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Topic:
Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Crimsus
Registered:
Oct '04
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Date Posted:
9/21/05 10:13pm
Subject:
Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Aloha!
I picked up a set of four 48" long, 0.5" O.D. 0.4" I.D. carbon-fiber tubes for sparring and fight scenes. I put one of the tubes in the metal stress tester at work to see how many pounds of force were needed to break it. The tube stood up to over 500 pounds and didn't break! I went ahead and threw the tube in our -100 deg C freezer and did the same test the next day. It finally broke, but it took 472.3 pounds with the tube at -9 deg C when it got hit with the stress plunger.
Here's where I got the tubes:
www.dragonplate.com
These tubes are a little over $10 a piece for a small quantity, but darn these things are great. They're fairly easy to machine too!
-Crimsus
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Evil-Henchman
Registered:
Jul '04
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Date Posted:
9/22/05 12:51am
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Sweet, thanks for the stress test info. I've actually had that website in my favorites for awhile and now that I know how much stress those tubes can handle, I think I'll get me a couple. I may go for a larger outside diameter and a thicker wall if they offer it though.
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"Warned you we tried. Listen you did not. Now screwed we all will be."
"Why are there no lumberjacks in the city?"
"Ninja kick the damn rabbit!"
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PixelMagic
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
9/22/05 1:30am
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
- Date Edited:
9/22/05 1:31am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
PixelMagic
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Very interesting. Thanks for the info. Out of curiosity, how heavy are they? Are they lighter weight than a dowel rod, or heavier? How much would they flex during a duel?
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http://danielbroadway.blogspot.com "I don't really care as much about looks, as long as it's simple and black" -Cryptite
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Ryan_W
Title: Fan Films: Emmy-Winning Lightsaber Geek
Registered:
Aug '01
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Date Posted:
9/22/05 8:52am
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Do you have an up-close image of one, off-hand? I'm interested to see the texture of it. Also, how much did you pay for htem?
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G-Unit
Registered:
May '04
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Date Posted:
9/22/05 12:44pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Very good find.
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Aaron Greer-Director/Writer/Producer http://www.nexthorizonfilms.com/ "I'd rather direct than produce. Any day. And twice on Sunday." Steven Spielberg Current Project- Sky Guardian
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Crimsus
Registered:
Oct '04
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Date Posted:
9/22/05 10:58pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Ok, to answer all of the different questions at once:
1) Weight: lighter than a dowel, a lot lighter than metal by far
2) I paid about $10 for mine
3) You have to put a LOT of physical force into the tube to make it flex. Just normal sparring (and I don't mean Conan on Crack sparring) won't flex these at all.
4) As for texture, there really isn't any. The tube has a very fine finish, very smooth, almost polished. If you're concern about texture is in regards to moisture absorption, these tubes shouldn't have any issues. These are nice quality.
-Crimsus
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Evil-Henchman
Registered:
Jul '04
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Date Posted:
9/23/05 12:01am
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
- Date Edited:
9/23/05 12:33am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Evil-Henchman
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Weight, prices and dimensions are right here folks...
http://www.dragonplate.com/ecart/product.asp?pID=20
EDIT: I just purchased one of the 1/2" outside diameter (OD .500) tubes and one of the 3/4" outside diameter (OD .750) tubes. After I get them, I'll put them to a harsh sparring test (if they break, they break) and then post the results here.
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"Warned you we tried. Listen you did not. Now screwed we all will be."
"Why are there no lumberjacks in the city?"
"Ninja kick the damn rabbit!"
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Crimsus
Registered:
Oct '04
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Date Posted:
9/23/05 9:25pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Here are some of the physical specs that Rebecca at Dragonplate.com sent me for the 0.5" O.D. tubes I bought.
Tensile Strength 320 ksi / 2.34 GPa
Tensile Modulus 19.5 msi / 134 GPa
Compressive Strength 270 ksi / 1.90 GPa
Compressive Modulus 19.0 msi / 131 GPa
Fiber Volume 67%
Ultimate Tensile Strain 1.30%
Diameter Tolerance +/- 5%
Glass Transition Temp. 100 degree C
Matrix Material Bis F Epoxy
Flexural Strength 240 ksi / 1.65 GPa
Flexural Modulus 18.5 msi / 128 GPa
Ultimate Shear Strength 6.0 ksi / 41.3 MPa
I went through and compared these to some of the properties of aluminum, stainless steel, and wood. These carbon-fiber tubes are perfect for battle scenes and sparring. Eventually they'll crack, but it will take a long time for them to crack if you take care of them. The major bonus is that since the 48" long tubes weigh only a few ounces, the will not significantly change the center of gravity of the saber itself.
