QC#93 - Mini Master Sword

Free Master Sword Template on Instagram: A styrofoam "Master Sword" forged from dollar store foam board, can be used for cosplay or metal casting. Full project video: Coming Tuesday, February 23rd Next Video: QC#94 – Touch Powder: Coming Soon! Previous Video: QC#92 - Foam Fighters: Coming Soon! Subscribe for new videos every 5 days! Join my email list! "Quick Clips" are clips of random experiments in a minute or less. For other project videos, check out Endcard Links: The "Styro-Slicer": Batarang: Mini Arc Furnace: Magic Mud: Social Media Links: Google+:  Facebook:  Instagram:  Twitter:  Pinterest:  Tumblr:  Music by Scott & Brendo “One More Time” Instrumental iTunes: YouTube: Project Inspired By: A picture I saw on a Google search nearly 2 years ago. I was looking for ideas for a sword I could make out of styrofoam, then turn into aluminum. WARNING: Styrofoam crafting involves high temperature cutting wires which can burn skin, and release small quantities of toxic gasses from the styrofoam itself. Metal casting should only be attempted under adult supervision, by those skilled in the process, and who understand the risks. Have fun, but always think ahead, and remember that any project you try is at YOUR OWN RISK. Project History & More Info: After I melted my first batch of soda cans into liquid aluminum, the first thing I though of making was a sai, like Rafael from the Ninja Turtles. I didn't have a mold, but I remembered seeing a technique for "lost foam casting" where something could be made out of styrofoam and buried in sand, then hot molten metal poured in overtop to burn away the foam, and take the shape of the object. I tried cutting the styrofoam with a knife, but it just made a mess, and the sai looked terrible. So I made a hot wire "Styro-Slicer" so I could cut foam cleaner. With the Styro-Slicer complete, I quickly traced out the shape of a sword freehand, and tried casting it, and it turned out perfect! Exactly as the foam looked, and I was amazed. So I wondered if I could make a sword that looked better and more professional. I did a Google image search for "sword template", and came across a picture of a playful "Master Sword" that was the perfect size for a small cosplay type sword. I printed out the shape, glued it to some styrofoam, and was really glad to see I could trace the paper with the hot wire foam cutter, to get a really clean and professional looking piece. The first prototype I made wasn't originally intended to be made into a video, but made a cameo appearance at the end of my first styrofoam casting video Since then I've wanted to make a version that was 3D and looked awesome, but it's taken a lot of time figure out how I wanted it to look. I had my friend Ritchie from Sonic Dad make a vector of the image so I could try scaling it for templates, which he very kindly did for me. But unfortunately I didn't end up using it because I needed to create different layers to make the sword 3D. I spent 3 days in photoshop creating different designs, layers, and template prototypes, until I finally came up with a design I liked. From there I tested different versions of the template on foam, so I could understand how many layers were needed to get a clean cast. (When the blade was only 1 layer thin, the metal wouldn't penetrate all the way down). I made and cast over 12 swords to get a feel for what worked best, and what didn't. And this design is the result of all that experimenting and prototyping. I'm really happy with how these turned out, and super excited about the beveled blade, which was a cool feature of the Styro-Slicer I put together. They look good in styrofoam, and can easily be converted to aluminum, or in this case, brass. Free "Mini Master Sword" Template: