Game of Thrones has captivated millions, allowing viewers to vicariously immerse themselves in the fantasy world. The characters are complicated, making them more real. The intricacies and of relationships are explored down to the smallest detail as are the costumes, topography and sets within which the action takes place. Even the weaponry has its own story, and swords made out of Valyrian steel are highly prized and rare.
These steel words, forged using magic in ancient Valyria, are unparalleled in their quality. With Valyria gone, the magic used to forge the swords has also been lost. The remaining swords are sought after. It makes sense for people who enjoy cosplay of Game of Thrones characters to make their own Valyrian steel swords for complete and authentic looks. You can make the sword itself out of wood and use spray chrome to make the blade shine with brilliance.
Materials you will need:
● Butcher paper to draw your pattern
● Miter saw, lathe, power sander, table saw, band saw, joiner, drill, drill bits, router head and planer
● 1-inch X 10-inch X 6-feet maple board
● Wenge wood board
● Glue
● Clamps
● 120-grit sandpaper
● 400-grit sandpaper
● Tung oil
● PChrome spray chrome kit
● Blower
● Safety gear
Cut out the blade
Taking the butcher paper, draw out the pattern of the sword. The blade portion should be 45 inches. Mark the maple at 48 inches and cut it using your circular saw. Send the cut portion through your planer, taking the thickness down to 3/8 inches. Setting up your table saw, send the board through to cut it to 3-9/16 inches and remove the additional width.
Using your pattern, draw the sword’s point on your cut board and use a band saw to cut it out. Run the planed piece through your joiner along both edges to help give it a sharply pointed and tapered sword-like edge. Taking your power sander, use 120-grit sandpaper to make repeated passes along the edges of the sword to complete the tapering.
Clamp the blade portion down using clamps on either end to mark the length of the groove that you will put into the sword, clamping the sword alongside a straight edge. Take a router head and set it up so it will run down the middle of the blade, and make your v-groove. Turn the board around and make a second v-groove of the same length, leaving room to do shorter v-grooves on each side. In the grooves, apply walnut stain to darken the grooves. To make the base of the sword so it will fit into the handle, place it in a miter box. Cut the bottom three inches on either side to square it off, removing about 1/8 of an inch on either side. Use a hacksaw to barely give it a lip on either side of the sword with the blade clamped down in a miter box, and then cut off all but about 1/2 inch of the length. Sand it smooth and let the walnut stain dry for 24 hours, taking care to blow off all sawdust and to wet it down.
Prepare your blade for chroming
Next, you will need to prepare your blade’s surface for chroming. Start by taping off the grooves so that they do not get chrome inside of them. Then, apply primer to the entire blade surface, allowing it to fully cure and dry.
Mix your solutions
You will next mix your solutions for the chroming process. You will need to mix each of the S, D and R solutions in proportions of one part of each concentrate for every 30 milliliters of deionized water. Only mix up enough to use in one day. After setting those three solutions aside, mix your W solution. It is made with a ratio of four parts of concentrate per 30 milliliters of deionized water. Set it aside.
Make your base coat and apply it
Your base coat is made by combining your Permalac 2KA with your Permalac 2KB hardener in equal amounts together with 20 percent of your 2K black reducer. After mixing your base coat, spray it over the blade’s surface. It is best to do so from the bottom of the blade to the top to prevent drips. After your base coat is applied, let it sit for 24 hours so it can cure. Clean out your spray gun with paint thinner.
Apply your spray chrome
Begin by sensitizing the surface of your blade. To do this, you’ll first spray your W solution all over it. Then, spray your D solution all over the blade and rinse it with deionized water. Repeat these steps, and don’t let it dry before moving on.
Take your dual-nozzled sprayer marked S and R and metalize the blade, again working up the surface from the bottom. Continue applying until you have the desired result. Blow off any water droplets that remain behind on the surface of the blade.
Apply your top coat
Next, you’ll apply the top coat. It is mixed together in the same proportions as your basecoat, but you will need to make certain that you use your clear reducer instead of the black reducer. After you have mixed it, spray it over the surface of the blade. It will dry in about 48 hours. Remove the tape from the grooves, and you’re ready to move on to the handle.
Handle
Your handle will be about 13 and 1/2 inches long with a cross piece that is about 16 inches long. You’ll use the wenge wood for the handle, which is a dark African wood. First, rough-cut it down to 2 1/4 inches. Cross cut out three 16-inch pieces that are 2 1/4 inches wide. Put the three 16-inch pieces through a planer on each side and then glue them together. Spread the glue evenly on both sides of the pieces using a brush and clamp them together to glue them. Let them sit for at least 24 hours.
While the handle’s base is drying, take the remaining wood that was removed when it was cut down to 2 1/4 inches to make the cross arm of the sword. Cut it into three 16-inch pieces and send them through the planer. Remove the handle from the clamps, and then glue together the three pieces for the cross arm and clamp them, allowing them to dry for at least 24 hours.
Smooth the rough edges of the handle’s base and send it through the table saw to square it off. Plane it down until it is 2 inches by 2 inches, and cross-cut the edge off of both sides to square them off. Take the cross piece and do the same thing, but take it down until it is 1 5/8 inches by 1 5/8 inches.
Find the very center point of the center of the cross arm and counterpunch it.
Mark the side where the blade goes, and drill a small hole all of the way through so you can easily find the center on the other side. Change the drill bit and drill out the part where the blade will go, then chisel it out to fit the blade.
Take the handle piece and put it in the lathe to turn it. Design and shape it while it rounds. When it is done, sand it smooth using a power sander while it turns. Put the drilled-out cross-piece for the sword in the lathe and turn it, designing it as it turns.
Drill a 1/4 inch hole in the bottom of the cross-piece and glue in the handle. Glue the blade in the portion that has been drilled out for it. Let it sit overnight to dry.
Go over the handle and cross arm with 400-grit sandpaper until it is very smooth. Apply a coat of tung oil to the handle and let it dry overnight. Then, apply a second coat of tung oil to the handle and let it dry overnight again.
When you have completed your own replica sword, you will be able to proudly display it on your wall or be the talk of the convention with your realistic Ice sword from the Game of Thrones. You can order your PChrome kit today so that your blade will gleam like only a blade made from Valyrian steel can. Call us to place your order or order yours on our website.