Weapon construction

Dom

Dom

Scout
I felt like trying my hand at weapon construction.

The Home Depot and Lowes in my area apparently only carry 3/8 inch wall pipe insulation. Is it feasible to use 2 pieces of 3/8 wall foam, 1 piece around the core and then a larger piece around that foam for a total of 3/4 inches of padding?
 
Yes. You can absolutely layer foam to meet the 5/8" minimum thickness. You can also order 5/8"-thick pipe foam insulation from somewhere on the East Coast and have it delivered. It seems as though the plumbing standards and practices there make finding 5/8" foam a lot more common.

-Luke
 
I live in New York, I can't even find 5/8 wall online. But that's OK, I'll just double up on 3/8. Thank you.
 
Yes you can, but the second layer will need an extra strip to close the gap as only the first layer will fit securely around the pipe. Also, the second layer will be tricky to make sure is it not too tight but also not too loose. It's a tough balance, especially if you're new to making weapons. It's a whole lot easier (and more likely to pass inspection) if you just order the 5/8" by requesting it from a local hardware store.
 
you're probably right, but I'm stubborn so I'm gonna give it a try with what I have for these first few weapons. Another thing, I used 1/2 pvc as a core for a polearm. It's got quite a bit of whip to it and I'm pretty sure a thicker core would have worked out better but it's what I had.

My questions are; how stiff exactly is a polearm supposed to be? Is flex allowable and to what extent? Are there any secrets to eliminate flex?
 
Just buy two different sizes of pipe foam...on for the 1/2" PVC and the second layer made for 1 1/4" pipe (1/2" plus 2x3/8"). Then you don't have to worry about getting that extra strip just right. If you can only find 1 1/2" for the bigger piece, it's easier to cut out a little to make it smaller than to add a piece in.

If I remember correctly, schedule 80 PVC has thicker walls which makes it sturdier than schedule 60. You could also use .605 kitespar, which is super light on top of being sturdy enough for a polearm. I believe the book says that a weapon cannot bend more than 6" from true when held by the handle and a moderate weight is applied to the tip. So you'll have to ask your local marshal what they do to test for whip.

-Luke
 
Yea it's definitely a lot more than 6". As soon as I pick it up it's like "oh god this is dangerous". Pretty sure this one is screwed. I'll have to find a better core.
 
In general and my experience, PVC just doesn't work for two handed weapons without getting the super thick walled stuff, which makes the weapon so heavy that it's hard to check your swings without some serious practice and upper body strength.

I highly recommend going with kite spar. The fiberglass is much more rigid, preventing whip issues, while also being lighter and just generally sturdier stuff.
 
I ordered 5/8" thick foam from here.

http://www.doitbest.com/Pipe+insulation ... 402699.dib
http://www.doitbest.com/Pipe+insulation ... 402702.dib
http://www.doitbest.com/Pipe+insulation ... 402710.dib

Cores:
Goodwinds Cores: they recommend...go with the .505 and .524 inches in diameter and 54 to 72 inches long, but those are only good for 1 handers. I went to .745. The finished quarterstaff is crazy light for a 6 footer and still has very little flex.
http://www.goodwinds.com/merch/list.sht ... fiberglass
 
Dom said:
I live in New York, I can't even find 5/8 wall online. But that's OK, I'll just double up on 3/8. Thank you.
Click to expand...

doitbest.com is where I've got foam in the past..
 
As far as the polearm core, Which would you say would be a better choice? The fiberglass or the carbon? From what I have read the carbon is much stiffer than the fiberglass. But is it too stiff? Obviously the fiberglass is much cheaper but they are stating that because the fiberglass has more flex that it is somewhat more durable. Honestly what I would probably end up doing is, whichever I choose, I'm going to get a 1/2" OD 5' section and just remove and replace the core on the current weapon. I'm thinking that the carbonfiber would be the better choice for a 1/2" piece.
 
Alright, that is what I will do then. Thanks for the info.
 
I got another question :)

As far as waylay and thrusting tips. I found a material called Nu-Foam that claims to do everything that open cell foam does but better as it is mold resistant and wear resistant. It's basically a cushion made out of polyfil. Has anybody worked with this stuff before or know of it and can lend an opinion on it? It's a little more expensive than regular open cell but is supposed to last much longer.
 
Check to see if it mentions what 'poundage' the foam is. Poundage is how much 1 cubic foot the foam weighs. Open Cell Foam usually comes in at 3 pounds. If their foam is higher weight, I'd say pass on it as it's not just about how squishy the foam is but also how heavy.

As for lasting longer than open cell foam - never really had an issue with open cell myself and I'd imagine if I did, replacement tips are rather easy to come by. When I made latex weapons with thrusties, not only were they covered with latex but also a thin, soft suede tip.
 
I cannot be certain that this is 100% correct as I cannot find a straight forward answer as to the poundage but going by shipping weight from several different sites. This stuff is approximately 1.3 to 1.5 lbs per cubic foot.
 
If you're willing to take a shot at it, go for it. It'll probably pass but just like any new material, it's up to a weapon's marshal to pass or fail when they have it in their hands.
 
I was pretty much making these just to screw around since I never made a weapon before, but yea, I'm gonna have them marshaled and see what happens. I was just curious if anybody else had used it before
 
The rulebook says that a thrusting or waylay tip must easily compress to approximately 50% of its original thickness.

Poundage, or the measure of a foam's density, is the amount of urethane chemical in a cubic foot of material (which could be tested for by weighing); but what you're really concerned with is the materials ILD rating, or Indentation Load Deflection. This rating is the pounds of force required to compress a foam by 25% of its original thickness. You must be careful that you get the ILD rating for your foam material at 2" thickness, because as you increase or decrease the thickness of the same foam material, the ILD increases and decreases along with it. You probably want an ILD somewhere in the range of 15-20, which is roughly equivalent to couch coushins which might be described as "medium back coushins/XXX-extra soft seating" up to "firm back coushins/XX-extra soft seating" (according to http://www.carrscorner.com/foam.php).

-Luke
 
Well. It feels about the same as open cell to the point that unless you cut it open, I don't think somebody could really tell that its not open cell
 
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