WIP: Thrain's Dwarven War Hammer (from Hobbit) - More handle work

indiefilmgeek

Sr Member
As we continue to work on the Steampunk Ironman helmet I decided to do a little work on Thrain's war hammer.

I was very inspired when I saw Thrain's costume and weapon design in the Hobbit art book, and I honestly think this might end up being a costume I'd build for myself (which would be the very first costume I've built for myself since high school). :eek

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REFERENCE:
Regarding his hammer (which is sometimes referred to as an 'axe'... though I'm not sure why), they included a pretty good art sketch. And with a bit of photo work, I was able to get this reference picture:
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BUILD MATERIALS:
Now let's talk materials... Since this is not for reproduction and just for me, I wanted it to LAST and I wanted it to have some weight. So, I decided to attempt to build the hammer of wood. It would be easier to make it out of foam with a wooden handle (and I'll default to that if I completely fail to pull off the wood version), but there is something 'substantial' about the weight and feel of a solid wood piece like this.

SCALE:
I used the above image of Thrain and the image below (production pic) to try and gauge what size the hammer would need to be if Thrain was my height.
9281802041_ebb9a529d1.jpg


I used those calculations to make a full-scale 'flat' version of the hammer for me have as a reference.


TOOLS:
In addition to my scroll saw, chop saw and a variety of other power tools, I lacked a couple necessary piece to create this hammer. One of them was a table router - which I picked up for less than $100 on Craigslist (including a set of bits).


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BUILD PROCESS:
Router in place, I started cutting our the handle and other pieces and then slicing 45 degree angles off of them.

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Handle cut to size...

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Edges cut to match the reference...


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Testing the size and shape of the hammer head pieces after using the router to created the 45 degree edges...



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I cut the handle into three pieces so I could put a set of angle-cut pieces in between (thus creating the look from the original).

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To get the inlay look of the reference, I decided to cut out a thin piece of wood and glue it to the handle. This would give the look of a carved out section, without the work of actually carving it out! :cool

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Cutting out the design in the thin wood...

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Placing the veneer on the handle sections and placing some temp gems inside the inlays.

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Same process for the pummel section...
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Once the veneer was glued on the pieces, I measured the spaces again and ordered myself some metal studs...

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Studs and Spikes... my new favorite online shop! :lol

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Then I just about burnt up my 8" chop saw by trying to cut this beautiful wood block into a spike! Much sanding will need to be done, but the rough shape is definitely there.

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...another picture of the hammer pieces laid out together...

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This weekend, I finally got some big blocks of wood glued together and then cut into roughly the size and shape of the hammer's business end. That thing is MASSIVE! :D

NOTE: I've decided to make that part in four quadrants. So, that block you see there is all four pieces stacked up together.

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Then I again used my trusty (and slightly burnt-smelling) chop saw to cut the angled edges for these blocks.

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...and here is the hammer head roughly held into position... yah! :behave


*****

That's where I'm at with this project so far... I'll be tying to figure out the angle cuts and all for that massive hammer head this week, so expect an update when I get a chance!

Take Care!
 
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Re: WIP: Thrian's War Hammer

This is looking fantastic!! I've got a design for my own dwarf axe, maybe once you've finished this you'd be up for some commissions? Hah.
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's War Hammer

This is looking fantastic!! I've got a design for my own dwarf axe, maybe once you've finished this you'd be up for some commissions? Hah.

First off, awesome work on the Erebor Helm in Foam! If I ever complete this whole Thrain costume we'll have to connect at some North American convention or other for a photo shoot! :D

Also, I like your maille work. My wife and I used to do custom pieces of chainmaille armor and jewelry back when we first got married (now we have four kids and no time), but was a lot of fun. This Thrain costume might be the first time I've pick up my pliers and created some 6-in-1 armor in almost a decade - it's hard to believe!

Regarding custom prop pieces, I've very selective about what projects I take on... but for a fellow fan of Dwarven armor and weapons, I would certainly consider helping a brother out. Were you really interested in having the axe you modeled built?
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's War Hammer

First off, awesome work on the Erebor Helm in Foam! If I ever complete this whole Thrain costume we'll have to connect at some North American convention or other for a photo shoot! :D

Also, I like your maille work. My wife and I used to do custom pieces of chainmaille armor and jewelry back when we first got married (now we have four kids and no time), but was a lot of fun. This Thrain costume might be the first time I've pick up my pliers and created some 6-in-1 armor in almost a decade - it's hard to believe!

Regarding custom prop pieces, I've very selective about what projects I take on... but for a fellow fan of Dwarven armor and weapons, I would certainly consider helping a brother out. Were you really interested in having the axe you modeled built?

