How To
Make A Fiberglass Rapier
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How to make a simple rapier replica/simulator: These simple instructions will allow you to make an inexpensive, safe, and practical fiberglass rapier from common materials which can be used to practice the art of rapier fighting. Based partially on documents & instructions from the SCA (Society Of Creative Anachronism), written by Steven Greenfield, and ARMA (The Association For Renaissance Martial Arts), these rapiers are currently legal for use in rapier tournaments and re-enactment groups such as the SCA. They are also an excellent alternative to steel swords for theatrical plays, and pirate re-enactment groups. The Beer Bard Privateers love these swords because they are light, easy to handle, and very safe in crowds. PLEASE NOTE: Some SCA Kingdoms have their own rules and regulations regarding fiberglass rapiers for tournament use. In some kingdoms, these may be soon phased out for tournament use in favour of steel swords, but these still make great practice swords. Please check with your local shire for current regulations.
Let's begin with a list of tools and materials you will need to have on hand: Tools: Materials:
All of these materials can be obtained at your local hardware store. If
you live in Canada, the Beer Bard Privateers recommend your local Rona/Revy or Irlybird store.
If you buy bike flags, or if you have driveway markers without
reflectors you may have to scrape off any reflective tape using
a sharp knife or paint scraper. Also, cut off any pointy tips or anchoring
pegs, trying to save as much rod as possible. If the rods came with vinyl
end caps, save these for later use.
Cutting the rod pieces: 1.) First cut two rods to 44"-48" in length. In our case we used 44 inch length rods, as once the reflector was cut off, we didn't need to make any further cuts. If you need to cut your rods to length, measure a rod to about 44-48 inches in length, and mark it with a sharpie. Take the rod on a flat surface and use the hacksaw to make a straight cut. It might be a good idea to use a mitre box if you have one to get the cut straight, and make it easy. Be careful not to let the fibreglass splinter. 2.)Cut one rod to an approximate length of 26 inches in length. 3.) Cut two rods 8 inches in length, and two rods 6 inches in length. Set these aside for later use.
Gluing the Sword Together You will need a flat, level surface. A kitchen table or workbench works well, but don't get glue on it. You may want to lay out about 4 feet of wax paper, or cover the table with a drop cloth to work on. We used an old piece of drywall. Take the two long rods and lay them down parallel in front of you, next take the third shorter piece (26 inch) rod and place it in the middle of the two rods. Line the two rods up, and measure from the tip of two rods a distance of approximately 16 1/2 inches and place a mark on each of the two rods with a sharpie. Place the tip of the third rod at this mark. and then lay in the bolt/piece of all thread, so that it is flush against the end of the third rod, and sitting between the two parallel rods on either side. About 1 1/2" should be "inserted" between the two parallel rods and the bolt/all thread should extend beyond the two adjacent rods by about 1".
Plug in your hot glue gun and let it warm up. Now tack the base of the rods together, at the end, across the rods and bolt/all-thread horizontally, also in the middle where the third rod ends, and in the middle of the third rod across the outer two rods. Give these three tack points a moment to dry. Once the glue has dried, pull the two rods together at the tip, and add fourth strip of glue horizontally at the end to tack the tips of the rods in place.
You will now start to fill in the low spots between the rods with hot glue. You will want to do this in a couple of passes. On your first pass be sure to try and force the glue down into the crack between the rods. After the first pass, check and make sure everything is flat, and not warped in any way, then do your second pass.
Illustration 5: Filling the low spots.
You will also want to put some glue bridges in the foible area of your blade after the rest of the blade has cooled. Be careful, you can warp your blade at this point. Make sure everything stays flat and true.
At this point you will want to spread the glue to make sure it lies flat and true. You dont want large lumps of glue, as this will make it hard for the tape to adhere, and will make for an unsightly sword. To do this, take the side of the nose cone of the hot glue gun and use it to slowly level the glue so the sides of the rapier will be flat.
Turn the blade over and repeat these steps on the other side. (Be careful not to warp the blade)
Taping the Blade:
Now cover the blade lengthwise with
the 1/2"-3/4" strapping tape, with the fibers running
lengthwise vertically with the blade. Keep it as smooth as possible. Cover
the entire length of the blade on both sides.
Illustration 10: Cover the
blade lengthwise with stapping tape Now you are ready to cover the blade with the duct tape, it is easiet to lay the duct tape vertically on the blade. Place it over the top of the fiberglass strapping tape, and wrap it around until the whole blade is covered. The fibers in the ductape should run horizontally on the blade. This will provide a "criss-crossing" of fibers which will be very strong.
Part 2: Making the Quillions and Hilt
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The first
step in making the blade is to prepare the fiberglass rods. Our rods were
originally driveway markers. We got the markers from our local Rona/Revy
and Irlybird hardware store. Our markers had reflectors at the
top which we needed to cut off. The markers from Irlybird were a
little longer (72 inches) than the ones from Revy. The Revy
rods were advertised at 48" in length. Once we cut
the reflectors off, they were actually 44 Inches.
