Okay, so I decided to tackle this ‘kinich weapon’ thing. It sounded kinda cool, maybe something ancient or mystical? Couldn’t find much solid info online, which honestly just made me want to build my own version even more. You know how it is.
Getting Started
First thing, I needed a plan. Since references were scarce, I just doodled some ideas. I wanted something that looked heavy, maybe stone-like but with some glowy bits. Ended up with a sort of chunky axe-hammer hybrid design in my sketchbook. Looked ambitious, maybe a bit silly, but hey, it’s my project.
Then, materials. I raided my scrap pile first. Found some thick EVA foam sheets, perfect for the main ‘stone’ parts. Also had some leftover PVC pipes which I figured could form the core handle structure. Needed glue, lots of it. Contact cement is my go-to for foam, but also grabbed some super glue for smaller bits.
The Actual Build Process
I started by drawing the main shapes onto the foam. Getting the symmetry right was a pain. I messed up the first few cuts, the foam kept tearing because my blade wasn’t sharp enough. Quick trip to sharpen it, much better. Cut out several layers for the ‘head’ of the weapon to give it thickness.
Next, I laminated these foam layers together using contact cement. You gotta apply it to both sides, let it get tacky, then press them together. Stinks up the place, but it holds strong. While that cured, I cut the PVC pipe for the handle to the right length.
Connecting the foam head to the PVC handle securely was tricky. I ended up carving a deep channel into the foam head layers before gluing them all together, so the pipe could slot right in. Drenched it in glue and hoped for the best. Clamped it overnight.
Shaping was the real beast. I used my rotary tool with a sanding drum to round off the edges and carve in some details, trying to make it look like carved rock. Foam dust absolutely everywhere. Seriously, wear a mask for this stuff. I spent hours just sanding and shaping, trying to get the look I sketched out.
Painting and Finishing Touches
Once I was happy enough with the shape (it’s never perfect, right?), it was time for sealing and painting. I coated the whole foam part with a few layers of that flexible sealant stuff – Plasti Dip works, or even just several coats of PVA glue mixed with water. This stops the foam soaking up all the paint and gives it a smoother surface.
Then came the painting. Started with a dark grey primer. Let that dry fully. Then I sponged on lighter greys and some sandy colors to get that stone texture. Dry brushing with an almost-white grey really helped pick out the edges and carved details. Added some darker washes in the crevices to make it look old.
For the ‘glowy bits’ I’d planned, I carefully masked off some rune-like shapes I’d carved earlier and painted them with a bright turquoise. I even considered adding LEDs but decided against it to keep things simple this time around. Maybe version 2.0.
Finally, I wrapped the PVC handle part with some rough fabric strips I had, gluing them down as I went. Made it look grippier and hid the plastic pipe. Added a final matte varnish over the whole thing to protect the paint job.
So yeah, that’s how I put together my ‘kinich weapon’. Took longer than expected, made a huge mess, and it’s definitely got some rough spots. But holding the finished thing? Pretty satisfying. Learned a lot, especially about shaping foam. Now it’s sitting on my shelf, looking kinda menacing. Onto the next project!
