Ritual “Boffer” Swords & Athames with Joshua

These play swords are usually used in Live Action Role Playing, or LARPing, and just for fun to safely battle friends with foam swords, but they are also suitable replacements in a child’s ritual tools for the more dangerous implements on a witches altar.

Boffers, as these fake swords are so-called are quite simple and fun to make. This craft will teach you how to make them with your children with just a few supplies from your local hardware store.

Materials:

Length of ¾” PVC pipe at least 24”-36” for a sword or about 1-foot for a boffer “athame.” A 10-foot length of PVC costs under $3.00 at Home Depot and will make 3 swords and an athame.
Enough ¾” foam pipe insulation to cover the “blade” area of your boffers. Pool noodles from the dollar store work great as well and are a bit cheaper. You’ll need about 3 of these, either way for 10’ of PVC.
Duct Tape, at least one roll, but duct tape comes in all sorts of fun colors and patterns these days so you might want a few rolls if you really want to have fun with the design of your boffers.
(Optional) Electrical Tape for the handle of your boffer. You *can* use duct tape here as well, but I just like the grip and wrap you can get with electrical tape and also the tape comes in a variety of colors now.
(Optional) ¾” PVC Cross Union for making a ‘Hilt’ on your boffer sword, if you so choose, and ¾” PVC caps.

Tools

A PVC pipe cutter: also available from Home Depot. Alternately you can have your lengths of pipe pre-cut for you at the store or use a hacksaw. The PVC cutter is the cleanest way, if not the cheapest, but it only runs about $14.00 and is very handy if you plan to make more boffers in the future or can be gifted to your favorite plumber!
Scissors or, for adults, a Utility Knife.
PVC Cement (Optional): for the optional ‘hilt’ to make sure it is secure and not just held together with tape.

Joshua is a blue-collar (no collar!) Poly Pagan Pirate and 1st degree priest in a Wiccan tradition. He is a craftsman by trade and crafty by nature and lives with his fiancée Jessica and their two respective feline familiars.