August 2019
Time to forge 1 hour
Sanding and filing 1 hour
Time to carve: 1 hour
Finishing: .5 hour
Design: Brainfoo
Modified as a slide: Bill Macfarlane
Made from mystic Uru metal on the neutron star Nidavellir, homeworld of the Dwarves, the Strombreaker was wielded by Thor in the battle against Thanos. (At least that is my understanding of Infinity War in the Marvel universe as I'm more of a DC comics guy.)
I had a great time making the Bowie Knife slide and decided I try my hand at making another miniature sharp implement of destruction. Enter Brainfoo's YouTube video for making the Strombreaker and in short order, I was off to the hardware store to buy a large bolt. I heated the bolt with a propane torch and began to shape it with a hammer on a small steel anvil. Once I a got the basic shape, it was off to the sander to finish roughing out the shape. Next, I used a file to make the edge of the ax, the back of the hammer, and round the edges. The line down the center was made using an abrasive disk on a rotary tool. Fine sanding with fine sandpaper and then I used polishing disks to give the ax head a great shine.
The Strombreaker's handle was next and I carved it from scrap maple. Once I got it to the shape I wanted with a slot for the ax head, I left it in rough unsanded shape for a realistic look. I stained the ax handle with some wood stain and when it was dry, it was time to attach the ax head. Using some hemp twine, the ax head was lashed to the handle and hide the top neckerchief slide loop attachement. The lower loop attachment was also hidden by the middle knot of twine and the final knot at the bottom of the ax.
To finish off the slide, I used a couple of coats of CA glue (super glue) to seal the wood and secure the knots.
