Belegarth

Does anyone know some common places that I could get the materials to make a Blue sword and a shield

Walmart sells blue foam and duct tape and dap.

As far as cores go you can try farm stores or hardware store for fiberglass rods, usually associated with electric fences. Remember if you are doing anything longer then 24 in you are going to need to use either double 3/8" fiber rods or 1/2" rods.

This of course is if you don't want to buy online.

If you get together with some friends, or just want a lot of foam, if you order over $75.00 worth this, http://www.foambymail.com/VA.html, is a pretty good deal with free shipping. The stuff will also last longer than blue foam.

Knowing what you can afford to get and what area you are from, as well as what your relative skill level in building is, will go a long way in helping us help you. Without such information available, here then is a list of basic supplies, where to find them, and their uses:

• Ozark Trail Camp-Pad - Wal-Mart (~$8)
• DAP Original Contact Cement - Wal-mart (~$8)
• Duct Tape - Wal-Mart ($6).
• Light, durable plywood - Home Depot
• Hardware for attaching the straps of your shield - Home Depot
• Fiberglass Cores (bundle of 10; S&H brings cores to ~ 3.40 each) - internet
• Alternate core, if previous unattainable - Farm and Fleet; farm/fence supply stores, ect.
• Old seatbelts, or essentially anything strap-like will work for arm straps. Find something comfortable that you can bolt down.
• Counterweights (cut into 3-6 inch segments) - Home Depot
• Rope of your choosing for wrapping your handle. I prefer to use flat 1/4", but it's all about what makes your weapon feel comfortable to you.
• Hockey Tape (not athletic tape; that's meant for skin contact, and has a weaker glue; any brand will do, really).
  
  
  Now, for your shield and sword you'll need, assuming you are only building one of each and are building a standard 26" shield and a 32" blue (great starter equipment), you will need 3 rolls of foam, 1 can of DAP, 1 roll of duct tape, 1 roll of cloth tape, 1 set of four tee-nuts (5 tee-nuts if you are doing a backstrap), bolts and washers to accompany your tee-nuts, some form of strapping for the shield, and counterweights.
  
  Useage notes:
  
  • Make sure you get the non-bubbled camp pad
  • RED CAN of DAP only; follow the instructions; allow proper drying time. For your shield, do a light coat of DAP, let it set in a minute, and apply a heavier second coating. Wood will soak up a bit on first contact.
  • If using 3/8" core, go no greater than 29" in length of core. Any greater will risk failing for flex; I've done a dozen plus builds on this core and attest that a finished weapon coming to roughly 32-33" will not flex past 45 degrees. Over time, cores do flex more, so go 27-28" if you feel more comfortable that way; 24" is unnecessarily short; do not double core. The cores will eventually separate, which will require a complete rebuild of the weapon. It is more economical in the long run to just buy 1/2" for longer blues. See this thread for a more full explanation.
  • Never use a simple nut and bolt for attaching straps. A binding nut such as a tee-nut is a must, unless you'd like to rebuild your entire shield every time a strap breaks.
  • space your counterweights as shown here. If you don't want the handle to come out oblonged, use some scrap foam, ect. to build up the sides.
  • Never tape across the blade. A single strip all the way up and over the flat will do. A simple X of cloth tape over the tip with provide additional tip stability.

Hope this helps you in your endeavours, and best of luck. And again, in the future, please be more specific with your questions. The more clearly you state what you need, the more clearly and concisely we'll answer.

Cheers,

-Thurat-