Cardboard Props: How to Make a Builders Hod

First an apology to you the reader for showing you an unfinished article. Basically during the making process one of the producers of the show, cut the line that referenced to the Hod,in a fit of rage i tore the Hod into pieces and recycled the parts to make the Thors Hammer prop shown in my Instructable feed. During the show i was asked to produce the Hod as the line had been put back in... I saw red and someone had to make something to fit the gap...

So anyway this instructable is all that remains of the item I made, all i hope is that one day it helps someone who needs to build one for whatever reason.

Step 1: Ingredients

What you'll need:

• Cardboard
• Cardboard tube (long length like that out of Christmas wrapping paper)
• Scissors/ craft knife
• Glue gun
• Pen/pencil
• Ruler
• 90 degree set square (optional)
• Paint
• Paint Brushes

Step 2: Let's Start at the Top

With this instructable i found it easier to start at the top of the Hod. it's very simple to do.

You will need to cut two rectangles the same size, and glue them into a V shape. I  did this by hot melt glue gunning my 90 degree set square at one end to make sure i got a true 90 degree angle. I also cut two smaller 90 degree triangles to re-enforce the shape. I glued them all together using the glue gun...

Step 3:

To form the closed in end of the Hod i cut out a square of cardboard and glued it in place in much the same way as the last step. The cardboard square needs to be the same width as the two rectangular pieces in the last step. I also re-enforced this section using two small 90 degree triangles.

Step 4: Lets Get a Handle on This...

I would advise now strengthening your cardboard tube... To do this cut two strips of card that are the width of the diameter of the tube, and the length of the tube. Like in picture three, cut half way down the middle of the strip on both strips, this will make a 3d x shape to fit inside your tube (as in pictures 1 and 2) when put together glue your x shape or re-enforce with duct tape, and slide inside your tube.

You will then need to make two end caps for the tube. All i did was draw round the circular ends, cut them out and just glued them in place inside the tube.

Clear as mud? Sorry i can't explain it very well but the pictures should help.

Step 5: Attaching the Handle to the Hod.

For this bit, you may want to pull out the strengthening a little way from the end of the hod (if you haven't glued on the end caps). 

Mark and cut out a 90 degree triangle from one end of your cardboard tube, turn your hod over so that it looks like an upside down V shape , find the middle of the Hod, and mark with your pen... fit the cardboard tube so that the V shapes you have just cut out line up with the line you have just drawn, and glue in place. 

Step 6: 5b. Hiding the Join

Because the last step makes the hod look a little flimsy, and fake i decided to box in the last step. see the pictures for the sizes of the shapes i cut. You will need to cut two of each shape... Obviously the rectangle with the V cut in it will sit either side of the cardboard tube and either side of the hod (see picture 3) and the smaller rectangle will form the flat sides to enclose the cardboard tube... This will add a certain degree of strength when glued in place.

Step 7: Bricks

To create the illusion of the hod carrying bricks, i followed steps 2 and 3 and made a smaller hod shape, which i turned over and drew a brick pattern onto, this was then glued in place on the interior of the hod so that you could not see any of those little interior triangles which are holding the whole thing together.

It would have been also at this point that I had painted the hod, probably silver and wood. However it was at this point that I was told the prop was no longer needed, and I stopped.

So I apologize for showing you an 80% finished prop, it was more to show the wold that i had created it, and that it was surplus to requirements... hopefully someday someone will find this useful.

If you like it rate it, if you make one please show me