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Hasid Lafre
06-09-2007, 06:12 PM
Iam cureious as to how I can get the tip to lightup but not the lightbulb effect and still have a reflective material in teh blade so I still get even light distrabution.

pockets
06-09-2007, 06:23 PM
ultras blades have light up tips, i assume what he does is have a semi reflective/semi transparent type of material there. there definately is something there though

Lord Maul
06-09-2007, 06:29 PM
ultra said what he had in his blades...dangit. i forget

corbin handled his tips when he was still solo, maybe he can shed some light on the matter

Jay-gon Jinn
06-10-2007, 12:00 AM
Ultra said it was Con-tact brand silver contact paper, and can be found at Michael's, a craft store chain.

LAN-ED-TUL
06-10-2007, 02:44 AM
and it reflects the light the right way, back down the blade? cool

Jay-gon Jinn
06-10-2007, 07:51 AM
I use a semi-reflective film on the tip. A mirror stops light, so you get a tip that doesn't light up. A semi reflective film shines most of the light back down the blade but let's just enough through to illuminate the tip. Con-Tact brand is best, but most any contact paper will work. You can get Con-Tact Brand Silver Contact Paper at Michaels or just about any other good craft store.

That's his post from F/X Sabers' forums.

Marsupial
06-10-2007, 10:10 AM
I have an ultrablade who's tip poped up. yeah, we do crazy dueling around here.

the tip is a shouldered tip identical to what you have in store:
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-760-15-shouldered-1-thick-walled-blade-tips.aspx

the reflective material is the same as Corbin's Component used to have, Its a reflective stick-on material that doesn't seam to be any translucid. I don't know if it was on purpose or a miscut, but mine wasn't round all the way like Corbin does. Both light up about the same, I think it relies on the light transmission capabilities of the tip material used more then the mirror letting anything pass. I might be wrong.

Here's how they light up
http://yanlauzon.ifastnet.com/images/starwars/SabreBleu/photo5_small.jpg (http://yanlauzon.ifastnet.com/images/starwars/SabreBleu/photo5.jpg)

Jay-gon Jinn
06-10-2007, 06:07 PM
I was thinking about this today at the campgrounds where my trailer is parked when a car drove by with mirrored window tint. I wonder if that would work? I may have to get some and try it.

Sky_Million
06-11-2007, 04:53 PM
I've also heard that you can scratch some of that gray crap off of the back of a mirror to let some of the light pass through. I guess the best way to do that would be to thin it out evenly with something like scotchbrite or fine sandpaper instead of scratching it like a caveman.

If you use a semi-reflective film, you can layer it untill you get the desired effect.

GFORCE13
07-10-2007, 10:08 AM
I was thinking about this today at the campgrounds where my trailer is parked when a car drove by with mirrored window tint. I wonder if that would work? I may have to get some and try it. It does that is what I used when I lost my tip on my Corbins Custom Blade, I had a role of tint left over from our bedroom window, I bought it at Home Depot it is the double side reflective stuff which is slightly transparent. 8)

Harga Moroc
07-10-2007, 06:08 PM
I heard of another method a few days ago regarding a small mirror that is curved. Just curious guys if anyone has considered using a 20mm concave laryngeal examination mirror in their blade tip? The theory is that the slightly smaller size allows some light to pass around the mirror itself illuminating the tip and being concave it tends to focus the reflected light back down the tube.
Any thoughts?

Harga Moroc

Steeljack
07-11-2007, 11:04 AM
Ultra's tips, which can be purchased separately, use a reflective material that is, as far as I can tell, not transmissive. The trick is that the reflective disk is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tube, allowing enough light to leak around its edges to illuminate the tip itself.

You can achieve the same effect for thick-walled blades by buying Tim's thick-walled shouldered tips, along with some of the reflective adhesive discs, and then cutting the discs down to a smaller diameter. (I've been using a diameter of 0.625", but I haven't done any experiments to find the optimum evenness between the end of the blade and the tip itself.)

