Safety foam lightsaber

[makototsai]

I add the thick foam tube on my SSS saber, make my saber safety when we duel,

pictures:

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/2290/dscn8535.jpg

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/4017/dscn8536.jpg

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1889/dscn8537.jpg

Before add the thick foam tube
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5092/dscn8540.jpg

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/4980/dscn8539.jpg

video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ALNttA8i44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CXUV6T1AAk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSpTJx8M33M


dueling video:
come soon..

[Enolmano]

Cute.

:D

[cardcollector]

Very Smart! :cool:

[Jay-gon Jinn]

I bet that cuts down on smashed fingers!

[Ronan]

I bet that cuts down on smashed fingers!

Geez... how hard do you guys smack at each other? :D

[alreadyRogue]

Hey id rather have my fingers smashed than cut off and cotorized tho

[cannibal869]

hahaha lol good call Makoto!

[Jin Ke]

Cool idea... We have acutally used bubble wrap on the blades when sparring in the past.... This would be alot easier to install.... LOL

Nice pike in the third video btw... :)

[enigma1337]

so i dunno about you guys, but the foam around those blades diffuses incredibly in those videos, of course, thats probably only with the mako style blades :p

but i definitely wanna make one someday

[jedimastergarcia87]

I like the safety foam idea. o-o I think the foam also brings the light out more. Where can I buy this kind of foam?

[sithlordfaust]

I like the safety foam idea. o-o I think the foam also brings the light out more. Where can I buy this kind of foam?

,Hey Tim.... I think this would be an exellent item to stock.

I would feel much more secure in my son playing with his saber if he had one of these on it.

[RevengeoftheSeth]

,Hey Tim.... I think this would be an exellent item to stock.

I would feel much more secure in my son playing with his saber if he had one of these on it.

Post it in the wish list so he will see it.

[Gin Malinko]

pool noodles maybe? idk might work

anyway, i was looking in the background of your pictures makotosai, and it seems that some of your blades are bent. is this from the display stand?

[makototsai]

I only know, I can buy that kind of my country`XD~~

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6992/duel0.jpg
NEW duel video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDwJUja9BtY

[Darth Xanthus]

Geez... how hard do you guys smack at each other? :D

We have a split eyebrow as our worst injury. We fight hard.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs151.snc4/36896_1224923683001_1826299791_454687_3827444_n.jp g

I like the thought of this. I also look to testing the led string to failure as I now have an extra makoto blade.


I need some of this foam.

[Darth Xanthus]

pool noodles maybe? idk might work

anyway, i was looking in the background of your pictures makotosai, and it seems that some of your blades are bent. is this from the display stand?

The clear PVC can bend from being out in a car in the heat. I love makoto sabers, i have a number of them and will be buying many more soon, but I personally replace the shell and foam. I lose the smallest amount of brightness only.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Please don't double post, Lance. Use the Multi-Quote button next time.

Thanks

[Darth Xanthus]

iPad posting is not as easy to get all that done right.

I hope the balance of power in the world was not unhinged by my extra post.

[Jedi-Loreen]

I forget that people are using those new-fangled contraptions to post with :p (I don't go in the internet with my phone and I don't have an iPhone, either, anyway). Those screens are small, compared to a computer monitor. So, I imagine it makes it pretty difficult to see that little Multi-Quote button on that little screen.

[Gin Malinko]

yeah, i have an android and it makes it pretty tough. i try not to post as much as possible using my phone. but sometimes it cant be helped lol

[dgdve]

We have a split eyebrow as our worst injury. We fight hard.


I like the thought of this. I also look to testing the led string to failure as I now have an extra makoto blade.


I need some of this foam.

hehe when you hand a saber to some kids, your in a duel for your life!! Seriously they will take you down, no hesitation!! kids (the true sith warriors)

[Darth Xanthus]

Had one at CV wacking at me with one of the collapsing cone blade ones.

The only way to stop him shy of grabbing it would have been to actually hit him with mine, but that is not the image we really need to promote in the hobby.

Glad he was a little one or it may have hurt.

BTW added pic of the split eyebrow back in the post.

(Oh, the mobile devices 1/2 the issue is no mouse and only a touch screen. Copy and paste are not as easy there either.)

[Doc B]

I like the safety foam idea. o-o I think the foam also brings the light out more. Where can I buy this kind of foam?

My friends and I used to get foam like this at Home Depot, We used it for boffing, and once my saber is finished, I'm planning on getting some foam for it.

[cardcollector]

My friends and I used to get foam like this at Home Depot, We used it for boffing, and once my saber is finished, I'm planning on getting some foam for it.

It was white?!? I couldn't find it anywhere. Link maybe?

[Doc B]

It's been several years, but it was always hit and miss. Sometimes it was white, but sometimes gray or black. At the time, it didn't matter as we covered it in duct tape, but I never used the web. I just checked my local hardware stores. Living in Seattle, it's easy enough to go to several until I find the right kind, so I don't know how well this strategy will work in a more rural or less metropolitan area.

[Manbeyond]

I bought a few swimming noodles from walmart. They only have yellow, green, and blue. They have some thin ones (although still a little fatter than what I would prefer for for a blade cover). It fits very tightly on the one inch blades. A white led shows the color pretty good. I even got my wife to duel with me because it doesn't hurt ;)
I am still searching for a good, thinner white foam (or similar material that can let light through and have some protection).

7/1/2011- Update: The yellow swim noodle transfers light the best. A Red led comes through as red. A White comes through as a nice yellow. Makes dueling fun, and you can hit each other very hard with no injuries. I would suggest leaving an extra 2 inches at the top so jabs do not bruise your partner. Be sure to remove your inner diffuser if you can. The foam will be your diffuser. These fit tightly and my take a few minutes to get on.

[darkantonhy]

Hello where you find this kind of foam? I dont find it anywhere...I just find black or gray. Please help me!

[Weaver]

I would try all local hardware stores, Amazon, or McMaster-Carr. This type of foam is typically used for pipe insulation, so it will most likely be located in the plumbing section. If you can't find it locally, try a search for "closed-cell foam". Searching specifically for pipe insulation will get you to tubular stuff, but you may still have luck with other search parameters.

Failing that, try LARP or boffer websites. Most of these people have had to make their own foam weaponry, thus will have the information you need. I have to believe that at least one of them will have a lead on a specific color.

As was mentioned, protecting the tip is advised to avoid jabbing injuries. I would try to get a solid "bar" of the same material and color, about the same size as the hole in the blade cover, and seal it in there with a bit of glue. Having a solid tip will resist and cushion impact far greater than just leaving an extra couple of inches of hollow tube on the end. You may also want to secure the blade cover by some semi-permanent means, like double-sided tape. At $30 per, this can seem expensive, but believe me when I say it's nothing by comparison to a hospital bill. I'd sacrifice at least one "dueling" blade with a permanent foam cover just for training purposes.

With all that said, I'm pretty surprised these don't dim the light too much. I would never have thought of it, because of the importance the community places on brightness. Just one more example of how a single epiphany can change the way things are done.

[adancer87]

A very cool concept indeed.

Also, what material did you use for the diffuser inside the blade?