Sword Hilt

An epic sword hilt to take Halloween costumes, cosplay, or even movie props to the next level. I attend Kamiak High School and have always enjoyed making stuff out of cardboard; I decided to take my project to the next level and make a sword with wood and 3d printed plastic

Materials:

• 1/4 in. board of wood (Length depends on how long you want your blade - mine was 36 in. including the cross supports that go inside the handle.)
• Filament for 3d printer (Any color is good - I did mine a goldish color)
• Spray paint (Probably a metallic color)
• Glue (You can use hot glue, but I recommend using super glue because it's stronger)
• Paracord (Optional)

Files:

The first thing to do is start your print of the handle. I used Ultimaker Cura to slice it. After that, you can cut out your blade. I provided a blade design, but you could also design your own that is more appropriate in length to your height. If you plan to design your own, make sure you make the bottom part of the blade 1 in. wide and 5.5 in. long - this is the part that goes inside the handle and provides structure and support to your sword (if you don't do that step your sword will split in half with any use of it). To cut out the blade you can use a laser cutter or a jigsaw. If you plan to use a laser cutter then the file should be ready to upload. If you plan on using a jigsaw then you must print out the paper templates and tape them to the wood.

The next step is to sand your blade. This step is optional, but I think it really makes the sword look 100% better and more realistic. I used an orbital sander and sanded the edges of the blade at a 45-degree angle until they met at the center to form the actual blade part of the sword. This part can be tricky so take your time.

Spray paint your blade with your metallic spray paint; glue the cross support piece to the main blade (this keeps the blade from wobbling back and forth in the handle).

This is one of the best parts of the project - the moment when everything starts to come together. Insert the sword into the handle and glue the cap onto the back of the handle. At this point, you could say the sword is finished but there is one more step that I think makes it look so much better

This is the final step - making the grip. I used paracord from a craft store and it worked beautifully. All you need to do is wrap the paracord in tight loops around the handle until it takes up most of the handle. I would recommend hot gluing the start of the paracord to the handle to avoid frustration (I speak from experience). You can also add a tail to the sword that loops through the handle's cap. I did this by cutting equal-length strands of the paracord and tying them together. After you do this hot glue it to your handle and your sword is complete