CarbonaNotGlue
New Member
Those of you who like to build lightsaber props for dueling/choreography/fan films may find this interesting.
I just discovered that if you go to screenused.com, click on "Archive" and search "lightsaber", you'll find several lightsaber props from the prequels that were auctioned off some time ago. They even had a few of the stunt blades used in Episode III, and I noticed that these were described as 37.25" long. The length of the blades in the movies has been a point of confusion for some, so I'll get back to this.
Stunt Blade from Episode III
NOTE: The next two paragraphs contain information I've gathered from various sources that may vary in reliability.
The saber prop hilts in the prequels were either made out of resin and/or machined metal (usually). They were then finished with paint, chrome plating and extra pieces where necessary. The stunt saber props used for the actual duel sequences also had very short, thin metal rods extending out of the hilts. The full length stunt blade tubes were simply attached to these rods. For filming, the stunt blades were painted bright colors to help them show up on camera, and then a clear heat shrink tubing was applied to protect the paint.
Episode I stunt saber
In Episodes I and II, the stunt blades were 3/4" OD aluminum tubes. This led to problems, as the tubes would bend and deform after a bit of use. For Episode III, the aluminum tubes were replaced with carbon fiber tubes that were around 1/2" OD (exact sizes varied), produced for the prop department by Kilwell Fibretube. These particular tubes were manufactured with an outer layer of texalium, setting them apart from regular carbon fiber tubes. Texalium has an almost silver color compared to the darker look of regular carbon fiber. These new stunt blades were lightweight, but they didn't bend like aluminum or break easily like other materials might.
Episode III stunt sabers
Anyone interested in building their own stunt sabers might want to look into texalium carbon fiber tubing for stunt blades. I have personal experience with this stuff, and I can't recommend it enough. Both randomsabers.com and sabershop.com have been known to sell texalium stunt blades, but the former seems to have disappeared, and I'm unsure if the latter is still active. Currently, thecustomsabershop.com sells texalium tubes that are almost exactly 1/2" OD. They aren't cheap, but they'll outlive a million wooden dowels. All of the websites I've mentioned also obtained their tubes from Kilwell Fibretube and sold/sell them as "carbon fiber" rather than specifying texalium specifically.
Texalium carbon fiber tube
Now, back to the Ep. III stunt blades on screenused.com. I mentioned these were all 37.25" long. I mentioned they were attached by being fitted over short, thin metal rods extending out of the hilts. This leads me to believe that the stunt blades might have retained their full 37.25" length even when attached to a hilt. It is possible that they fit into the emitter slightly so that the blade would be an even 36" once inserted, but in all photos I've seen of the dueling hilts with the blades removed, there is no recessed area in the emitter for the blade to fit into, just a metal rod sticking out of a flat emitter. Either way, in photos of the actors holding the props, the stunt blades do look pretty long.
Nick Gillard and Ewan McGregor
Anyway, I hope some of you find this information interesting or useful. If any of you have any more info to add, please do.
I just discovered that if you go to screenused.com, click on "Archive" and search "lightsaber", you'll find several lightsaber props from the prequels that were auctioned off some time ago. They even had a few of the stunt blades used in Episode III, and I noticed that these were described as 37.25" long. The length of the blades in the movies has been a point of confusion for some, so I'll get back to this.
Stunt Blade from Episode III
NOTE: The next two paragraphs contain information I've gathered from various sources that may vary in reliability.
The saber prop hilts in the prequels were either made out of resin and/or machined metal (usually). They were then finished with paint, chrome plating and extra pieces where necessary. The stunt saber props used for the actual duel sequences also had very short, thin metal rods extending out of the hilts. The full length stunt blade tubes were simply attached to these rods. For filming, the stunt blades were painted bright colors to help them show up on camera, and then a clear heat shrink tubing was applied to protect the paint.
Episode I stunt saber
In Episodes I and II, the stunt blades were 3/4" OD aluminum tubes. This led to problems, as the tubes would bend and deform after a bit of use. For Episode III, the aluminum tubes were replaced with carbon fiber tubes that were around 1/2" OD (exact sizes varied), produced for the prop department by Kilwell Fibretube. These particular tubes were manufactured with an outer layer of texalium, setting them apart from regular carbon fiber tubes. Texalium has an almost silver color compared to the darker look of regular carbon fiber. These new stunt blades were lightweight, but they didn't bend like aluminum or break easily like other materials might.
Episode III stunt sabers
Anyone interested in building their own stunt sabers might want to look into texalium carbon fiber tubing for stunt blades. I have personal experience with this stuff, and I can't recommend it enough. Both randomsabers.com and sabershop.com have been known to sell texalium stunt blades, but the former seems to have disappeared, and I'm unsure if the latter is still active. Currently, thecustomsabershop.com sells texalium tubes that are almost exactly 1/2" OD. They aren't cheap, but they'll outlive a million wooden dowels. All of the websites I've mentioned also obtained their tubes from Kilwell Fibretube and sold/sell them as "carbon fiber" rather than specifying texalium specifically.
Texalium carbon fiber tube
Now, back to the Ep. III stunt blades on screenused.com. I mentioned these were all 37.25" long. I mentioned they were attached by being fitted over short, thin metal rods extending out of the hilts. This leads me to believe that the stunt blades might have retained their full 37.25" length even when attached to a hilt. It is possible that they fit into the emitter slightly so that the blade would be an even 36" once inserted, but in all photos I've seen of the dueling hilts with the blades removed, there is no recessed area in the emitter for the blade to fit into, just a metal rod sticking out of a flat emitter. Either way, in photos of the actors holding the props, the stunt blades do look pretty long.
Nick Gillard and Ewan McGregor
Anyway, I hope some of you find this information interesting or useful. If any of you have any more info to add, please do.
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