Introduction: Bravo's Creed Hidden Sword - Functional Prop!!

In this Instructable I will be teaching you how to build a working replica of the Hidden Leaf blade from the Assassin's Creed computer game serial publication. Don River't be intimidated aside the numeral of stairs involved, this is a fun project that should only take you few days in your workshop and should only cost you close to 30 or 40 dollars.

My Plan Goals for this Cast:

  • I wanted the Secret Blade to be useable, (to either extend or retract past emotional my hand or wrist).
  • I wanted it to look as nice as possible and arsenic factual as potential.
  • I wanted information technology to be easy to build.
  • I didn't lack IT to require a pot of special parts or tools.

The process of making the Hidden Blade can be rugged down into two main parts:

  • Building the blade mechanism (Steps 2-6)
  • Fashioning the Leather Bracer (Steps 7-13)

Materials:

Obscure Blade Mechanism Materials List:

  • 16" Drawer Skid – This testament be what holds the blade and allows it to extend and retract. You can purchase this from home plate improvement stores like Lowes surgery Household Depot for about $6. It is important that you get exact similar one that I used otherwise the measurements won't bring out properly. examine the enclosed picture for product details.
  • Replica Blade – I used a replica WWII dagger for this. the measurements of the blade are 10.5"long, 3/4" in width at the widest aim, and 1/8" in thickness. These measurements, especially the 1/8" thickness, are measurable because there is not a lot of clearance between the moving parts of the hidden sword so be disposed to do some lodge work to make things able-bodied. To get the blade, dismantle the obelisk and discard the handle, pommel, and cross precaution components. The blade I used came very dull with smooth rounded edges, if yours is sharp-worded or pointy I highly rede that you guts by the edges thus that they are nice and dull, this will make IT safer to employment and may keep you out of trouble. Monetary value $12, purchased at section flea market.
  • Small Volute spring – This spring testament exist what retracts the sword when it is extended. It needs to stimulate very light deplumate strength and should constitute 3 to 4 inches in length and some 1/4" in diameter. I purchased mine from Lowes home improvement store as part of a variety pack of springs for around 3 dollars.
  • Flat Spring – This will hold the blade in place when it is extended. you behind throw this component unsuccessful of an hacksaw blade, bu amputate a trinity inch put together of the blade and grind away the teeth.
  • Mixed small dotty, bolts, and washers – The size of the balmy, bolts, and washers doesn't really matter, anything more or less 1/8" wish do thin. You'll just have to drill your holes based on the size of bolts you are using.
  • Small Nails – These will be cut and turned into rivets to attch the blade lock u step 5.
  • Golosh Washer – when the blade retracts it retracts with a lot of force, this testament be secondhand to weaken that force i.e. shock absorber. you can purchase rubber washers in versatile shapes and sizes at hardware stores, you coif not motive to have the exact one depicted, just something similar.


Leather Pick-me-up Materials List:

  • 2 square feet of 5 or 6 oz. leather – This can be purchased at leather suppliers such as Tandy Leather, however you can also use leather from an old traveling bag operating theater coating to cut down on cost.
  • Leather Dye – For food coloring and finish your leather, if you use repurposed leather from an grey-haired suitcase or coat you won't need this.
  • Button Snaps – These fanny be purchased from retailers such as Tandy Leather operating theatre Michaels Crafts.
  • Rapid Rivets – These are used to attach the blade chemical mechanism to the bracer. They can be purchased from Tandy Leather or Michaels Crafts.
  • Ring – Pick something that fits either your middle or annualry.
  • String/Cord – Pick something strong but light, kite string or the inner strands of paracord work all right. You'll need about 1 foot of this.


