Im starting a new realm where I Live and i am in charge of building weapons as appointed by me. Now I know there are a few topics regarding this but I wish to know if it is good to use the Walmart brand, Ozark trail Camp Pad foam (Blue foam) ontop of Floor mat foam from freight harbor?
Ive heard people doing this but i want to know if i should just try to get Evalite, Minicell, or just use two cheap foams to make up for our lack of funding.

Also, I purchased pcv piping as a cheap means of starting out, now would you anyone recommend putting an oak dowel rod inside of the core for extra resistance to breaking, being that pvc does snap. Or would the reinforced foam on the outside of the core be enough reinforcement itself?

And furthermore, im considering getting bandshoppe fiberglass poles for future weapons, are they really worth the investment?

Thanks

Ozark foam and 3/4 PVC pipe is fine for building weapons, especially when starting out and trying to keep the cost low. a wooden dowel rod will add weight and eventually break. fiberglass rod is the most durable for loaner and starter weapons.

Well I have 1/2" and 3/4" pvc. Which would you recommend using more of?

3/4 is best but you casn use 1/2 for short weapons 30" or less.

Bandshoppe is great for 6' and longer weapons. For shorter items they are not needed.

For normal blue & red swords fiberglass fence posts 1/2' & 11/16" from Fleet Farm or Farm and Fleet. They are made by GeoTek and are the things to use.

You can try to cut costs upfront, but typically the weapon will break down faster leading to more expense over the long haul.

Barley

PVC weapons can last a long time if made correctly.. and is a good route if your practicing making weapons or getting newer members used to making weapons. Fiberglass and kitespar are better options if you plan on ordering out. But any new member i get usually makes a blue foam pvc sword first just so they don't waste supplies. ( I live in cleveland... being a city the closest tractor supply or farm and fleet is like an hour to 2 away) But if you have the option the fiberglass are the way to go.

I live in North Carolina where the closest tractor supply is about 30 miles plus out. Now, i have the floor mat that you get at gold's gym, or harbor freight, Im thinking about using them as the box and then putting the blue foam around it. I personally think it will add extra reinforcement and will be a good means of making the weapons last longer. Would anyone else attest to this theory? or is it not worth the time?

Basicly did that for a red and it worked great.. going to do the same method on making a blue this week. Will letcha know.

Beveled side up or down tho? I saw your red sword, and it looks awesome. how did you construct the cross guard tho? it looks like it would break after being hit.

This is all just for loaner stuff right?
Generally, nooblets don't hit as hard so I would not go broke buying expensive * cores and weapons. QUick and dirty. If you need a lot of weapons in a hurry, you might consider getting fries (reblade kits). Personally unless you really love your realm I wouldn't spend a lot of effort counterbalancing, reinforcing the core, etc... Crap weapons to loan that are easy to fix without a headache will get your realm interested in building their own, or buying their own.
The marine foam box is worth the work. I know a guy who is doing 100% MC swords they last forever. I was trying to break them down and all it did was cause a disbond.
Fiberglass cores are worth it in the long run, but a bit expensive.

Loaner weapons yes. I bought mine a while back from edhellen. Im doing this so my friends dont have to spend money yet. we plan on getting funds for buying and building things that will last longer, but for now, its a starting realm. I just dont want these guys to break the stuff so soon.

I'm posting here, because this is relevant to me as well, because i just had enough guys show up to the micro practices that I was having.

The cross guard was made from hardened leather.. molded dapped and taped to the core.. and covered with blue foam and strapping tape.. (if doing small ones for blue weapons you can make an all blue foam cross guard that holds up very well) and with the fryes i cut the routed layer out completely with a serrated knife if dapping it onto a box.

For started weapons I really would make them all make and own their own PVC blue foam basic sword.... Teaches them the basics and costs like 10 bucks. They would be much better served learning on them rather than messing up the good materials. Also I know years ago I was pretty proud of my first disaster of a sword LoL.

Assuming you have limited means of transportation, yes you can certainly make do with PVC and blue foam. If you are concerned about durability and are willing to go through the hassle/expense of a high-density floor mat box you should make the extra effort and drive the 30 miles to get fiberglass cores. Putting a floor mat box on PVC is a crap shoot at best since the core may break before the foam gives out. Initially, PVC is cheaper than FG, but when you consider that a 1/2" FG core can be rebuilt upon virtually ad naseum while PVC is good for one rebuild at best, the best choice if probably FG.