Thanks so much! It's going slow but still going. I'm actually headed to Fan Expo in Toronto this year to sell my chainmaille and will hopefully be returning the next year if it goes well. I also go to some other cons in the GTA like Comic Con and hopefully sometime Anime North.

The axe in my Dwarf Armour thread is the one I'd be looking for (possibly 2). I bought a big wooden 2"x2" square pole figuring I'd try to turn that in to a handle and then either make the blade out of 3D printed parts or EVA foam, but I'd love to have a sturdier display piece made entirely out of wood. I'm in no rush on it, but let me know if you get to a point where you'd be willing to take it on.
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

Someone posted this link on my thread, thought you'd enjoy this picture:

BAd69ot+-+Imgur.jpg


The section pieces of the handle show that it should actually be a rectangle, though I don't really like that idea and don't suggest you change all the work you've done so far, heh.
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

Good, clean work so far on the hammer. Do you plan on casting this beast or just painting the wood straight?
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

The section pieces of the handle show that it should actually be a rectangle, though I don't really like that idea and don't suggest you change all the work you've done so far, heh.

That's a great picture! ...I actually had pulled that from your thread already. :$

Regarding the rectangle vs square issue, I'd have to say that it might show as a rectangle in the that reference pic, but EVERYWHERE else it 'looks' square. And the inlays would also look pretty funny if they didn't match side to side and front to back... I think that might have been drawn prior to construction.

Same goes with the hammer-end of the weapon. In the ACTUAL picture of the hammer in the art book it shows the BOTTOM two points as longer than the top two points. It also shows the top part to be much 'thinner' than the bottom section... it even appears like the etched line is messed up on the hammer end. It's weird....
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But in the picture from the actually filming of the movie and the other art pieces it shows the longer points to be ON TOP (not on the bottom). And since that seems to make more sense than the longer points on the bottom, I went that direction. I haven't measured, but the reference art that you posted (which shows a LOT of details I hadn't seen before, also looks like there isn't very much difference (if any) between the top and bottom points of the hammer's face.

Again, I'll probably defer to the photo-shopped version I created which hybrids both - I swapped the longer points to the top and also balanced the two halves so the bottom and top are balanced.
9281802131_c910b847e9.jpg


Basically, I'm aiming the most for THIS:
9281801923_05b0de7201_z.jpg


Looks like a square handle profile and the longer points on the top edge of the hammers facing.

..Not that I've been staring at these images for WAY too long mind you!!! I'm not obsessed or anything (really)! :wacko
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

Good, clean work so far on the hammer. Do you plan on casting this beast or just painting the wood straight?

I wasn't planning on casting this one (I didn't figure anyone would be interested in copies of this piece since Thrain is barely mentioned in the movies). So, I plan currently to just created it 'solidly' out of wood and hardened materials, prime it, paint it and then distress it.

That all might change as we go... but that's the plan right now! :)
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit


For the length of the prongs, I actually think the problem with this picture is a cropping issue, it looks like a small section of the front of the hammer got cut off in layout by the other picture, that would account for the missing etching lines and the shorter prongs on the top. I can't say for certain if the actual hammer really had longer prongs on the top versus the bottom since all of the pictures have their own share of perspective. I'm certainly not against it though, I think it looks fine with the longer prongs.
 
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Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

For the length of the prongs, I actually think the problem with this picture is a cropping issue, it looks like a small section of the front of the hammer got cut off in layout by the other picture, that would account for the missing etching lines and the shorter prongs on the top. I can't say for certain if the actual hammer really had longer prongs on the top versus the bottom since all of the pictures have their own share of perspective. I'm certainly not against it though, I think it looks fine with the longer prongs.

I agree with you regarding the weird photo crop... it's too odd to be part of the original. You're probably right about that.

But since it was 'funky', I actually did some overly OCD-type calculations based on the main reference pic I was using.
Check this out...
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Art Design

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Production Still

...talk about obsessive compulsive, right? :facepalm

It definitely looks like the physical prop they used in the film had four points (all the same size), even through the early art of Thrain's character design showed the top set longer than the bottom set.

I think I'll probably stick to the early art (as there are several other minor difference that I like better in the art than the final production version)... But that could change as I keep working on it - you can never tell how it will work out until it's done! ;)


*****

I got my studs in yesterday and couldn't wait to get them onto the handle... Here's what the pummel looks like with the studs added.
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Overall, I'm pleased with the results... It will certainly be easier to see what it will look like once I have it smoothed out with puddy, sanding and primer, but it's a good start.
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

Where is the LOVE THIS button? Amazing work so far! Will be watching this thread.. Where are you planning to wear this?
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

boy your title confused me for like 3 days

i was like: who the **** is thrian?
now i figured out that its a typo and means thrains dwarven war hammer

anyways great work :)
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

boy your title confused me for like 3 days

i was like: who the **** is thrian?
now i figured out that its a typo and means thrains dwarven war hammer

Oops! :facepalm

It's fix now!


Where is the LOVE THIS button? Amazing work so far! Will be watching this thread.. Where are you planning to wear this?

Hopefully D*con (as some point). I've come down for years, but since I work slow, this one won't be done for this year's con. Maybe next year it will be ready. :$

If there's a Hobbit group of Dwarves attending this year, let me know. I might bring down the hammer just for fun and picture of folks in costumes with it. :D
 
Re: WIP: Thrain's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

That looks great! Nice to see a LOTR weapon build that isn't a sword.

What kind of wood are you using? In the close-ups I can see some fuzzy edges and scratch marks that look like pine (or spruce, or some softwood).

It's probably impractical to switch materials at this point, but if you decide to do a version 2.0, a harder wood could hold those sharp edges better and could take a little more abuse. Poplar is probably the most economical (and easiest on your tools), but rock maple or hornbeam would be my choice for something like this (assuming my budget could accommodate it, of course...)

You may also want to reinforce the joints somehow. I'd recommend either an internal dowel or steel rod. Wood glue is pretty strong stuff, but it doesn't usually do well against shear stress, which I think might be a problem.
 
Re: WIP: Thrain's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

That looks great! Nice to see a LOTR weapon build that isn't a sword.

What kind of wood are you using? In the close-ups I can see some fuzzy edges and scratch marks that look like pine (or spruce, or some softwood).

It's probably impractical to switch materials at this point, but if you decide to do a version 2.0, a harder wood could hold those sharp edges better and could take a little more abuse. Poplar is probably the most economical (and easiest on your tools), but rock maple or hornbeam would be my choice for something like this (assuming my budget could accommodate it, of course...)

You may also want to reinforce the joints somehow. I'd recommend either an internal dowel or steel rod. Wood glue is pretty strong stuff, but it doesn't usually do well against shear stress, which I think might be a problem.

Thanks, wgering!

Regarding the wood, it's a wide variety of stock. Most of it is Pine with some Poplar and Bass in some places. The pointy end is Yellow Birch. It won't make much difference, as the whole thing will be smoothed and puddied before I prime it and then paint it. There definitely won't be any wood grain showing or staining on this. ;)

An Internal Dowel rod (wooden) is the plan currently. I even bought a nice used drill press for my shop recently. I'm looking forward to testing it out as I start putting final pieces together after I finish sanding and cleaning them up.


And speaking of sanding and cleaning up... I bought a belt sander this weekend and 'tested' that out on my pointy stick.
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It still will need a little puddy in some places, but it's MUCH closer!

I also got all my cut lines drawn for the 'business' end of the war hammer...
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I've been struggling to figure out how to cut these, but opted to go with a muscle-powered mitter box saw. It still needs to be cleaned up, but here's the first point I got cut.
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Now, I just need to cut three more of these! :facepalm
 
Re: WIP: Thrain's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

Shame you don't have a bandsaw, that would be perfect for those spikes. I'm assuming your scroll saw doesn't open wide enough to accommodate the pieces?
 
Re: WIP: Thrain's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

Shame you don't have a bandsaw, that would be perfect for those spikes. I'm assuming your scroll saw doesn't open wide enough to accommodate the pieces?

Yep. Band saw is DEFINITELY on my short list. Just have to find one at the right price. :)
 
Re: WIP: Thrian's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

Oops! :facepalm

It's fix now!




Hopefully D*con (as some point). I've come down for years, but since I work slow, this one won't be done for this year's con. Maybe next year it will be ready. :$

If there's a Hobbit group of Dwarves attending this year, let me know. I might bring down the hammer just for fun and picture of folks in costumes with it. :D


Yep. I'm thinking you just may want to bring this around for pictures then ;) :D
 
Re: WIP: Thrain's Dwarven War Hammer from the Hobbit

And a little more progress....

Cut out one more pointy edge (again by hand-powered mitter-box saw, my dremel and a fine toothed detail saw).

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And I used my new drill press to punch a hole in the three pummel pieces so I could glue them together with a re-enforcing 1/4" wooden dowel. This is still VERY rough... it will be cleaned up with puddy, sanding and have some trim pieces added before it's primed and painted.

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That's it... I'm calling it a night! :sleep
 
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