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Thread: Retracting blade

  1. #1

    Default Retracting blade

    Like many of you probably did, I started looking into building a saber when I saw some of my friends playing around with the cheap plastic toys and thought "I can do better than that". I've looked around the forum quite a bit but I haven't found any references to people trying to build sabers with true retractable blades. Has anyone tried to build a retracting/extending blade? How did it go?

  2. #2

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    I think the best that's been done regarding retractable blades, is the system of using blades that consist of a chain of LED's linked in a ladder formation inside a polycarbonate tube. The electronics can be configured then so the blade lights up in a way that makes it look like its extending/ retracting.

    As for a whole blade that extends and retracts? No, I'm 99.999% possible no one has figured out how to make one. Not only does physics make it unlikely, but we're a community of copycats and thieves (but in a good way! ^_^), so if anybody had figured out such a method, it would have spread like wildfire throughout the saber community.
    Boring conversation anyway...

  3. #3

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    It's pretty difficult to accomplish this and have a reasonably sized hilt, and a long (and reasonably straight) blade, and electronics, etc. etc. etc.
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  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by TuxedoCartman View Post
    I think the best that's been done regarding retractable blades, is the system of using blades that consist of a chain of LED's linked in a ladder formation inside a polycarbonate tube. The electronics can be configured then so the blade lights up in a way that makes it look like its extending/ retracting.

    As for a whole blade that extends and retracts? No, I'm 99.999% possible no one has figured out how to make one. Not only does physics make it unlikely, but we're a community of copycats and thieves (but in a good way! ^_^), so if anybody had figured out such a method, it would have spread like wildfire throughout the saber community.
    Physics doesn't make it unlikely or impossible. It could be accomplished with inflatable tubes or extensible/retractable rods such as has been used in retractable radio antennas for cars. Now, if you were to say that you couldn't do that AND have room for sound/light electronics that would be another matter entirely, but the concept itself is doable.
    The lightsaber hilt is capable of producing a blade of pure energy. The lightsaber hilt has proven to be completely safe. The saber blade however has not. Do not touch the operational end of the saber blade. Do not look directly at the operational end of the saber blade. Do not immerse the saber blade into your flesh, not even partially.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Starwaster View Post
    Physics doesn't make it unlikely or impossible. It could be accomplished with inflatable tubes or extensible/retractable rods such as has been used in retractable radio antennas for cars. Now, if you were to say that you couldn't do that AND have room for sound/light electronics that would be another matter entirely, but the concept itself is doable.
    Mm, sorry... was jumping ahead a few steps in my head, and expecting everyone to be on the same page as me. Here's why I thought physics wouldn't allow it...

    A quality saber has to have uniform light distribution, an evenly lit blade. But to develop a telescoping mechanism, that's going to obstruct and refract the light; it's unavoidable. I mean, sure it can be done: Hasbro's been doing it for 35 years. But have you seen a telescoping saber that doesn't look like you should be directing traffic?

    So if uniform light distribution is a non-negotiable feature (I assume it is, but others may disagree), then that means your blade has to be of a solid, uniformly constructed material. You could try retracting it as one piece down into the hilt, but you run into the limitations of that blade having nowhere to go (physics again).

    But then again, I never took physics in school; my math requirement was satisfied with a geometry class. So if someone wants to step forward and develop a collapsible blade that retains the light distribution qualities we're all used to, just to be able to say, "God, TuxedoCartman...you're such a NOOB!!!"... then I shall wear the mantle of Newb, and award you +10 internets!
    Boring conversation anyway...

  6. #6

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    This is another one of those "how do I make a black blade" thread. A blade that retracts into a hilt just cant happen. Not unless you want it to look like a toy. One, the hilt is only on average 12 inchs long. So, to have a one piece blade, it can only be as long as the hilt. If you make a telescoping blade, well, it will look like a $20 Hasbro blade. Sure you could make a telescoping blade out of higher quality materials, but you will still have a segmented blade that will look cheap.

    The other thing people forget about is if the blade slides into the hilt, what are you going to do with all the wires that go from the board and batteries to the hilts surface (switches)? The blade would have to slide past them or cut them in half.

    Sadly, this is another aspect of the movie magic not really being able to be copied in the real world.

  7. #7

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    Has anyone tried building a telescoping blade with higher quality parts? If it's been tried and still looks like a cheap toy I can accept that.

    Obviously I have yet to build a lightsaber so I don't know all the parts that need to fit into the hilt. I'm still at the design phase. If I come up with a design that works, I'll certainly share it.

  8. #8

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    Back the early days of LED saber building (I sound like an old man saying that, hahaha) the godfather of this whole tech being used in lightsaber props, Pippmaster, tried building this very thing in 2001. His original concept was to build a segmented polycarbonate blade with small clusters of 5mm or 3mm LED's that would illuminate it. It would be sectioned off in a way that would eliminate the prominent rings made from the blade being segmented, though how he achieved this I don't know for sure. It never panned out, though he never fully revealed all of his work as he wanted to perfect it before he released his ideas to anyone. Back in those days the tech was so new that everyone collaborated together as a tight knit group because the more we did the further we all gained momentum toward the goal. Now that's not to say that this doesn't still happen, but I think as the hobby has grown, people have been more cautious, and rightly so, to release information regarding huge advancements in the tech because now there are people who make their living this way and have to keep their developments close to the chest until released, but anyway...

    As far as I understand, he was the original designer of the LED ladder or string blade design that was ultimately used by Master Replicas. He was also one of the first to use a single high power Luxeon LED to illuminate a saber blade. Sadly I don't know what happened to him or his work as he left the hobby many years ago. I would suggest experimenting and seeing what you can come up with. One of the things I can say is that it would be really refreshing to us older members to see a newcomer actually experiment and post results rather than just theorize as many do. Try some ideas out and let us know what you come up with and share your results with us. : )
    Last edited by psab keel; 05-11-2012 at 06:11 PM.
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  9. #9

    Default

    Maybe not with a lightsaber, but possibly someone could build a light staff? Just make a regular blade that shoots out the staff with all the components in the very bottom?

  10. #10

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    Thanks for your feedback everyone! It's really helpful to get an idea of what some of the challenges with a good looking telescoping saber are. I haven't given up on the idea yet, but given all of this I'm thinking I should set the telescoping saber idea aside for my second build and do a more traditional build to get a better handle of the complexity involved.

    Besides, I'd like an ROTJ Luke anyway and there's no way to get a telescoping blade down that narrow neck.

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