This time around I'll show you how to make Alibaba's sword Amon from the anime Magi. It's pretty simple, and cheap! I think all in all it cost me around $10 to make, with the whole process taking about 4 days.
The Finished Project
Materials:
- A wooden Stake from Lowe's, OSH, Home Depot, or any other hardware store. Usually $1.50 USD (Make sure it measures at least 1 meter in length)
- Black Spray Paint (96c at Walmart)
- Silver acrylic paint
- Paint Brush
- Hot or low temp glue gun (hot is best, but either will do)
- Craft Sticks ($5 for a box of 400 at Walmart but we wont use that many)
- Binder Clips of all sizes $2 at Walmart
- Mod Podge ($varies)
- Sharpie and/or pencil
- School Glue (one whole large bottle
- About 46 sheets of white binder paper
- Something to smooth out the glue. You can use your finger, a paint brush, another paper folded in half....etc.
- Really good scissors. I got them for free from Harbor Freight
- Spackling. One entire small container $4
Step 1: Sizing
Now, normally you would want to size up how you want the sword. I ended up not needing to, because for someone who stands at 5'9" (me) it measures out to 1 meter exactly, which is how big the average wooden stake is.
If you need to size it up, you simply look at a reference picture I used this one here. Then you get measuring tape and figure it out from there. You basically take your fingers (thumb and index) on Amon in the picture and measure it to Alibaebae's body. Then take the measuring tape and measure yourself in the same way.
Again, since this is done using the wooden stake I wont go into much detail with that.
Next, lay the stake on the ground. Then, get your stack of white printer paper and start folding them in half hotdog style (longways) and put them along the stake with one inch overlapping each one.
After you do that, you're going to take your glue and open up all those papers you just folded over. You're going to squirt a little glue on the inside, smooth it out and then fold it down again. It's going to be wet and soggy and that's good. You want that. Put it in the window sill or somewhere dry to ... well, dry. (Bonus points if you put them under a fan).
Now that you've figured out just how many you need to have in order to over the stake (leaving about an inch after the end of the stake on each side to cover it up later), you're going to glue them all together at the ends so they're overlapping each other by an inch or so. It will still probably be wet and soggy at this point, and it will be for while, so don't fret. DON'T ATTACH ANYTHING TO THE STAKE AT THIS POINT YOU WILL DO THAT LATER.
You're going to do all that again for about 4 layers. Protip: To prevent it falling apart later, try putting the line of the previous row underneath the middle of the new row's paper. This makes it stronger.
so like: New Row: ________ _____________ _______________
Previous Row: _____ _______ ____________ _____________
With the spaces being the lines where they overlapped.
Step 2: Building the shape a bit
Now is where you need the reference again, because this time we need the shape! Amon likes to be easy, so this is a pretty easy sword to shape. You're going to figure out where the hilt is. Measure your hand out on the top/ where you want the hilt to be and add about... 5 inches? Or, you could use what I used, which is 10 inches. That includes the very tip of the hilt to the handle bar looking prominences because I don't know sword terms.
Before you go trying to draw it on there with your sharpie/pencil from the hilt down, we're going to go straight to the bottom and make the end. If you notice, it isn't straight across, it goes at a slant like a slash. ---> /// Like those. So, starting at one corner on the bottom, draw a diagonal line. It's very slight, but noticeable. Don't let the bottom of the line go in more than an inch.
Now get about 4 or 6 more papers all glued like before, only this time, you're folding it hotdog style TWO TIMES. Lay these perpendicular to the vertical line that is the body of the sword. Like before, you just glue them on however far about you want them to go. I just kinda guessed on it... but on mine they probably measure out to about 10 inches all the way tip of the left side to tip of the right side.
Here I started making the .... horizontal things. Notice that I didn't cut anything yet. You can't see it but I drew the shape out.
After you have the line at the bottom all figured out, start drawing down from the hilt. I used the stake as a straight edge to keep my line straight. At the top use the full width of the paper, and SLOWLY work your way down and inwards. Never more than an inch. Seriously. You want this as wide as possible without taking away the canon size. After that just draw out the detail work.
After you have it drawn out, start cutting! You should make sure its mostly dry though or you'll rip it.
After that, you'll have to plug in your hot glue gun. You get to attach the stake! Whoohoo!
So basically, your stake should be able to fit right on top and you just have to glue it on. Pretty Swell right? I think it explains itself.
I had to take it in two shots but here's my stake on my paper sword.
After that dries, you're going to flip it over and start glueing on craft sticks. Not popsicle sticks, CRAFT STICKS. They are about as wide as a large thumb. Lay them on like you did with the paper so it stays strong.
Do this for about 4 layers. This will give it some dual-sided definition after you cover it.
Step 3: Covering
So, this is like the first step, only faster and easier. You take your paper and fold it HAMBURGER style. Only do enough to cover the sword with one layer. Glue like you did before. Then, put glue all over the area the paper is going to go and glue that sucker on! Then, each time you put a new paper on, you flip it over and you'll see some paper hanging over the edge. Put some glue on the other side and fold the edge hanging off on to it so that it lines the edge of the sword. Use binder clips to clamp it down so you don't have to hold it down all the time. Continue to do this on both side all the way down.
Here you can see that the colored binder clips are holding down the edges from the opposite side while I'm covering the side facing the camera. Make sure you glue down as much as you can to get as smooth and small and as much definition as you can.
The finished covering (above). Now, you may notice that you can press down on some parts, and its made of paper, which makes it soft and not hard. We will make it hard.
How?
WITH SPACKLING OF COURSE! (You can also use Guesso available at Walmart for $9 which is like paint and way easier to use. You just paint on like 5 layers of guesso and let it dry over night.)
So if you use the spackling method like I did because I wanted to try a new way to do this and thought it would be easier and it turned out it wasn't then pay attention! If not, then skip this part because guesso explains itself.
Spackling likes to come off, not be cooperative at all, and be a general pain in the you-know-what. But it pays off if you're willing to spend 2 hours putting it on one side. (4 hours total) Seriously my sword is rock-hard.
I like the kind that goes on pink and dries white. That way I know when I can continue!
The white it where I didn't get to it yet. It gets everywhere, so make sure you do it outside. I had to deal with an angry parent. It doesn't spread as easily as I thought it would, but do the best you can. Ger the main body, don't worry about the edges.
After that, you sand it!
Super messy. Do it outside.
Step 4: Painting
Now that it's all spackled or guesso'd, you get to paint it!
If you're experienced in spray paint you'll think that enamel is the best to get because it comes with sealant in it, right? WRONG. I can't tell you how many scratches this thing got because I thought it would work that way. Nope. We're sealing it with Mod Podge.
So get any black spray paint you want.
Basically spray the heck out of it.
Now its black! Whoo!
Step 5: Deco & Deets
Get your reference pic again! Use your hot glue gun to draw out the Djinn Symbol on the sword. Mine ended up being lopsided, but I go to small cons, so I don't care much.
I painted over the glue with a mix of Metallic silver acrylic paint and regular silver paint. It gave a slightly better hue I think, but play around and see what you like. Use a sharpie to fix up any small boo-boos.
Technically his sword has it on both sides, but I only did it on one.
Step 6: Sealant
Use modpodge. It paints on pretty well. If you mess up and it dries with bubble on it, just spray pain and try again. And Again, And Again.
It dries clear - don't worry.
After that, it's ready for cons! You can -actually- hurt someone, so be careful. Please.
