Durable Prop Axe.

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No fierce Viking, Dwarven warrior, or scary Woodsman is complete without an awesome Axe!

(A HUGE improvement on my last design)

Note: This can be any shape you want. So all of you historically accurate people can be happy.

You're welcome.

Materials

Cardboard

Duct tape

Wire hangers

Stiff plastic tube or PVC pipe

Umbrella

Umbrella?

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Yes, you will need an old, preferably broken umbrella.

You will need to remove the rod, and cut the Ribs (The rods that make the canopy open and close) at the joints (ONLY WHERE THE TWO RIBS CONNECT!! Keep the Ribs on the circular Runners.). This will result in two metal squid looking things. You will need one. Whichever one you'd rather.

FIRST...

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To begin, you will need to prepare your Squid Thing Umbrella Part.

Usually, an umbrella will have 8 Ribs, which are the metal pieces.

(My umbrella had 16, so I taped every 2 together.)

Spread the ribs out like so, having every other rib down to create a collection of 4.

Tape these 4 ribs together

Now, We Can Truly Begin the Axe.

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Slide the 4-rib into your pipe, leaving 5-7 inches of room for the axe head. This will be your handle, so the length depends on your preference.

A Hand Axe, or War Axe is typically 28 in long, a Battle Axe is around 55 in long.

Tape the ribs as equally as you can around the tube to secure the two pieces together.

Tape a lot. And I mean a lot.

Beginning the Axe Head

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Unbend a wire hanger, and re bend it into a square. You may bend one corner of this square into the shape you want the back of your Axe to be. (Unless you are making a dual bladed axe, in which case leave it a square.)

Taping the square closed is a good idea.

Slide the square into the spaces between the ribs. This should hold the square. Use tape to secure it.

Head Cont.

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Using a long wire hanger.

Push one end between the Ribs above the square.

Bend the end of the wire around the top of the shaft.

You are then free to start from the top and bend the wire in which ever shape you want you axe head to be.
(You may need to use multiple hangers for this part.)

Extra step...USING WHAT YOU HAVE:

I had some extra wire on the end of my axe head, so instead of trimming it, I folded it up to the top of my Axe and made a top point.

Crafting the Blade

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After making the wire frame, you will notice that some of the wires will overlap. This is a good thing structurally.

Trace out the various shapes on cardboard.

Cut out said shapes, then tape them to your frame.

Now, this is all that is required, and you could stop here.

More, More, More

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If you are still reading this, congratulations! You get a cooler Axe.

Trace the entire blade, and the back of your axe. Twice, because you will need two of these pieces.

Cut a thin strip from the edge of your blade pieces, and tape them to the existing blade as shown, to give your Axe a sharpened look.

Smother in tape.

Finish!

Color your Axe!

Be Creative!

Have fun!

Sincerely yours,

Nemesis