There is a certain
way to stylize
boffers to give them an
edge. This makes them slightly less
safe, but if you're good about it there should be few
problems.
Usually, when you make a
boffers, you'll
slide the
foam over the
PVC pipe. This will result in a round stick, not unlike a
baseball bat. To get a more realistic edged
weapon, here's what you'll want to do.
You'll need the following
supplies:
-
knife
-electrical
tape, flash
tape, or some other narrow marking tape
-other supplies for making your
boffers
Instead of sliding the
foam over the
pipe as you'd normally do, cut the
foam in half so you have two separate half-pipes. Then reverse them; so instead of the
foam looking like this: () you have the
foam looking like this: )(.
Now find a way (this will require some
dexterity on your part) to tape the
foam back together so it's inside out. This way, the
foam will not be
round; instead, it will be shaped somewhat like the
human eye. Make sure the edges of the
foam are held together snugly and tightly by the
duct tape. Now slide the
pipe in and complete your
boffer as necessary.
It's a good
idea to mark the new "edges" of your
boffers with flash
tape or electrical
tape to denote the actual
blade of your
weapon. To make a
point on your
weapon, just
cut the corners of your
weapon and
tape over it. This results in a
point that you'll want to be careful with around someone's
eyes.
This would be a good
idea to use for:
-
swords of all kinds. This should be obvious.
-
polearms, such as a
yari or
spear. Just make a polearm with a long blade on the end.
-
javelins. This can be done by using lighter
pipe, though throwing
boffers isn't always a good
idea unless they're really, really, really
safe. I mean, really.
The trick is being
safe with these
weapons - the
tip is easier to put in someone's
eye; also, the inside of the
foam isn't as soft as the outside. Additionally, the
blades of a
weapon may collapse inward and, depending on how well-made your
boffers are, may have less
foam and therefore cause more
damage.
In other words, this is a
technique that should be reserved for more experienced builders of
boffers.