jp-props-blog

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Master Work: applied experimental research presentation. So as I’ve probably mentioned my master work for my final year at NIDA is a research project into theatrical blade props, I’ll be covering everything from real steel hero props to foam combat props all the way down to special effects props that shatter like Narsil from The Lord Of The Rings. Today we submitted the research component of the master work, including all my experiments and test from over the term. Section A is blade shaping. Section B is rust effects. Section C is cold casting metallic resin blades. Section D is shattering blades. Section E is my collection of bronze and Brass cast knife parts. Section F are my blood knife props that squirt fake blood. And section G are my LARP props where I have a foam hammer next to a real hammer and two foam latex blades. #props #knife #sword #larp #coldcasting #specialeffects #scenicart #metalwork #bronze #lostwax #viking #rust #blood #knifemaking #hammer #lordoftherings #narsil #masterwork #research #gallery

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The casts are still coming out super warped so I had to completely level the crossguard with a file and re-etch the boarder with a dental drill. It’s come out a little wobbly but still good practice. I’m hoping to fix this by using an enclosed mould next time rather than an open face so that the molten metal can’t lift as much. #bronze #casting

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Still too much moisture in the plaster as you can see by the steam (and a little smoke). I’ve got the other three moulds in an oven now though so hopefully they’ll be a little better. #lostwaxcasting #bronze #plaster #knifemaking #oxyacetylene

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Two cheese knifes, bronze and brass, from salvaged casts. My cross guard moulds weren’t fully dry today but I still wanted to cast some parts and I had a spare blade mould. My crucible couldn’t hold enough metal but I was still able to turn these failed casts into cool little cheese knifes. #knife #knifemaking #cheeseknife #bronze #brass #crucible

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Plaster moulds are done and ready to dry over the weekend so that I can start pouring bronze on Monday. First I made a 3D model of the cross guard which was then 3D printed, then I made a silicon mould of the print so that I could create wax copies, so that I could make the plaster moulds around them and melt the wax out before casting the bronze. #3dprinting #mouldmaking #bronze #Sword #medieval #crossguard #metalwork #silicone #lostwaxcasting

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Made a little bronze today, 88% copper (pipe) 12% tin (pewter). The funny thing about pewter is that old pewter is 98% tin and 2% lead, but new lead free pewter is 2% copper making it the perfect choice for cheap readily available tin, which is surprisingly hard to come by. I’m still producing another plaster mould for a cross guard so today’s test used the same water casting method I used in 2016. #bronze #casting #metalwork #bronzeage #copper #pewter #props

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I’ve been having a play with Larp weapons and how to achieve that professional glossy rubber steal look that you find on the high end gear made over seas. Very happy with this level of finish for now. EVA foam body, carbon fibre core, latex finish applied with spray gun, acrylic paint pigment. #Larp #Sword #larpsword #props #latex #medieval

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Accidentally produced some pretty neat marbling effects when I used the same mixing stick from the silver blade to stir the other clean plasters. Blades made from various levels of pottery plaster, water, PVA, and silver pigment. They’ll be stress tested later today to see how they shatter. #props #knife #fauxmarble #shatter #plaster

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Had a little play this arvo with various states of decay. #rust #dirt #weathering #knife #sword #props

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Vacuum forming is a really quick way to produce tray mounds. I’m using this mould to experiment with different plaster ratios of plaster, water, and PVA glue.

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They say you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, but I’m about to put all my material tests in one vacuum former 👌🏼 #vacuumforming #props #knife

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Did a little 3D printing last night for the first time in a long time. Left: PLA plastic crossguard on steel blade. Right: Monday’s brass crossguard on aluminium blade. #sword #knife #viking #3dprinting

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Small collection of brass casting pics. I overestimated my scrap supplies so I repacked the crucible with some brass keys and hit it with the Oxy Torch and poured into my plaster mould. Unfortunately I didn’t quite get it hot enough this time so the pour quality was a little off, as you can see with the surface finish. #brass #metalwork #sword #knife

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Melting down my scrap brass from last years jewellery project to try some brass casting. #brass #crucible

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Doing more experimentation with raw materials, specifically how polish the blade and shape the fuller. The fullers certainly aren’t pretty at the moment as they’re proof of concepts rather than finished results so all require more grinding. Left to right I have Aluminium, Steel, and Acrylic. #knifemaking #knife #sword #dagger

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Ran a few tests with some more curing over the weekend. I should have spent more time sanding the original timber blade but really this was just a quick materials test. Left to right I have the timber original, aluminium powder, silver powder, and gold powder. All cast with Barnes easycast. #knife #props #coldcast

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My accounts have been pretty dead for the last couple of weeks as I’ve mainly been working on research and documentation of theoretical work, but today I’m doing some experimenting with cold casting. #coldcast #knife #props