Weapon Cores

matrim1985

matrim1985

Expert
I was looking at different cores for weapons. Goodwinds has a lot of different cores, both fiberglass and carbon, and wanted to hear what people thought of them. I am particularly interested in a carbon tube.
 
Carbon can be brittle, but it's great for making really light/fast weapons. Id advise getting an extra length or two to bring with you in case of breakage during game. :)
 
What size do you recommend?
 
I prefer their 0.5 OD because how it fits my hand for one handers. http://goodwinds.com/20039.html
2 hander, go with the 0.75. On that, you might want to go down to fiberglass.

Tap Plastics is also a good source for cores.
 
Aren't a lot of one-handers made with the core from golf clubs you can find at Goodwill then cut the heads off on?
 
They can be. It depends on the availability of golf clubs in your area, and the preferences of the people making the weapons.

I've seen kitespar, fishing poles, golf clubs, bamboo... as long as the material has a little flex and isn't going to shatter into something that will stab your enemy through the foam, it's worth asking the marshals or head of rules in your local chapter about.
 
As I may need to make a 2-hander instead of purchase one, and am looking at lighter materials, does anyone have any experience of the pultruded vs filament wound epoxy tubes? From goodwind the pultruded are available in an OD of 0.625" topping out so I'm a little concerned about structural integrity for a big ol' sword.
 
I guess the Beaverton/Portland area is a gold mine then because you can go to a Goodwill and find boxes full of golf clubs. :funny:
 
I use a filament-wound, 0.745" OD core for a polearm. Got the diameter because it was the only one that came long enough to get a 72" polearm out of, but I find it has the right amount of give for a six-foot weapon.

I used to use a fiberglass core (probably the pultruded stuff you're talking about) but found it just a bit too whippy for my tastes, for a polearm. It's still fine for a 2-handed sword (and the filament-wound stuff is probably too stiff at that length, but smaller diameters might work out fine.)
 
Ben, there's probably a TAP Plastics near you. I've made 2-handers out of .745 that never broke. In fact, I've never seen a carbon fiber core break; I've refoamed weapons that had 10 year old carbon cores (including my own stuff, and I am rough on my gear). I've seen both bamboo and fishing poles pop though. For 1 handed stuff, I go golf club almost every time now.
 
If you go with the golf club core, fishing pole, or anything that has a taper to it, add a strip of foam tape at the top, or the core will rattle around in the foam and degrade it from the inside, requiring re-foaming more frequently.
 
phedre said:
If you go with the golf club core, fishing pole, or anything that has a taper to it, add a strip of foam tape at the top, or the core will rattle around in the foam and degrade it from the inside, requiring re-foaming more frequently.
Click to expand...

Found window/door edge foam to work really well for this.
 
I'll add my voice in support of the 0.745" OD filament wound epoxy for 2-handers. Those cores are nigh indestructible and not too expensive (~$15 at TAP plastics). I've seen people use 0.414" for one-handed weapons, but I wouldn't advise it for anything longer than a mid short. For all one-handers my money's on the 0.505".
 
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