gunblade help, seifer's gunblade

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almsays_dreams
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Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:56 am

gunblade help, seifer's gunblade

Post by almsays_dreams » Fri Jan 28, 2005 6:39 am

hello everyone,


i'm planning to cosplay seifer for a second time so i've got the costume all down (except the scar) and my last gunblade was made out of cardboard and tin foil. (shudders at the thought of my oh so poorly made gunblade, rest in peace) i was thinking of wood for my new version but are there other materials that it could be made out of. oh and if your going to suggest plastic or something, i need good detail because i'm fairly new at prop making. thanks for your help.

aikoe
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2004 9:46 am

Post by aikoe » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:51 pm

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Last edited by aikoe on Sat Jan 14, 2017 7:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Dark_Tiger
Posts: 215
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Location: Tampa, FL

Post by Dark_Tiger » Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:19 pm

Ewweww, paperclay. Nothing against the people who use it, but it’s newspaper and flour that's been put in a food processor.

I was inspired (last night) to make a gunblade, and this is how I'm doing it:

You'll need:

xacto knife or razor cutter of your choice
A jigsaw or bandsaw
a Dremel with a high speed cutting bit or wood chisels and a lot of time
a quarter sheet of MDF particle board or 5 feet of 1X8" hardwood
a 1X1' square of hardboard (it's pegboard, only without holes) or 1 foot of 1/8" thick wood
a pencil
Paint and/or silver leaf if you want a really nice finish
Clear spray varnish
a 1 or 2" "feathering" paintbrush (optional only use if you really want that just so finish)
wood glue
wood filler

WARNING: If using MDF and hardboard (which is far cheaper) do not even THINK about water within 20 feet of the thing until you have it painted and sealed. Also, I'm speaking about what I'm working on right now. Hardwood is a lot stronger and weighs less, but is more difficult to work with and more expensive.

While I do like plastic for some things, a blade this small (48”) isn’t one of them.

Here's how I'm doing it:

1: Draw the outline of the blade on the wood. Duh. I’m getting fancy with mine and doing some of the template work on the computer.

2: Cut out your outline using a jigsaw. Also duh. Also, cut out a few squares of wood for the revolver chamber. We’ll be making that later.

3: Using your Dremel, cut out the small details, like making the hammer thinner than the rest of the blade. While you’re at it, bevel all the blade’s “sharp” edges.

4: Glue those blocks of wood you cut earlier together. Then carve them into half-circles using your Dremel.

4.5 (oops): Carve in the lion embossment onto the blade. Don't use the Dremel for this unless you have a REALLY steady hand.

5: Glue your revolver chamber bits onto the gunblade. Then carve the details into them.

6: Cut two small wooden grips out of the thinner wood.

7. Sand everything.

8: Use wood fill on any mistakes. Goto step 7.

9: Prime the sucker then paint. Feather in any “sharpening flaws” or gun blueing that needs to be there.

10: Paint or stain the grip pieces you made. Then glue them onto the handle.

11: Shoot several coats of clear onto the gunblade.

12: Enjoy. Or in my case, try to find somebody to buy the thing.
Real men sew!

Tigerye Productions: Props, weapons, and much more. I can do that!
"Ebay is the best bet as they are unfeeling there and cold. " - Hemuloki

aikoe
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2004 9:46 am

Post by aikoe » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:09 pm

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Dark_Tiger
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Location: Tampa, FL

Post by Dark_Tiger » Sun Mar 13, 2005 7:47 pm

I'm sorry, but no force on earth not in heaven can make me believe that paper mache', store bought or otherwise, is worthwhile. It's not just the buying of materials that can be made easily, or the almost non-existant impact resistance, it's also its tendancy to not stand up to any wear or even long term storage.

Yes, I am aware that I'm making a diffrent gunblade. However, just replace the word "revolver" with "barrel," and you can make Seifer's the same way.

I always go for wood as an option for begining prop makers and rush jobs. It's easy to work with, has few dangers that fabric does not also have, makes sturdy props, and can make delicate edges and other finework if you have a steady hand. Also, and this is important, most people have a friend or 20 that has at least some carpentary experience and can help them out.

As for price, I made a shopping list for the cheaper way to do things, assuming you have no tools whatsoever, and can't borrow any.

Pencil: 12 for $1
Jigsaw: $20 - $35 for a cheap one (I've got 2)
Jigsaw blades: 2 for $1
Screwdriver: $0.88
Chisles: $4.65 for a "Student wood carving kit" set of 8
MDF: $5 for a 2X4' sheet
Hardboard: $3 for a 1X2' sheet
Wood glue: $1.98
Wood filler: $1.98
Paint: Silver $2.98, clearcoat: $3.96, Primer: $2.98
Labor: It's probably going to take me ~12 hours, so figure 25 if you've never done this kind of thing before.
Real men sew!

Tigerye Productions: Props, weapons, and much more. I can do that!
"Ebay is the best bet as they are unfeeling there and cold. " - Hemuloki

aikoe
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2004 9:46 am

Post by aikoe » Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:55 pm

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Last edited by aikoe on Sat Jan 14, 2017 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

almsays_dreams
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:56 am

Post by almsays_dreams » Tue Mar 29, 2005 8:16 pm

holy camoley,

made the gunblade. posting pics, hafta say, turned out fabbity fab.
first thing i did, enlist the help of someone who knows how to manipulate wood. (heh, double entendre) then after he said, this is how you do this and this is how you do this. i said, okey dokie, and out of the woodchips grew a beautiful, fab, gunblade. and the moral of the story kids. I know how to make stuff out of wood.

anyways, here are the pics.
mind you the gunblade is in it's just painted black stage. black is a nice base colour. <- heh, canadian spelling. once i get my damn digi-cam to work i'll send some more. anyways, the finished product is cool. all i did after those were taken was i got some grey, white and black paint and shaded in the parts on the gun to give it more depth and make it look better. then i coated the whole thing in a clear stuff to make it shiny. but not tacky shiny. nice shiny.http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y63/al ... cbf776.jpg
thanks for your suggestions though.

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