Client : MEDiAKiN / Production Company : Sterling Cinema Australia
Brief : Create Faux Axes to be used as props for feature film. Also required to perform as breakaway objects, or stunt props, designed to disintergrate on impact.
Medium : Foam Sculpting.
Technique : Inspect Foam Block. Remove bits of foam that don't look like an AXE Head. Dip finished sculpt in matte black paint. Hang out to dry, pay attention for paint drips. When the foam is completely sealed and dried with the paint, use a fine brush and Silver paint to dry brush the blade and edges for a weathered effect.
Notes : Don't let the axe heads dry in the rain, wear a face mask while sculpting.
The Prop Axes worked so well on film that it was decided to use these props for the duration of the shoot, so no real axes were harmed during the making of this motion picture.
Axes have 2 primary components: The axe head, and the handle (or haft). The axe head is typically bounded by the blade (or bit to use the correct terminology) at one end, and the poll (or butt) at the other. The top corner of the blade where the cutting edge begins is called the toe, and the bottom corner is known as the heel. Either side of the axe head is called the cheek, which is sometimes supplemented by lugs where the head meets the haft, and the hole where the haft is mounted is called the eye. The part of the bit that descends below the rest of the axe-head is called the beard, and a bearded axe is an antiquated axe head with an exaggerated beard that can sometimes extend the cutting edge twice the height of the rest of the head. Traditionally, the axe handle was made of a resilient hardwood like hickory or ash, Axes often had a simple, straight handle with a circular cross-section that wedged onto the axe-head without the aid of wedges or pins. Modern hafts are curved for better grip and to aid in the swinging motion, and are mounted securely to the head. The shoulder is where the head mounts onto the haft, and this is either a long oval or rectangular cross-section of the haft that's secured to the axe head with small metal or wooden wedges. The belly of the haft is the longest part, where it bows in gently, and the throat is where it curves sharply down into to the short grip, just before end of the haft, which is known as the knob.