A quick question on The translucent white battle blade

[Master Sang]

As a final purchase to finish and upgrade my first saber, I ordered a 40" version of the translucent white battle blade. After attaching it to the hilt I realized maybe I got it a little too long. Is there really any way to shorten the blade aside from dremeling or sawing off the access blade and sanding it down to even it out? Worse comes to worse, I will get a new shorter one, but if I can avoid it I would prefer to. Thanks and happy building!

[Ty_Bomber]

You could always try melting the base off woth a torch... But I would likely just go the hacksaw and file route ;)

Plumbing pipe cutters might be an option too. One tool to get the job done. You don't really need to worry about how pretty it will be because it will be in the hilt, so save your money.

[Jordandau]

The pipe cutter is your best bet. I wouldn't recommend melting it under any circumstances. A hacksaw or a dremel cut off wheel would be fine.

[Master Sang]

Alrighty. Thanks for the input all :-)

[Crystal Chambers]

oh hey!...If you pack some tissue in the blade just beyond where you want to cut but can reach it to pull it out after it will prevent your blade from getting full of dust.

[Evilpancreas]

oh hey!...If you pack some tissue in the blade just beyond where you want to cut but can reach it to pull it out after it will prevent your blade from getting full of dust.

Brilliant. I've run into this issue on multiple occasions. Thanks for that nugget of knowledge!

[TrypWyr]

oh hey!...If you pack some tissue in the blade just beyond where you want to cut but can reach it to pull it out after it will prevent your blade from getting full of dust.


Brilliant. I've run into this issue on multiple occasions. Thanks for that nugget of knowledge!

:o

Seriously, that's genius. Thank you!

[Don Se Wion]

The way I do it, and I do a lot of blades, is the following:

1- pack some paper in the blade just after the point where I need the cut to avoid dust.
2- Use the pipe-cutter to create a notch on the blade that will be used as a track for the hacksaw
3- Finish the cut with the hacksaw
4- Clean the borders with a blade (an X-acto for example)

Carving the notch is very useful to obtain a regular cut with the hacksaw.
With only the hacksaw you can easily deviate and make an uneven cut.

I also tried to cut the blade with the pipe-cutter only but it tend to squeeze the blade and create a deep rim inside the tube.

[Weaver]

You may also find that pipe cutters work poorly if you get a cheap one. Every pipe cutter I've seen has cut a wildly uneven edge, due to the "blade" settling into the material at an extreme angle. I assume that this is due to the quality of the tool. Unfortunately I haven't had the funds to get a proper one.

The paper towel option is genius. I wish I'd thought of that when I shortened my blade! Instead I secured the blade in a vise, using some scraps of marine vinyl to prevent damage to the surface, and used a low speed setting on my Dremel. Depending on the cutting wheel, you can get some nice cuts. I also cut at an angle, which prevented hard edges. This allows for easy insertion of the blade into its holder.

One more tool you'll absolutely want is a Snake Brush. It is a long-ish, flexible device, with a cylindrical brush at one or both ends. You want a fine bristle brush, as soft as you can get it. This will help to prevent scratching the interior of the blade material. You can use warm water and a little dish soap to remove any dirt and debris from the inside of the blade. The blade should be dried before use, obviously, and the quality of the water you use does matter. If your water is heavily laden with minerals, it will produce a white residue if left to air dry. I use a bit of paper towel, wadded up, and a wire-running kit consisting of several small-diameter fiberglass rods with a hook at the end, to clean out any excess water from the inside of the blade.

The Snake Brush looks like this:
8214

If you are able to remove the blade tip, this will help. Mine's epoxied in place, so I have to be careful about cleaning my blade. The wire-running kit is basically the only way I can get my blade dry after cleaning it, but it does work.