Materials

FOAM SMITHING MATERIALS what to get, where to find it, and for how much
FOAMS
	Closed-cell foam – a camping pad is the cheapest and easiest way to find this type of foam. Good quality closed-cell foam camping pads can be found in any sports or camping store, usually about $8-$10 dollars for a 2’x7’ roll. They come in three common thicknesses – ½”, 3/8”, and ¼”(kid’s camping pad). Half-inch is the best to work with because it requires fewer layers, but 3/8” and ¼” have their uses, too. The infamous Walmart “blue foam” is terrible. It’s not durable -- it compresses quickly and tears easily. Go to a camping or sports store and look for a better brand. Here’s a simple test: squeeze the pad tightly and let go. If the foam springs back in place quickly, it’s good quality. If the indentation of your fingers lingers for a few seconds, it’s poor quality. Don’t buy it.
	Open-cell foam – this is the squishy foam in couch cushions. The cheapest source is an old couch left on the curb. High-density open-cell foam is much better than couch cushions. It compresses slower and lasts longer. It can be found in most fabric stores (the green stuff), comes in different thickness, and is sold by the inch. Use the 2” thick foam for maces and 4” thick foam for arrowheads. Enough foam for a mace (12”x36“x2”) costs about $4, and a enough foam for a dozen arrowheads (8”x36”x4”) costs about $9. Another excellent source of high-density open-cell foam is the gray packaging foam computers are shipped in. A careful search of the dumpster behind a computer store should turn up several pieces. Unfortunately, “computer foam” is hard to find, and rarely comes in pieces big enough to be of any use.
ADHESIVES
	DAP Contact Cement – Very strong, durable, lightweight glue. A medium-sized can costs about $7, and can be found in most hardware stores. You will need a brush or sponge to apply it.
	3M Super-90 Spray Adhesive – Very strong, quick-drying glue. Works better than contact cement for open-cell foam (maces and arrows), because it won’t be soaked up by the sponge-like texture of the foam. Available in most hardware and craft stores. Costs varies between $10-$17 dollars, depending on where you get it.
	Duct Tape – Available almost anywhere. Buy the Professional Grade duct tape – it is much stronger than the cheaper General Purpose stuff. A roll costs about $6. Use duct tape sparingly. It adds a lot of weight to weapons.
	Cloth Tape – Athletic tape, hockey tape, and grip tape are all examples of this. It’s soft, strong, and allows the foam to breathe better. Hockey/grip tape works best and can be found in most sport equipment shops for about $2.50 for a roll. Athletic tape isn’t quite as good, but works and is easier to find. It can be found in the first aid aisle of any drug store and costs about $3 a roll.
MISCELLANEOUS
	Counterweights – several different things are used to counter-balance weapons (crucial for top-heavy weapons like axes and maces). With a hollow core (PVC, kite spar, graphite), I’ve found a 4 -5 inch long bolt (½” wide or so), works best. Simply slide it inside the handle and tape in place. Bolts this size can be bought at most hardware stores for less than a buck. Solid cores (fiberglass, wood) can be counterweighted by taping pennies along the handle, wrapping 16 gauge wire around the handle, or loading the pommel with lead fishing weights.
	Grip Material – to wrap around the handle of a weapon for grip and balance. Rope or Clothesline is good and can be found in any drug store for a few bucks. Leather string can be found in the crafts section of Walmart for around $4 for 8 yards. Long leather shoelaces will work in a pinch, and cost about $4 for a pair of 72” laces. Grip tape is another popular choice; see above for price and where to find it.
	Cloth – A cheap, reliable source is the fabric section at Walmart. Cotton broadcloth is strong, easy to clean, comes in several different solid colors, and costs $1.87 a yard – and you only need about 1/3 yard for the average sword cover! Cotton is good for sword covers, but a stretchy polyester fabric is better for axe heads and other odd-shaped weapons because it will cling to the shape.
	Thread – Trust me, you want to use Button & Craft Thread -- it is much, much stronger than any other type of thread and costs about $1 a spool at Walmart.
	CORES The Infamous Dagorhir “Core Bible” Courtesy of Sir Wolfram von Stuttgart (with additional comments from Sir Nolen Oldcastle)
	Core type: Wood Cost: low Strength: poor Weight: heavy Flex: none Wooden cores are cheap and have little flex, but are heavy and break very easily. Wooden cores must be wrapped in tape because when they break, they splinter and poke through the foam. Found in home improvement stores and hobby shops.
