Braveheart Sword

I love making props and especially weapons! Ever since I first watched braveheart I wanted to make William Wallaces sword from the film. This is my favourite props that I have so far and I am very proud of it. This prop is perfect for a braveheart Halloween costume, a fancy dress day, or just walking for hanging on the wall.

The wood used was meant for skirting boards and is a soft wood. The wood was then marked out with a pencil and a rule. By first marking out the centre line and drawing a line 30mm each side. A template was also used to make the top the the pointed shape.

To cut the blade out I used a saw, mallet and chisels. Cutting the blade out was a very long process and would have been much faster if I had a jigsaw. Once the blade has been cut out I sanded the edges to a point with a sanding block.

For this I used the end of an old curtain rail this was very good to use because it already had a pommel built in. The middle of the curtain rail was marked out. Then I drilled along the line. This made it a lot easier to cut out the centre with a saw so that the handle would slot onto the blade section of wood. Once the gap was large enough to fit onto the blade I screwed lots of screws into the handle to keep it secure. For the cross guard a dowel was used. A small segment of the dowel was cut out so that It fitted better onto the blade.

Next the leather was added. If I were to make this sword again I would definitely put on the leather last because it got in the way when making the rest of the sword. To Attach the leather I measured the hilt and some of the blade. The correct amount of leather was then cut out. I stuck it on using contact adhesive. This meant I had to apply the glue to both the handle and the leather. I then tied it all together while the glue dried. The leather handle makes the sword really look realistic.

Next step is to put aluminium tape onto the blade section on the sword. This makes the blade look metallic and authentic. You will need someone to help you with this because the blade is so long. The tape needs to be carefully attached by placing it into the wood.

I weathered the blade so that it looks like the blade has been into battle. I first sprayed the whole blade with black spray paint. Then I scraped most of the black spray paint off with some wire wool.

I had to add the detail on the handle to make it really look like bravehearts sword. For this I drew out and cut out the detail on some foam board. Then was stuck it down with some UHU glue. Then car body filler was put onto it and sanded so that it looks smooth and the cross section is secure.

Using masking tape I covered the leather so that it wouldn't get paint on. Then I painted the the cross section with metallic spray paint. I gave it 3 or 4 layers to make sure it is all covered.

To weather the cross section and pummel I painted most of it with black acrylic and then wiped most of it off before it dried. This means the paint gets stuck in some parts off the handle where the dirt would get stuck.

Finished! Now you can use the sword to cut up the nasty English! Since finishing the sward I have put up two hooks on my wall. This means it is easily accessible and always on display. Everyone I have shown it to has liked it and I hope that you have enjoyed reading about how I made it.