Stabbing Tip Tutorial

Dagorhir
Stabbing Tip Tutorial
101

Iohn deMar

*For reference, see “Blue Sword Tutorial 101”.
Stabbing tips on weapons other than spears can be very tricky to accomplish, and often times a good design will last only so long before the tip inevitably fails. Stabbing tips are one of the hardest things to make properly and effectively in Dagorhir. This is mainly due to two reasons. A, the tip hits too hard or B, the tip folds over exposing core. There have been many designs on how to build green stabbing tips on blue weapons (swords particularly). Some of them only work for specific weapon types, others are more user friendly, and some require expensive materials, ect. The following design tries to make the best of both worlds.

Materials
Many different and strange methods have been used for stabbing tips. A few good materials that have lasted the test of time are open-cell and “marine foam”, a resilient, rubbery closed-cell. A good rule of thumb is, the denser the open-cell (2-4 lbs. per cubic foot), the more likely a stabbing tip is to pass weapons check. This concept originates from the theory of progressive resistance. Progressive resistance simply means that the more a material is compressed, the harder it becomes to compress it. Many times this theory refers to compound systems where two or more foams are used in conjunction with one another to increase a weapons factor of progressive resistance. Marine foam, on the other hand has been advocated as the ideal material for stabbing tips. Not only does marine foam have properties of open-cell foam that make its factor of progressive resistance high relative to open-cell foams, but it also has properties of closed-cell foam which gives it more rigidity and resistance to bending. For this project, let us assume that we will be using 3 lb. Density polyurethane open-cell foam.
-Polyurethane: This is the open-cell. Its commonly called “computer packing foam”, and can be ordered from most foam warehouses. You’ll want the sheet in two inch thickness.
-Adhesive: DAP, will work well enough for this project. If you want a better option, 3M Super 77 spray adhesive works well for open-cell foam application.
-Knife: A box knife will suffice, but you may want something with a longer bade such as a serrated steak knife.
-Duct tape: This project is one of the few that calls for duct tape, so make sure you have some on hand.

Preparation
In order for this to make sense from here on out, you’ll need to have constructed a sword as given in “Blue Sword Tutorial 101”. Leave the second wrap of foam off the sword for now, we’ll apply it after the stabbing tip.

Step 1.
Cut a block of open cell with your knife 1 ¼” x 3” x 2”. This will be your stabbing tip. If your foam is not as dense, you will need to alter the dimensions of the block accordingly to compensate for lower density.



Step 2.
DAP the sword edge and wait for the adhesive to dry. Then apply the block of open-cell foam to the end of the sword (do not DAP the block itself).



Step 2.2.
Apply a strip of duct tape around the end of the blade so that it meets halfway on your open-cell block.



Step 3.
Take your pre-cut strip of closed-cell (the 3rd wrap) and DAP it. Wait for it to lose its tackiness, and then lay it along your blade, up and over the open-cell foam at the tip of your sword compressing it only slightly, and then down the other side of the blade.



Step 4.
Cut two squares of closed-cell foam 2 ½” x 2 ½”. DAP both squares, and DAP the area around the duct tape and open-cell foam on the flats of the blade near the tip. Wait to dry. These squares will go on the flats of the blade near the end positioned halfway up the open-cell block. This design will prevent the open-cell stabbing tip from folding over, yet still allow adequate compression.





Step 4.2.
This step is optional but will help hold your sword together. Take some cloth tape or athletic tape and wrap around the block and tip of your sword.



Now, sew a cover for your sword and you’re good to go!

Besides marine and computer packing foam do you have a good alternative?

Alasdair wrote:

Besides marine and computer packing foam do you have a good alternative?

The foam from inside old couches and chairs seems to be a popular alternative.

really? thank you I have a couple old retired couches in my garage. Guess they will be gone soon

actually my fuzzy's didn't pass this last time at dom cause they "compress to fast"

I made the tip for a glaive I'm working on (I put videos up on facebook in case anyone wants to see) from a nerf-style soccer ball with a slot in the middle, cradled by a ring of foam molded to fit the thing. To make the ball compress easier (it's really dense foam) I cut slits where the seams on an actual soccer ball would be.
*edit* I basically followed Iohn's design with some modifications to the shape of the reinforcement foam to accomodate the round open-cell. It passes hit tests now, but isn't pommeled or incidentally padded yet, and so hasn't seen heavy use at practice.

That would be really interesting to see sometime, Svipdag. I'll have to check facebook to see what you're talking about better.

Couch foam actually sucks. Just my opinion. It compresses so fast, that it doesn't soften the blow.

Dollar general has "8" shaped car sponges that work awesome. Nerf football/soccer/dodge balls work great.

A good resource for marine foam is in two locations at wal-marts.

In the pool supplies, they sell a large floating matt made of it. 35-40 dollars, and about 20 x 60 inches, 1.5 inches thick.

In the garden section is a kneeling pad made of it. 5 dollars, and about 18 x 12 inches, 1.5 inches thick.

Both are covered in a latex coating, you will need to either carefully remove the latex, or slit the hell out of it. ALOT.



If you use couch foam, use a thicker peice and compress it down to size. This will assist in evening out the compression.

The