Intro: God of War Blades of Chaos Hand Sculpted and Resin Cast SKS Props

Hey everyone I recently remade my God of War Blades of Chaos for some very good friends! This time I painstakingly hand sculpted the blades out of monster clay and resin cast them using Smooth-On products.

This build was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy the process!

Before we begin let me say some of the products that are use in prop building can be bad for you :(

So be safe!!! Always wear eye protection, wear gloves, and use a respirator when needed.

Lets get started!!!!

STEP 1: I'm Now on YouTube!!!

Not only did I take a bunch of pics for the build thread, but I filmed a lot for my YouTube channel. I would recommend to not only watch the videos but read through the steps it took to bring these weapons to life.

Also be sure to Subscribe to my YouTube channel for future builds! https://www.youtube.com/SKSProps

STEP 2: Reference and Materials

So like all of my builds I try and find reference images of the prop or costume I am making. In this case I pulled some images from God of War 4 off of Google.

Products used in this build

Links-

Monster Clay - http://amzn.to/2mIaecs

Apoxi Sculpt - https://amzn.to/2JDGu7C

Respirator - https://amzn.to/2S8CrEC

Safety Glasses - https://amzn.to/2r3yEge

Black Skintx Gloves - https://amzn.to/2Jwizqy

Utility Knife - https://amzn.to/2HHclUD

Kershaw Knife Sharpener - https://amzn.to/2SjfXB9

Smooth-On Rebound 25 - https://amzn.to/2I4t0Vt

Smooth-Cast 65D - https://amzn.to/2HH8rLt

Dremel - https://amzn.to/2r7tdxy

Belt Sander - https://amzn.to/2r9DDvK

Bob Smith Super Glue 2oz - https://amzn.to/2r3LbzW

Bob Smith Super Glue 8oz - https://amzn.to/2Jg84YJ

Bob Smith Glue Accelerator 2oz - https://amzn.to/2Khcsb3

Bob Smith Glue Accelerator 8oz - https://amzn.to/2LpuzeJ

Extra Tips for Glue Bottles - https://amzn.to/2JwuTuP

Iwata Airbrush - https://amzn.to/2ra5X0S

Mars Black - https://amzn.to/2I8kvIM Iridescent

Rich Silver - https://amzn.to/2KrQHoS

Raw Sienna - https://amzn.to/2Llbqeu

Iridescent Bright Silver - https://amzn.to/2LKywvq

1" Mop Brush - https://amzn.to/2HPta2X

Filbert Brush - https://amzn.to/2HPta2X

Liner Brush - https://amzn.to/2r4phN9

STEP 3: Templates

Once I had a bunch of Chaos Blade images I drew out my own template in Photoshop so I could get the approx scale of how big I wanted to make the blades. Follow the link to my Patreon page and download the FREE template so that you can build your own Blades of Chaos!

**Free PDF Chaos Blade Template can be found on my Patreon page** https://www.patreon.com/SKSProps

STEP 4: Sintra Base

The templates I made were printed out and traced onto 1/4" Sintra that I picked up from a local sign shop. This material is pretty easy to work with because it's light but fairly durable. I cut out the main body and sides of the Chaos Blade, these parts were then glued together using Bob Smith super glue.

STEP 5: Bulk Out Using Apoxi Sculpt

Apoxi Sculpt is a 2 part compound that when mixed together becomes rock hard after about 6 hours. This product was used to make the transition between the layers and bulk out the blade. For this step make sure that you wear gloves you don't want this stuff curing on your hands. Water can be used to smooth out the surface before the material cures.

A notch was also cut our of the back of the blade and a PVC pipe was glued into place for the handle.

STEP 6: Sanding, Sanding, and More Sanding

Like I said once Apoxi Sculpt cures it is rock hard so I refined the shape of the blade using sanding sponges and files. Make sure to always wear a respirator and eye protection the dust that is generated from sanding this material is extremely fine.

STEP 7: Hand Sculpting the Demon Face

Using my reference images and templates I started blocking in the demon's face with Monster Clay. Monster clay is solid at room temperature so I use a convection oven to melt it down making it easy to form. After the initial shape is blocked out by hand I begin to use sculpting tools to bring out all of the details.

STEP 8: The Handle and Lower Jaw

The handle and lower jaw are also blocked out in Monster clay. It was extremely difficult and time consuming to sculpt the handles "leather wrapping". At this point I am constantly flipping the blade over so that all of the details are symmetrical for both sides.

STEP 9: Mold Box and Clay

A mold box was constructed out of foam core and Plasticine clay was used for the base layer. Since this is a 2 part mold the clay was used to divide the blade in half. Using a round sculpting tool divots were punched into the clay so that the 2 halves would join up properly.

STEP 10: Silicone Layer 1

Once the mold box was complete I mixed up the silicone for the first half of the mold. For this build I am using Smooth-On Rebound 25 because I have a ton of it on hand. Usually this particular silicone is designed for brush on applications so it is a little thicker than say their Mold Start series. But it is a great material very durable and an easy to use 1 to 1 mix ratio.

STEP 11: Silicone Layer 2

After the silicone has completely cured the entire blade is flipped over and all of the clay is removed. The most important thing to remember on a 2 part mold is adding a mold release so that the 2 halves do not stick together. In this case I am using Sonite Wax as my mold release. Then it's just the same process as before mixing up the silicone batches and pouring it over side two.

STEP 12: Mother Mold and Resin

Once the silicone has cured I cut a mother mold out of the same 1/4" Sintra. This layer makes sure that the silicone retains it shape, keeps the halves together, and doesn't deform during the pouring stage.

Resin is mixed up and poured into the mold cavity until it is full. For this process I am using Smooth-On onyx. Usually I would use the 300 series but I have a bunch of Onyx around and so it's fine for a test pull.

STEP 13: Casting the Blade

So here we have the completed cast! The blade and sculpt look great and the mold hasn't trapped any additional air pockets or bubbles. You can see the air vents I cut at the back of the demon's lower jaw. This allows any trapped air to escape and not ruin the cast.

STEP 14: The Pommel

The pommel was sculpted separate because there are differences between GOW 1 and GOW 4 and I wanted to be able to use these blades for either application. Just like the demon's head the pommel was refined using Monster Clay, molded with Rebound 25, and cast in Smooth-On Onyx. Once it had been cast it was glued into place using Bob Smith super glue.

STEP 15: Weathering and Battle Damage

I wanted the blades to have the well worn look of GOW 4 so I went back to my reference pics and tried to replicate the images as best I could. I used a jewelers bit and a stone drum on my Foredom rotary tool to carve out all of the cracks and battle damage in the resin cast.

STEP 16: Base Layer of Paint

Both blades were primed with Krylon matte black primer. Then Rustoleum Hammered Silver and Antique Copper were sprayed onto the blade and demon head. A basic brown was used for the handle.

A wash of Liquitex heavy body acrylic Mars Black was applied to the entire surface. Then Liquitex Rich Silver and Golden brand Antique Gold were used to highlight the surface.

STEP 17: Glamour Shots

Here is the final version of Krato's Blades of Chaos.

I hope you guys enjoyed this walk through and I hope that it inspires you to try to build a set yourself.

If you do be sure to tag me on Facebook and Twitter and let me see your progress!

The construction video is now on YouTube www.youtube.com/sksprops

You can now support my work by becoming a Patreon! www.patreon.com/SKSProps

You can also follow my work at: www.sksprops.com

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