The Kingdom of the Emerald Hills

One of my first tries at construction was a long sword. I was using this in a ditch battle, wielding with two hands for power & speed, when a leg came open & I took it. A sharp-eyed reeve immediately called a hold, pointing to my sword. Looking down I saw my swords noodle and cover bent off to the side, with the tip of the unbroken golf club shaft bare and exposed. My weapons core had broken through the white wrap (12” x 12” x 1/16” thick packing foam), through the single layer of packing tape, through the noodle, even through the cloth cover. My opponent was fine, but my long sword weapon replica was turned into a real weapon in an instant. It became my opinion then, as now, that the tip of a golf club shaft is one of the most dangerous elements in the game. Not as dangerous in slashing / bludgeoning, as in thrusts. Call me crazy, but I think that being penetrated by a golf club shaft could be a real drag. What follows is what I do to the tip of my golf shafts now to make them safer. When taping (packing tape) the foam sheet to the core I’ll make the foam sheet stick out 1 ½” past the end of the core. The core now looks like a flag. Before wrapping, I’ll place 2 overlapping pieces of packing tape at least 6” long onto the sheet at the top perpendicular and adjacent to the core at the tip. I’ll overlap these pieces by about ½”. After wrapping, these extra pieces of tape act as a barrier several layers thick that the core tip has trouble penetrating. I wrap this sheet foam around the core until it’s a bit bigger than the funnoodle hole that I’m trying to fit it to. Extra sheet foam is trimmed and the wrap is temporarily secured with a couple of small pieces of tape. This next step is tricky. Because this wrap will be the same size or a little larger than the hole in the noodle, when taped over, forcing the noodle over it could un-tape it. It’s important to tape in such a way that doesn’t expose the leading edge of the tape to the directional force of the noodle being forced over it. I’ll start taping from just behind the wrap (about 2”), spiral wrapping counter clockwise (as seen from the tip) under medium to light torque until I reach the end. Then cut a 6” piece of tape to make an inverted U over the tip. With the tip pointed up fold the sides of this U-shaped piece of tape down, right side then left for each side. The noodle can now be forced over this wrap from the tip down to the handle while twisting counter clockwise. If you have doubts about the safety of this wrap, make it & before the noodle goes on test it to destruction against something that doesn’t move (stump, logs, brick wall). I think you’ll be impressed with its durability and light weight. Writing isn’t a strength of mine, so if you don’t understand something, post a question & I’ll try to clarify. I hope others will share their safety construction tips.

Well, that sounds like an awful amount of effort to me. Though your dedication to safety is awesome!

I'm a big fan of ultra-lights. Been building them for a few years now and other than punching Tugen in the eye, I've never given a sword related injury. (and, hey. It's Tugen. Seriously, no better person to get punched in the eye, right?)

My materials: Funnoodle, blue camp foam, clear tape, graphite core, something to cut with. Usually a kitchen knife. A roll of grip tape, and a cover.

My setup: First, I cut 3 round disks from the blue foam. I measure them to the size of the noodle. Then, I also cut two very small strips of blue foam and then tape them to the core to prevent rattle and sliding. I also cut small disks enough to fit into the top of the noodle.

My technique: Next step is to cut the core and foam to the size I need. For a short sword, I use 32' core. This accounts for the extra length of the tip and pommel.

I first shave the the base of the noodle and, then tape the noodle to the core right above the built-in grip of a golf shaft using torque wrapping techniques, being sure to leave about an inch of room from the tip of the core to the top of the noodle. Then, I simply stuff the small disks inside the noodle. The top disks get taped to the noodle with just one small piece of tape to keep them in place. I run three strips of the clear tape up and back down the length of the noodle, overlapping each strip by just a small amount. This is sometimes called planking. I make sure not to leave any noodle exposed as that could lead to making the sword degrade faster. The added reenforcement of the tape, combined with torquing the noodle down to the core, keeps the core from pushing up through the foam as quickly. Also the small disks help reduce some of the damage caused by, well, stabbing people a lot. They reduce friction I believe.

The next step is to build my pommel. I eyeball a small enough piece of noodle, cut it, and again torque it to the bottom of the core. I add another small disk, followed by a larger one one.

Add some grip tape and a cover, and swing in glee. Maybe even brandish your new toy in front of you, and in your best Tom Hanks scream, "Look what I have created!"

My swords last between 3-5 months before I blow out the tip or the core. I don't swing nearly as hard as some of the other vets, so that might be why they last that long. 'Course, it could be that I put time and effort in building them as well.

Hope this helps,

Nettle

Nettle
Though I don’t express it as well as you or he, I do feel your Tom Hanks moment with the completion of each project.
Poor Tugen.
The wrap I use for the tip really doesn’t take long once you’r use to it. A matter of minutes really. You should see how I build javelins. You’d say “Oh hell no”.
One important thing I forgot to mention is the blunting of the core tip. Use sandpaper, a file, anything to take the edge off. It will make the core tip a lot less likely to cut through any material you choose to pack around it.
A healthy discussion / tech share of construction & safety is just what I was hoping for. My thanks.

There is no such thing as pity for Tugen.

Well, everyone has a tried method that works for them. A clean cut on the core will prevent that. I suppose I forgot to mention that taping on either side of where you cut it stops splintering as well.

Again, my goal is a safe, well-balanced weapon. Extra tape on the tip throws of the balance. Then you're going to have to add duct tape or something else to bring the balance back to the handle, which in turn weighs the sword down more. I like swords that have a problem with wind sheer.

Nettle wrote “I suppose I forgot to mention that taping on either side of where you cut it stops splintering as well.” Good one, I like that.
I will take your word on Tugen, and withdraw my pity for him. We got Tugen types at our park too.
I understand your concern with putting extra weight out at the tip. The fear that the extra gram of weight in tape will slow your weapon that nanosecond you need to get in that blow or successfully defend. Selection of building materials is key. Ultralight cores are good for making light shorts. Use them for longs & your asking for a broken sword. They break often enough as shorts. Packing tape comes in deferent thickness. Get the thin stuff. You may break it while spiral wrapping under heavy torque from time to time, but it’s still tuff. Minimum legal diameter noodle. Open cell foam for thrusting tips is a pretty wide field as far as weight goes. The wrap I described above, is a light weight wrap. I use extra tape, but compared with the heavier denser campmat foam that you use for a spacer there may not be much of a diff in weight. Give it an honest try, then judge. Nothing ventured nothing gained.