QAPLA! Cosplay Grade Bat'leth

As part of a Secret Santa exchange last year, I made my recipient a Klingon Bat'Leth.
This will turn out a cosplay or display grade quality weapon. Methods can be used in other props.

Materials:

• PVC Board ( I used 6mil Black)
• Contact Cement
• Mod Podge (Gloss)
• Auto Primer (Spray Paint)
• Metallic Spray Paint (I used "Aluminum" color)
• Bondo (as needed)
• Scrap leather or vinyl(thin enough to wrap around)

Tools:

• Wire Saw
• Utility Knife
• Drywall Rasp
• Dremel w/ Rasp and Sanding Heads
• Table Vice
• Drill
• Sand Paper
• Paint and Glue Brush
• Stapler
• Hot Glue Gun

After a little research and tracing, I drew up and printed out the base shape of the weapon, based on the ones largely seen in the TNG series.

Pattern available here: https://imgur.com/nG8AkUG

Cutting out the pattern I laid it out and traced it on the black PVC with a white pencil.

I drew out 4 copies of the pattern. 2 pieces per prop(I planned to make 2 from the start, thus 4 in the image.)

I hand cut the forms with a utility knife, a light cut at first to define it, then several passes to cut through as the 6 mil is a bit thick. (Band saw if you got it, but don't melt your material.)

Then I take two of the piece and contact cement them together. Be sure to do at least 2 coats of glue on each piece before sandwiching them together for a good strong hold. If it helps, draw where the hand holes are to not waste extra glue. I find its better to cut them out after its glued, cause it will have added stability for the saw.

A hole is drilled and a wire saw is used for the hand holes. This goes rather smoothly actually and you can probably use the wire saw to cut out whole form if doing by hand.

For shaping the forms, the best first step for taking out shape of the material is a drywall rasp. You'll want the small one with a little curve to the surface so it can eat away from the shape.

Once you got the main surface shapes down, its matter of scaling how you do it.

I go from Drywall rasp, to dremel with rasp heads, to a dremel with sanding heads and then finishing with sand paper.

NOTICE:
Don't freak out if you make any nicks and deep scratches. Bondo works great with this material. Patch it and sand it.

Once your at a good point with sanding it down, you can move on to priming it.

Automotive Primer is great to use as it will help fill in and tiny marks and scratches on the material. So several coats, some light sanding and a maybe another coat and you can move on to painting.

For the paint I just used an "Aluminum" colored metallic spray paint. Several coats so it was nice and solid.

Adding a Modge Podge clear coat creates a nice layer of protection to the prop and can enhance the look of it. I used gloss here, but if you want a more war-torn and rusted look, you might want to use matte.

As an extra finish I added the Klingon symbol as cut vinyl and then brushed on the clear coat. Several applications, the finer the brush the better.

On to the last part, I have the handle to take care of.
I had some scrap sheepskin leather on hand and I cut several long strips that will go around each handle "third". You can use vinyl or cloth here too, same method.

I stapled the beginning of it down, made sure it wrapped around and hot glued it along the way. Before I get to the end of the wraps I staple it once more and then hot glue the end of it down.

And it's done

QAPLA!