"Broken sword replacement" Topic

I did a search,but didn't find anything on how people are replacing broken swords on 28mm figures.
I have a some cav with broken swords and wanted to see how people are fixing that problem.
Thanks gents.

Pin swords work for some:

TMP link

Thanks for the link Ed, that is just what I was looking for.

All my missing, poorly cast, or mangled swords get replaced by plastic blades from whatever 28mm spares that look right. Gripping Beast, Perry, and Wargames Factory have all provided blades for repair.

I reckon there would be a market for brass swords, muskets, pistols, lances in 25/28mm and 15mm to allow robust replacements or conversions.

Regards

David F Brown

The teeth from a hard-plastic men's comb can serve as thrusting sword blades.

Break them off individually.

Good for medieval, Roman, and other ancients' blades -- not so useful as 18th Century sabre blades.

David, you are correct, brass swords and sabres with a pin to hold in the hand would sell well.

Straight pin, flatten it out with hammer, cut to proper length, clean and drill hand where cast sword broke off, insert pin with glue. Done it many times and the new swords look even better then the cast IMHO.
Regards
Russ Dunaway

I use filed down steel hairpins for heavy swords. Takes a little practice and the right tools, but the finished product looks good and is very robust.

Instructions and experiences here if you're interested.

link

I have used sewing pins in the past, as Russ suggests above. However, I find that some cannot be hammered flat- I suspect they are a different grade of steel, perhaps " surgical steel" – so it's important to get the right ones ( mild steel or perhaps brass). They can certainly look better than the originals, although producing a light cavalry sabre, with the slight curvature, requires a lot of work. I would certainly be in the market for etched brass.

I've used "StripStyrene" no. 132 (.030x.040") that I found at Hobbytown USA instead of pins or hard plastic blades.

I have successful replaced broken swords on many of my old 25mm Hinchcliffe and Minifig figures for a number of years.

Using thin copper wire, tap flatten the copper wire to size,
drill out the hand and cut the wire to fit in the hand and glue.
It may need a little filing to shape.

Good luck

Dear List

Forget all the above. Too much blacksmithing. I will tell you how to do it with stuff you can retrieve from your hosehold garbage.

Plastic Milk bottles.

Cut out the flat sides. The thickness of the plastic is perfect for swords. Almost in scale. Slice the plastic into thin strips with an X-acto or utility knife and a steel rule as a guide.

Drill a hole in the hand and insert the end of the plastic strip into the hole and fasten with 2 part epoxy. Paint and use.

The plastic milk bottles are made out of Polyethelene and are tremendously flexible and durable. Styrene strip stock is not. It will fatigue quickly and break. I know I tried.

The pins, rods, etc., take too much blacksmithing and are just as fragile as the swords they replaced, unless you're going to use hard steel pins in which case you have to grind down the tip to avoid sedding blood when you handle the troops.

There you go.

If the swords get bent- don't worry, they spring back. If the paint flakes off now and then, just touch up.

It will last a long time. I have cavalryman that have gone for years without swords breaking. In fact now, even when new I clip the swords cast with them off and substitute plastic.

Don't have to buy a d****d thing. Fish it out of the recycling bin.

That is brilliant! Could cut to any shape, with practice. And free!