The OT stunt lightsaber blades research thread
- Thread starter vadermania
- Start date
I found another thread fom the past with some helpful information:
ESB and ROTJ stunt light saber blade source
ESB and ROTJ stunt light saber blade source
Just re read that whole thing
Forgot other members here like golf clubs as well..
I’m amazed at people posting about carbon fiber, it’s been around since the 60s. Even bicycles in the early 80s were experimenting with it
They also have a hard time believing they would spend that kind of money on blades..
They build 6 aluminum r2d2’s for ANH, totaling in around 30k a piece, I believe they had the money for carbon fiber rods.. even if they made them themselves
If not carbon fiber, fiberglass would work just as well...
Re reading that thread, I feel real confident they used fiberglass clubs
Tom go whack your fiber glass club up against something, it makes the same exact sound as we see BTS
There was a comment about the v3 blade falling out and sounding like metal, I wholeheartedly agree...
BUT I think what we are hearing is the metal rod hitting the ground. It also falls down the emperor shaft. So god only knows what it hit on it’s way down
Listen to the blades hit each other. The luke and Vader hit the aluminum rails, 2 different sounds
I’m sold now that the blades were fiberglass, or carbon fiber
Can’t see them being aluminum because they would bend and dent... check out mcgregors blade in the ep1 video up above...
I know this is an OT thread, but years ago I did the research and found the supplier for the blades used in Ep III:
Where to buy stunt blades in 2014... (Updated with SOURCE!!)
SB
Where to buy stunt blades in 2014... (Updated with SOURCE!!)
SB
Would you be able to share the Ski pole you used on your own build? They seem to not taper until closer to the end, and thats exactly the shape I see in ESB shots.
The ski poles I had at my thrift store were very thin aluminum
I’m curious if they made them in fiberglass?
I also think the tips are sealed on the originals, we have 1 pic of a tip that looks like it’s cut off and you can see the blade is hollow
I wonder if the tip with the spike in the ski pole when removed exposes a solid tip on the pole?
russellsch
Master Member
I want to say I remember the stunt coordinator for the prequels saying they switched to some kind of metal for the blades pretty quickly in filming on Ep. 1. They switched because fiberglass dust & shards were flying off in the strikes, & they were concerned that that stuff would get into the actors & stunt guys eyes.
Sure, I‘ll take a pic of it when I‘m at home tomorrow.
How about steel shafts for golf clubs? They look really good to me, nice taper and all.
Aluminum ski pole covered in self adhesive scotchlite tape. Solid piece of aluminum glued into base with a threaded hole to screw it into my emitter. Length 96cm, diameter at base 17,5mm, tip 8mm.
I like that pole, you could possibly drill and tap it to screw into the nipple
Only problem is the 17.5mm base
I’m juggling ideas right now for a solid removable blade attachment setup for my v2..
Gotta machine a few more adapters and try them out, but I really like this sky pole
Only problem is the 17.5mm base
I’m juggling ideas right now for a solid removable blade attachment setup for my v2..
Gotta machine a few more adapters and try them out, but I really like this sky pole
Growing up in Colorado, ski pools were a plenty. We did use old ski poles for dueling, as kids. They held up pretty well through a few dueling sessions before they started bending and each strike left a pretty pronounced dent in the shaft.
It’s possible that they used ski poles, but they would have had to have replaced them frequently.
It’s possible that they used ski poles, but they would have had to have replaced them frequently.
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very clean set-up! the threaded insert into the blade is a good idea, it's obvious the blades themselves didn't go into the handles.
also, 17.5 mm! I keep seeing the same measurement everywhere, I eyeballed the blades to be 18mm down there and ski poles come in 17-18mm thicknesses
also, 17.5 mm! I keep seeing the same measurement everywhere, I eyeballed the blades to be 18mm down there and ski poles come in 17-18mm thicknesses
I've been thinking about this.
