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fixinman β Foam Katana Tutorial Pt 1
Published: 2011-05-10 02:13:35 +0000 UTC; Views: 25857; Favourites: 196; Downloads: 274
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Description
This is part one of the series on how to make a con legal Katana with only a razor Knife and sandpaper.Materials needed
High density foam insulation 13mm (1/2") thick
2 mm plywood
paper (newspaper is good)
Razor knife with a new blade (Olfa Black if you can get it}
sandpaper 80 grit or coarser., 220 grit
Part 2 fixinman.deviantart.com/art/Foβ¦
Part 3 fav.me/d3fzuki
Part 4 fav.me/d3i2ymb
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Comments: 32
Hi! I found this kinda late but I was wondering if you'd answer a question for me.
Is this foam brittle and crunchy or is it soft?Β
Also, does the foam dust from the sanding irritate your lungs?Β
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Sorry for the really late response I ave been off for a long time, The dust does not irritate me but if you have concerns just wear a dust mask. The foam is fragile but the paper coat makes it a lot stronger.
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Thank you for this great tutorial!!
How do you remove the handpiece when it's already glued on the blade? o.o
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What is glued into the blade piece is a wood strip that the handle fits onto. When you attach the handle you keep it in place by using a wooden peg. I like bamboo skewers personally. To remove the handle just remove the peg. One of the great things about katanas is essentially they are all the same and differ only in the handguard and some details. So by changing the guard and in some cases repainting you can have a different katana without having to make an entire new one.
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Thanks a lot!! Now I got what you meant
Great idea! I think I'll try on building one Β°^Β°b
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o.o just cool can someone give me a link or an example of where exactly to get "High density foam insulation 13mm (1/2") thick" i would LOVE for it to beΒ a shop in the uk or ebay / amazon 
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I m not sure about in the UK, but you should be able to get it at a builders supply store. This is the stuff used to insulate buildings. It is called Ecotherm by one company.
Just google rigid insulation UK. It is available in sheets as much as 2" thick. Just make sure it is the solid foam and not Styrofoam which is made of little beads.
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*Β¬* OMG THANKS
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And by the way that stuff can be used to make anything. All of these were made using it.Β
fixinman.deviantart.com/art/Ruβ¦
fixinman.deviantart.com/art/Blβ¦
fixinman.deviantart.com/art/Piβ¦
fixinman.deviantart.com/art/Piβ¦
fixinman.deviantart.com/art/Coβ¦
fixinman.deviantart.com/art/Haβ¦
fixinman.deviantart.com/art/Edβ¦
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Thanks btw would this be correctΒ www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18134269238β¦
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You would need to actually see it. There are two kinds of foam insulation, solid and Styrofoam. The difference is that solid is like a macaroon cookie and Styrofoam is made up of foam beads stuck together. Your link might be right but it looks like it has a metallic layer on it.
For reference the stuff I used the has the technical term ofΒ Extruded Polystyrene Rigid Insulation.
As far as I can see without going to England (Which we are doing next May We'll be in London for two weeks.) What you are to look for is called. Eco XPS.
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Hey, is the glue you use, diluted? Or simple, normal white glue?
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It's just regular white glue. Use either a oil brush, or for larger projects a small paint roller. Don't use the foam rollers as they just fill with glue.
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what type of foam did you use and was it basic paper mashe paste?
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There are two kinds of foam insulation Styrofoam which is made of beads of foam and solid foam which is cast from liquid foam you use the solid foam sheets. The glue I use is ordinary white paper glue.
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Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Where did you buy the foam because home depot did not have it
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I got mine from Home Depot. What State do you live in? You may have to ask one of the staff where you can get some.
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Omg i never knew there was a tutorial here thanks for the link
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Glad you can use it. There are three parts to it. The paper coating makes the foam amazingly strong.
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*slaps forehead* FOAM SCABBARD!
holy crap thats genius.
Ive been making ones out of wood and the scabard end up being more work and more expensive then the wood katana itself.
*kisses fiximans forehead*
THANK YOU for such an awesome tutorial !!!!
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This was designed to allow people to make a realistic katana for cons with super strict weapons rules, but yeah it could be used as a scabbard.
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Well there are rough patches but those will be dealt with in later tutorials.
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I don't have any intention of making a sword but looking is very interesting!
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It is an interesting project.
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I mean looking this tutorial is very interesting ^^"
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I notice this is quite thick a sword. Is it intended to be a bo-ken?
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No this is a cosplay katana, it will look like it is in a scabbard. Look at the golden dragon and the my other cosplay swords.
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Ah! don't tell me this is another "this is nuts" moment, in which you are compelled to make it sheathed to enable con-worthy attributes.
If not, then I congratulate you for appealing to those who want a slightly more affordable sword that wont be fully functional.
If not, then I congratulate you for experimenting with new materials.
If not, then I simply love them for no particular reason, other than it's a Fixinman sword: "nuff-said".
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This was designed for two reasons:
1) Many cons including out local one won't allow wood swords, so I designed this to allow a realistic katana that would not get confiscated. Amusingly there is a con here in Alberta where even this would be illegal because it looks like a katana.
2) There are a lot of people who don't have the tools or skills needed to make a good wooden cosplay sword. To make mine takes a workshop worth of tools and a lot of experience.
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