colored film?

[Saarai]

so I am toying with ideas to improve a blades look and was wondering if anyone has tried using white p4s, clear polycarbonate, and colored cellophane to create different blade colors.

[theJUDGE]

there have been many threads with the topic of using colored film inside of a blade. everyone who has tried it says that it turns out horrible. it ends up dimming the light. if i were to use a white light and have readily changeable colors i would go with the color disks because they are the easiest and cheapest option in this case.

[Saarai]

thanks wasn't sure how it would turn out, was thinking that might be the result.

[goldsaberwarrior]

If you plan on using a film don't do the colored because as judge said it tends to dim the light. If you want to use a film inside the blade go with a film like they use on the site here. That type of film tends to distribute the light better and gives a bit more of a core affect like you see in the movies. As judge said the colored discs are your best option if you want cheap way to change the color of your blade.

[Jedi-Loreen]

The only film here, in the Store is the blade film, formerly known as Corbin film.


We also use clear cellophane gift wrap to even out our blades.

[DJMoonbass]

im a HUGE fan of cellophane. cellophane by itself if you use enough of it gives a VERY awesome blade.

[Darth Biff]

Greetings all,

I was just wondering if anyone has tried lighting gels? In television production, gels are the coloured transparencies that are used to create coloured lighting. Ecko and I work in television (sort of... indirectly for me, more directly for him), and we're (well, he is) trying to get some sample packs to try out. If anyone has tried this before, your experience would be most appreciated. If not, and we manage to get the samples, we'll let you know how it turns out.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Iirc a couple years back someone posted pics of a Nihilus and Revan at a con who had sabers that were red even in broad daylight unlit because they had added gels...it served for that purpose I suppose though that was before TCSS carried coloured poly c blade stock...which would probably be a better solution for that purpose nowadays.

[Novastar]

Onli... I believe that was NeoPhyl, and (genius he is)... I think those were simply colored poly-blades. I may be wrong.

As to colored blade film + any white LED... it = NOT GOOD
As to slightly colored film + whatever LED you're going for = NOT GOOD

I tried the latter a long time ago. It was a SORT of aqua-ish / white-ish / quasi rainbow-ish (?) polypropylene (again, gift wrap) film. I figured... what the heck--give it a shot.

Well, it was about as effective as a two-legged horse. 'Nuff said. It's not even like "oh you try another type". No. It doesn't work. All it does is muddy things up because it FILTERS OUT LIGHT.

As to "normal" blade diffusion film/plastic + a white LED + a "coin shaped" little filter right in front of the LED at the bottom of the blade (one with a HIGH transference %)... = PRETTY GOOD

Good luck at trying to "filter" for a dark/deep color though. You're better off doing RGB LED mixing. Especially these days.

Some years ago (read: 2005... 2006... 2007, maybe a bit of '0... RGBs were awful, and filtering whites was STILL pretty awful.

But now... there's just no excuse, you have NO EXCUSE not to get a decent RGB LED.

[Jedi-Loreen]

It was NeoPhyl and his friends, but it was clear polycarb tubing and red gel film.

So you were both partially right.