My first prop was a period-accurate (17th century France) broom to be used in place of a normal weapon/sword in Planchet's broom fight. I first deconstructed some old brooms already on hand in the shop to repurpose their straw. I then cut a dowel  rod and painted it to resemble a darker wood. I used wood glue & cotton batting to create a center for the broom that  provided both padding and long, cylindrical shape instead of a normal fanned broom shape. I then used gaffer tape to  create rows of straw & then wrapped these around the broom handle at various spots to fill out the broom, then secured these with wire and wood glue. This prop admittedly took me much longer than I would hav preferred, but since it was my first time creating a prop meant to be super durable through a fight scene, I thought the extra time it was taking would be worth it because it was so sturdy. Although it did turn out to be a solid broom, it was unfortunately too heavy for the actor to practically use in the fight scene. A props staff member quickly made another broom that was much lighter and better for the actor. In retrospect, I should have paid closer attention to the rehearsal prop, the comfort of the actor & the demands of the fight scene. I will definitely do so in the future. Lesson learned!