Batons are the easiest of the secondary weapons to make, or come by. They represent either a hard scabbard or a walking stick; while not dueling weapons, both were likely possessions of a renaissance courtier, and possible improvised weapons to the rapier in a pinch.
The PVC Scabbard
While you can certainly buy an inexpensive walking stick (just make sure it doesn’t have an any sharp angles or points that could injure a charging opponent), the PVC scabbard is even cheaper ($1-3), and useful, to boot. You wouldn’t wear a bare rapier through your belt, right? Make one for each of your blades, and you have loaners for your friends. Dagger scabbards make useful training tools, too.
You will need:
- PVC pipe 1” longer than your blade.
- Use ½” Schedule 40 PVC pipe for epees & flexidaggers with small (3/8”) tips.
- Use ¾” Schedule 40 PVC pipe for schlagers & anything with ½” rabbit blunts.
- Or use lighter, thin-wall ½” PVC pipe and expect it to break occasionally.
- Tape, canvas, or leather, sufficient to wrap the pipe. If using fabric, two layers is wise.
- A PVC cap, or a coin (nickel for ½” pipe, quarter for ¾”) to cover the pipe end.
If wrapping in fabric or leather, appropriate glue/good stitching technique to secure the wrapping.
You can decorate your scabbard by using patterned fabric, tooled or different colors of leather, or (shudder to think) a creative multicolor taping pattern (on second thought, black electrical tape is fine…)