	Core type: PVC pipe Cost: low Strength: good Weight: heavy Flex: none to high, depending on strength and size. PVC pipe is the most common core material. It is cheap, strong, plentiful, and has the added bonus of making curved swords if you bend the plastic pipe after applying heat. On the down side, it is heavy and can flex badly. PVC comes in many sizes and strengths, depending on what you are making. Use ½” PVC for short swords, and ¾” or thicker for longer weapons. For pole-arms, you need high pressure pipe that is 1” to 1½” in diameter or greater, depending on the length of the pole-arm. When buying PVC, check how thick the walls of the pipe are. The thicker the walls are, the stronger the pipe is, and the lesser it flexes. Schedule 80 (the gray stuff) is recommended, but Schedule 40 (the white stuff) works too. PVC pipe is available at most hardware stores, including ACE Hardware just off the ISU Campus, and is sold for less than a dollar a foot.
	Core type: Bamboo Cost: low to medium Strength: good Weight: medium Flex: medium to none depending on diameter Bamboo is stronger and lighter than wood and most PVC. Makes great, light cores for spears and pole-arms. Bamboo must also be wrapped in tape, for when it breaks, it splinters. It can be found at craft stores, garden shops, or Pier One. Check bamboo for damage before you buy it, as imperfections cause it to break.
	Core type: Fiberglass golf flags Cost: high Strength: very good Weight: light Flex: medium These cores strong, light, and don’t flex too badly, but are expensive and hard to find. They are found as flagpoles on golf courses, and available through golf course equipment suppliers. You can buy them online at www.rangeland.com/flags.htm. They cost around $14, but that's usually long enough (7 ft) for at least two longswords.
	Core type: Camping poles Cost: low Strength: very good Weight: light Flex: low These are cheap, strong, have little flex, and are very lightweight, so they make great whip-sticks. Unfortunately, they are too short for anything bigger than a short sword. They are found at all K-marts, Walmarts, or any place with camping equipment.
	Core type: Fiberglass fence posts Cost: low to medium Strength: very good Weight: very light to medium, depending on the size and number of rods used Flex: low to high, depending on the size and number of rods used Fiberglass rods are strong, light, and not too expensive. Unfortunately, they can be hard to find, and the thinner rods can flex a lot. Fiberglass fence posts can be found at Farm&Fleet, TSC Farmer Market, or other farm supply stores. The smallest, cheapest rods (40 cents apiece) are 3/8” fence posts and make a light, fast short sword, but flex too much for anything longer. The rods can be doubled up, however, to make a longer sword with acceptable flex. The ½” fiberglass sorting rods (for moving livestock) make good, light long swords, and the ¾” wide, 6-foot long fence posts make good, comparatively light red weapons. If there are no farm supply stores nearby, you can buy fiberglass fenceposts online at www.geotekinc.com/fence/index.htm (look under Rod Posts, White on the order form). Fiberglass rods with reflectors are also sold at Walmart in the automotive section for marking driveways. These 5/16” rods are good for short swords, but flex too much for anything longer.
	Core Type: Fiberglass band poles Cost: high Strength: high Weight: medium Flex: none These are long, have no flex, and last forever, but are expensive and hard to find. They are great for spears and pole arms, but are too big and heavy for swords. They don’t flex, so the full impact must be absorbed by lots of padding. Band poles are found at music stores or any place selling marching band equipment (they are for flag girls to use). You can buy them for about $11 apiece at www.thebandshop.com/html/poles.html.
	Core type: Graphite rods Cost: none to very high Strength: good Weight: very light Flex: low Graphite cores are long, have very little flex, and are possibly the lightest weapon core out there. Graphite rods tend to either break instantly or last forever, so test their strength before building anything with them. Check Goodwill or thrift stores for old graphite-shaft golf clubs and saw off the heads. Graphite clubs are fairly new, however, and few are given to the thrift stores, if any. You can always buy new graphite golf clubs, of course, but they cost about $50. You can also try going to any shop that advertises golf club repair and offer to buy any broken or headless graphite shafts they have… usually they’ll charge you a buck or two, or give them to you free.
	Core Type: Kite Spar Tubing Cost: high Strength: good Weight: very light Flex: medium to low Kite spar cores are long, fairly strong, very light, and have little flex, but are expensive and hard to find. You can get them at hobby shops that sell kite supplies – kite spar is the strong, ultra-light tubing used in box kites. It comes in different sizes and strengths, depending on what you are making. Use the .505” for one-handed blue weapons, and the .610” for red weapons. You can also buy a 4½’ long, 0.505” wide piece of kite spar online for $6 plus shipping at www.gwtw-kites.com (shop online - framing - Glasforms fiberglass rods). Kitespar is also available at www.catchthewind.com/framework.html. Just a reminder: metal cores are forbidden except for our aluminum arrows… and they are only to be used as arrows, not as cores (I have seen it done). There are always new places to get cores and foams out there, so keep looking!