Introduction: Cheap Decorative Medieval Flail

By Uon MedRevue
About: Final year Medical Student at the University of Newcastle Writer/director/producer/prop designer for the Medical Revue, just for fun. Grew up working with my hands so it tends to express itself where it can!

This a decorative flail/ creative interpretation of a tendon hammer I made for a character in a musical I am a part of.

It's made from wood (ball) stainless steel (rod) and Worlba thermoplastic.
Total cost of the project, approximately $20

Step 1: The Basics

First step was to decide on a design, I spent a pbit of time looking at things on google images then decided on my design.
The first step was to cover ball and rob with Worbla to create a workable surface.
The rod was then patterned with a double helix design made from Worbla.
I also created the links for the chain at this point, also from Worbla. this was done by cutting thin strips then shaping them around a steel rod to make circles.

Step 2: The Chain

The circles were then joined together using a cut and rejoin method. each link was twisted through at least 2 other links to create an interesting pattern.

Step 3: Joining It All Together

Two 'brackets' were made from Worbla to attach the ball to chain and chain to Rod. These were reinforced with strips

Step 4: Patterning the Sphere

Next step was a wave pattern on the sphere. this was quite difficult as i did not have clear midpoints so had to judge by eye. it took some adjusting to get the spacing even. there are now 8 segments on the sphere, all the same size and shape.

Step 5: First Coat of Paint

Next I painted the ball and the "silver" surfaces. heat was used on the end cap of the rod to create a frosted metal appearance. a wide thin brush was used to get an even coat on the chain.
silver pain with silver dust was used to create a better shine.

Step 6: Deciding the Design for the Ball

The decided colour scheme for the item as requested by the actor was red, silver and black. the first couple of images, to me, looks like a basketball, so I opted to include silver on the sphere as well, and made the red more vivid.

Step 7: Painting the Handle

I wanted something strong and kind of aggressive looking for the rod.
I mixed up a batch of gunmetal grey paint, using silver, a little black , and a lot of silver powder. this gave the paint good depth of colour and a nice sheen.

Step 8: Further Patterns

The red on the sphere is brightened further and the Double helix on the handle is painted silver to highlight the pattern.

Step 9: Final Paint Job

The paint is allowed to dry fully, then surfaces are touched up and the main lines re-blackened. it's now ready to go.

The chain can withstand the force of the Ball being swung around without much difficulty, and the Worbla holds on to pain very well so most of it won't need protecting

Step 10: Finished

Finally, the silver red and black surfaces are coated with clear lacquer to bring out the colour

Now on to the Next Prop!