New Realm in Onoway AB

['Nuck Badger]

You guys use paintbrushes like us? Some of the newer guys slop it on, and their weapons usually break. Think I must be doing something right cause my 2 swords are making through alot of wear and tear. Nobody listens to me though

[Cib]

Paint brushes are a good idea, I just haven't gone out and got some yet. How do you clean them?

We usually use those little foam corner brushes, but yo have to toss them afterward, sometimes the foam on the brush degrades to fast ad I have to go through several in a sitting.

['Nuck Badger]

Dollar store paint brushed, lots of water. Usually last 2 or 3 times then you chuck em. Otherwise the paint wood sampler things.

[David of Doell]

I don't like using foam brushes for contact cement. I use scraps of blue foam to apply the cement. It goes on smooth and even. Cut a square the width of the blade you're making and try it sometime.

['Nuck Badger]

Mhmm, Ill try it with my next sword. Hope we can get at least on day thats warm soon. Just spent 40 bucks on tape and supplies (decided to try the super70 spray can stuff too). Where do you guys get your fiberglass cores? I went to Canadian tire, home depot, Rona, and couldn't find em. Is it an online only sort a deal or is there some obscure store somewhere?

[Cib]

We get ours from UFA typically. I have never seen them at the paces you mentioned ether.

[Moginheden]

I've tried both the contact cement and the spray glue, (77 and 90 both work well) and I find the spray glue works way better for both ease of use and long lasting hold, (but others think the contact cement is better.) The spray glue is a lot easier to get applied evenly and you only have to wait 1 minute before putting it together, (I usually cut everything for 4 swords, spray all 4 first blade layers and by the time I'm done spraying the 4th I'm ready to stick the 1st on.)

The temperature matters a TON though with the glues. If you glue it at plus 10 instead of 15 you will get about a 50% chance of failure before the second practice is over, (plus 20 is even better than 15, but 15 can work.)

Another trick I found recently that worked well with my fiberglass cored weapons, (and should work with PVC as well) is to use epoxy between the core and the first blade layer. Epoxy dries hard so you do NOT want it between blade layers. However epoxy can fill in the gaps between the round core and the square foam box and seems to hold much stronger than the other glues.

['Nuck Badger]

Thanks for the tips, working on getting some fiberglass cores but UFA near me doesnt carry em >.>

[Cib]

They are used as fence posts. Did you ask?

['Nuck Badger]

Yeah, asked for fence posts, rods, tubes, cores, ect. Think he knew what I was talking about he just didn't have any in stock.

['Nuck Badger]

Been too long... Nice seeing a couple of you at the Amt event, looking forward to this Saturday Revamped all the weapons today, taking all the tape of striking surfaces. Member of our group has a grandparent whos a seamstress with nothing better to do, so we should have decent covers/garb soon. Working on shields, but noone really wants to pay for the uber-plastic were getting except a couple of us. We can probably start running regular practices soon, but Seans busy with work/DnD. Found a new adhesive that were trying out on the weapons from Sean's work. It's a spray glue and it seems decent, will play test a few of the ones we used it on and see about using it instead of contact cement/super77(which I also picked up and used). Got about 5 or 6 of us coming up this weekend, more if we can get a van so should be getting better from here on out

['Nuck Badger]

And I built a club today :

['Nuck Badger]

Sooo... Last 2 practices yielded about 15-20 people each, which is excellent for us. Getting some ew blood, which is even better, and they're all showing interest. Finally getting some discussion of our actual realm and we've decided upon a rough name and color scheme. Were gonna be named something like Nordowrath(wraith, roth, ect) and were probably going with black and dark green as our colors, kinda like Calgary, but more black Working on unified garb and some sort of banner/flag now, and our shield plastic came in. We have a 4' tower shield made, and my 32" round is around halfway done. Have to foam and cover it, but we got some nice leather for straps. Havign regular practices every two weeks now, and I'm going to some Amtguard ones as well.

['Nuck Badger]

Also, found fiberglass cores Between that and this new shield material, we just need to find a good cheap foam that stands up to wear and tear better, and more people to sew.

[David of Doell]

I'm glad to hear your group is doing well. Be sure to form a leadership team so that the health of the group doesn't depend on a single person otherwise it will collapse if they leave. Also the more involved people feel the more likely they are to keep coming back. Keep up the good work.