My Sword, Solitaire

SPECS:
Overall length: 3ft 4inch
Blade length: about 30 inches
Hilt length: 9.5 inches
Weight: Possibly half a pound to a pound
Metal: Aluminum
Sharpness: Not sharpened for saftey reasons
Other materials: Wood, Gold Spray Paint, Gorilla Glue, Electrical Tape, Tough Thread

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This is my home-made sword, Which I christened "Solitaire", because It was created under a full moon, and in my story "Legion of Eternity", the capital of the Lunarian Empire is named Solitaire. Plus I think it sounds cool.

The blade is aluminum, making it light, but also makes it only for practice. It is unsharpened, for saftey reasons. It was cut from an existing metal plate I bought at a hardware store. Since the plate is not pure alumminum, there are a few small blotches of other metals here and there which discolor it in certain areas. Handle and Hand Gaurd are both wooden. The blade and handle are held together by Gorilla Glue, Which is an ultra-powerful super glue. The Hand Gaurd is also Gorilla-Glued, but also has tough string wrapped around it to ensure it stays in place. (So that if it DOES break, it'll still remain attached.) The hand gaurd is spray-painted Gold, and the handle is wrapped with Electric Tape, which resembles black leather.

When I made it my idea was that it was a Falchion, (Broadsword with a curved tip) but I discovered that it's actually closer to a Gross Messer. Falcions are one-handed weapons, while this one has an elongated handle for two-handed use, much like a Gross Messer. Essentially, the Gross Messer is the european equivlent of the Japanese katana in its overall design.

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One of the old legends about swords is that in order for a warrior to truly be able to trust in his weapon, he must be the one who forged it himself. I think that despite the fact that the weapons I make are all props, I do feel a special bond with them. I created them with my own hands, and that makes them unique. This blade is no exception. The first time I raised it up, i immediently felt a connection with it...

As it turns out, the Fillipinos are well known throughout the weapons community for their sword-making talents. I like to think that making my own weapons is a way of connecting with my heritage.

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If you remember my poll I made, I asked if anyone would buy a prop sword made by me. Well, this is what it would look like if you got one. I plan to eventually make another sword, that time as a replica of the Master Sword from Zelda.