There are necessary qualities an Amtgard-legal shortsword or longsword must possess, and there are stylistic/personal touches that can be added. It is certainly permissible to exceed safety regulations in favor of softness, squishyness, niceness, pillowyness and cushionyness, but the rulebook's minimum standards will always serve to represent the worst quality a weapon can be in and still be permissible for play. All length measurements refer to the final length of the weapon (if you know what it will be - if you don't, the length of the bare core plus the minimum required padding is a good approximation). Please note that this page does not cover the construction of any Amtgard-legal weapons other than slashing and piercing or bashing weapons of a total length between 36" and 48". There are additional and/or different construction rules for different weapon types. There are also many different ways to construst an Amtgard-legal weapon - don't hesitate to be creative unless you're looking for a way to make your weapon less friendly.
Qualities a shortsword or longsword must possess to be Amtgard-legal
I use three kinds of tape and four kinds of foam for these swords. I typically cut each length of tape that I use in half or in thirds lengthwise, because a thinner strip of tape weighs less and will still hold down the foam. Since a big portion of sword-making is taping the same area multiple times, this keeps the weight of the tape that I use a little lighter (whenever you take a sword apart, you can see all the tape that was used together in a single pile - it gets pretty hefty!) The key to taping is using enough tape to hold things in place but not so much tape that your sword becomes heavy and/or hurts people.
![]() |
The core pictured throughout is a graphite golf shaft that I got for free from a local driving range. I covered the ends of the core with Strapping to ensure that there are no sharp corners that might cut through foam. I took a roughly 2" cube of Cheese and wrapped Strapping around the bottom half of it about as tightly as I could. This created a cylinder of foam that was covered with tape and a big puff of looser foam above it. The portion that is covered with tape connects to the taped end of the golf shaft with a little more Strapping (this plug should never move). | ![]() |
![]() |
Because Noodle breaks down more quickly than Wrap, I use Wrap exclusively for the tips of my weapons. Once a Cheese plug has been taped down, tape an edge of your Wrap foam to the core and start wrapping it around. It gets harder to evenly and tightly wrap the foam when using wider foam sheets. Use Clear tape or another light, strong tape to hold the edge of the Wrap foam to the core. As you wrap the foam around the core, stop to tighten it up periodically. As long as you don't tear the foam with your efforts, the foam can be as tight as you can get it. The picture to the right shows that the base layer of foam I created is approximately 2.5" thick. The Cheese plug is being held in place by the Wrap foam, and ends 2" from the core. | ![]() |
![]() |
I tend to strike with the end of my sword much more than the base of the blade, so I feel okay about putting Noodle on the bottom of the sword. It's lightweight and it comes from the factory 2.5" in diameter with a hole through the center, but that doesn't mean that it's simple to work with. The golf shaft that I used wasn't thick enough around to fit exactly inside the noodle's pre-cut center hole, so I took strips of camp pad and taped them around the core with Clear tape (some of the bumpers are double-thick) to keep the noodle from rattling around the core. Sometimes it's nice to have a noisy weapon because it will make a sound when you strike something, but if the foam is allowed to rattle around it will start breaking down from the inside out. Any kind of foam can be used to pad the space between the core and the Noodle, so start making comprimises with yourself. Push the Noodle up against the bottom section of Wrap firmly. The foam bumpers should be thick enough to hold the Noodle securely enough in place that you can worry about taping it all down later. | |
![]() |
Because there are multiple sections of foam taped down over the length of the core, I want to be sure that they stay very close together. I use four strips of Strapping lengthwise and a strip of Strapping on either side of every place where two sections of foam meet. At the tip of the sword there is at least 2" of foam that is unsupported by the core. I use a wider strip of strapping tape over the Wrap on the tip of the sword to be sure that it holds together. When applying this strapping tape, please feel free to use your brute strength to force the foam together lengthwise. You should not be able to squeeze the intersection of any sections of foam and feel the core. | ![]() |
![]() |
The biggest problem I had with my Wrap weapons was that after playing with the sword for a while, the outer layer of foam would start to split apart because there was tape over it and the tape was splitting. My solution right now is to put a single layer of Wrap over the surface of my weapons that can get torn to pieces and then re-taped or replaced and not affect the legality of the weapon. It takes more construction time but it lets you drag out the life of your weapon. The tip of the sword is a chunk of Cheese foam between two 3" diameter circles of Camp Mat. I extend the Strapping that holds the tip on to just below the first section of Wrap foam. This means that even the 2" of foam without core beneath it is secured. The tighter that the top circle of Camp Mat is held down, the meaner your tip will be when stabbing. Of course, the looser that the Camp Mat is held down, the sloppier your tip will be. | ![]() |
![]() |
I make pommels in much the same way that I make tips, but I fold the Wrap foam in half along the width. The pommel is the area where I use the most Strapping. I don't strike with the pommel, and I certainly don't want it sliding around when I'm wielding the sword. Two more 3" diameter circles of Camp Mat go on the bottom of the pommel. Once the Camp Mat is secured, tape the top of the pommel to the core. Six or eight thin strips of strapping tape held down with another strip of strapping tape on either end should be pretty good. Once the pommel is attached to the point that you can't pull it off, you can always tighten it up when you cover it with pretty tape (I use duct tape, but if you wanted you could even make a little cloth cover for your pommel). | ![]() |
![]() |
For quick and easy covers, I recommend Jaclyn Smith brand Trouser Socks (I found them at K-Mart, and they're 23% Lycra). Most nylons and stockings (and even your tube socks) have an extra layer of stretchy ribbing at the end your foot goes in, but the Jaclyn Smith Trouser Socks have that layer (of Lycra) down the entire length of the sock. Secure your cover with tape and find your local Champion to see if the thing you made is any good. To the right are three completed swords (with grip tape over the padded handles), one with crossguards and one without a cover. The uncovered sword has a bamboo core and is slightly curved. The crossguards are made out of pieces of old Noodle cut to fit around the sword's blade. | ![]() |