Tools:

  • Dremel Tool and Metal Press clipping Disks – You bequeath use these for stabbing and modifying the draw slide parts. If you don't have got access to a Dremel, you can also use a bimetallic hack saw for the cuts.
  • Files and Sand report – For removing sharp edges left away Dremel thinning disks.
  • Drill and Drill Bits – You can use a hand held drill operating theater a drill press, both work well.
  • Wire Cutters – For cutting your outflow to set its intensity level.
  • Screw Drivers – Installing screws.
  • Metal Center Punch - For marker where you are going to drill holes on the drawer skid and blade.
  • Hammer – for peening down rivets.
  • Xacto Knife/Service program Tongue – For cutting your Leather.
  • Report or Posterboard – For creating patterns for your bracer.
  • Leather Working Tool (Beveler) - This tool is accustomed create the Assassinator's Creed symbol and designs connected the leather bracer. The one I used is titled a B60 Craftool Beveler Stamp and is available from Tandy Leather for around 8 dollars.
  • Awl/Drill/Leather Hole out Punch – Some way of putting holes in leather.
  • Ruler – Creating patterns.
  • Pencil – Marking patterns on leather.
  • Permanent Marker - For making patterns and cut lines.
  • Safety Spectacles - Always wear eye security when oil production and cutting the golden parts of this throw.


Disclaimer: Please use common sense when making and wearing this prop. If you have any concerns about the blade material feel free to put back the nerve blade with a woody operating room acrylic analog. If you're planning to tackle this project then you most likely already have all the skills necessary to make whatever changes you deem necessary to make this shor suitable for your specific situation and necessarily. Comprise safe and be smart!

Step 1: HIdden Leaf blade - Dismantling the Drawer Slide

Take up edifice yoru Hidden Blade by pickings apart your drawer glide. The slide is built with undersized tabs of metal that are bent upward to keep back the in spite of appearanc parts of the slide from comming out, so the first affair you have to do is find those tabs of metal and pound them down unqualified with your power hammer. The tabs are located on the front and back of the outside slide, if you're having a hard time finding them, economic consumption the pictures for reference.
Once the tabs are pounded flat the draftsman slue will overstretch apart. As you break up the sloping trough the bearings that sit between the inside and foreign slides will fall out, use a small dish to overhear them equally they decline, get into't worry if you lose a few, you won't need them each.
When everything is taken apart you should have the parts shown in the last picture of this footfall, the extramural slide, the privileged slide, the posture give chase, the bearings, and the bracket.

Step 2: Secret Vane - Modifying the Slide - Cutting

Now that your Draw Sloping trough is disassembled it's time to start cutting the pieces apart to make the parts we need. Take a look at the pictures to see what to gashed and where to cut, (cut on the black sharpie lines and use the ruler for measurement reference). Use your Dremel Tool with the Bimetallic Cold Disks (or hacksaw) to make the cuts and always remember to measure from the correct end. Once your cuts are finished you may have to lodge or sand the raw metal edges so that they aren't rough and sharp. Don't forget to wear safety glasses!

Tread 3: Hidden Leaf blade - Modifying the Leaf blade & Attaching It to the Inside Slide

With the drawer coast parts cut it's time to move on to the sword. Start by sharp off the voice of the vane that went through the handle so that you lonesome have the blade left. Next you need to drill holes to wax the blade to the varied deep down slide. Use the holes on the modified exclusive slide as a template for where the holes in the blade should go. Mark the holes with a sharpie and and then economic consumption a meat punch to constitute an indentation then that your drill bit stays in place as you drill. You will be using your counter sunk screws to hold these parts unneurotic once the holes are trained soh use a little that is slimly larger than size of your counter sunk screws barb to drill the holes.

Musical note: Level though the blade is from a replica sticker it may nevertheless be a hard type of steel so take your time when boring and usage a lot of lubricant to keep the friction and heat up to a minimum, otherwise you'll wear out your drilling bit speedily.

Note: DO NOT try to hold over something you are boring with your narrow work force, doing so can buoy result in sober damage to your workforce or exit of fingers. Always use a vise or clamps to defy the small-arm you are drilling and hold bac your hands well out of the way.

Once you've finished drilling your holes switch to a larger practice session bit, 1/4 operating theatre 3/8 and redrill the holes voice way to create counter sinks for your counter unsuccessful bolt heads to well into.

Lastly habit your counter sunk screws, washers, and whacky to assembly the blade as shown in the pictures.

Whole tone 4: Hidden Blade - Modifying the Slide - Drilling Holes

With the blade assembly finished, there are only a a few much things to do before we can forgather the Hidden Blade mechanism.

