Lot of work, but looks good & wargamer resistant.
Take some pins, with the aid of some pliers bend them into
question mark shapes. Take a hammer and holding the pin with the
pliers (on what will become its handle) whack it hard with the hammer.
Helpful if you can lay the pin on a mini-anvil or similar, such as side of
a sledge hammer. It is possible to hold it in place with some masking tape.
The 'whack' will flatten the 'blade'.
Result is in scale, looks nice & is strong.