-Crimsus
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Crimsus
Registered:
Oct '04
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Date Posted:
9/23/05 9:29pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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I almost forgot to mention that I'm close to finishing my electro-luminescent wire concept for the rods I bought. Under normal light, elwire isn't necessary, but in very dark scenes, the elwire should make identifying the start and end of the blade much easier for rotoscoping.
As soon as the concept model is complete, I'll post an unedited film clip of the concept in action in the dark so people can play with it and see if it is easier for them.
-Crimsus
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Evil-Henchman
Registered:
Jul '04
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Date Posted:
9/23/05 11:37pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Rock. 
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"Warned you we tried. Listen you did not. Now screwed we all will be."
"Why are there no lumberjacks in the city?"
"Ninja kick the damn rabbit!"
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Corrin_Wyndryder
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
9/23/05 11:55pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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I'm not to sure I'm willing to spend $35 per tube if I don't know that I'll get a longer life out of it than a $3 dowel.
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http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=23892791&brd=10477&start=25017068 The Force Legacy Saga - Part 1: Relics of Fate **Latest Update 09-14-06** Chapter 4: A Hop, a Skip, and a Jump.
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Crimsus
Registered:
Oct '04
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 6:01pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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I was a bit skeptical, but I'm a believer in these tubes now that I've messed around with them and stress tested them.
-Crimsus
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PixelMagic
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 6:54pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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I thought they were $10 a piece. That's what it said in the first post.
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http://danielbroadway.blogspot.com "I don't really care as much about looks, as long as it's simple and black" -Cryptite
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Ryan_W
Title: Fan Films: Emmy-Winning Lightsaber Geek
Registered:
Aug '01
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 7:18pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Crimsus posted:
I almost forgot to mention that I'm close to finishing my electro-luminescent wire concept for the rods I bought. Under normal light, elwire isn't necessary, but in very dark scenes, the elwire should make identifying the start and end of the blade much easier for rotoscoping.
As soon as the concept model is complete, I'll post an unedited film clip of the concept in action in the dark so people can play with it and see if it is easier for them.
-Crimsus
Basically the Parksabers system, or something different?
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Crimsus
Registered:
Oct '04
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Date Posted:
9/24/05 11:47pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Something different and EXTREMELY lower cost. I got the elwire from elwirecheap.com and the necessary inverter (the miniature one) for less than $30. This concept is cheaper, in my opinion, than park sabers, because now I can either use my daytime carbon-fiber tube, or, switch to the elwired tube for night sequences.
The other plus here is that for less than what Park Sabers charges, I am having emachineshop make a saber of my own design. It'll cost $230 and has a lead time of 30 business days, which isn't too bad.
The biggest advantage is that the carbon-fiber tubes and the ones with elwire installed will cost less than replacing one of the Park Sabers blades.
Just to note, the elwire is not to create the saber effect. The elwire is only intended to easily identify the location of the start and end of the blade.
When the concept blade is finished, I'll first post a link to the elwire blade construction process, then a simply elwire demo, then some footage without the saber effect for people to test out.
-Crimsus
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Evil-Henchman
Registered:
Jul '04
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Date Posted:
9/29/05 1:53pm
Subject:
RE: Good Carbon-Fiber sparring tube source...
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Just to let you all know, I recently got to examine some 3/4" outside diameter polycarbonate tubes. One had a 1/16" thick wall, the other a 1/8" thick wall. Both were very whippy and therefore I do not recommend them for fan film use. If you need polycarbonate tubes for your fan film lightsaber blades, I suggest that you use 1" outside diameter tubes with a 1/8" thick wall as that has always worked well for me.
On another note, my carbon fiber tubes should be here tomorrow. Pics and video of them being put to the test to follow.
-----signature-----
"Warned you we tried. Listen you did not. Now screwed we all will be."
"Why are there no lumberjacks in the city?"
"Ninja kick the damn rabbit!"
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