Carbon Fiber Golf Clubs
- Has to be composite/graphite
- Do NOT buy metal
- Pro: Cheap, can be found at local thrift stores for $1-$4
- Con: Have tapered ends, not one consistent length
- Con: Has existing damage from past use
PVC Pipe
- Highly suggested against
- Considered "Old Tech"
⅜” Solid Fiberglass
- Pro: Very cheap
- Con: Very Heavy
- Available at Tractor Supply
“Bandshop” (Fiberglass Flag Pole)
- Bandshop - General term for thick fiberglass poles
- Con - Really heavy
- Con - Needs to be heavily back weighted
Kitespar (FWET) - Filament wound epoxy tubing
- Industry Standard in Foam Fighting
- Pro - Middle price point
- Use .524
- Recommended diameter for shorter swords: .505
- Solid round, consistent thickness (Not tapered like golf clubs)
Solid Carbon Fiber Shaft
- Pro - Super light
- Pro - Can have a super narrow blade for tournament flat blades
- Pro - Very stiff, little flex
- Recommended Diameter: .312 & .472
Curved Cores (Carbon Fiber)
- Located in Australia: Elysian Forge
- Pro - Manufactured to be curved, not cut from a sheet, super strong
- Con - Super expensive
War Poles - Bandshop
- Hollowed 10 ft fiberglass poles
- Con - Needs to be heavy padded
Hell Cores
- Available through Optimum Armes
- Best core for reds
- Con - not easy to get ahold of
- Pro - extremely light & Durable
Composite Cores
- Where you combine two cores to achieve a good weapon
- Example: a carbon fiber top and a bandshop bottom polearm
Bamboo Cores
Need to be checked in person, one decent crack or splint and the whole core is trash
Yellow Bamboo
- What most people think of when they think bamboo
- Better for those who don't whack extremely hard
- Best Diameter: 1.5”
- Good for war poles
- Depending on the user, it tends to break down faster over time, compared to other cores
Raw Green Bamboo
- More flexible than heat treated
- Best diameter for weapons between 4-6 ft: ⅝” - 1”
- Best diameter for weapons above 6 ft: 1”-1.5“
- Con - could fail for flex, if too long
Heat Treated Bamboo
- Not that good
- Super stiff, prone to snapping
- Not Recommended
Calcutta - "Iron Wood"
- Significantly thicker wall thickness
- Heavier, but way more sturdy, best type to use
Bamboo Javelins
- Best Diameter: .25" - .5"
Foam
Measured in how many pounds of force foam can withstand under a range of it’s area
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Blue Foam - Camp Pad
- Ozark Trail Camp pad
- 1.5-1.8lb
- Polyethylene foam
- Great base layer foam
- Can be used for a whole sword, but is very heavy
Boogie Boards
- Great cheap foam for shields
- Make sure it’s 100% foam and not styrofoam
Polyethylene Foam
- Best foam for shields
- Type of Microcell Foam
- Do not buy cross-linked, it’s bubble structure is too squishy for shields
Polyurethane Foam - Yoga Matt Foam
- Never build a whole weapon out of it
- Use it to add a squishy spot to get hit by (like the tip)
Aether Tube
- Possibly the best foam on the market for swords
- Pro - Super light
- Con - Expensive ($13 - 24”)
Duratube
- Was sold by Warlord sports
- Heavier than aether tube
- Almost impossible to find on the market nowadays
Frost King
- Best foam for cheaper weapons
- Best Dimensions: 1” wall thickness (with .5" inner diameter)
- Part number: P110XB
- Bacchus prefers .5 in then add 1.5” on top
L200 Foam
- Used by Fumbles to make speedy light great swords
- Pro - Very light, and durable
- Con - Expensive & Usually only sold in bulk
2 Part Expanding Foam
- Can be sourced from Douglas and Sturgess (Richmond, CA & San Francisco, CA)
- 5 lb foam
Model Magic Foam Clay
- Can be used to make cool details on court shields & weapons
Microcell Foam (MF) - Puzzle Matt Foam
- 2 lb preferred
- 3-4lb is not good for strike surface
- Great for carving small and intricate designs for shields that will be plasti-dipped
XLPE (MF)
- Harder to tear and rip
- Denser
- Best used in weapons
- Better than EVA foam in general
- Example: Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam
EVA (MF)
- Takes plasti-dip better
- Best used in shield decoration (not as a main foam)
Volara (MF)
- Another type of EVA foam
- Radiation coated results in a super smooth surface
- You can paint & plasti-dip it, and it won’t absorb because it has the coating
DAP Woodweld
- Specifically the red and black can
- Pro: Decently priced, can be used for entire sword & shield application
- Con - takes a bit to dry before pieces can be put together
Barge Contact Cement
- Specifically the Red Can
- Pros: Stronger than DAP and you don’t have to wait as long for it to dry
- Cons: not as readily available as DAP, and is more expensive
Masters (White Can)
- The holy grail of adhesives
- Pro: Best strength of any glue on the market
- Pro: Fast cures
- Pro: Once it sets, it’s set and it’s hard to fix mistakes afterwards (this can also be a con, you have more wiggle room with DAP)
- Con: Expensive and comes in little cans
Gorilla Glue
- Not normally used where DAP would be used
- Needs to be sprayed with water for best drying (it foams up [Expands] with water application)
- Can be used to attach shield handles to shields
CLEAR Gorilla Glue
- Doesn't foam up, and has the same applications as regular gorilla glue
E600 Glue
- Not normally used where DAP would be used
- Can be used to attach shield handles to shields
Spray Adhesives
- Not the best for our sport, doesn’t have a good hold and will wear down faster
- Best spray on glues: Gorilla Glue Spray Adhesive & Super 77
- Best tape for “skinning” weapons
- Super thin
- Not rigid & is soft
- Lowest weight
- Best tape for torque wrapping
- Good stretch
- Has fiberglass strips woven into it
- Used for structural reinforcement, really tough tape
- Adhesive isn’t the greatest
- Make sure the stripes go only in one direction, two direction isn’t the correct tape
- Can be used in place of DAP & contact cement
- Solely for super fast sword creations
- Can wear down easy and fast compared to using actual DAP & contact cement
- Used for wrapping handles, is squishy and good on hands
- The thicker (more mm), the better
- Used for wrapping handles, really pretty and nice on the hands
Tape to Stay Away From
This tape will make weapons hit more stingy
- Heavy Duty packing tapes
- Duck Brand
- Duck Tape
- Con: illegal in most states due to the lead content & takes a long time to cure & very toxic
- Pro: The best clear sealant for shields on the market
- Thick paste you paint on the shield
- Self leveling
- Goodwins Composites: https://goodwinds.com/?fbclid=IwAR2e8UKn54FfyvPOvQFeskWYPehJySglf2FILCE-31TyZA7u4NTHVOedXtE
- TAPS Plastic: https://www.tapplastics.com/
- Franks Cane & Rush: https://www.franksupply.com/
- Berkeley Horticultural Nursery: https://berkeleyhort.com/
