Any electrical gurus in the place?

[Tesseract]

Hey guys, I was working on a costume for Halloween, but it wasn't working out so I scrapped it. I figured I'd do some futuristic-thingy-do with a light-up sword made from PVC a 3-foot halogen bulb and wiring.

I was wondering if anyone knew what electrical parts I'd need to power a 3ft halogen bulb independent of a casing?

Figured I'd make the hilt out of PVC, rubber for the grips and paint.

Also, what could I use to color the bulb?

I'm doing a mock-up of it now, which I'll post later in the day. Thanks.

EDIT:
My friend mentioned my idea is similar to the beam katana from No More Heroes (have a PS3, never played it, looks awesome), so here's an idea of what I'm thinking, but a bit simpler.

The second is a mock-up by King of Pirates on deviant art (credit where credit's due, that's AWESOME)

 

[German]

Halogen bulbs require a high voltage transformer and ballast to get them to light up. You are going to need to carry a decent power source(think sealed lead acid battery, 15+ lbs) to start it, even if it consumes a lot less energy than a normal bulb. Also, they are not exactly something you want to be carrying around and possibly swinging.

As an alternative though, a 3 foot clear or colored plastic tube, a couple rolls of cellophane inside of it and a really bright(3 watts or higher) LED flashlight will let you get a similar effect at much safer voltages. This is one way they make Star Wars light sabers look so good.

 

[Dioxide]

Halogen bulbs require a high voltage transformer and ballast to get them to light up. You are going to need to carry a decent power source(think sealed lead acid battery, 15+ lbs) to start it, even if it consumes a lot less energy than a normal bulb. Also, they are not exactly something you want to be carrying around and possibly swinging.

As an alternative though, a 3 foot clear or colored plastic tube, a couple rolls of cellophane inside of it and a really bright(3 watts or higher) LED flashlight will let you get a similar effect at much safer voltages. This is one way they make Star Wars light sabers look so good.

Echo that - take the advice with the LED's and enjoy your build

 

[jonnybg00d]

Stick-LED
LED Stick used for bar lights and stuff... rather cool!

 

[Tesseract]

Thanks a lot guys, I'm going to hit up Home Depot and Lowes today and see if I can find some stuff. Thanks for the input.

 

[jackhellcrow]

HI guys.. I have a question..., in the making of lightsabers ( not just starwars but also from other things.. ) Is there a way to light up a White pvc and still look a little bit cool?
Cuz its just impossible to get a clear tube....

 

[Delmustator]

The custom saber shop sells poly tubes all day long. PVC will not transfer the light from your light source.