Hello, I am interested in making some spikes for an illusion. What is the best thing to make these from?

Thanks so much

Are they just for show? Will they hold any weight or be handled during the act? Will they be inspected by volunteers ever? A little more info would be helpful...

Spikes can be either forged or turned on a lathe. The most mickey-moused method is using a grinder and spending countless hours knocking away the material you don't want.

I prefer forging steel, there is little to zero material loss or waste in this process. Forging utilizes the steel most efficiently. But, to second what Chance is saying, more info is needed.

PM me for more details.

He said they were for an illusion. Depending on how they're being used they could be made of foam or plastic, hence my questions.

Yes, his question leads to more questions than answers. I don't think forging foam or plastic is an option.

Finally! The Great Nippullini has net his match, admits he can't fashion EVERYTHING by hand!!! lol

Chance!

He merely said those materials weren't suited to FORGING, not that they were unfit for hand fabrication.

Nippulini remains unmatched. :0)

A fellow forger, but not of plastic,
Leland

Most of the spikes on illusions I've seen built are a round aluminum tube with a machined tip that is either welded or bolted on to create the look of a spike.

Any local metal shop can give you a price for fabricating these types of items. Unless you have the correct tools, building this type of thing yourself might be quite difficult.

Or, you could buy a few cheap swords and, after grinding the blades down so they aren't sharp anymore, attach them to something to create a blade/spike.

Sincerely,
David

Another option would be wooden dowels and a belt sander/grinder. However, be warned that getting wooden spikes to actually look like chrome is fairly tricky- if you want them to look like metal, go with metal.

(I've actually also been doing a bit of experimentation with paper mache spikes, but it does run into the same difficulties as wood.)

If the spikes are real and ungaffed the you can use either hot or cold roll round steel stock about 12 dollars from a steel supply and comes in 10 or 20 foot length. This can also be polished to a mirror finish by a metal polisher. all you do to the bar stock in grind a point on one end.
Hope this helps. Price is based on what I pay here in Dayton.

My spiker illusion are round aluminum tube

rick

Thanks so much for all the information guys. I will do some research on what you guys have recommended.

Thanks again