If you must use PVC, you are probably just as well off using all Ozark trail foam. Do not use dowels inside the PVC, they do generally break very quickly and make a weapon quite heavy.

To answer your question about bandshoppe poles: yes, they are certainly worth the investment. However, at this point you should focus on building blue weapons until you have well established basic building skills before even considering building a red weapon.

Lol. Well with gas prices, thats where it becomes most costly to go 30 miles out. And My sword thus far seems to be coming along pretty well. its 44 Inches long with the floor mat box core set in place. 3/4" pvc core, ive been told is sturdy enough for now. Seems a little top heavy. I can swing it no problem and i know that with heavier weapons, you need to practice fluid motions with the swing. With the new players, they only know, swing and swing and swing, no thought to it. So ive got to train them as well in the way of the sword, thats gonna be fun . looking in hindsight, it would have been a better two handed great sword than a one handed long sword.

Oh well, with experimentation, comes wisdom

As soon as the sword is finished, I'm going to test it against my edhellen weapons. May god have mercy on it's soul.

... and upon later inspection of the weapon as is, the balancing point of the weapon is in the center of the core itself. no counter weight on the handle, so seems i will have to use this one personally, for with no weight near the handle, somebody may throw their wrist out...

Do not make any weapon over 30" long out of pvc. Under 30", they will probly last a while. Over that and you are wasting your money, time and foam. They will all break as soon as your guys learn to hit hard enough to play this game.
I would recomend making 5 layer thick, all blue foam punch shields. There is a Tutorial somewhere on this. Make like 6 of these. Your new folks need to learn 2 things to compete and have fun in Bel: how to fight with a 30" sword and how to fight sword and shield. These are the basic fundamentals of this sport. You can easily build a grip of blue swords and shields from the supplies you have.
New people do not to be loaned red swords and other big weapons. After they fight single blue and s&b for a few months they can buy their own **** big weapons.
FB

they have fought before with my own personal weapons. If this thing breaks when I use it for the first time with my brother, then i will know to not got so far with pvc and that much foam. I was told for a long sword that 44" with 3/4" pvc would be fine. However you are right, they do need shields. And training. they are all used to my 3' round spartan shield and 9 foot spear. lol. but they will have to do with what I make.

Yeah, people * each other about pvc being a decent core all the time.
Here's the facts.
We started our realm of b lue swords and some shields.
The Edhellen Realm start up kit includes...blue swords and shields.
If you want to be a good fighter and ask how on these very forums, you will be told to........Get a 28"-30" blue sword and a 28" round shield.
You don't need to take my advise.
Here's an extra free piece: In foam fighting, a 44" sword os just ficking dumb. 4" longer and you can break shields. 10" shorter and you could effectively use it with a shield. I uderstand this is a good length for a real sword, but in this sport, with the way our rules work, the extra 4" to make is a red sword make a WORLD of difference.
FB

Necro for interest: Anyone have a link for the mat from Harbor Freight Mentioned a bit further up, or that can attest to its thickness, cost, and usefulness? The nearest Harbor Freight for me is an hour and half away, and I don't want to waste a trip just to find out it won't work.

3/8" thick, a package contains four 2' x 2' sheets, dense crosslinked EVA foam. Has worked well for me so far for base layers. Price varies depending on the current sales, in my experience between $9-12.

Big Lots has a similar package of floor mats with a bit more texture for a comparable price.

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully I can get some relatively soon. Really looking forward to some good building weather.

K-mart also carries a similar foam that I have not tried, but feels comparable to what harbor freight has.

Went to Harbor Freight today. The puzzle mat they have is an anti-fatigue mat. It felt far too squishy to act reliably as a hard core base. I'm gonna pick up, I think, the stuff they have at Big Lots. A few bucks more, but I believe it was a bit firmer.

i was wondering would Egg shell foam work for building sword's or No? i got some but before i make my sword's i just want to make sure it is ok to use.

No, it would not. You should talk to people down in Dur D if you're unsure of what building materials to use. They will show you what the foam looks/feels like.

Alright thank you.

Ok how about ozark trail camping pad egg crate? thats all my walmart has....

This is not the foam you're looking for (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Egg-Crate-Camp-Pad/19890889)

This is the foam you are looking for (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trial-Camping-Pad-Blue/16783660)

/jedimindtrick

ok i will get that foam. thanks alot