Construction of a Dagorhir Sword
by Magor

Remember, just following the
instructions is not enough to guarantee a safe weapon.  Each weapon should
be tested through a series of impacts getting gradually harder.  If the 
weapon could cause bruises or injury, it is unsafe and should not be used!

Materials:

     Most can be found at a local hardware store.

     Blue foam camping pad 1/2 inch thick.
     Please note that this should be a good quality camping pad which
     is closed cell foam.  It should be a bit spongy in nature.  Do
     not use the _hard_ blue Styrofoam like ones which are sold in places
     like Walmart.  You can get a good one at most camping stores.
     3/4" internal diameter PVC pipe for the core.
     Cloth for cover: grey, black or white is preferred.
     Duct tape
     Sand paper
     Weldswood contact cement.  Or other good quality contact cement.

Step 1:

Cut a 32 inch section of PVC pipe and roughen it up with the sand paper
so that the glue will stick to it better.

Step 2:


Cut the blue foam into 6 strips:  Camping pads are typically 24" x 60"
and cutting the sort way across it saves foam.
          4 strips 2" x 24"
          2 strips 4" x 24"

Step 3:


Read the instructions on the contact cement.  Be sure that you place glue
on both surfaces to be glued and that you let it dry before sticking the
parts together.

place one 4" x 24" strip flat on your work surface and put glue on the 
face of it.

put glue on 24" of your PVC pipe and place it down the center of the
4" x 24" strip.


Step 4:


Glue a 2"x 24" strip down either side of the core.  1/2 inch of this will
hang over the edge.

|                |     " |                | |
|                |     " |                | |
|                |     " |                | |
|                |     " |                | |
|                |     " |                | |
|                |     " |                | |
|                |     " |                | |
|                ,-----. |                | |
|________________\  PVC \|________________| |
 \     - 2"-     \\ Pipe \\                \|
  \_______________\`-_-_-'_\________________\
       \                                \|
        \________________________________\

        |             - 4" -             | 


Step 5:


Glue the remaining 2" x 24" strips directly on top of the strips glued in
step 4.


|                | |     |                | | |
|                | |     |                | | |
|                | |     |                | | |
|                | |     |                | | |
|                | |     |                | | |
|                | |     |                | | |
|________________| |     |________________| | |
 \               \ ,-----.\                \| |
  \_______________\\  PVC \\________________\ |
   \     - 2"-     \\ Pipe \\                \|
    \_______________\`-_-_-'_\________________\
         \                                \|
          \________________________________\


Step 6:


Glue the final 4" x 24" strip on top of the "sandwich".


|  |                               |      | | |
|  |                               |      | | |
|  |                               |      | | |
|  |                               |      | | |
|  |                               |      | | |
|  |       - 4" -                  |      | | |
|  |_______________________________|      | | |
|   \                               \     | | |
|____\_______________________________\____| | |
 \               \ ,-----.\                \| |
  \_______________\\  PVC \\________________\ |
   \     - 2"-     \\ Pipe \\                \|
    \_______________\`-_-_-'_\________________\
         \                                \|
          \________________________________\


Step 7:


Glue an approximately 3x4 piece of foam on the tip of the sword so
that it covers the end of the core.  Please note this sword is
_NOT_ thrusting legal in Dagorhir!!!!  If you wish to construct
a thrusting tip for this sword there is another article on making
thrusting tips.

|  |                               |      | | |
|  |                               |      | | |
|  |                               |      | | |
|  |                               |      | | |
|  |_______________________________|      | | |
|  |                               |\     | | |
|  |_______________________________| \____| | |
|   \                               \     |\| |
|____\                               \____| \ |
 \                                         \ \|
  \                                         \ |
   \                                         \|
    \____                                 ____\
         \                                \|
          \________________________________\


Step 8:


Securely tape the bottom few inches of the foam to the handle.  Two or 
three layers will be necessary.


|  |                      ._       |      | | |
|  |                     /  `._    |      | | |
|  |                    /      `._ |      | | |
|  |                   /          `|      | | |
|  |                  /            .\     | | |
|  |        _____----/             ./     | | |
|  |-------         /              /-__   | | |
| /.               /              /.   --_| | |
|/  .. .. ... .. ./. . ... .. . ./. .     .\/\|
| .           ___/              /      .  .(  |
|.       .----  /              /_        .  \ |
 \      /      /              /  `-._      . \)
  \     |     /              /       \      . |
   \     |   /              /_        \      .}
    \_    \ |              /  -_       |      |
      `-.   |             /     \      |   _,-'
         `._ \           /       |     /  /
            `.\         /        |   /_,-'
               \       /         | /-'
                \     / `-._     /
                 \   /      `-./
                  \ /        /
                   ) -_  .  /
                   |   --__|
                   {-__  . }
                   |   --__|
                   (     ./|
                   |     / |
                   (    /" |  This drawing not
                   |___/ " |   to scale, your
                   |     " |  handle should be
                   |     " |      longer.
                   ,-----. |
                   \  PVC \|
                    \ Pipe \
                     `-----'


Step 9:


Pad the pommel (butt end) by taping a tight fitting tube of foam around
it and filling the hole with more foam.

                   |     " |
                   |     " |
                   |     " |
                   |     " |
                   |     " |
                   |     " |
                   |_,---._|
                 ,-'       `-.
                |  .     . .  |
                |  .       .  |
                |  .     . .  |
                |  .       .  |
                |   .....  .  |
                |  .     `..  |
                |   .      .  |
                |    `.....'  |
                |             |
                |   _,---._   |
                |,-'  Foam `-.|
                /  ,-----.    \
                |  \ Foam \___|
                |   \      \  |
                \    `-----'  /
                 `-._     _,-'
                     `---'


Step 10:


Sew a cloth cover for the sword by making a tube with one end closed.
The cover should be tight fitting.  Some people use a stretchy fabric.
Tape the cover to the handle to hold it on.

              _______________________________________________
             {\                                          `   |
             { |                                          :  |
             { |                                          :  |
             { |            (inside out)                  :  |
             { |                                          :  |
             { |                                          :  |
             {/..........................................'   |
             {_______________________________________________|


Step 11:


After finishing your sword, stick it between your mattresses for a night,
this helps the glue bond and will make your sword last longer.


Notes:
(by Brendon)

There should be 
no point on the blade at which the core can be felt.  It should not 
leave bruises, break bones, break noses, or even hurt very much when 
swung full force.  The best test is to give it to a friend and have 
him/her hit you with it as hard as he can.  If it is unsafe, you will 
know.  If it passes the test, it is ready to use.

The sword will need minor repairs every few months of use, and most 
need to be completely replaced after about two years.  How long a 
weapon will last depends heavily upon how one fights and careful one is.