Collapsible Light-up Arkham Series Riddler Cane (Pic Heavy)

[PenDragyn21]

I was inspired by user E. Nigma's cane build (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=132830) and a pole I saw at an anime cosplay panel that broke down into three pieces. The heart of the cane is a paint roller frame and an extension handle like his. My local home improvement chain had several to chose from. The width of the roller frame and the angle between the top portion and the handle are going to determine the shape of your cane unless you have access to metal bending tools.
I made multiple version of the cane topper.
Quick parts list:
Krylon Fusion spray paint
Plasti-dip
Metal rasps and files
Rubber bands
Hacksaw, miter box, clamps
Utility knife and cutting tools

Paint roller frame
Cardboard (food box and corrugated)

3-piece wood extension hand/pole
2 foot length PVC pipe
PVC pipe fittings (MPT male adapter, Reducing adapter)
Rubber bands or gaskets

I'm going to start with the shaft part of the cane because that's simplest.
The standard extension handles were all too tall and I wanted to be able to break my cane down into pieces for better storage and transport. Enter the "3-Piece Wood Extension Pole Handle". I bought mine online. The cheapest ones come in two variants the one with the big orange, plastic connectors and the one with the metal connectors. I recommend the one with the metal connectors. The pole is unfinished wood, so you'll want to prime and paint it. I used Plasti-Dip and spray paint. The threading on the part of the pole connects to the frame handle may not extended far enough for them to fit together completely without getting stuck. Alternate between screwing on the roller frame and using a wood file to extend the groove until you get the right fit.

I bought a two foot section of PVC pipe wide enough to slip over the pole and a couple of PVC fittings. I cleaned and sanded the pipe then painted with Krylon Fusion Black paint. Krylon fusion is made specifically to stick to materials like PVC. I cut the PVC pipe in half and used a wood file to clean up the cut and make a bevel on it. One of the fittings had some threading on it the prevented the pole from slipping through the inner diameter. I filed that off too.

 

[PenDragyn21]

Cane Topper Version 0.5

For the cane topper, I did several versions. I'm including pics of the versions that didn't work out just in case the are of any use to someone else.
Instead of just using the threaded bit from a paint roller frame, I decided to make the entire thing the core of my cane. My local home improvement chain had plenty to chose from. The width of the frame and the angle between the top portion and the handle are going to determine the shape of your cane unless you have access to metal bending tools.
Paint roller frames tend to be more rectangular in proportion while the Riddler's Arkham cane is more square. The cheapest paint handle was wider than I wanted. I thought I could just bend down the extra inch or two to finish the question mark shape. Instead I had to just cut off the extra.
I had not thought up a good way to do LED lighting, make beveled edges, or a bezeled face. I figured start out with something like a square tube or box and go from there. I used food box cardboard because if I screwed up and had to do multiple versions it was no big deal. It's cheap, plentiful, and easy for me to work with.
Multiple versions is exactly what happened. Maybe with different materials or some design tweaks the failed ones might be helpful for others.

Version 0.5
The first one was weird thing made of cardboard and filled with silicone caulk. Don't remember why I used caulk. Maybe to make a more solid piece that I could carve slots out of for the inner parts then cut away some of the cardboard and have diffused windows. Too complicated. Too flimsy. Too heavy. The uncured caulk is also a skin irritant.
I roughed out the shape of the cane head by bending a strip of cereal box along the roller frame. I drew the template for the faces based on this. Don't forget to flip the template when doing the other face. I didn't and would up having to cut out another face. Also where possible use existing bends in the cardboard either to base the shape and proportions off of or to make tabs for gluing.
When I decided to do LED lighting I thought, just cut windows out of the side pieces and done. Not so much.

 

[PenDragyn21]

The next version made of cardboard was mostly me winging it right before the con. I realized I had some acrylic sheets and decided to use those to make windows in the sides. It would also make the pieces sturdier without having to be solid. Plastic side panels, lights, and the roller frame all removable, so I could reuse them in the next version.
I cut two more faces and more side strips from cereal box cardboard. Corrugated cardboard and wood glue reinforced everywhere the sides and faces met.

On the faces, I made the bezels out corrugated cardboard. I got the beveled look by cutting away some of the corrugation on the back and gluing the remaining flap flat. I cut the pieces at an angle for the mitered corner look.

I used these cardboard borders as guide for where to cut windows for the plastic. I cut acrylic sheets to shape with a utility knife. USE A SHARP KNIFE AND KEEP IT SHARP. Because I didn't I wound up with some cracks in my acrylic from pressing too hard (later they cracked through after being dropped). Also both the windows I cut out of the cardboard and the panels were ragged as all get out.

Then I put a couple layers of wood glue over all the cardboard. For the corrugated cardboard I made sure to put the glue down inside the corrugation for more strength. To hold the plastic windows in place I made clips out of floral wire and hot glued them to the cardboard reinforcement.
To hold the cane top onto the roller frame I used more hot glue and floral wire. This also added more structure to the cardboard. Since I was running out of time, a spray painted the cardboard and the paint roller frame black and colored the plastic with green permanent marker. The solid black paint job hid some of the bad cutting but also obscured the beveling.
I made a removable brace for the LED strips out of wood glue and cardboard. I twist tied the strips to the brace which can just be dropped inside the cane head.

