Removing film from inside a polycarbonate blade?

[Matt Thorn]

Okay, this is embarrassing. I managed to ruin a top-quality polycarbonate blade without the least bit of violence.

I washed it.:rolleyes:

Tip for noobs and anyone else: never try to remove dirt from the inside of a blade that is lined with film by pouring water into it. :wink: The water gets in between the layers of film, and between the film and the blade wall, leaving water stains that are glaringly apparent when the saber is turned on. And there's no way to remove the stains.

I've also discovered that it's damned hard to remove the film.

I figured the only way to salvage the blade is to remove the film, use some kind of cloth on a long rod to clean the inside of the blade, and the put new film in, or at least sand the blade. But everything I've tried--including plenty of violence with needle-nosed pliers--has failed. It's amazing. There's no glue holding the film to the inside of the blade. I've inserted a vinyl-coated hanger into the blade to loosen it from the wall, but as soon as I pull the hanger out, the film returns to the wall where it sticks like a gecko to a ceiling.

I'm stumped. The film is of course a complete mess now, so leaving it in is out of the question. But the blade is in perfect condition, so it would be a waste to throw it out.

Has anyone else ever had this problem, and does anyone know how to solve it?

Thanks in advance.

[Ideal]

i imagine the least bit of moisture still between the layers/blade is what is keeping it in there. ive had similar experiences with other types of plastics (like document protectors), and it is really hard to get all the water out even after days of letting dry.

you said you can use a hanger to loosen in from the blade, you might want to try pulling the film away from the wall and either let it sit to dry like that, or maybe use a hair dryer (no idea what effect the dryer will have on the blade or the film...)

[eastern57]

If there's film in it, there's glue holding it in. Get a pipe cutter and cut about an inch off the end. Then pull everything out. It should be smooth, the end is where the glue is.

A pipe cutter looks like a clamp, it rotates around until the tube is cut.

[Matt Thorn]

Free at last!
Ideal: The blade was in that state for months: it wasn't going to get any drier than it was. ;)

eastern57: Thank you! I'm not sure if it was the glue, since I'm pretty sure I had already scraped it all free of the blade, but the extra inch gave me the leverage I needed. I put the exposed 3/4" of film into a vise, braced with my foot, and rotated the blade. The film twisted (thereby narrowing) until the whole length was free of the wall, and out it came. Terrible waste of good film (It was a really evenly lit, nice blade), but now I have my filmless blade back, ready for re-filming, or sanding, or both.

Thanks again to you both for the advice.

[eastern57]

um, you're welcome, I guess ;) Nothing like a little brute force to fix what needs fixing. :D

[Jedi-Loreen]

I'm just curious why you thought it was a good idea to put water in your blade?

Did you learn it from JadoofSavannah? http://www.sunriderbase.com/board/images/smilies/rotfl.gif

[tinfoilhelmet]

it mighta come out easier if you refilled it with water, eh?

[Lord Maul]

I'm just curious why you thought it was a good idea to put water in your blade?

Did you learn it from JadoofSavannah? http://www.sunriderbase.com/board/images/smilies/rotfl.gif

Oh boy :p

[Jedi-Loreen]

Couldn't resist, even if it's only a inside joke to a few of us here. ;)

[Lord Maul]

J-Lo, he'd only be truly learning if the hilt was all electrical tape as well :mrgreen:

[Lord Dottore Matto]

I'm just curious why you thought it was a good idea to put water in your blade?

Did you learn it from JadoofSavannah? http://www.sunriderbase.com/board/images/smilies/rotfl.gif

ROFL! :lol:

[Matt Thorn]

It was my first MR conversion (Ultrasaber), and when I got to the part in the instructions about drilling the hole for the screw that holds the blade in place, I mistakenly interpreted it to mean that I was supposed to drill through one wall of the blade, as well. So debris from the drilling ended up in the blade. I actual had the blade fixed to the hilt through this hole I had drilled in the blade for a couple of weeks. But I was puzzled by the wobbliness of the blade, and when I looked carefully over the instructions again, I realized my mistake. :rolleyes: I couldn't get all the debris out by blowing into the blade or tapping on the floor, so then I got the clever idea to "wash it out." :cool:
So I guess now I'm qualified to be the butt of future inside jokes. ;)

[Novastar]

Well, in all fairness to Jado... Ultra *DID* release that video of his hooligans throwing sabers into a swimming pool. They DID continue to work for the few seconds we see in the clips.

Not that this is a good idea by any means--seeing as... when all is said and done--oxidation and water damage WILL BE COMIN'. Maybe not 30 seconds into it... maybe not 2 minutes into it... but... it's comin'. :rolleyes: