weapons...

Hay there everybody, I'm a newbie here to at Raph. I'm also a newbie to 3d in general. I am making 3D characters for a personal project and want to make weapons for them. How would I go about making swords, staffs, knifes, and all that sort. Thanks in advance for any replies. :)

Surface tools or poly modeling.
I use surface for my high-res weapons.