Excalibur Letter Opener

Drknotter made an awsome Lord of the Rings Sword. Following his lead I decided to make a sword myself. I got on the internet and searched "excalibur dimensions". I divided what I found by 9 and got to making this tiny sword. It comes in useful when I want to get midieval on my letter opening. To make it I used a piece of 3/16" steel rod, a 1/4" shelf pin, a bullet shell, and a little polymer clay. 

Credit goes to my seven year old son for setting up the sword to "look cool" for the photo shoot.

Step 1: Hammer Out the Blade

Heat the dowel until it glows and hammer it about 1.5mm thick. For these dimensions you’ll want to hammer out at least 10 centimeters. As you hammer, check the blade against the edge of a ruler to make sure your sword is strait.  To do this you have to hit the rod squarely. If you hammer off center the rod will hook to the right or left.



 

Step 2: Shape the Blade

Use a sanding attachment to rough shape the sword. Don’t “sharpen” the entire blade. Leave a section square. Use hobby files to further refine the blade.

To get a consistent bevel on the edge use a marker to color the entire blade. As you file away it’s easier to shape in a strait line. 

Use a grinding disc to remove material for the handle. Don't forget to wear your safety googles.


 

Step 3: Form the Guard

Heat a shelf pin until it glows. Hammer both sides flat. Use a grinding wheel to rough shape and files to refine. Once you have the shape you want curl the ends downward with round nose pliers and some torch heat. Drill a hole in the middle large enough to fit the handle.

Step 4: Cut the Pommel

Just like the shelf pin, use what you have on hand. In this case I have a rifle shell casing. I mounted it in my drill press, spun it round and used a file to cut a piece off. I then drilled a hole and placed it on the handle.

Step 5: Solder, Polish, Clay

Solder both the guard and pommel in place.

Use progressively finer sand paper to polish the sword. I start with 400 grit, then move on to 1000, 2000, and finally polishing compound on a polishing wheel.

Form polymer clay around the handle and through the pommel. Smooth it out before you bake it in the oven. 

Thanks for reading.