Friday, September 5, 2014

The Lightsaber: Sources of Inspiration (Part 1)


         There are two types of lightsabers that a person can have to join the Rebel Legion. 
The first is the simplest; a static prop, one that can be designed and bought but is simply that: a prop.  It doesn’t light up or make sound.  It simply hangs from your belt or settles into the palm of your hand and is simply there to finish the look.
The second is a dynamic prop.  It can simply light up, light up with sound, or (even) be built with exotic looking display features in addition to lighting up and making sounds.  Some of these are used in actual dueling – not something that interests me, per se, except – they are exceptionally durable (of course, I want to build one that is up to the standards of dueling even if I’m never going to duel with one).
A dueling saber has a polycarbonate blade (polycarbonate is a form of plastic that is very impact resistant), a sound board that controls both lighting and sound, a battery pack of some fashion, a speaker, and a high-powered LED.  The first thing I did was to source parts (I can make some, but I’m lazy and I have to learn a new lathe and milling machine) and sometimes there’s no need to cut a new path when someone else paved a road.  The source I chose was The Custom Saber Shop ( http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Default.aspx) after a momentary flirtation with another supplier.

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