Introduction: Easy Sword Making

I have been less than successful with finding good, quick, and easy sword-making instructions, and I wouldn't be surprised if other people have had the same experience. And even if you haven't, everyone loves swords, right? So here are a couple of my designs, and one design that I swiped. Enjoy!

Step 1: Cardboard and Duct Tape: Uber-easy

Intro:
I decided to start with the easiest one. This is pretty obvious, but it's still fun. They're also great 'cause they're quick and disposable (that means you can throw them at your friends, and it's okay if you don't get them back). Also, if you use enough duct tape, they wont hurt... very much.

Materials:
- corrugated cardboard
- duct tape (Question: is it duct tape, duct-tape, or duck tape?)
- sticks, rulers, pencils, etc (optional)

How-to:
1) Cut out a basic sword shape from cardboard, then trace it and cut it out again. (That'll make the sword sturdier)
2) tape the two pieces together
3) (optional) re-enforce the sword with sticks, pencils, or something similar (you can find the weak points by wacking it around a bit)
4) cover the whole thing in tape to pad it (safety first! --especially 'cause it's got wooden bits sticking out) and to make it nice and shiny
5) enjoy!

Step 2: Foamy Wackers: Easy-peasy

Intro:
I know there's already an Instructable on this, but in case you haven't seen it, here it is. (P.S.: I'm not copying, I figured this out before Instructables even existed.) I'm afraid I don't have a photo of this one; I kept it outside and it got moldy so I had to throw it out.

Materials:
- pool noodle with a hole in the middle
- duct tape
- scissors or x-acto knife
- a dowel or pipe that fits in the hole in the pool noodle (sorry I don't know what size it is)

How-to:
1) cut the noodle in half with the scissors or x-acto knife (it's actually really easy to cut) -- eyeball it, don't bother measuring
2) wrap one end of the dowel or pipe in duct tape to make a lump
3) shove the dowel into the pool noodle, tape end first
4) attack!!!

Step 3: Bamboo Fencing-ish Sword: Pretty Easy

Intro:
This is a bit like a fencing foil, but not really.

Materials:
- paper plate/cardboard
- duct tape
- bamboo garden skewer (or a dowel, if you have one)

How-to:
1) cut a circle out of the plate or the cardboard, around 6" in diameter
2) poke a hole in the disc with something sharp, and slide it onto the bamboo
3) tape the disc onto the bamboo
4) (optional) wrap the bamboo and the disc in duct tape to make it shiny. Try to stop it from getting too lumpy (like this one), or it'll look bad.

Step 4: Newspaper Sword: Pretty Easy

Info:
This is the one I swiped. I got it from a kid's craft book and tweaked it a bit. This one's my favorite (I like the noodles too).

Materials:
- newspaper
- duct-tape
- a ruler or a meterstick or a coathanger

How-to:
1) take a few sheets (3-6 is probably about right) and roll them into a tube
2) flatten the tube and tape it up so it doesn't unravel
3) fold one end to make a point. I folded it into the sword, 'cause I felt like it, and maybe it made it stronger. Try it that way, if you can figure out what the heck I'm talking about.
4) roll a tube of the same diameter as the previous one
5) flatten the new tube and fold it in half
6) cut the tube if it looks like it's too wide to be a hand-protecter-thingy (hilt? or is that the handle?)
7) tape the tube onto the tube. Put one half of the fold on either side to make it sturdier. (That makes no sense. Look at the picture.)
8) slide something up the bottom to re-inforce it. I used half a meterstick, but you could also use a ruler or a bent up coat hanger if you don't happen to have half-metersticks lying around
9) tape the bottom so the re-inforcement doesn't fall out
10) (optional) cover the hole thing with duct tape
11) read the comics!