smelly flower (xianghua), meet my father (part1)

Cosplay is not only limited to the outfit itself--sometimes the accessories help to add a finishing touch.

For example, Cloud (Final Fantasy VII/Advent Children) would not be as recognizable without his massive sword...

L-R: image via thelifestream.net, cosplay image via generationotaku.net

Both my characters are also from video games, and without having their weapons to tote around and pose with, would seem to subtract from the character.

To create my first "weapon", Xianghua's sword, I had to go down to my parents' house to ask for my dad's guidance, because he has made his own "weapons" for Halloween...

(yes, my dad makes costumes too!)

Final Fantasy Cloud sword (I put my boots next to it for scale)

Wolverine claws

My dad's Cloud sword was made from plastic, which I found out, is extremely heavy, and not practical to carry all day, so we decided to purchase a ready-made sword and modify it.

1. Store-bought sword (the blade was similar to mine)
2. Wire-cutter
3. Screwdriver
4. Dual-ended screwdriver (finer than #3)
5. Hand saw
6. Clamp

In order to customize the store-bought sword, we had to remove the extra attachment between the hilt and blade...

Close-up of blade

Cutting off the extra frills with the wire cutter

Cracking open the center of the attachment

The sword came with some sort of sound, so we had to remove the wiring...

The blade was not connected to the hilt, so my dad decided that the best way to keep the blade firmly attached to the hilt would be to carve a slot for the blade to fit in.

It would need to be secured with screws and glue.

Using an automatic saw to shave off the edges

My dad is a furniture designer, so he has a ton of tools for cutting plastic and wood, as well as an extensive knowledge of working with these materials.

Calibrator to check the widths

Fitting the blade into the hilt

Drill attachments and glue

Using the power drill to create another hole for a screw

Fitting the screw to check if the surface will remain flat.

Perfect!

My dad's tools...

The screw fits, so we have to sand down the plastic paint in order for the
glue to adhere properly.

Done!

My mom ignoring us in the background.