This instructable shows how to make a really nice looking and sturdy swords for children, which may also be (just maybe) used as daggers for LARP, BURP, CHIRP or SLURP.

The basic principle is to put the thinner but stronger tube into the larger tube to make a “full tang” style sword.

This design makes a very sturdy sword that can take some beating. Therefore a hard stab or hit will probably hurt. Also you want your kids not to be gouging out eyes left and right, so be careful. It may be a good idea to make the tip blunt if you have got small Vikings in the house.

Step 1: Materials Needed.

What you need:

- cardboard tube from a paper towel (if you have access to longer tubes even better)

- stronger cardboard tube with smaller diameter

- card board tube from toilet paper (not pictured)

- small flat boxes from chocolate, cheese, pills…

- glue (I used my hot glue pistol)

- something to mark with and...

- something for cutting

and of course a pig’s head, some mandrake and a human heart. Wait… WHAT?... Erm… I’m sorry that is for another project.

Step 2: Preparing the Blade.

First you shape the tip of the sword and glue the edges together (careful when using hot glue).

Usually you have more than one tube lying around so you can try different shapes.

Step 3: Decide on the Shape of the Blade and the Guard. Make a Pommel.

If you are unsure which shape to choose or you want the future owner of the sword to decide, it is a good idea to make a mockup of different combinations of blade and guard.

Take the flat box for the guard and make a tight fitting hole for the tang-tube on one side. The hole on the other side can be wider. It will be widened to fit the blade later.

I made a pommel out of a toilet paper tube by folding it from the ouside in. Turned out to look very nice.

Fit the tang-tube through the guard, put the blade on one side, fit the pommel and behold.

Hmm.. looks good already.

Step 4: Join the Blade and the "tang"

Then you put the smaller tube into the blade tube to get a feeling for the final position. The further up to the tip the tang-tube is pushed the sturdier the sword will be.

Now glue the tubes together. I put some paper in the space between the blade and the core just to make sure nothing would slip.

Shape the edges of the blade to make it look more sword like.

There shall be no survivors!

Step 5: Assembling the Sword

Now finally pick a box for your guard. I chose a round one in the end and I think it complements the katana like shape quite nicely.

On one side make a tight fitting hole for the tang-tube (We already did that for the mockup). The hole on the other side needs to fit the blade to go into the box.

I glued the blade to the inside of the box as well as the outside for more stability. I put glue around the tang where it meets the underside of the guard too.

Add the pommel and behold your sword.

Step 6: The Final Product.

Your sword is basically finished. Paint it as you like.

I wrapped the grip with a strip of cloth and it makes all the difference.

Now go fight and get yourself the human heart we need for that other project... ehem... yes...

Step 7: Make More Swords!

You can make bigger swords using the same principle Make the inner tube out of heavier paper or cardboard. Fold the blade from the same type of paper. Finish like with the little sword.

The weakest part of the sword will be where the blade meets the handle. Probably the handle will be too thin any way so put a second tube around the handle end and let it extend into the blade to fix that. I messed up with falchion and now it is a little wobbly (though very little) below the guard.