Draw and print the template

Each template is drawn digitally by hand, from several references: different angles of the sword, art and other source material, adjusted to Paper BladeSmith's own taste. Nothing is copied.

A life-size blade is longer than one page, so the template is tiled over several A4 sheets and taped together. There is one template for the blade, handle included, and one for the guard.

Fold the paper strips

Fold each A4 sheet in half, then in half again, so its 297 mm length shrinks to about 74 mm while the 210 mm side stays the same: a strip 210 × 74 mm, four sheets thick.

A4 sheet
210 × 297 mm

Folded once
210 × 148 mm

Folded twice
210 × 74 mm

Build the base like a brick wall

Lay the strips end to end, with their long side running along the sword. Spread a thin, even layer of white glue over each layer and lay the next one on top, shifted so the joints never line up with the ones below. Most blades take four to six layers; thicker swords take more.

Build the blade base and the guard base at the same time, in the same way.

Avoid too much glue: soaked paper ripples and takes much longer to dry.

Avoid joints that line up: where they sit on top of each other, the blade bends.

Press and dry

Lay the bases flat and put a stack of books on top. Leave them until they are completely dry. A base that is cut while still damp will warp.

Drying 4 to 7 days, under books

Avoid cutting before the base is fully dry: it warps.

Cut the shapes

Cut out the template, trace its outline onto the dried base and cut along the line with a craft knife. Do the same for the guard.

The handle is part of the blade base, the way a real blade continues into its tang.

Add the craft-stick spine

Glue craft sticks along the spine of the blade with white glue, end to end, in layers. Stagger the joints between layers, just like the paper base, and clamp them while the glue dries. The number of layers depends on the sword: thicker blades get more.

Add the first sticks to the handle at this stage too, so the whole blade is solid before the guard goes on.

The sticks turn the flat paper base into a three-dimensional blade: thick along the spine, and as thin as the paper base at the edge.

Drying at least 2 to 4 hours, ideally overnight

Fit the guard and thicken the handle

Cut a slot in the guard the size of the blade's cross-section. Slide the guard down over the handle until it sits where the blade begins, then glue it in place. Cut the slot snug: a slot that is too wide lets the guard wobble.

Then glue more sticks onto the handle behind the guard, only to bring it to its full thickness.

Finish with paper

• Glue printer paper over the whole sword with white glue, in several thin layers, to hide the strips, sticks and joints and give a smooth surface.
• Add raised details with extra pieces of paper: ridges, the collar, and whatever the sword has in the anime.
• Wrap the handle with paper strips in the pattern of a cord wrap.

Prime, paint and varnish

Brush a coat of gesso over the whole sword. Once it is dry, paint it with acrylic paint in the colours the sword has in the anime. Where the sword has a blade line (hamon), paint it in last; otherwise the colours stay flat, as they are in the anime.

When the paint is dry, spray a matte varnish over everything to protect it.

Drying gesso at least 2 to 4 hours, ideally overnight