For ANH, we know the stunt blades were wood because it's documented multiple times and listening to the behind the scenes footage the sound when 2 blades strike definitely sound like wood hitting wood.
Most of the time I've heard/read that wooden 'dowles' were used for the blades.
For most of us when we think of wood dowels we think of the round stock of dowels at our local hardware store.
Since this was a movie production, between the prop/costume/set department I've got to think they had access to actual carpentry stock / professional carpentry stock and not just what a consumer would buy at the hardware store. Pro carpenters have commercial vendors to supply wood products not easily available to consumers.
No matter the source, was the dowel stock used round, oval, square, hexagonal, octagonal, etc... and what type of dowel stock is available to pro carpenters?
Another thing to think about is that I think every BTS photo I've seen of the ANH duel shows tapered blades. Did the prop dept purchase some kind of wood stock that comes tapered, or did they buy round stock and taper it themselves?
If regular round stock was tapered, could the process of making it tapered add faceted that then made the middle/ends hexagonal/octagonal ?
Peter Diamond has said they broke 'so many blades' during the ANH duel. No matter the process, each blade needed to have the 'movie screen' material added. Was someone modifying each round dowel with facets as it was tapered and the reflective material was added, or did they start with square stock and all that was needed was to add thew reflective material?
In 'Empire of Dreams' you see Mark and Bob practicing on-set and off-set with the ANH stunt sabers and you can still hear the sound of wood hitting wood. I don't remember any BTS video where we're seeing the newer made EBS stunt sabers (The bladed MPP and the bladed Graflex) where the blades of these sabers strike each other and you can hear if the blades are wood or metal.
In 'EoD' you do hear Luke lose a stunt blade in the Throne Room duel and it's definitely a metal blade sound when it hits the floor.
I don't know, something to chew on.
For ANH, we know the stunt blades were wood because it's documented multiple times and listening to the behind the scenes footage the sound when 2 blades strike definitely sound like wood hitting wood.
Most of the time I've heard/read that wooden 'dowles' were used for the blades.
For most of us when we think of wood dowels we think of the round stock of dowels at our local hardware store.
Since this was a movie production, between the prop/costume/set department I've got to think they had access to actual carpentry stock / professional carpentry stock and not just what a consumer would buy at the hardware store. Pro carpenters have commercial vendors to supply wood products not easily available to consumers.
No matter the source, was the dowel stock used round, oval, square, hexagonal, octagonal, etc... and what type of dowel stock is available to pro carpenters?
Another thing to think about is that I think every BTS photo I've seen of the ANH duel shows tapered blades. Did the prop dept purchase some kind of wood stock that comes tapered, or did they buy round stock and taper it themselves?
If regular round stock was tapered, could the process of making it tapered add faceted that then made the middle/ends hexagonal/octagonal ?
Peter Diamond has said they broke 'so many blades' during the ANH duel. No matter the process, each blade needed to have the 'movie screen' material added. Was someone modifying each round dowel with facets as it was tapered and the reflective material was added, or did they start with square stock and all that was needed was to add thew reflective material?
In 'Empire of Dreams' you see Mark and Bob practicing on-set and off-set with the ANH stunt sabers and you can still hear the sound of wood hitting wood. I don't remember any BTS video where we're seeing the newer made EBS stunt sabers (The bladed MPP and the bladed Graflex) where the blades of these sabers strike each other and you can hear if the blades are wood or metal.
In 'EoD' you do hear Luke lose a stunt blade in the Throne Room duel and it's definitely a metal blade sound when it hits the floor.
I don't know, something to chew on.
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Thanks for this james! The only thing that muddied the water for me was dropping that golf club I bought. Sounded purely like metal and it wasn't. Aluminum doesn't tend to "break" but I prefer the idea of aluminum blades.
I truly wonder if the on screen stuff in ANH ended up square but they were also grabbing anything and everything to replace a blade and it may have changed.
I truly wonder if the on screen stuff in ANH ended up square but they were also grabbing anything and everything to replace a blade and it may have changed.
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