Drop 1 · 20 of 20 hand-assembled kits left · Founding offer closes [CLOSE DATE]
Never built a prop? Gave up on foam? This is for you.
Build a dagger people swear you bought. One weekend, or I stay with you until it’s done.
If you’ve tried before
It failed at one specific moment. You probably remember exactly which one.
Contact cement joined while still wet instead of tacky, on foam too soft to hold a clean edge.
Unsealed foam drinks paint and puts every line of adhesive on display.
Cheap, soft foam tears when you carve it and dents the moment you pick it up.
The material problem
Manufacturers pushed me to use soft foam, because it costs less and it’s what everyone else sells. I said no. Here’s what that difference does in your hands.
The foam fixes the material.
The course fixes the method.
I fix whatever’s left.
Never built anything? Even better. You get to skip every one of those failures.
How it works
About six hours of video in short steps you can pause, rewind and repeat.
Scan the QR, watch Module 1, then make your first cuts on the practice dagger. Not the real one.
Form the blade, build the guard layers, glue it up. The foam takes shape faster than you expect.
Seal, prime, and paint your route. Watch foam turn into something that looks forged.
Set the gems. Shelf it, carry it to a con, post it and tag @vaelrys. Then start thinking about the next one.
What you’re really learning
Every technique in this build is one you’ll use on everything after it. Learn them once on a dagger, and you’ve learned the foundation behind foam armor, helmets, shields and swords.
Clean, symmetrical pieces for any pattern you ever build.
The curves behind armor plates, helmets and bracers.
Seams that hold on anything you wear, carry or swing.
The step that separates a pro finish from a craft project.
Battle damage, scratches and wear that make props look lived-in.
The finish that makes foam read as real metal.
Your first build is a dagger. Your next one is whatever you want.
↳ this is the part that compounds
Do the math
Only one of them leaves you with the dagger, the skill, and someone who made sure it worked.
| Commission it | Figure it out alone | The Dagger Forge Kit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $450–500 on average | Full foam sheets, paint sets, glue, tools. Most of it never used. | $300. Everything included. |
| Time | Weeks in a build queue | Months of videos and trial and error | One weekend |
| You learn the skill | No | Eventually, maybe | Yes, step by step |
| Someone checks your work | Not your work | No one | Me: three check-ins, plus DMs |
| When it goes wrong | Not your problem, not your prop | Start over | A rescue video, or me |
| You can say “I made this” | Never | If you finish | Yes |
The Drop 1 founding offer
This part alone is the $300. Everything after it is extra.
no, really. keep reading. ↓
Six bonuses. Any one of them could be sold on its own. You get all six, free.
Bonus #1
A full practice run before the real thing.
Seven technique cards and your own mini practice dagger. Cut it, heat it, glue it, seal it, weather it, and wreck it as much as you want. By the time you touch your real blank, your hands already know what to do.
↳ the fastest way to stop being scared of foam
Bonus #2
Three private check-ins. Live or by video, your call.
The first one happens within 3 days of your kit arriving, so we start strong. Stuck on a seam? Not sure about your paint? Hold it up to the camera and we fix it together, live.
Not a camera person? Send me a video of your build and I’ll send one back. Between check-ins, my DMs are open: message me whenever you’re stuck. And your check-ins never expire. They stay open for 12 months.
You didn’t buy a course. You got a coach.
↳ this is the one nobody expects
Bonus #3
The planner for every build after this one.
The dagger is your first build, not your last. The VCCS takes any costume, whether it’s foam, 3D prints, thermoplastic or fabric, from “I want to make that” to wear-ready in eight phases. You will never again stare at a project wondering where to start.
↳ use this forever. seriously.
Bonus #4
Your dagger needs somewhere to live.
A full-size pattern and a step-by-step video for a matching sheath and belt frog, so your dagger goes from the shelf to your hip. Same techniques you just learned, one level up. Grab a sheet of Weapon Grade foam from the members’ store and you’re building again next weekend.
↳ from shelf prop to con-ready
Bonus #5
Your dagger deserves better than leaning on a shelf.
A black laser-cut stand with the gold Vaelrys V, shaped to hold your dagger at the angle that shows off the blade and the gems. It ships in the box. Your build goes from “a thing I made” to a piece on display.
↳ the photo-ready finish line
Bonus #6
Two doors the public can’t open. Your kit opens both.
The private Vaelrys store. Restock the exact foam, glue and gems you already know work. As the store grows into more foam, tools and materials I trust, your access grows with it, and every order earns you a vote on which wing opens next.
First pick, forever. Every new kit and every drop, you see it 48 hours before anyone else. Drops sell in limited runs. Everyone else gets what’s left.
↳ you’re on the list. permanently.
And because you’re one of the first 20
Let’s add it up
Your founding price
$300
or 4 interest-free payments of $75 · course unlocks the moment you order
The Finish Line Guarantee
Follow the course and do your check-ins. If you get stuck, I stay with you until your dagger is done, at no extra cost.
Complete the course and your three check-ins within 30 days of your first one. If you’re still not proud of what you made, I send replacement materials and walk you through the redo. Or return the kit and I refund every dollar. Your call.
Tear the blade or wreck the guard mid-build? Send me a photo and I’ll mail you a replacement piece, free. One per builder, no lecture.
The only way you lose is by not starting. — Ren
Why only 20
I assemble every kit by hand and do every check-in myself. I can’t do 200 of these and do them right.
When Drop 1 closes, the numbered cards and featured builds are gone for good.
The founder
I’ve been building props and costumes for years, including commissions for clients. I’m good at it now, but I remember exactly what it felt like to hold a piece of foam and have no idea where the first cut should go.
Vaelrys is the system I wish existed when I started. Every kit, every module, every message is built from that memory.
— Ren
Questions
You’re not paying for foam. You’re paying not to fail. Commissioning a dagger like this typically runs $450 to $500, and you’d learn nothing. Here you pay less, keep the skill, and if you’re not proud of it, the guarantee covers you.
Yes. It was designed for a first prop. The hardest cut is done for you, and you practice every technique on a mini dagger before you touch the real one.
Nothing to buy. Every material and tool to finish the dagger is in the box. You need a table, a well-ventilated space for the glue step, and a weekend.
19 inches (48 cm) from tip to pommel. Light enough to carry all day at a convention.
Open the Fix It video for that exact moment. Each one is two to four minutes with no intro. If that doesn’t cover it, DM me a photo or send me a video.
Drop 1 ships within 2 days of purchase. Shipping is free to the US.
Earned. Not given.
20 of 20 left
See you at the bench. — Ren
