Latex Swords? Question?

Many companies manufacture latex rubber props and products, and their quality varies widely.

If you mention the name of the company (and their URL if they have a website) perhaps someone here has used their product and can give you their opinion on it.

Without a recommendation from someone else or a good reputation in the industry, I prefer to buy items in person so that I can determine the quality before plunking down my cash. If they have a good return policy, you might order one less expensive product and take your chances, but as always: buyer beware.

Looks like you'd have to have a friend order their products and have them ship to the US or Canada, unless you live elsewhere. SInce the US is a huge film and role playing market, this restriction seems very strange - many other businesses in England sell to the US. Suspicious, I wouldn't be eager to go through the trouble to get their products. I'd be cautious.

This would add time and cost to acquiring the props, so finding a US manufacturer might be the way to go.

Or look for a local make up FX or props person to make them for him out of liquid latex, which is a fairly simple & inexpensive if you are familiar with latex & mold making. Custom items are almost always more expensive than mass produced items, but you might be able to work out a barter or find a person who does masks & latex props who is eager to do work on a film and might charge little or only for materials.

Last of all potmonkey - if you are a fine arts type, don't mind shelling out for a real sword to use as a model, and are willing to learn molding, you could make them yourself. While this isn't something you can learn overnight, and will involve some reaearch and trial and error, it is a lot easier than the more complex FX tasks. It depends on your abilities, time, and resources.

Thurston James' "propbuilders molding and casting handbook" is a great start his other book "the theater props handbook" (i think thats the title) also may come in handy

i think monster makers and burmans sell them, you may also be able to find them in libraries and makeup stores

later'
Tom

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What everyone seems to forget is that once we look past race, religion, gender, and all that, everyone on this planet is first and foremost...

...a PERSON

Thurston James' book is good, and as is often mentioned, Lee Baygans Techinques of Three Dimensional Make Up. While focused on foam latex appliances, the mold making procedures are similar and clearly explained with lots of photos.

Cementex's catalog used to be a mini how-to guide as well, which is a pretty cool thing.

I also learned a lot from an old mask making guide that is long out of print (he self published it) and was crudely written, but a good source of information.

As for the latex roleplaying swords, the core is a PVC pipe (usually fiberglass) covered in two pieces of wood, which in turn is covered by foam. The latex is then added (about 7-10 coats of it).