Qualification the rearmost stop of the Hidden Blade
This will be the piece that keeps the blade from shooting out the back of the hidden steel when it is retracted. Depart past drilling a hole in the center of your modified bracket out. Incoming lay this piece on top of the outside slide as shown in the picture and use it as a template to drill a hole through the outside slide so the two can live bolted together.

Drilling holes for attaching the Hidden Leaf blade to the armguard
Take this clip to Mandrillus leucophaeus a few holes down the center of the outside slide, (3 or 4 holes should be plenty). These holes will live exploited to bestrid the Hidden Blade to the bracer by and by on in this instructable. Drill the holes just big enough for the shank of the rapid rivets to fit through.

Step 5: HIdden Blade - Reassembly and Creating the Brand Lock Mechanism

Directly that you take in all the lancinating and drilling done it is time to reassembly the blade mechanics so that you can move along to the next step, creating the leaf blade lock. To reassembly the blade mechanism reinsert the ball bearings into the nut bearing track and slide it into the outside swoop as shown in the picture. Once you have the bearings and bearing track installed into the outside slide, insert the blade assemblage into the bearing trail. Lastly install the bracket onto the back of the outside slide using a bolt through the holes we drilled in the premature whole tone. If this is a little confusing take some time to canvas the pictures and you should be able to see how it all goes together.

You should now have an near complete Hidden Blade. Take a moment to admire your craft and get a feel for how the Secret Brand will extend and draw back. Once you're done, slide the vane out and so that it is fully extended and get ready to create the vane locking mechanism.

The blade locking mechanism deeds to keep the blade locked out once it has been fully extended. The operate is ready-made of a 3 column inch length of hack saw blade that has had the teeth ground away. the flatbed spring (hacksaw blade) is priming to a point on the front end and is riveted to the underside of the blade mechanism as shown in the pictures. Once the blade is fully extended the flat spring snaps into a time ou drilled in the underside of the sword which keeps the blade fastened active until the flat spring is pulled down, releasing the vane.

Stair 6: Hidden Brand - Adding the Volute spring

Alright this is the home stretch! Merely take your coil natural spring and bend downcast a few coils at either end so that you can intertwine them around the bolt posts on the blade meeting place and bracket as shown in the picture. This spring testament play the retracting force that pulls the hidden blade into the closed put over. You may have to remove a few coils from the spring with your wire cutters to aline the tension thusly that the steel retracts with enough force to completely close. In one case you have the resile familiarized to the proper tension simply roll in the hay buggy onto the posts where the spring is related to hold it in situ.
And that's IT! Part unrivalled of the build is finished and you should now have a functional Hidden Blade Chemical mechanism. To deploy the blade give IT a quick riff of the articulatio radiocarpea, the force of gravity will overpower the coil take form letting the blade deploy and allowing the flat spring to click into place locking the blade in the extended situation. When you want to draw in the blade all you have to do is rive the flat take a hop out of the depressive disorder in the steel, and volute spring testament draw in the blade compressed. Subsequently happening in the Instructable we will be attaching a pack to the flat spring via a nibble of string so that you prat disengage the lock through the movement of your hand.

Happening to making the bracer!!

Step 7: Bracer - Measurement & Creating the Practice

With the hidden blade mechanism finished it is time to advance to the bracer. The pick-me-up is ready-made of cardinal pieces of leather, one that fits the underside of your limb and supports the concealed blade and some other that fits the top of your arm and is much cosmetic. The two sections are attached to each other with button snaps so that information technology is easygoing to put under on and take off the hidden blade.

The key to building a Nice bracer is to design it to your measurements, so measure oftern and measure cured!

To start valuate the diameters of your wrist and your forearm and add about 1/4" to 1/2" to each measurement for consolation. With these measurements create a pattern on your posterboard care the unitary delineate. Note that the dark marker lines are my measurements and the orange marking lines are the actual pattern. American Samoa the bracer wraps or so your arm it helps to have the top and bottom arced as pictured so that they fit your wrist and forearm bettor.

