Awesome Swords

After impressing us with his see-through katana, maker Mike Shake is back with another unusual weapon. Inspired by paper’s ability to draw blood, he got to work on a sword made from thick sheets of paper, stacked, slathered in epoxy resin, and cut into a katana shape. After experimenting with two blade thicknesses, he honed it to a razor-sharp edge.

Bladesmiths Ilya Alekseyev and Matt Stagmer of That Works were enlisted to create a very special sword. Inspired by Viking and medieval wedding traditions, this beautiful ladder-pattern sword incorporates a twisty Möbius strip pommel that posed new challenges for the sword makers. The resulting piece is sure to get passed down through the generations.

You know how Yondu controls flying arrows in Guardians of the Galaxy? Chinese toy makers came up with a similar idea – a flying sword that’s remotely controlled with hand gestures. Built using a uniquely-shaped drone body, the sword doesn’t have enough power to do any real damage, though. Amazon has some similar flying sword toys you can buy today.

Can’t get enough molten-hot steel in your life? In this wordless video from Knives Project, he shows how he made an awe-inspiring Zweihander-style sword from scratch. Starting with simple bearing rods, watch this master bladesmith forge, hammer, and shape the metal into a beautiful work of battlefield art, complete with a cast brass guard and pommel.

A well-sharpened katana can slice through objects like a hot knife through butter. But in the hands of a skilled swordsman, it becomes a fast and precise weapon. Martial artist BladeMan B shows how the ancient quick-draw technique Battōjutsu can deal catastrophic damage in the blink of an eye.

Minecraft players know that you can craft swords from materials including wood, gold, stone, iron, diamond, and netherite. The team from Mini Katana challenged themselves to make real-world versions of each sword, then asked fans to vote on their creations. They had to cheat for the more expensive materials, but they still look cool. Which sword is your favorite?

Cardboard isn’t exactly a conventional material for a sword. But with enough resin, pretty much any material can become rigid enough to be used as a weapon. In this video from Connor Creates, he shows how he glued together layers of cardboard, then coated the stack with epoxy and cut and sharpened it into a blade. Hit play to see how effective it is.

In this video from That Works, master swordsmith Ilya Alekseyev shows off his skills by designing and fabricating one of the most beautiful swords we’ve ever seen. Ilya used traditional and modern techniques to create the iron, damascus steel, and silver piece. Dubbed Transubstantiation, the sword is both a work of art and a functional weapon.

A sword can do plenty of damage on its own, but lighting it on fire takes things to another level. With some help from fellow maker Integza, Mike Shake set out to create a sword that burns and melts at the same time that it slices. The blade is made from a porous 3D-printed metal, and it runs on butane gas. Perhaps it instantly cauterizes wounds.

This sterling silver ring from Tachibano Co. is shaped like a miniature katana. Its shiny, curved blade wraps around your finger and is finished with a detailed handle, capturing the spirit of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Available in sizes 8 or 9 with a rhodium or 18k gold plating.

Japanese swordsmiths have been making bladed weapons for centuries. Veritasium offers a scientific explanation of the process, starting with a charcoal smelting method that produces steel from tiny deposits of iron sand collected from riverbeds. After that, a swordsmith forges, folds, and welds different kinds of steel to create a beautiful and sharp blade.

Given its softness, copper is not a great material for weaponry or tools – but it sure looks awesome. In this video from Mini Katana, they teamed up with a metalsmith to turn thousands of pennies into a unique sword. But hunting down enough vintage copper pennies was only the start of their problems.

After seeing an illustration of a mime wielding an invisible sword, maker Mike Shake was inspired to build one in real life. While his see-through katana isn’t completely invisible, it’s still an incredibly cool and effective weapon. Mike’s opponents will never see what hit them. After considering using a glass blade, he went with a clear and strong polycarbonate.

You don’t need to be Ranni’s lackey and trek all over The Lands Between to get your hands on this bad boy. Though you may need to farm for its cost and the shipping fee. Panda Studio’s officially licensed life-sized resin replica of the Dark Moon Greatsword from Elden Ring is a crazy 59″ long. Limited to 88 units.

The Mandalorian’s Darksaber is the most sword-like weapon in the Star Wars universe. So, it only makes sense that a blacksmith would build a real-world replica. Black Beard Projects forged his Darksaber’s blade from high-carbon and stainless steel, recreated its handle using 3D printing and sand casting, and machined its guard from steel.

We love how metal can be used over and over again. After one object has served out its life, it can often be melted down and turned into something new. In this clip by metalsmith Random Hands, he shows us how he took a rusty link from an old piece of ship’s chain and hand-forged it into a beautiful new samurai sword.