Tutorial: Cosplay Swords for Beginners

Need a shield to go with your sword? check out my other tutorial (which includes two types of shields)

Crafting a cosplay sword can elevate your costume from good to great, providing that element of realism that can impress at conventions, during photo shoots, or at any cosplay event. Luckily, making a convincing sword for your cosplay doesn’t require a blacksmith’s forge or a hefty budget; with some creativity and the right materials, you can create a blade on your own.

With some simple materials, like EVA foam, PVC pipe, and a handful of tools, you can construct a lightweight, durable sword that looks like it’s straight out of a video game or anime. The process is easier than you think too!

Remember, safety always comes first, especially when working with sharp tools and materials. Take your time to plan your design, gather your tools, and follow this step-by-step approach to bring your cosplay sword to life. With a bit of patience and effort, you’ll have a prop that could steal the show.

If you’ve never heard of EVA foam, feel free to check out my post going over the basics of this material. I’ll also try to make sure I explain all the basics as I go through this tutorial.

Supplies needed:

• Paper and pencil
• 4mm Eva foam
• Sharp razor
• Thin wooden dowels (¼ inch or ½ inch width)
• Hot glue or contact cement
• Sandpaper or rotary sanding tool (I used a Dremel)
• Primer
• Metallic paint
• Short PVC pipe or something similar for the hilt (I used a cake dowel)
• Paper clay for the pommel
• Acrylic paint for the hilt

1. Draw  the sword shape and size

The first thing you need to do is draw out the shape of your sword:

1. Determine the length of your sword. If you’re unsure, a good approximation is the length of your arm.
2. Use a ruler to draw two parallel lines that taper to a point at one end (the blade of the sword). I made my sword about 2 inches wide, but yours could be thicker if you’re creating a widesword, or thinner if you’re making some smaller (like a dagger).
3. Add any blade designs to the pattern. I made a simple curved edge on the hilt end of the sword blade.
4. Trace the PVC pipe at the top of your sword blade. This will be the base of your sword hilt.
5. Determine the shape of your crossguard). In this example, I made it a long oval that curved toward the blade. Draw out the cross guard as you’ll see it from the top too (as if you were looking down at it from the top of the hilt).

I’m creating a fairly simple design for this example, but you can make your sword as intricate as you want. The basic steps will remain the same, you’ll just have to make some adjustments to the shape and intricacies of your blade and hilt.

In part 1 below, we’ll make the blade and paint it. Then in part 2, I’ll go over how to create a simple hilt to attach to the blade.

Part 1: the sword blade

This part is slightly more difficult, so let’s get it out of the way first. By the end of this section, you will have the blade constructed and painted, ready to attach to the hilt.

Supplies for the blade:

• 4mm Eva foam
• Sharp razor
• Thin wooden dowels (¼ inch or ½ inch width)
• Hot glue or contact cement
• Sandpaper or rotary sanding tool (I used a Dremel)
• Primer
• Metallic paint

1. Cut two of the blade pieces out of EVA foam

Trace the paper pattern of your blade onto the EVA foam, and cut out two of them. When cutting, make sure to stay on the inside of the line you traced so that the sword ends up the same size as your original paper pattern.

Cut the pieces out with a beveled edge (slanted). Hold the razor at a 45º angle. This way, the edges will come to a point when you combine your two pieces of foam.

It’s okay if you don’t cut the edges perfectly (I didn’t either). We’ll make them smoother by sanding them down in a couple of steps.

Note: keep your razor as sharp as possible. Razor blades tend to get dull when cutting through the foam, so it’s best to keep a knife sharpener on hand and sharpen your blade after every few cuts.

2. Glue the dowel in the center of one piece

If you glue the EVA foam pieces together right now, you’ll end up with a pretty floppy sword. Add a thin wooden dowel to the center of the sword to give it some structure.

1. Make sure your dowel is long enough for your sword. I needed to glue a few of the wooden dowels together so it would fit the length.
2. Glue the dowel to the center of one sword piece. It should stop a few inches away from the tip of the sword.

3. Glue the second EVA foam piece of the blade

Now you want to glue the second blade piece, making the edges meet at a point. It’s okay if it’s not 100% perfect (you can fix it when you sand the edges in the next step), but try to make it as close as possible.

Use the contact cement (or hot glue), and press the edges together. It might be better to work in one small section at a time. Make sure the foam pieces are holding together before moving on to the next section. 

