The quest to make a budget (working) lightsaber prop.

[Plush]

Hi, im plush, a young prop maker that usually makes helmets and armor (mainly mandalorian armor.) And this thread will be my quest to make a lightsaber that lights up in under a hundred bucks, since I can't get a job.

 

[awol007]

A lot of people make hardware store sabers which are fun. Just go to the hardware store, find pipes or tube and fittings and other crap that will look cool. That's what the prop guys did anyway (yes I know it wasn't the hardware store but you get the idea). Lightsabers are bathroom knobs, camera flashes and hand grenades. As far as the blade, LED strip, clear tube and some light defusing material. You can find battery powered LED strips on amazon for like $10. Put the light defusing film in the clear tube add the LED's and there you go: blade that lights up. I'm over simplifying it of course, but you get the point.

Why can't you get a job?

 

[mrwax]

While I'm not great at scratch building myself, I always love seeing what people come up with. Good luck, I'm sure it'll be fun and I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[Filmfan1138]

This is something I've been contemplating with for a while. Part of the reason I joined The RPF, there are a lot of good sources of info on here. Looking forward to watching you journey.

 

[Plush]

A lot of people make hardware store sabers which are fun. Just go to the hardware store, find pipes or tube and fittings and other crap that will look cool. That's what the prop guys did anyway (yes I know it wasn't the hardware store but you get the idea). Lightsabers are bathroom knobs, camera flashes and hand grenades. As far as the blade, LED strip, clear tube and some light defusing material. You can find battery powered LED strips on amazon for like $10. Put the light defusing film in the clear tube add the LED's and there you go: blade that lights up. I'm over simplifying it of course, but you get the point.

Why can't you get a job?

I cant get a job because I'm not old enough without parent's consent and they say no.

 

[Tan Djarka]

If you have access to any thrift shops, the best bet is to pick up a toy lightsaber and scavenge the electronics. Some of them have a decent sound board and the blade is lit with one to three LEDs. It won't be that bright, but there is a video or two on Youtube showing how to add a high powered LED with a dedicated driver circuit. With a little ingenuity you should be able to meet your budget of $100 or less.

 

[Averjoe]

This is old, but it might provide you with some ideas and inspiration: Lightsabers from the Big Yellow Box
Also, in addition to thrift stores, if you have a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, they are great places to get cheap (and often times pre-weathered) plumbing and electrical parts for hilt construction.

 

[thd9791]

Hi, im plush, a young prop maker that usually makes helmets and armor (mainly mandalorian armor.) And this thread will be my quest to make a lightsaber that lights up in under a hundred bucks, since I can't get a job.

I'll do you one better: make one that works the way lightsabers did in the original films.
Get a few rolls of Reflexite Tape
Get a rather thin PVC pipe or dowel, 4-5 feet long
Cover 3.5-4 feet with the tape
Stick the rest into a handle of your design. Threaded rod/glue/threaded nut into a PVC pipe, or glue the dowel into a handle. Whatever it is has to be filled with a little hole for the rod. A bare pipe needs stuffing, hell the handle could even be wood with a drilled hole designing the "tang" is the core of these projects, whether its a rod going up or a solid blade going down.

I used a Leitz flash with a bulb socket that looked like a metal donut. I (using E6000) glued a carbon fiber golf shaft from the thrift store into the bulb socket center, rather deep for structural support and it hasn't broken in years.