How to Make a Leonidas Sword

Crafting the Blade

• 1

  Hunt through your neighborhood junkyard for a leaf spring that matches the parameters of Leonidas's sword. His sword is 32 1/2 inches long (24 inches for the blade and 8 1/2 inches for the grip), 4 inches at its widest part, and 2 inches at its most narrow.

• 2

  Cut the springs free with a hand-held angle grinder. Choose your particular length of leaf spring.

• 3

  Hammer your chosen piece against an anvil, using a 3-lb. blacksmith hammer. Keep working the metal until the leaf is completely flat.

• 4

  Draw the distinctive shape of the sword on the straightened leaf spring. A permanent marker works best, but keep the drawing as clean as possible.

• 5

  Leave 8 1/2 inches from the "end" of the blade for the grip.

• 6

  Place the leaf spring in a clamp vise, and use the angle grinder to cut out the shape of the sword.

Fixing the Guard and Grip

• 7

  Drill two 1/4-inch holes in the sword grip equidistant apart.

• 8

  Cut the 12-inch block of wood in half, lengthwise.

• 9

  Brace each half of the wood block against the sword's 8 1/2-inch grip, and trace an outline of the grip and the drilled holes onto both pieces.

• 10

  Drill out the marked hole. Cut out the traced grips from the wood halves.

• 11

  Fix the wooden grips to the sword using the Chicago screws.

• 12

  Sand the grips until smooth, clean with a damp cloth, then wrap the grips with a strip of leather. Fix in place with some epoxy glue.