Kevin Matchstick's bat

I want to make Kevin Matchstick's bat from Matt Wagner's Mage, but I'm a complete novice at prop making.



Has anyone made something like this? I'm thinking of roto-casting the bat and using ultra-bright LED strips for the lighting.

Suggestions?

It might get pricey, but having someone with a lathe make one out of acrylic would be pretty boss. It would have to be somewhat hollowed to fit the lighting, and frosted to hide the electronics.

Casting could be a pain with trying to get all the bubbles out and also worrying about strength. Probably not a super easy way to do it no matter which way you go.

-Rog

Thanks Rogviler,

My brother has a CNC lathe, so he could easily do it for me. I'm looking for something I can do myself and get some experience.

It's not going to be cheap one way or the other. The LEDs I'm looking at would be over $100. 2.75" acrylic rod is $60/ft.

This might not be the right project to start with.

I admit, this has been on my "want to do" list for about a decade. The last time I was seriously considering it, I was thinking about a translucent shell around a stage combat lightsaber blade for rigidity and light transmission, and hiding the light source and battery under an inaccurate grip wrap. Bonus points for burying the battery in the glove so that it only lights for you.

v137a,

I'm thinking something similar. A translucent shell with rod covered with LED strip lighting up the middle. Flex Fire LEDs has strips with up to 1,000 lumens per ft. If I can fit enough of them in the bat, it should be bright enough to look good at least with indoor lighting. Probably impossible to get it bright enough to look good in sunlight.

https://www.flexfireleds.com/categories/LED-Flexible-strips/High-Intensity-UltraBright-LED-Strips/

This is strange, I was just thinking about this build with the last Mage volume coming out soon. I was thinking about a translucent wiffle ball bat

well, here's how I would do it...

start with a dowel, the bat looks to measure 32-36 inches depending on the panel. It tapers. So, I used a poster tube and cut it to a cone the Duct tape.Then I used 4 inch pvc pipe for the mold.the cap will help center the bat with the moldtry to keep centered.

then i will glue this star to a 7/8" diameter lexan tube. the star is 3" at longest to keep the lexan tube centered in the batMoldstar 30 for the moldpour no keep the tube centered.I will install lights later. LEDs or EL wire.

and then...lotsa whiskers on the bat, I am gonna wet sand.

But, that's how I would do it. Lights when I decide what to use, but the 5/8" inner diameter tube fits AA batteriesEDIT - OOOOPS!! this is the star I made out of LEXAN. I glued it to the end of the lexan tube so that resin wouldn't sneak up the center tube, also, the points of the star will touch the sides of the mold, keeping the lexan tube centered.

JPH said:

But, that's how I would do it. Lights when I decide what to use, but the 5/8" inner diameter tube fits AA batteries

Click to expand...

I'm getting very close to done with mine. I'm pretty happy with it. I just need to 3D print two pieces tomorrow and do a little more soldering.

I'm documenting my build here.

Zinger said:

I'm getting very close to done with mine. I'm pretty happy with it. I just need to 3D print two pieces tomorrow and do a little more soldering.

I'm documenting my build here.

Click to expand...

It's done. See it here.