The Glendorian Sword

The Glendorians were a Aratari Dagorhir Unit that existed between 1983 and 1987. This sword design is from the late Glendorian Era. Newer technologies have come along since then, but these instructions can still produce a fine workable Dagorhir sword. Remember, just following the instructions is not enough to guarentee a safe weapon. Each weapon should be tested through a series of impacts getting gradually harder. If the weapon could cause bruises or injury, it is unsafe and should not be used!

Although this weapon is much more difficult to build and maintain than the traditional Dagorhir pillow sword, the better handling and greatly enhanced realism are for many people worth the time and expense.

Materials:

('X' is desired blade length; ideally between 18 and 30 inches for this design.)

Construction:

  1. Slit the X" x 3" x 1" sheet of foam lengthwise from one end to within a half inch of the other, widening the cut to pipe width at the closed end. 

               ____________________________________________
          |                                            |
          |                                    _____   |
          |-------------------------------=====_____|  |
          |                                            |
          |____________________________________________|
           _______ _______
          /       I       \
          \_______I_______/

              End on view
  2. Spread contact cement in the slit, and on either side of the core for an equal length. 

     _________v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_v_
|___________________________________________________|
          ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

^,v = locations for contact cement
  3. Once the contact cement has set (about 20 minutes), place the core in the foam, pressing the cemented surfaces together. Reinforce the bond with strips of duct tape across either face of the blade, as shown. 

              +-----------------------------------.________
          |                                            |
 _________I_________________________________________   |
|___________________________________________________|  |
          |                                            |
          |                                    ________|
          +-----------------------------------'

          +-----------------------------------.________
          | ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##     |
 _________I_##__##__##__##__##__##__##__##__##__##__   |
|___________##__##__##__##__##__##__##__##__##__##__|  |
          | ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##     |
          | ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ## ________|
          +-----------------------------------'

# = duct tape strips
           __________________
          /       /  \       \
          \_______\__/_______/

              End on view
  4. Tape strips of 1/2" closed cell along both sides to cover exposed pipe. Also put an extra layer of open cell at the tip of the core. Use extra strips of tape to reinforce the tip, a vulnerable spot if too flexible. 

              +-----------------------------------.________
          | ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##     |
 _________|------------------------------------------+ |
|_________|                                          | |
          |------------------------------------------+ |
          | ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ## ________|
          +-----------------------------------'

          +-----------------------------------.________
          | #%% ##%%##  ##  ## %%#  ## %%#  ##  #%%%%%%%
 _________|--%%---%%-----------%%------%%--------%%%%%%%
|_________|  %%   %%           %%      %%            | |
          |--%%---%%-----------%%------%%--------%%%%%%%
          | #%% ##%%##  ##  ## %%#  ## %%#  ## __%%%%%%%
          +-----------------------------------'

% = next layer of duct tape
                 ______
           _____/______\_____
          /       /  \       \
          \_______\__/_______/
                \______/

              End on view
  5. Cut two 5" X 18" strips of the open cell foam and tape them around the edges of the blade. They should be taped to each other across the 1/2" closed cell, but the tape should not extend around the edge. The end and flat views should be as shown. 

              +-----------------------------------.________
          |  ##       ##       ##      ##        #######
 _________|--##-------##-------##------##--------#######
|_________|  ##   %%  ##       ##      ##           ## |
          |--##-------##-------##------##--------#######
          |  ##       ##       ##      ##      __#######
          +-----------------------------------'
          ____________________
         / _____/______\_____ \
        / /       /  \       \ \
        \ \_______\__/_______/ /
         \______\______/______/

              End on view
  6. Wrap the remaining sheet of open cell around the blade and tape in place. Tape it over the top and bottom, but it is best if it is not taped directly to the blade underneath. This allows it to be slid off later if necessary. 

               ___________________________________
          |                                   `--------+
          ####   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##  #####
 _________####   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##  #####
|_________|-##---##---##---##---##---##---##---##--##--|
          ####   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##  #####
          ####   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##  #####
          |___________________________________.--------+

         ______________________
        / ____________________ \
       / / _____/______\_____ \ \
      / / /       /  \       \ \ \
      \ \ \_______\__/_______/ / /
       \ \______\______/______/ /
        \______________________/

              End on view
  7. Pack shredded foam into the core, filling it halfway down from the tip. Slide a few weights down on top of it, so that the sword weights about 12 ounces. The required weight is at least 1/2 ounce per inch of length, and when the last few additions are made, this should be about right. Fill in on top of the weights with more foam to keep them from sliding around inside the PVC. Then use about three layers of the open cell scraps to make a pommel. This should be at least 1 1/2" wide when complete. 

      /====================================/
 /  foam  ((PbPbPbLeadPbPbPb))  foam  /
/====================================/
           Inside PVC pipe.

              ___________________________________
             |                                   `--------+
  __         ####   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##  #####
 /# \________####   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##  #####
|#####_______|-##---##---##---##---##---##---##---##--##--|
 \#_/        ####   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##  #####
             ####   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##   ##  #####
             |___________________________________.--------+
  8. Stitch the cloth into a flat tube, as shown, and slide it onto the blade. Tape down at hilt. 

                  _______________________________________________
             {\                                          `   |
             { |                                          :  |
             { |                                          :  |
             { |            (inside out)                  :  |
             { |                                          :  |
             { |                                          :  |
             {/..........................................'   |
             {_______________________________________________|
  9. If desired, make a cover for the pommel as well. A wrapped leather grip is helpful also, both aesthetically and functionally. 

              ___________________________________________
             |                                           \
  __         |                                            |
 /  \        |                                            |
|    ZZZZZZZZ|                                            |
 \__/        |                                            |
             |                                            |
             |___________________________________________/
The completed sword should look somewhat like this. There should be no point on the blade at which the core can be felt. It should not leave bruises, break bones, break noses, or even hurt very much when swung full force. The best test is to give it to a friend and have him/her hit you with it as hard as he can. If it is unsafe, you will know. If it passes the test, it is ready to use.

The sword will need minor repairs every few months of use, and most need to be completely replaced after about two years. How long a weapon will last depends heavily upon how one fights and careful one is.

Dagorhir Battle Game Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 7162
Gaithersburg, MD, 20898
dagorhir@charm.net
Permission granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided author is credited and receives a copy.

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Created Dec 8 1994 by Aaron Rice (jar22@email.byu.edu)
a Timpview High School student
in partnership with the
David O. McKay School of Education
Brigham Young University