Boffer Weapons, Materials and Crafting

[liahgeron]

Hey Folks,

So, I'm planning on ordering a large stack of boffer making supplies on Monday and wanted to put an announcement up here for those interested in splitting the shipping costs. I'm ordering from Goodwinds.com which has the .414, .505, .606, and .75 cores fiberglass kite poles used to make most weapons. For reference, I prefer .505 for 1-handers, .606 for staves and 2h swords, and .75 for pole arms. They also have a nice range of kite tape and, in bulk, one of the better prices now. I"ll also be ordering foam from McMaster Carr if you need some as well. Send me a note if you're interested and I'll get you a rough quote on pricing. Expect about $7 for a 1h core, $9 for a 2h, and $4 for foam. The more of us we get, the better the prices are and the more we split the shipping. I'm hoping to get the order out this Mon, so the sooner you let me know the better.

I am also going to try something new. So, some of you know that I kinda spawn weapons constantly. For friends, for myself, for donations, I think I built about 20 new weapons last year plus repaired that many or more. Doing so got me thinking on how to streamline and make a durable, affordable base weapon. They're basically the core, closed cell foam, open cell foam tip and a ripstop kite sock (kite tape for the staves), but they will be well put together and should last through multiple years of use. For those interested, I can also use improved grips (tennis grip, gel tape, bulked up to better fit your hand, katana style, etc), add hilts (make them more of a sword), or edge foam like my katanas but those all take more time and materials.

I am working on exactly how to cost things, but I was planning on asking about half again to twice the materials cost (about 27-45 dollars depending on weapon type) to make the process more sustainable than previously. I'm timing this with a large order in the hopes of putting the price down as far as I can, but I'm going to end up using more foam, tape, glue, scissors, fabric, thread etc than what I can plan for in an excel sheet (plus the hour and a half to two hours it takes me to make them and Abri to sow the kite socks), hence the 1.5x to 2x materials cost rather than asking straight materials. Let me know if you are interested and when you would need it by and I'll see what I can actually commit to. Hope all is well and have a nice afternoon!

[Sally]

Thanks for posting this- I'm going to check with my crew to see who's interested, because this could be very convenient for the season!

[liahgeron]

Hey folks,
Quick reminder that I would like to put this order in tomorrow, so if you're interested please send me a PM or post a reply here by tomorrow evening. Hope all is well and see folks soon!

Regards,
Sean