Introduction: Make a Beautiful Steel Sword for Under $20 (no Forge Needed)

By plus.google.com/1175173441317694

This is a great way to make a realistic heavy steel sword with cheap parts from a hardware store.

They look very impressive over a fire place as a decoration with a sword name or family coat of arms engraved on them. They also make a LARP or game of thrones costume look pretty nice.

Forging a sword usually take years of blacksmith training and a hot furnace but with this method, you can make one in a single afternoon and have time for chicken. These swords are made from mild steel so are more resistant to breaking. This makes them far safer than actual castle forged steel swords. Forged swords keep a better edge but can break apart when struck against one another and you can imagine a sword tip going at your face is not fun.

Step 1: Parts & Tools

Parts:

Flat Steel bar from Hardware store
Size? Easy: One the same size as a sword you want to make.
Thick enough that it doesn't bend without a lot of effort.

Cabinet knob
This goes on the butt of sword and looks nice.

Cabinet handle (or fridge handle)
This is the guard for the sword, the cross piece that protects your hands.

Wood for handle
A bit of scrap wood that you can cut out for the handle. Not totally needed but it's better to have it.

Screws to attach handle
These can be any size as long as you've a drill bit to match them

3 inch - 9 inch nail
This is to make a rivet to stop the guard coming off. You can skip this step by butting the bar into a triangular
wedge at the handle end of the sword so that you can slide the guard on and it gets stuck at the end of the wedge.

Tools:

Angle grinder or hacksaw

Would strongly recommend you get an angle grinder. It may be possible with a hack saw but come on, a cheap angle grinder is only 20 quid and it's great to be able to shape and cut metal.

Sander or sand paper (optional)

This is to give the sword a shine if you'd like it to shine. The natural black steel finish is also pretty cool though.

Instructions are in the video, happy to add them in here if anyone thinks it'd be helpful.

Just a warning, depending on your country, probably best not sharpen the sword as this may class it as a weapon. I don't sharpen mine beyond a decorative edge. It's also a good idea to flatten out the pointy end so you don't accidentally hurt anyone. They do look awesome on a fire place or with a costume.