PVC blade questions

[Xorren Hedrasii]

Alright, I know that out of the huge amount of saber builders out there someone has had to have had a PVC blade for their saber. I however have not even started on my current project and i have run into a snag. How do you think is the best way to secure the blade into the saber? What size pipe works well? What type of paint and what color of that type should you use? Thank you in advance.
[glow=green,2,300]Wannabe[/glow]

[jedikibbles]

PVC does not come in precise outer diameters, as it is categorized by the inner diameter. This makes it really bad for use as a blade. Because of it's vinyl content, PVC is also very flexible. This means you'll end up with a lightwhip instead of a saber.
If you don't want to make an EL blade, go for acrylic. You can get segments which are not clear and just paint that.

[Xorren Hedrasii]

good idea, good point

[Primrodo]

Though with Acrylic...it shatters

[Xorren Hedrasii]

hmm i see....does anyone out there use randomsabers blades? and please if you do relate to me your experences with them

[LoreenShadowchaser]

Random Saber's blades are also acrylic.

For my "practice blade" I took a polycarbonate tube that I use when I make my own EL blades, and bought a wooden dowel that was slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the tube.

I wrapped a piece of colored prismatic ribbon around it (some of my friends have found colored contact paper for their's) and inserted it in the tube and secured it inside by making a plug of silicone and a screw going through the top, cut flush with the outside of the tube and ground down, and a set screw where it goes into the hilt.

It sits against the upper screw and the set screw holds it in the tube so that I can have removable inserts when I want to change the color.

I have made silver, gold, and red ( ) and still have some purple ribbon I haven't used yet, all found on sale last year after Christmas.

Just another example of what people are using out there for sparring.

[Clone Commando]

me and my brother fight with PVC blades alot, and it really HURTS, we were sparring one time and he hit me dead center in my back, it left a bruise that was a Little bigger than a baseball right on my back. then I got mad and we just started hitting each other as hard as we could,(we held nothing back, and my brother is my twin and we just let out about 15 years of anger on each other . we get into fights alot.)but after it was over I have a grand total of 10 big bruises, and my brother had 11. but the PVC blades hurt

[Johann Shinobi]

I just found this thread. All my sabers so far take a 1/2" PVC blade. Generally 1/2" PVC has an O.D. (outer dia.) of 7/8". I usually wrap my blades in foam plumbing insulation and duct tape for when we spar ( or in my kids case those swimming noodles fit over the PVC). Otherwise for katas I use a bare PVC blade.

[Jan-Qui Coran]

Acryllic shatters? I didn't know that. I'm planning on getting a new saber from randomsabers, I was going to go with yellow to dress up my costume.
What do you think of the silver woven blades that random has?
Where do you get polycarbonite? What does it look like? Prismatic ribbon? I don't think I've ever heard of that before?

[Starkindler (The Naked Jedi)]

Acrylic blades are supposed to withstand moderate dueling
carbon blades are good for wailing on your opponent with
PVC seems like a good low-cost alternative
I'd imagine thay'd all hurt......

[Johann Shinobi]

you can get polycarbonite at MSC Direct
www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/N2DRVSH

[LoreenShadowchaser]

That link didn't work for me.

And it's polycarbonate, not "ite". Those two suffixes denote different molecular compositions.

Try this place:www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=usplastic&category%5Fname=68&product%5Fid=24993

If you buy from here, they only sell it in 8ft lengths. Order by phone and ask them to cut it in half. They'll charge you a dollar for it, but it's well worth it, since it's very expensive to ship an 8ft piece, I know.

[Jan-Qui Coran]

Thanks for the intel. I'm really not a dueling person. But when you get around the younglings at conventions & they want to strike at a lightsaber, for fun, you want one that can with stand the younglings strikes on the blade, even if theirs is only a toy saber. Some them can strike pretty hard. I noticed this when they'd want to strike at the my f/x.

[Olos Nay]

I have a 1 inch polycarbonate blade on my saber, and when dueling against a F/X the other day, the F/X started to have problems with some leds. The polycarbonate did very good, no problems at all.