Throwing knives

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#12

[quote=“Xcerus”]I think there was a misscommunication.

I ment that most larp safe throwing daggers traveling futher than 5 meters start to lose accuracy and as such and vear off and hit other targets such as friends.[/quote]
I see what you mean now. I’d rather have throwing daggers with cores. They flight straighter, which reduces the risk of accidentally hitting someone other than the target. I’m not really sure why everyone says you can’t have cores, the risk don’t stack up IMO. Sure, you might get hit in the face with a dagger, but the fore is very small compared to getting hit by a sword or other weapon (which, due to the number in use, is much more likely to happen).

#13

If we were adding cores to throwing daggers I’d suggest something like a glue-stick or equally rubbery rather than a solid core. And keep them small to ensure they don’t end up with too much mass, possibly with more than 2 layers and making sure the ends are nice and rounded.

I’m not sure we should make them something durable enough to be used as a proper melee weapon however. Its the possiblity of broken weapons with exposed hard cores that worry me. Hannah’s son used the ones like daggers (to stab undead chewing on SHard no less) but there was no way they could be used for parrying etc. And if they broke, there was no way they could harm anyone.

#14

My only real concern with throwing daggers is getting one in the eye.

I expect it would sting, but unlikely to cause damage.

But for that reason, there shouldn’t be any sharp points on such a dagger that could get in someones eye.

ie. A point that’s acceptable on a sword or hand held dagger would not be acceptable on a throwing dagger.

I note that the daggers Jared made for Charles have very rounded tips. Presumably for exactly this reason.

#15

[quote=“joker”]My only real concern with throwing daggers is getting one in the eye.

I expect it would sting, but unlikely to cause damage.

But for that reason, there shouldn’t be any sharp points on such a dagger that could get in someones eye.

ie. A point that’s acceptable on a sword or hand held dagger would not be acceptable on a throwing dagger.

I note that the daggers Jared made for Charles have very rounded tips. Presumably for exactly this reason.[/quote]

Exactly the reason. If I were to make them again I would make them from more layers and give them a diamond-like cross section and make them a bit prettier. A small section of weighting (i’d use a small section of glu-stick) would be enough to drastically improve the flight pattern.

#16

[quote=“joker”]My only real concern with throwing daggers is getting one in the eye.

I expect it would sting, but unlikely to cause damage.

But for that reason, there shouldn’t be any sharp points on such a dagger that could get in someones eye.

ie. A point that’s acceptable on a sword or hand held dagger would not be acceptable on a throwing dagger.[/quote]

So, we want a “point” about the size of a finger or so?

#17

I would have said two fingers. Maybe three. For instance if you hold up your hand and hold the three middle fingers together, I would have said that should be the minimum curve on it…

I’m totally just talking off the top of my head, but it seems a reasonable rule of thumb. Er, finger…

Something.

#18

Given that I’m going for a 1.5" blade width, that might be difficult.

(Why so small? Becuse throwing knives are meant to be. BTW, a packet of 3g washers costs $2; you need one in the blade to offset any leather wrapping on the hilt, and the other two in the middle . This gives a total mass of ~20g, which is enough to give a fairly controlled throw at the sorts of ranges we’re after).

#19

You’re right. The average mass of my cores (2 layers of foam, with 2 washers in there as weights) was 12g. Latex ups that to 17g. And the hilt wrap should make it a nice, even 20g - which is right where I want it to be.

#20

The finished product:

throwingknives.JPG533×582

The leather hilt is heavier than I thought - they weigh in at 25g. Which means they are nice and accurate.

#21

They look good. I’d probably be happy if someone missed and pegged me in the face with one of these.

#22

Documenting for the future:

  • the knives are made of two layers of camp-mat sandwiched together. Use the heaviest camp-mat you can find (I used the brown stuff, since I have a lot and its useless for anything else).
  • they are weighted with washers glued between the layers. The washers are placed in the centre and in the blade because the grip weights the other end. If you want to use more washers, just line them up along the centreline in the blade portion.
  • I start with slightly oversize pieces of foam (9.5 x 2 inches), pick one end to be the handle, and work off that. Mark centreline and tip position, glue down washers, sandwich, trim to shape according to the template below, and cut the blade.

The template:

throwingknifetemplate.PNG919×290

Each square is 0.25 inches, so the knife is 9 inches long and 1.5 inches wide at the blade. The circles are where you put the washers. The red is how I cut the blade.

(And now I don’t need to remember any of that, becuse I can just google for “how to make a larp throwing knife”. Problem solved).

#23

Just allow headshots and be done with it :stuck_out_tongue:

#24

Just to chip in my $0.02, I’ve made a few throwing knives for my brothers over the years and I’ve tried a few different ways of weighting them (coins, washers etc).
The best compromise I have found between weight, size and looks is to cut two knife shapes out of foam and then on the inside of each piece carve out a shallow groove that starts and ends about 3cm from each end of the knife. You then fill each groove with hot glue and let it cool before gluing the two shapes together with contact adhesive. After that you can shape the edges of the blade and latex/duct tape as you see fit.

I second what Derek said about gluing fabric between layers of foam, especially if your dagger has any protruding parts like guards etc.

One other thing I would mention is that if you are using washers or similar to weight your daggers, secure them firmly to the foam on the inside of the weapon. Otherwise you will discover that coins like to slide towards the edge of your blade, and it will hurt when you get your girlfriend to test it by throwing it at your face.

#25

Just allow headshots and be done with it :stuck_out_tongue:[/quote]
:smiling_imp: you know it!

#26

What about other throwing weapons? I’ve been toying with the idea of making a chakra-type weapon but it’s finding something that is both dense and rigid enough to give it the proper weight but still LARP-safe is tricky. I tried looking for rubber sheeting but all I could find was really heavy and thick tiles.

#27

Andrew’s idea of filling a central groove in the closed-cell foam weapon with hot melt glue would presumably work for unusual-shaped throwing weapons too. The glue dries as a fairly heavy, rubbery substance. It’s flexible, but attempts to retain its shape. It’s not expensive.

Don’t use hot melt glue to glue the foam together though, as it forms hard edges if exposed. Use a contact adhesive like ADOS for that.

#28

I wonder if that would work for a fake core for throwing axes?

(I’ve been trying to do francesca-style axes, since my cored one feels good and throws pretty well. Obviously, I can’t throw a cored weapon, due to the risk of accidents. But coreless versions mean a floppy handle, which will reduce accuracy and look bad).

#29

Dunno. You would probably need a lot of hot melt to make a flexible “core” that was rigid enough to act as an axe handle, and then it might be too heavy.

#30

There is only one way to find out.

#31

Onwards. FOR SCIENCE!