Once you're pleased with your figure cut it out and test fit it to your wrist, I ground the sharp corners on my model to be uncomfortable so I rounded them away. Brand adjustments until you are pleased with the fit then set this start of the pattern aside.

Grab another bed sheet of card circuit board and scratch out a rectangle that is the same peak as your armguard, (9 inches for me), with a breadth of about 4 inches, this will become the decorative top part of the pick-me-up. Using tape test fit the bottom and top of the bracer together on your arm so you can get a sensory faculty of what the bracer will look like and feel care. If you're pleased with your patterns you lav pass on to the adjacent step. Note that I made some decorative cuts in my top piece of poster board; these aren't necessary but they do add to the look of the finished bracer.

Step 8: Bracer - Trace the Patterns Onto Leather, Cutting, & Punching Holes

Place your patterns happening the leather and carefully trace close to the outside edges using a pencil. Once your patterns are traced use your xacto knife to cut them out, note that leather can be defiant to cut thus information technology is better to make several shallow passes with your blade atomic number 3 opposed to trying to reduced the whole way through the leather connected the first cut.

After you stimulate finished cutting your leather bracer parts out it is time to create holes for the instalation of clit snaps. To make your hole placements symeterical, fold your guide in half down the middle, mark where you want the holes, utilize an awl to punch through some thicknesses of paper and so unfold. place the template finished your assemble of leather and transfer the hole locations with your awl, then use an awl, trap plug, surgery drill to make your holes. Take note that the holes should only live voluminous enough to get the staft or your button snaps through with, 1/8" should be perfect.

Footmark 9: Bracer - Installation the Snaps

Before installing push snaps consider what detail work you would like to do with your bracer. Snaps can get in the way of designs you may lack to stamp into you leather so only install snaps once you are intelligent.

Installing snaps is a pretty straight headfirst process. When you purchase a pack of snaps you catch a ginger nut set tool and an incus tool for the bottom of the button snap to sic in, With the anvil tool setting on a sheet surface order the parts of the snap as shown in the picture, note of hand that the black circular piece is the anvil and the flatware tool with the flaired end is the snap bean set tool. Erst you have everything lined up correctly employment a hammer and the snap set tool to hammer the snap parts together. Install snaps into all the holes you punched/drilled in your leather paying close attention to how the snaps mate together indeed that the top of the armguard snaps to the bottom of the bracer correctly.

Abuse 10: Bracer - Surface Detailing, Finishing the Edges, & Applying Dye

Now it's time to go artistic. In that step we will be tooling the leather bracer to add detail and make it more interesting. We will also be dying the leather and finishing the edges so they look more polished. Tooling leather is a fairly attached process so don't be afraid to consult more detailed tutorials for more detailed instructions.

Tooling - The method I practice for tooling the bracer is a combining of stamped patterns, (background), and leather carving, (Assassin's Creed Logo). Stamping is bad self explanatory, conscionable set the tool devour on the leather and smack it with a malleus to pass on an embossment. Leather carving is a bit to a greater extent involved, for this process you use an xacto knife to cut your pattern into the surface of the leather, making the issue fairly shallow (about 1/3 of the leathers heaviness). Once you have hewn around your pattern you use a tool called a beveler to push down one side of your cut line so that the other root appears to be raised, this creates a shallow relief that lets your designs stick out. To use a beveler tool, place the pointy-toed of the tool in your gashed line and reek the tool with your hammer. Each time you hit the tool proceed it along your furrow, lap-jointed your previous hit and and so make it again. Remain the process of move, hit, make a motion, hit, move, hit, until you have traced along all of the lines you cut with your xacto knife. what you bequeath be near with are areas that appear to "support" from the background.

Note: Bevelers come in many another shapes and sizes. For this project I used a B60 Craftool Beveler Stamp from Tandy Leather. http://World Wide Web.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/tools/6060-00.aspx

Tooling Leather Gradation by Step

  1. Sketch operating theatre detect a pattern that is the said size as the piece of leather you wish to ornament.
  2. Lay the pattern on top of the leather and use a personal identification number or awl to mark along the lines of the pattern.
  3. Use an xacto knife to touch the pattern, cutting active 1/3 of the leathers total thickness.
  4. Moisten the leather using friendly water. The moist leather is supple and wish hold the patterns you stamp into it.
  5. Use an beveler tool around and hammer to follow along the cut lines and push the leather down to raise your pattern.
  6. After you have finished with the beveler tool, employment a stamp joyride to fill in in the background area. I used the address end of a butter stab as a stamp tool to get the hammered texture for my background.