Then I remembered I needed a dot for question mark. I whipped one up out of a strip of cardboard with tabs and cardboard tubing with masking tape. I didn't have time to paint it before I left for the con. I brought the paint but forgot my paint brushes and used a q-tip. I also should have watered down the acrylic paint. It showed.

Wear and tear
This version is still more or less intact. My main problem with it are the proportions are off, it's messy, and flimsy. It is sturdy enough for me to spin it like a staff so long as I tape it closed and don't go crazy. Since I knew I would have to keep messing with the guts, I made it so one side was press fit with more floral wire clips. The sides tended to bow out. Clipping them to the more stable lid help them keep their shape. While I did have to tape it shut, it can hold up to spinning just not very aggressively. It's survived a drop or two even though both plastic panels cracked and had to be repaired with packing tape. It held up through 2 cons and a couple dance nights. Most of the wiring can be hidden inside the cane head. Between all the taping and disassembling of the head for travel, the paint job is a hot mess.

 

[PenDragyn21]

Here is a video of the lights in action and how the shaft of the cane assembles. I added a rubber leg tip to the end to protect it.
I have a couple different LED controllers I use for the lights, a larger boxy one and smaller thinner one in this video. They don't fit inside the head that well, so I use black hair ties or electrical tape to secure them to the staff. The electrical tape unfortunately removed most of the paint from the roller frame handle so it now needs to be re-painted. Since the earlier pictures were taken, the roller frame has been re-bent to use in the latest versions of the cane, so it doesn't fit this one so well anymore.

 

[CG818]

That is so freaking amazing, good job!

 

[PenDragyn21]

Riddler Cane Head 1.5

I began work on another cardboard version tailored around the old panels and lights. I wanted to make a sturdier version with a cleaner bezel made out of bass wood and a better way of attaching the lights which would also serve as a ledge for the panels to sit on. Both panels cracked while using the V1 cane and I had to tape them back together. This slimmer version of the cane depended on the structural integrity of the panels. Faced with cutting new acrylic panels I decided to go back to the drawing board.

 

[PenDragyn21]

Riddler Cane 2.0 (on hold)

This one is made out of transparent Worbla and Wonderflex. I started it while waiting on a 3D printed version I commissioned from a friend. To get the 3D printed head made, I made a cardboard template. I decided to fix the proportions of the previous version and got the roller frame bent by another friend into a more square shape. It no longer fit the V1 cane head properly and I wanted a backup. I also switched from acrylic panels to transparent Worbla for both this one and the 3D print. It's on hold until I finish some other props.
I made a bass wood frame from the negative of the template used it to cut two panels of transparent Worbla and leftover Wonderflex. I painted a mixture of green food coloring and Mod Podge on the clear panels.

I probably should have painted the Wonderflex instead or better yet dyed them both with iDye Poly. It was very streaky. I stripped all of it off as best I could and moved on to the sides.

To make this design sturdier I decided to make it like a box and lid with one side slipping over the other. The longest dimension of my Wonderflex wasn't long enough to continuously wrap around the panels. I used shorter pieces on the inner aka box side panel. The seams would be hidden by the outer lid piece.

While the outer strip was too short to completely wrap around the whole inner box, it was just long enough to cover everything except either end of the question mark. I used a tape measure so figure out the mid point and where to position the strip so it ran out more or less evenly with the lower end of the question mark.

The transparent Worbla panels are stained with Forest Green alcohol ink. It's one of the few colorings which actually adheres to it. I preferred the look to just the plain painted Wondeflex panels.
OMG, painting the Wondeflex panels. Painting over sanded Gesso made them too pale and still left brush strokes. Food coloring with Mod Podge combined made a nice rich green but left bigger brush strokes. I decided to live with the brush strokes

 

[PenDragyn21]

Version 3D

I commissioned a friend to make me a 3D printed version of my cane topper. It made of about eight (8) pieces that snap together but can also be taken apart for easier transport. Grooves in the pieces let you slide the side panels into them as you assemble the cane topper. There's also channels where you can press fit LED strips into. The thinner the panels the easier to fit them in the groove.
I went with green thermal tint film instead of paint. I made two sets of panels from different materials. For the original set I sandwiched paper between a layer Worbla's TranspArt and tint film. I settled on thinner panels made from Wonderflex and tint film.
Use of the screw posts at the corners is optional. They are meant to be the rivets seen on the original. However, because I wanted to have easy access to the lights in the cane I screwed one of the panels to the outside via the screw-holes instead of using the groove.

Worbla's TranspArt, Printer paper, Tint Film

(Dyed) Wonderflex, Tint Film
Wonderflex is thinner than Worbla's TranspArt and acts as diffuser eliminating the need for the paper. I forgot to take pictures of what undyed Worbla and the tint film looked like. I experimented with dying both the Worbla's TranspArt and Wonderflex using iDye Poly.
The Wonderflex took the dye too well and came out much darker than I wanted.

The TranspArt came out a nice color but still needs a diffuser.

 

[PenDragyn21]

Added a video of what the 3D print cane looks like with the two different panel types: