ESB Bladed Stunt Graflex Lightsaber "The Core!"

[Mouse Vader]

Proper scotchlite also appears to be made in China ;

3m scotchlite reflective tape adhesive 580 series, 3m scotchlite reflective tape adhesive 580 series Manufacturers in LuLuSoSo.com - page 1

so what I bought may be the same stuff just unbranded.

Genuine scotchlight also seems to have 'scotchlite tm' printed on the back:

3M 8910 Silver Fabric | 3M Scotchlite Reflective

I've just ordered a small sample of genuine stuff so I can compare with my Chinese one. I'll update when it's here.

So, best place to find the REAL stuff?

Just be careful on fleabay to make sure it's marked properly & you should be fine.

 

[thd9791]

Just checked, my fabric strip is printed on the back with 3M Reflective Material at an angle, looks legit.

 

[thd9791]

I'm not sure I understand the differences between all those grey/silver types of 3M reflective fabric on their site. Does anyone? I definitely have 8910, up close it looks grainy but it is smooth.

 

[Mouse Vader]

I'm not sure I understand the differences between all those grey/silver types of 3M reflective fabric on their site. Does anyone?

I think the dif numbers relate to surface finish - material base - sticky or not etc. I must admit I didn't look too closely as they're confusing.

Just checked, my fabric strip is printed on the back with 3M Reflective Material at an angle, looks legit.

Fabric should be polycotton mix so looks & feels like cotton. My Chinese stuff doesn't & is prob. plain polyester.

Reflective Material is rather strange wording for me & sounds fake. I've come across ref. to scotchlite or M3 or combination of both. It's the irritating nature of the dust that bothers me. Haliwax's 8910 tape shed loads but he didn't get any irritation.

(we still talking about the stuff that felt like cactus right?)

 

[thd9791]

Yea,

Just for kicks, I decided to use up the rest of my sample. I didn't rub it like I did before (the same pressure you'd use to sand something, it was to get the bubbles out and get it smooth ) and wasn't bothered at all. Its hard getting it to stick to a pole

 

[thd9791]

I should also say the fabric logo matches the picture of the fabric logo on the 3M website

 

[Mouse Vader]

Just for kicks, I decided to use up the rest of my sample. I didn't rub it like I did before (the same pressure you'd use to sand something, it was to get the bubbles out and get it smooth ) and wasn't bothered at all. Its hard getting it to stick to a pole

Maybe that much pressure & rubbing was making the beads act like sand paper on your hand. If normal handling is no problem & the logo matches as you say then it doesn't sound so bad.

I'll be interested to see how that turns out compared to the pictures we have.

 

[Dann]

So, "the same pressure you'd use to sand something" is a really relative phrase.

I'm getting a little nitpicky here (and please don't take any offense, there's NONE intended, I promise!), but, you're not really supposed to use much pressure at all when sanding, you're supposed to let the grit of the paper do the cutting for you. If you're pressing down any more than to make good contact with what it is you're sanding, then you're applying too much pressure, and either need a new/fresh piece of sandpaper, or you need to move to a coarser grit. Or you need to re-teach your brain the correct method. (Which is something I'm constantly trying to do)

I'm willing to bet that none of us gets a new sheet of sandpaper when we actually need to. I do it all the time. I have to remind myself, OUT LOUD, that I'm being an idiot and that the project/job/task would go much faster if I simply threw the scrap in my hand away and got a fresh one!

I think I heard Adam Savage talk about that at least once, too. He's totally right. We're all guilty of it. It's not like it's all that expensive, so why in the heck do we insist on using that same dagummed worn out and folded over piece of sandpaper over and over again?!

So anyway, I'm guessing you're talking about MORE pressure than is truly appropriate/recommended for sanding, and maybe more like the amount of pressure used when burnishing something. Or pushing air bubbles out from under a vinyl sticker/decal?

Or am I totally wrong, and you meant exactly what you said? Hahahaha

 

[thd9791]

So, "the same pressure you'd use to sand something" is a really relative phrase.

I'm getting a little nitpicky here (and please don't take any offense, there's NONE intended, I promise!), but, you're not really supposed to use much pressure at all when sanding, you're supposed to let the grit of the paper do the cutting for you. If you're pressing down any more than to make good contact with what it is you're sanding, then you're applying too much pressure, and either need a new/fresh piece of sandpaper, or you need to move to a coarser grit. Or you need to re-teach your brain the correct method. (Which is something I'm constantly trying to do)

I'm willing to bet that none of us gets a new sheet of sandpaper when we actually need to. I do it all the time. I have to remind myself, OUT LOUD, that I'm being an idiot and that the project/job/task would go much faster if I simply threw the scrap in my hand away and got a fresh one!

