I am back this week and in accordance with todays date, I would like to do an effect that has been requested a bunch on the forums, and that I think would be really fun and easy. I know we've handled various bladed implements before, but I thought I would do something a little different, and find a cheap way to make your own safe propr machete for cheap. So here you go, your own Friday the 13th-style blood squirting machete!

 

 

Like similar knife and blade builds in the past, I like to start out with a sheet of foam board for the blade. Sketch out the general shape of the blade, and then cut it out with X-acto knife.

 

 Next, take something that you can use as a "rolling pin" (I found this thermos, it'd be a good idea to find something metal, as putting your weight on a plastic cup or glass could break them, and that'd be bad.).

 

 And use it to press the blade down, and thin it out to make it a little thinner and more 'Blade-like'. 

 

I then cut two more rectangles out about the size of the base, so I could form a "handle" for the blade. You can either attach them using hot glue or a glue stick. 

 

 

Then, I covered the blade in a layer of silver paint. 

 

 

I think took some black paint and rubbed it along the edges, to give the blade an illusion of more "depth".

 

 

I then spread some brown paint on the handle, to try to give it a faux-wood finish. 

 

 

And there, is the machete. But we're not done yet, for Machete strikes, it's helpful to have a nice blood splatter to go with it.

 

 Get a plastic tube. 

 

And plug up the end with some super or hot glue. 

 

 

Now, poke some holes in it along one side with razor or needle. 

 

 

And attach the open end to an oral syringe. 

 

 

Then I filled it full of liquidy fake blood (mostly water and lots and lots of food coloring). Because I want it to squirt out high pressure, and if it was thicker it wouldn't come out as quick.

 

 

Attach it to the side of the blade that will be facing away from the camera. So when you swing down, you can have someone out of the frame squeeze down real quickly, and it'll look like the blood came from the strike. (Or they could possibly push it down with their thumb.) 

 

 

You can just attach it with some gaffers tape for the scene, and it should work ok.

 

There you go, your very own blood-squirting machete.