People: the hilts on these swords are made of FOAM! That means that
they are decorative in nature, and are NOT designed to be used to parry
blows. You can block with the blade of your sword or you can use a
shield to block those annoying attempts to do damage to your beloved self!
Accidents, however, do happen....
These instructions assume that you have accidentally snapped one side
of the hilt off of your sword.
Please read through the instructions below BEFORE starting to
make your repairs.
The steps are simple and easy to implement,
but it takes a lot of space to actually write these steps down.
So don't panic at the seeming length of the repair process; it's
really not difficult to do.
Panic not, young Padawan, here's how to repair the damage and make it look
as good as new! Ready? Here we go....
- Use a VERY sharp pair of scissors and cut the excess, torn latex off
from the broken handle and off from the broken hilt. In fact, remove any
excess latex that may be dangling as a result of the damage.
Note: do not attempt to use a razor blade or an X-Acto knife.
Latex strectches and single-bladed instruments will not
produce a clean cut.
- Cut a 3 inch piece from the middle section of one bamboo chopstick.
This will be used as a dowell rod for the repair process. You can also use
a 1/8th inch dowell rod.
- Get some rough sandpaper and roughen the surface of the dowell.
By "rough" I mean 100 grit or less. If you wish, you can score
the sides of each dowell when you have finished roughing the
surface. I'd recommend one score every half inch on each side
of the dowell, and to offset the scores on one side of the dowell
from those on the other side.
- Get a drill. Use a bit that is smaller than the dowell and drill into
the foam on the portion of the hilt attached to the body of the sword.
Drill down TO the core but don't touch the core.
DO NOT PENETRATE OR SCORE THE CORE OF THE SWORD!!!
- Use the dowell to measure the depth of the drilled hole. Mark that
point on the dowell.
Drill into the separated hilt piece to a depth that will contain
the remainder of the dowell. Drill an extra 1/8th of an inch deep
if there is sufficient length on the separated piece.
Drill a straight line such that when you insert the dowell into
the hole on the body AND the hole in the hilt piece, and then push the
separated hilt back onto the body, the end result is lined up
properly.
GET THIS RIGHT BEFORE PROCEEDING.
If the hole gets a little big
we can correct it later by using more glue and appropriately
adjusting the way the separated hilt piece fits the sword.
- Get some Aleene's Tacky Glue from Hobby Lobby. Any comparable glue will
work if you cannot find this particular brand. You just need a glue that
will stick to foam.
- Attach the dowell to the sword-side:
- Remove the dowell from the body and from the hilt.
- Insert glue into the hole on the body until it is one-quarter full.
- Apply a coat of glue to the portion of the dowell to be inserted.
- Insert the dowell into the hole on the body. Remove ALL of the excess.
- Allow the glue to dry and fully cure, this will take 12 hours.
- Attach the separated hilt piece to the sword:
- Ensure that the dowell is snug and the glue has fully cured.
- Insert glue into the hole on the hilt piece until it is half full.
- Insert the dowell into the hole on the hilt piece.
Do NOT remove the excess, instead, coat the
surface area of the torn foam.
- Push the hilt piece onto the body.
Match the torn area as precisely as possible.
Ideally the glue will ooze out from the wound on all sides.
- Remove any excess glue after the separated piece has been
pressed into the body of the sword.
- Allow the glue to dry and fully cure, this will take 12 hours.
- Complete reattaching the torn hilt:
- Fill any gaps between the torn edges with glue.
Allow the glue to fully cure; this will take 12 hours.
Be sure to cover the edges of the cut and the trimmed latex
by at least one-half an inch.
- Repeat until you have a smooth surface over the hilt; especially
over the area where the hilt was torn off.
- If necessary, you can use a fine grade of sandpaper (200 grit or
higher) to sand off any excessive lumps that might have developed
when the glue cured
- Use blue painter's masking tape and clean, white paper to mask off
the handle and at least 12" of the blade.
- Get some enamel spray paint in the color of your choice and apply
several thin coats. ALLOW EACH COAT TO FULLY DRY before applying
the next coat.
Paint the hilt AND the pommel. This way the colors will match
when the repairs have been completed.
The drying process will require about an hour. I recommend a
minimum of three coats of paint.
- When you have the hilt painted the way you like, let it cure overnight.
- Get a spray can of sealant (like Testor's Semi-Gloss Sealant) and
apply several thin coats to the newly painted areas. Allow each coat
to FULLY dry before applying the next coat; this will take about 30
minutes per coat.
- Remove the paint masking and admire the beauty that is your fully
repaired and fully operational sword!
Please email us at "support@latex-weaponry.com" if you have any questions
about this process.
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