I think I heard Adam Savage talk about that at least once, too. He's totally right. We're all guilty of it. It's not like it's all that expensive, so why in the heck do we insist on using that same dagummed worn out and folded over piece of sandpaper over and over again?!

So anyway, I'm guessing you're talking about MORE pressure than is truly appropriate/recommended for sanding, and maybe more like the amount of pressure used when burnishing something. Or pushing air bubbles out from under a vinyl sticker/decal?

Or am I totally wrong, and you meant exactly what you said? Hahahaha

no offense taken! I'm very guilty of that all the time.

for this, I meant light sanding pressure. A more accurate description would be ... put your hands together, and squeeze them together a little to make that fart noise that we all made as a kid. I slid my hand down the blade with light pressure to get out any wrinkles or bubbles, Mouse Vader might be right, it could have very finely sliced up my hand. The fabric is very smooth at first glance, it almost looks waterproof. upon closer inspection you can see the granules. I used up all my fabric for this test blade so I can't image the back of the fabric, but I can image the stuff better, one sec.

 

[thd9791]

Here it is on the back of a couch in the sun

Like I sais, it's a decently thick fabric that's sleek/slippery looking and feeling. That's why I was so surprised it hurt to rub it

 

[thd9791]

I'm going to wait for my girlfriend and her iphone to catch it, but the afternoon sun is streaming in through my living room window and the blade is catching it. looks kind of neat

 

[Dann]

Ha! Thanks for the clarification. And MAN, that's an ugly couch! I'm kidding,I know nothing about stylish furniture.

I've always wanted to make a blade like this, with the Scotchlite. I always thought it was tape, and only in the past couple years did I learn different!

I always think about that old picture of the dude in the archives holding the ROTJ Vader Stunt, before the blade was chopped off.

I remember first seeing that picture sometime around 1996. Who is that guy? Gus Lopez? Frank Cerney? Brandon? I feel like I read who it was once, long ago, I just cannot remember!


EDIT: Also, "that fart sound you used to make when you were a kid". Take out the "used to" and "when you were a kid". I can still make myself (and other folks, too!) giggle when I do that.

 

[thd9791]

Hahahaha

I think I still have that picture. I know, its a special feeling holding a reflective lightsaber, and thats why I'm doing this project. It excites me more than a light-up chassis would.

Damn, can't find it - I did find a pic I'm posting to the OT thread.

 

[Mouse Vader]

My 8910 sample arrived this morning. Looks just like yours & very dif. from my cheepy stuff. M3 has more stretch to it. I prefer the cheep stuff to M3 in terms reflectivity. M3 is much more silvery & grainy looking. Fabric is dif. enough to mean I'll have to get some for the balsa wood blades test (boo, more expense).

Can you give a link to the fleabay listing please? As 1.5" wide is hard to find.

with flash.

now with shorter exposure (& flash).

fabrics.

Close up.

reflecting daylight.

 

[Halliwax]

Seams like there was a small group of guys who got a tour back in 1991

The dv6 kid can also be seen with HIC, and his buddy wearing Lebos head cpu in other pics

Being in ‘91 they must have cut the blade off some time later to display the dv6

 

[Halliwax]

Tom, and mouse I’m loving this fabric. I haven’t ordered any yet but seriously plan to

How much heavier does it make the blade?

Tom Does it roughly feel the same as your 3m tape covered blades?

I only ask because with my Guinness legend the blade is to finicky, and has to be super balanced.. the heavier the blade the harder to balance

 

[kurtyboy]

I think it's more likely the blade was simply removed, but the rod was cut down as it was possibly as long as the Yuma stunt rod, and wouldn't have looked good on display.

 

[Halliwax]

I think it's more likely the blade was simply removed, but the rod was cut down as it was possibly as long as the Yuma stunt rod, and wouldn't have looked good on display.

Could be

 

[vadermania]

View attachment 997829

Seams like there was a small group of guys who got a tour back in 1991

The dv6 kid can also be seen with HIC, and his buddy wearing Lebos head cpu in other pics

Being in ‘91 they must have cut the blade off some time later to display the dv6

Why do you think the blade was cut off? Perhaps it was just "unscrewed" from the metal pin sticking out of the shroud?

 

[vadermania]

I think it's more likely the blade was simply removed, but the rod was cut down as it was possibly as long as the Yuma stunt rod, and wouldn't have looked good on display.

What you said.