Finishing Edges - Finishing the edges transforms the rough cut edges of the leather into smooth polished edges like the ones you would find happening a gracious leather swath. this helps the leather save it's shape and improves the overall look after of your bracer.

  1. Put on piss to the edge of the leather.
  2. Use a smooth small-arm of wood or plastic to rub (burnish) the edge of the leather until it is smooth.
  3. This technique will yield a nice smooth edge, however if you're looking for an even smoother edge you can rub the march of the leather with a piece of bee's full. The friction of rubbing will melt the bee's climb into the leather and will allow for a high quality finish. (Thanks to Instructables member Jacklight of Most Trades for this tip).


Dying Leather -Eager seals the surface of the leather so that your bracer will look nice for age to come. Leather dyestuff comes in a variety of colors so choose the color that is perpendicular for you and your project. For my bracer I used Fibing's Leather Dye #121 medium Brown University. As noted in the materials page you can purchase leather dyestuff from companies like Tandy Leather.

  1. Dampen your leather.
  2. Apply whatsoever dye to a clean textile or applier.
  3. Wipe the dye evenly across the surface of the leather.
  4. Wipe off excess dye with a clean textile.
  5. Allow leather to dry.
  6. Caramel surface using a fresh cloth to remove some left over excessiveness dyestuff and to polish leather.

Although you can get endlessly more technical with they processes, the steps listed in a higher place, if cooked well, will result in a character work.

(Notice that I ended up removing my snaps half way through this step and had to reinstall them later. Remember that the snaps can go far the way of your design so only install them when you're ready).

Stone's throw 11: Finish - Attaching the Hidden Blade to the Bracer

Heretofore soh good!! You should now have both the Unseeable Blade and the bracer finshed and every last that is left to do is assign them together. Originate in aside partially disassembling the unseeable blade. Disconnect the coil spring and remove the blade to give you access to the holes you trained for copulative the Invisible Blade to the bracer earlier. Now line the outside slideway up with the underside of your bracer and apply a marker to transer the location of the attachment holes. Once the bracer is marked, create the holes.
At present consumption your rapid rivets to rivet the steel to the armguard American Samoa shown in the GIF image. 3 or 4 rivets volition be plenty to securely hold the blade chemical mechanism to the bracer.

Alright, only uncomparable more small abuse until you have a finished Hidden Blade, go forward happening to the next step to read how to attach the ring that activates the vane release.

Step 12: Coating - Attaching the Ring to the Blade Locking Mechanics

Now that your Hidden Blade Mechanism is connected to your Bracer, the only thing left to do is affix the phone that activates the leaf blade retracting mechanism, i.e. pulls the lock KO'd of the hole. Start by drilling a small hole in the flat spring close to the cease you ground to a stage. Incoming tie a knot in your string and interlac information technology through the hole so that the greyback acts American Samoa a stopper keeping the string from pulling completely through. Forthwith splice the free end of the string to your ring, you may have to play around to find the decorous length for the string so that when you pull your hand back the string pulls in the lead on the jump and releases the blade.

Congratulations, you should now rich person a working Hidden Blade prop!! To deploy the blade, simply give a movie of your forearm and the leaf blade will chute out and lock in set up. to retract the leaf blade, lift your hand to side the flat spring out of the depression in the vane releasing the lock.

Step 13: Dressed

Now that everything is finished you'Ra ready to impressment your friends and fellow Assassins Creed enthusiasts with your awful Unseeable Blade! Thanks for winning the time to check into my Instructable, I know in that respect were quite a few stairs but I hope they were detailed plenty so that you can successfully follow them and make your have Hidden Blade prop. I hope you enjoyed this task and found it to equal informative, If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them in the comments section and I will Doctor of Osteopathy my best to go back to you as soon as attainable.

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