect.)
7. Glue Gun
8. Paintbrushes
9. Sandpaper (or sand file)
10. Pencil
11. Pen
12. Ruler / Yardstick / Measuring Tape

That should be all you need. Anything else you want to add is your choice.

The first step to making any prop is to design how you want your prop to look like. Take out a sketchpad or a sheet of paper and a pencil or pen and just start drawing. After feeling satisfied with what you've come with, measure with your ruler, or other measurement tool, how big and long you want it. If you really want a realistic prop, consider the depths and dimensions of the prop you want to make.

For reference, this sword is about 22 in. long and a 2 in. wide blade with a taper to the tip 1 1/2 in. down and a 4 1/2 in. guard.( 56.5 cm. long, 5 cm. wide, 3.8cm down, 11.4 cm. guard)

If you don't feel confident in making your design a reality, that's okay. We'll just start with the basics using this reference.

Once you've gotten your measurements, relay them to a larger sheet of paper and cut it out to create a template, or a stencil. If you do not have paper that big, then use regular-sized sheets of paper taped together vertically, or card-stock and cardboard if you're feeling confident.

You may need to break the design apart into sections or pieces that you can put together later. For example, like a real sword, take account to adding the tang to the whole blade. This helps keep the sword from simply falling off the handle. Measure how long you want your handle, whether it's 6 inches (15.24 cm.) like this sword (single hand sword) or 12 inches ( 30.48 cm.) like a long-sword (double hand sword). You can make it thinner or wider if you need to.

For this sword, you need to trace out onto a cardboard sheet:

1. Blade (Two identical shapes)
2. Handle (Two-Four strips)
3. Guard (Two Long strips, Two - Four smaller strips)
4. Pommel (Two - Five squares)

You also need to stack layers of cardboard to make either a thicker blade or handle. Be careful not to add too much or too little.

The next step is to carefully cut out the shapes using your cutting tools, like a box knife.

Do not cut exactly at the line, or you may accidentally cut across the part you need. Instead, cut about a 1/2 inch to 1 inch away from the line. I would recommend using a rotary cutter for this step. After that, you can use your cutting tools to carefully cut the excess.

I will suggest cutting a shape with an X-acto knife if you want an accurate design. Scissors are also useful. Do not cut toward yourself! Make a shallow cut to mark where you will cut through first before you cut all the way.

Now that the shapes are cut out, you can start putting the pieces together. Use a Glue Gun to hot glue the cardboard pieces together. Be careful, the glue will stick to your skin if you touch while it's hot. I can suggest that If you have pieces that are either uneven or are not big enough, you can glue card-stock on top and bottom of two connecting pieces to fuse them together.

Start with the blade of the sword. If you want a sharp blade, grab a sheet of card-stock, cut it in half, apply regular glue to fuse the ends vertically together, use your blade template to trace the blade on, and then cut them to the shape of the blade, leaving about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch ( 0.6 to 1.27 cm.) sticking out. You can double it if you want a stronger edge. Place the card-stock blade in between the two cardboard blades, glue the two sword pieces together with hot glue.

If you want strong blade, you can place a long dowel or strip of wood in between the cardboard pieces.

The handle is next and you need the tang for this one. Grab the four strips of cardboard the same width of the tang, stack them evenly on both sides and hot glue them on. If the tang is shorter than the length of your handle, cut about the same length as the tang off of two of the strips. First, hot glue one longer strip to one side of the tang, then stack the two shorter ones on top of the first, lining them up with the tang and glue them into place, and then glue the last longer strip on top of the stack.

The guard piece is the next to glue on, though a bit tricky. Each one of the two pieces go on both sides of the sword. Place them where the blade and the handle connect, or right at the edge of the handle, and hot glue them in place. If you want it three dimensional, cut out an extra cardboard strip and glue it along both edges of the guard. You can use this technique for other parts of your sword.

The pommel is the finishing piece for the sword. Glue all four squares on all for sides of the bottom of the handle.

Now comes the fun part, covering the cardboard frame with paper mache. Cover your table with plastic wrap, newspaper or something to protect it from the wet paste. Grab a sheet of newspaper and start tearing them into strips. You may need to tear the strips into thinner or smaller lengths to cover the tinier corners.

If you do not have newspaper, I can recommend paper clay or construction paper.

The paste for the paper mache should be about 1:1 ratio of glue and water. You can choose to use your own recipe if you want to.

Start with the part of the sword you think is the hardest or longest.

For the blade, lay the first layer of strips lengthwise. Then put a second layer the opposite direction of the first layer, wrapping around the edge to the other side. Repeat the two steps one more time at least before leaving it to dry.

For the handle, simply wrap around it with about five to seven layers, if not more.

For the Guard, lay about three to five layers.

For the Pommel, lay about four to six layers.

You can add more if you want a sturdier sword, but it will take a while to layer and to dry (about one to two days). So if you have anything else to do, carefully consider when to do this. Leave your wet paper mache sword to dry in a ventilated area and on plastic wrap or parchment paper.

Once the paper mache is now dry, feel free to do some refining like cutting any excess, gluing some extra strips, cover holes and openings or carving out the details. You can layer it with more newspaper strips if you either cut too much off or desire a smoother surface. Sanding it with sandpaper or a file helps as well.

Whatever you need to do for your sword before you paint it is a crucial step.

The final step to any prop would be to paint it. If you haven't considered the color scheme of your design, feel free to experiment on a separate sheet of paper.

Before you start painting, be sure to use a primer on it first so the newspaper print is not be seen through. Paint with the primer at least two layers.You can choose to lightly sand the primer for a smoother surface to paint on.

Acrylic paint is a simple and easy paint to use for paper, which I will recommend for starters. Paint as much as two or three layers to make it solid and bold.

To add a glossy shine to your paint, add some gloss medium with your paint, or to make an effect with contrasting colors. You can also use a slow-dry medium to keep the paint from drying on you too quickly.

Optionally, you can use a finisher if you don't want the paint to fade or chip.

After that, you're done. There is one optional step if you want to do more.

This step is only optional if you want to add more to your paper mache sword. You can wrap leather strips around the handle for better grip. You could glue faux jewels or designs to make it ornate, like royalty. You can do whatever you want in this final step to make your sword look like the way you want it.

I hope you guys had fun with this instructable to make props, either for costuming, cosplay, role-play, or just decoration.