Note: for contact cement, you want to apply it to both layers of EVA foam and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes before pressing the pieces together. Hot glue and most other adhesives can be added to a single edge and pressed together immediately.

4. Sand the edges of the blade

When sanding EVA foam, always use a dust mask and wear safety goggles. This will prevent you from inhaling particles or getting any into your eyes.

If you’re like me, you have a blade with somewhat messy edges. Let’s sand those down to make them smooth and create a better edge to the sword blade. You can use regular old sandpaper for this if you want, but it will go much faster if you use a rotary sanding tool instead. I recommend a Dremel Lite (it’s what I used) and it makes the sanding take only 15 minutes. But, make sure to practice on some scrap pieces of foam before using this on your blade. 

5. Prime and paint

Now that your blade is completely constructed, all that’s left is to paint it.

1. Start by adding 3-4 layers of primer (I recommend Cosflex). This will help to smooth out the surface of the blade and help the paint adhere better. Make sure to use a smooth paintbrush to avoid adding texture.
2. Choose a metallic paint and add 2-3 layers. For this sword, I used Sargent Art liquid metal and liked the effect, but there are many different brands of metallic paint you can try. There are also spray-on metallic paints if you want to avoid brush strokes completely, or you can use an airbrush if that’s something you are familiar with.

• Learn more about how to paint props to look like metal

If you’re worried about the paint rubbing off or chipping, you can add a layer of varnish, then add another layer of metallic paint on top of that. This way, you’ll get the shine from the paint, but it won’t be very noticeable if the paint starts to chip away.

Part 2: the hilt

Now that your blade is finished and the paint is drying, let’s get started on the hilt. If you’re making a simple, cylindrical hilt, this part is fairly simple. All you need to do is attach a crossguard and pommel to a cylinder, and then paint it.

Supplies for this section:

• PVC pipe (or cake dowel)
• 4mm EVA foam
• Sharp razor
• Paper clay (or something for the pommel)
• Hot glue or another adhesive
• Primer
• Acrylic paint

1. Use a PVC pipe as the core for the hilt

If you have a long PVC pipe, make sure to cut it to the appropriate length for your hilt. Make a mark, and use a saw to cut through the plastic pipe. Somewhere around six inches is usually good, but it depends on your sword design.

If you’re like me and are a little afraid to use a saw (I can be very clumsy sometimes), you can usually find shorter PVC pipes in pre-measured lengths. I used a cake trowel because it’s already the length and width that I was looking for.

2. Cut out the crossguard

The next piece you need is the crossguard. For this, you’ll need the crossguard shape, and you’ll need to cut a hole in the middle for the cylindrical hilt.

1. Trace your pattern piece onto EVA foam and cut out the crossguard.
2. Trace your pipe on the center of the crossguard and cut out the hole. Test the pipe to make sure it fits.
3. Sand the edges of the crossguard if needed. Just like with the sword blade, use sandpaper or a Dremel to smooth out the edges and make them look nice.
4. Glue the crossguard to the base of the cylinder PVC pipe. I used hot glue, but whatever adhesive you have will work.

3. Create a pommel

The other piece you need for the hilt is a pommel. I used paper clay to form a cone at the end of the hilt. This kind of clay will harden in about 24-48 hours. You can also use just about any kind of random item you have on hand: A large marble, a resin gemstone, a styrofoam ball, or whatever you want. Once you’ve made your pommel, glue it to the other end of your cylinder to create your final hilt.

4. Prime and paint

Now, all that’s left to do is paint your hilt. I’m just painting the whole hilt black, but you can use gold, silver, or create intricate designs. You could even make a leather wrap for the grip of the hilt or add gemstones onto the pommel.

1. First, add 2-3 layers of primer to your hilt. If the primer you’re using keeps dripping off the pipe, and not sticking properly, try taking a piece of sandpaper and rubbing it against the surface of the tube. This will add some micro-scratches to the surface, giving the primer the tiny bumps that it needs to adhere.
2. Paint the hilt. I used acrylic paints since they are typically the cheapest. Generally, 2-3 layers of paint are enough.

Glue the hilt and the blade together

You have your blade and you have your hilt, all you have to do is glue the two pieces together. I used hot glue, but, of course, whatever adhesive you have available will work just fine.

And there you have it. Your first sword is finished and ready to travel with you to your next convention.