white diffuser vs poly gift wrap

[Mobius]

Okay so this started with an FX ESB Vader saber that I wanted to be brighter and be able to use with and without a blade whilst trooping.

While I really liked the scrolling feature I decided that sometimes for the greater good sacrifices must be made. (looking back it wasnt a sacrifice)

I decided to go with a Seoul P4 instead of a Luxeon (only because the lux was out of stock) and since Im on a pretty tight budget I kept the stock blade and diffuser.

The problem was there were some really bright white spots in the diffuser and the blade cap shone like a beacon. I decided to remove the stock diffuser and used 7.5 ft of the dollar store poly giftwrap and glued a mirrored disc to the inside of the endcap that I cut just a little small to let the light pass around into the tip.

here are some side by sides to show the difference between the two.

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x121/krhurrl/IMG_0945.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x121/krhurrl/IMG_1018.jpg

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x121/krhurrl/IMG_0942.jpghttp://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x121/krhurrl/IMG_1017.jpg

These two are taken with a flash
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x121/krhurrl/IMG_0955.jpghttp://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x121/krhurrl/IMG_1015.jpg

Thoughts?

[tullfan81]

I Like It!

[pandatrooper]

Wow, big difference! Looks really nice and solid.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

That's how a lot of us do the MR blades when we convert a saber over to luxeon-style led's. The stock diffuser works okay by itself, but as you can see, they really benefit from a few feet of polypropylene. This same set-up works well with the blade film Tim sells in the store, too.

[ComdtJustin]

Is it wrong that I can't tell which one is which?

[Jordandau]

So if I'm building a blade myself with parts from TCSS would Tim's film act as the diffuser, meaning you don't have to buy the diffuser from the store?

[Jay-gon Jinn]

So if I'm building a blade myself with parts from TCSS would Tim's film act as the diffuser, meaning you don't have to buy the diffuser from the store?

Yes, the diffuser and the blade film are two different things, and are not meant to be used together. You can, however, add the clear gift wrap, or polypropylene to either of them to make them more evenly lit.

[Mobius]

Is it wrong that I can't tell which one is which?

Im not sure weather that was sarcasm but really all you have to do is look at the aura around the blade to see the difference as well as how the tip is more evenly lit rather than looking like a bulb at the end.

[Jordandau]

Yes, the diffuser and the blade film are two different things, and are not meant to be used together. You can, however, add the clear gift wrap, or polypropylene to either of them to make them more evenly lit.


Thank you very much, that was probably my only question after reading your tutorial. It's very thorough.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Nicely done!

The poly gift wrap makes a huge difference to the evenness of the blade. Here's a picture I took the other day while I was making a blade. It's a thick wall blade with the TCSS white diffuser. The top picture is the diffuser alone. The bottom picture has 3' of gift wrap added. I tried adding more, but in this case, it was redundant.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff102/dar4jc/blade_comp01.jpg

[Blade-Rave]

O_O

Wow........now I'm DEFINITELY getting some poly gift wrap!

[Darth Mortis]

Ok, i figured this was the best place to ask this...first of all...the diff in the blades its truely remarkable...

So many noob questions...but this is the main thing i am wanting to to....i am wanting to use the Seoul P4 White Led in conjunction with a polyc transwhite blade and some of the color disks that are sold in the shop...so do i actually need to purchase a diffuser or even put any cellophane inside the blade itself? I know that the diff between the lenses is you either get a good flare at the base vs even lighting, but what do i need to get a good and even brightness and a decent vibrance within the construction route im taking? I have scoured through saber pics a plethora of times and have notices some bright AND evenly lit blades, but theres usually not enough information for me to go on...any help would be greatly appreciated for this noob that makes other noobs look like jedi knights

[Sunrider]

With a trans white blade I would just put a few feet of cellophane in it.

[Darth Mortis]

ok, i appreciate the help :) thank you

[tedstardust]

Wow, impressive! That convinced me to go for a cellophane film. And lets not forget about how cool shiny and silvery the blades look, when they're not lit up ;-) Has anyone tried cutting little holes or lines in the mirrordisc of the tip? I could imagine, that'd light up the tip even more...even :-)

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Wow, impressive! That convinced me to go for a cellophane film. And lets not forget about how cool shiny and silvery the blades look, when they're not lit up ;-) Has anyone tried cutting little holes or lines in the mirrordisc of the tip? I could imagine, that'd light up the tip even more...even :-)
Yes, that's been thought of and done quite often. what i personally do is remove the mirror, cut off about 1/16th of the outside diameter, add a piece of white paper to the tip, then reapply the mirror. Light can get around the edge of the mirror and the paper acts as a diffuser to help scatter the light through the tip, allowing it to light up even though the mirror is still there:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/Chrome%20Saber%2033/100_9297.jpg

[tedstardust]

A little off topic, but what LED are you using on this saber? I reeeeeeally dig the color of it.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

That was a Seoul P4 green.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Well it seems I learn something every day from the Masters...I never thought to add a piece of white paper to the tip...great idea...Thanks Jay-gon!

[Thralko]

Does anyone know where can I but these polypropylene gift wraps in Canada? I live in Toronto and I couldn't find anything in the dollar store.

[Silver Serpent]

Check someplace that makes gift baskets. You know, the kind that are all wrapped up with clear gift wrap and have goodies like stuffed animals, candy, etc. inside. They use cellophane to wrap the baskets up.

[Thralko]

I'll try. Thank you.

[Weaver]

Joann Fabrics and Crafts has the perfect gift wrap for this. It comes in a 40" x 40' roll and retails at $7.99. With a 40% off coupon, I got it for five bucks. All you've got to do is roll it up on a dowel, stick it in the blade, give it a gentle rotation against the direction of the roll to loosen it, take out the dowel and cut off the end. There is a utility cutter manufactured by Stanley that does the trick extremely well; it looks like utility scissors, but the upper jaw holds a razor blade and the lower jaw is just a rubber pad.

The part I love is that the gift wrap is just the right length to fit literally any blade length TCSS can sell. The highest they go is 40". I still have to compare this method to the other types of diffusion available, but that can't happen until my order arrives. For now, it's gift wrap all the way.

[The Yin]

Got mine at Party City. As I recall, it was much cheaper by the foot to get the 40 foot roll. So ill have wrap for many blades to come. I just asked if they had any clear gift wrap and was pointed the way.
Also; info on blade making (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?7274-How-to-construct-an-LED-Blade-(or-at-least-how-I-do-it)).
might even find it at Wal-mart

[Thralko]

Thank you very much with the help :)