Jay-gon Jinn
07-11-2007, 02:35 PM
Well, what I do when I make my 3/4" blades, is buy the 3/4" EL blade tips and then sand the bottoms with 100 grit paper. This frosting makes the tip glow pretty evenly. Then I use a piece of the backing paper off a sticker sheet to use as a diffuser on the bottom of the tip because the wax side is shiny and reflects a bit of light back into the blade. The tips light up, but not laser-beam bright, and match the blade pretty well.

Hasid Lafre
07-11-2007, 05:20 PM
intresting. Maybe when we figure this out maybe its something tim can do with the store blades.

GFORCE13
07-12-2007, 10:29 PM
Maybe who can say what will happen in the future!!!

PS: SWEET Amok Time Sig Pic. 8)

GFORCE13
07-16-2007, 11:41 PM
I do have a quick question just put together my first Led Blade using the shouldered tip and double wrap film and I finally got some weld on 3 which I used to glue the mirror to the tip, but within a day it dropped out. So my question is what type of glue to use?

Lord Maul
07-17-2007, 12:05 AM
to glue the mirror onto the blade tip...hmm...

epoxy would do the trick i bet, but it is a lot easier to just use the aluminum reflective disk. it's too late for that though

Hasid Lafre
07-17-2007, 05:09 AM
When I had to retip my old blade(lack of glue the first time) I used a glue called sticks on contact or something like that. its in a purple package and it dident haze the polyC and the mirror is fermly attached to the tip.

LAN-ED-TUL
07-17-2007, 04:45 PM
he can still get the disk in there if he wants to.

i learned a trick a while back when one fellout like that on me. i had a mirror in there, but it fellout, so i went with a disk in its plpace, yea, i know, you ask, well howd i get it up in there since the tip was glued on?

well, heres how, i got a dowel rod that would fit inside the blade, i layed the disk on the end, with the sticky side ready to apply face up. then pushing the dowel rod with disk on its end up inside the blade, till it got to end and then holding the rod, and the end tip, firmly pushed it against the tips bottom side. worked like a charm.

try it!!!

Lord Maul
07-17-2007, 04:51 PM
that is a tried and true method for getting mirrors into the blade as well Lan. However, with the aluminum sticker thing you run the risk of the disk getting stuck to the side of the blade, making it impossible to remove.

GFORCE13
07-18-2007, 02:33 AM
Thanks Lan-Ed-Tel that will make it a lot easier and since the film is still loose I will just pull it out to make this even easier. I guess you could say I went Weld on #3 crazy since I finally tracked some down here in Ca and thought I could use it for everything, but now you saved me the job of having to cut off the shouldered tip and start over. 8)

Novastar
07-19-2007, 11:03 AM
G... you can also just fight with one until the tip flies off as well, hehehh :) and THEN put your mirror in, heheh.

"Nova, you fool, you can't shoot (fight) first and ask mirror questions later!!"

GFORCE13
07-19-2007, 11:23 AM
N you know that isn't a bad Idea!!! 8)

Novastar
07-19-2007, 11:43 AM
heheh. Btw G, that car 12v saber is CRAZY!

As to tips, yeah, seriously mine fly off all the time unless I super wrap them with clear tape. They stay on much better like that, although they look ugly up close. Still... none of you will be able to tell when you see the BOP II footage that the tips were taped up, hahahah.

Let's all pray for SOME solution by SOMEone, ANYone on rubbery/silicone tips or something.

I know NeoPhyl was trying a shrink wrap setup to go over the tips and first part of the blade. I should talk with him more. I wanted to do it, but have become side-tracked by all sorts of things with my business. Oops. Work. I had forgotten about my fencing camps... BOP II performances... BOP II footage... BOP III auditions/rehearsals, etc. heheh

UltraSWG
07-20-2007, 10:39 PM
This isn't a secret, I already told everyone what I use:

Con-Tact Brand Silver Contact paper.

It is NOT opaque, if you shine a light against it, some light will go through it. If you put your eye up to it, you will see through it. It's semi-reflective just like silver window tinting.

It shines most of the light back down the blade and let's some of the light go through it to light up the tip.

Novastar
07-20-2007, 11:14 PM
Thanks, Alex!

I remember you mentioning this many a time. I didn't think it was a secret, but yes, I believe many think that they need a SUPER reflective mirror... well, again... you don't want that people!

Unless you want a non-glowing tip. :)

UltraSWG
07-20-2007, 11:36 PM
You also don't want to add weight to the tip, that only helps the tips pop off even easier. You know, that whole physics thing.

A film is really a good way to go. I know Corbin used film on his blade tips, so I'm sure it won't be long before TCSS offers the same stuff.

Hasid Lafre
07-21-2007, 10:18 AM
When the tip popted off the last blade was cause I dident have enought glue on it. but when it went the mirror was still in the blade.

Novastar
07-21-2007, 03:50 PM
I don't care what anyone says--NO amount of "normal" glue on ANY tip... will keep it there if you actually duel with your blade SERIOUSLY. If anyone should know, I should. If someone strongly, strongly disagrees (and has proof), I want to hire you to personally glue ALL of my tips, and sign a document saying they won't come off during staged combat duress... heheh

There *might* be some glue out there that can handle this, but I think it's a type that is not sold over the counter. It's basically a chemical bond. I have to ask my contact about it more, but the stuff is pretty heinous and quite dangerous. It's unlikely you could even get such a mix at a "regular" plastics shop such as Tap or Good.

Anyhow, I once had the formula he gave me for the chemicals, but misplaced it so I'll have to ask him again. You also need to make certain the tip to tube fit is LITERALLY near perfect. Within something like 0.002". If it is hand-sanded or whatever... it is prone to breakage.

Hasid Lafre
07-22-2007, 08:46 AM
Well when that tip popted there was only about half of the glue needed to hold it, liek I could see where the glue was and wasent.

It held up to some very riggerious dueling then finally popted when I drug it acrost a step cause I got to close when tring to do some twin sabers stuff.

Now that thing isent comming off. I let my friend barrow it and he put it thru worse than I did and its not comming off.

gundamaniac
09-23-2007, 01:49 PM
Just a question. If all the concern over tips flying off is over the shoulder that goes into the blade....why not just use the old hemi-sphere tips without the shoulder?...aside from the fact that there's less surface contact between the tip and the tube?....

Hasid Lafre
09-23-2007, 01:49 PM
The shoulder is what helps keep them from popping off.

xwingband
09-23-2007, 02:35 PM
Just a question. If all the concern over tips flying off is over the shoulder that goes into the blade....why not just use the old hemi-sphere tips without the shoulder?...aside from the fact that there's less surface contact between the tip and the tube?....

Because with no shoulder a healthy 10 year old could pop it off. You really have to work to take the tip off with a shoulder. Only through time or consistent use it comes off.

Really, I'm not worried... sucks to say it but people like Novastar need to cook their noodle if the want a better tip because for 90% of people the current shouldered ones work great. :P

Marsupial
09-23-2007, 10:43 PM
From my experiences, the thinwalled shouldered tips will fly off way easier then thickwalled ones.

I still haven't have a thickwall shouldered tip to fly off, and had several thinwalled ones do so: from my own construction and from ultrasabers ready-made blades.

I believe its caused by the thinwalled being able to flex more. I'd suggest having a deeper shoulder on the thinwalled blades.

Strydur
09-23-2007, 11:41 PM
And a deeper shoulder is what we did. :D

gundamaniac
09-23-2007, 11:56 PM
I was about to say it, but Tim beat me to it. His shouldered tips for the thin-walls looks to be at least twice as deep as the thick-walled tips.

Novastar
09-26-2007, 11:34 PM
Really, I'm not worried... sucks to say it but people like Novastar need to cook their noodle if the want a better tip because for 90% of people the current shouldered ones work great. :PI did indeed, X-wing... right now, it's called "clear packing tape", heheheh!! :)

I have tried some other methods, but until I perfect them, there is no use mentioning.