POLYCARBONATE TUBES ON ORDER!!!!!

I have seven 3/4"x5/8"x6' polycarbonate tubes on order through PlastiCare for ~$7.50 each. If anyone wants one to test on their own hilts, just holler......I told Heath at PLastiCare if they work out for us, we may buy up a bunch, in which he indicated there would be bulk discounts. I also told him I might be ordering up slim, inner polycarbonate rods to wrap EL wire/tape around, but that would be after I test out the structure of these outer tubes in combat. If these do work out, I think we should do coreographed/actual lightsaber combat at Starfest....with their approval and the necessary protective gear, of course!

 

Are the polycarbonite tubes for show or for practice sabers? Also, am I understanding correctly that they are hollow? If they are the practice ones... is there any possibility of designing hilts in such a way that we could swap out practice and show blades?

On the EL tape... are we talking an AC or DC power supply? And what's the emission spectra like?

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say HUH?

spectrawhat?

I wouldn't mind nabbing a polycarbonate blade from you when I get back. Will you be cutting them down yourself? If so I'm looking at making mine about 40" long if that's possible (like the parks, I'd have 4" in the hilt and a 36" visible blade).

I'm thinking about ordering some of that EL tape while I'm over here just to mess around with it before I get home.

 

I'm going to start with 6' hollow blades set deep in my metal hilts for the purposes of major combat to see if they'll hold up.....I'll set one aside for you, JD....yu, too Tariel, if yu want. Right now, I'm trying to figure out a way to use a high-heat crubible & cooking oil to melt down the tips into a curved, sealed form. As to the EL tape/wire, the inverters are always DC & are about 9-18V@2-3,000Hz. The clear tubes are hollow for insertion of the EL unit, but I imagine the hilts will have to be fatter to hold all the inverter/batts.

 

i really need to build a hilt.




and on a side note, cooking oil to melt plastic? be careful. that doesnt sound all that safe.

 

It sounds cool to me, but I have to admit I'm kinda guessing at a lot of what I think you may be talking about.
I saw $7.50. If we're talking about something lightsaber blade related for $7.50, count me in.

 

LOL mac! you know who you're talking to, right?!

6 foot blades though? that's as tall as I am...If I get one from you I'll definitely be cutting it down to regular lightsaber blade length...I only want about 3' visible outside of the hilt (plus the EL tape is 3' long).

 

I'm slightly confused...what's the outer diameter and inner diameter?

 

i know, but i had to say it anyway.

 

Again.....the poly blades are 3/4"x5/8"x6', and are priced about $7.50 per piece....from what I know of polycarb, these tubes should be less flexible, and much stronger than acrylic, but we'll see......

 

are the light-up possibilities any different?

 

well, being hollow, the ability to put in EL material in them is up to your imagination, or even neon/halogen/plasma tubes, but forget about combat with those!

 

ah, got it, 5/8" is the inner diameter (sorry, I was REALLY tired this morning, wasn't thinking clearly)

 

9-18V isn't too bad... two 9V batteries in series (or is it parallel? I always have to look that up.) should do the trick. I don't know much about inverters though, such as what size you can get them in and what the price range is. Also, what's the price range for the EL tape?

Re emission spectra. Oops. It's all the fault of seeing physics acronyms... I sort of slipped into work mode. Sorry! I was just asking what color they light up as.

It's too bad solid state lighting (ie light emitting diodes) aren't farther along commercially. It would be nice to be able to use just a DC power source and skip the inverter.

Kit, I might be interested in one of the tubes, but I'd like to see what they look like first, and what the feasibility of melting the end and all is. Hm, and I wonder how evenly distributed the light will be.

 

lol, okay, gotcha.

the EL tape at glowire.com comes in 3' lengths 1" wide (1/2" of glowing area, the border is lamination). The kit with the 3' tape and inverter is I think $25.

 

I will let DH know this thread is up, I know he was excited when talking to Tim about it.

 

If you contact GLOWIRE, remind them that I was the one who bought all the panels, wire and inverters just so they know that our group is serious, and we have their name in mind for the future.....they should realize that so they treat us right, and I have no problem being a stepping-stone toward all of you getting treated right, and getting the stuff you need at the right price!


PS- SC, ask DH if he's got any ideas about safely sealing(melting)the ends of these tubes in a controlled manner so that an inner rod and EL stuff doesn't become a nasty projectile in combat....FLOL!

 

Count me in as interested. (as if you have to ask.)

We might be able to use epoxy resin to plug the ends, safer than trying to thermoform them.

 

I don't think epoxy will molecularly bond to poly material, however there may be a poly glue that can bond & withstand.

 

i'll take two if you got'em .

terry , can we get together and make some hilts next weekend ?

 

Hmm. I think I'll wait and see what these look like before I decide whether it's the way I want to go.

 

I don't know of anything else pressing other than the meeting next weekend Jeff. So sure, just let me know when.

 

cool , maybe sunday . and let me know if i need to get any bits for THE MACHINE

 

I'll only have six blades after the one for myself......we may have to share fer a bit....FLOL!

 

Next Sunday should be fine. I'll check if we need anything and let you know DH.