Frosting the inside of a blade?

[Vardarac]

So I'd say I'm about 50% done with the roughest version of my experimentally lighted blade. One thing I need to know in order to continue is how to frost the inside of a polyc tube, WITHOUT frosting the outside. Is there any safe way I could do this, safe meaning I run minimal risk of frosting the outside of the blade along with the inside?

[Novastar]

Sand blasting.

The issue with this is that it takes expensive equipment, or you'd need to find some shop that does this and make the special request.

The biggest problem with these issues? Unwarranted time/labor/costs for little return/result...

[jamesjeffh]

Nova's right with all the money/equipment you'll need to blast the inside of the blade it's not worth it when a good diffuser will give you the same result.Now if you blast the outside and the inside now thats different but still a big hit on the pocket.

[xl97]

what is yo definition of HIGH cost?

I bought my media blaster for about $40 bucks if I remember.. maybe ALOT for just a polyc tube blasting.. but it has other benefits.. you can use it to 'etch' metal id stenciled off correctly.. Ive done it on chrome peices before..

[psab keel]

You have to be careful when frosting or sanding the inside of a Polycarbonate tube. When I tried to sand the inside of the tube it seemed to effect the durability of the blade. That has been the only time I have snapped a blade in half. It was a thick walled blade too. I personally wouldn't risk it. As others have said, you can just as easily use a good diffuser with the same results.

[Novastar]

Well, everyone chooses what they do themselves and what they will pay for. I am not saying DON'T try it Xl97, I'm simply saying: the fact that you're asking about it and we're all trying to throw out suggestions means that we're ALL spending TIME, and thus--resources.

If you already have the media blaster... why don't you just do a blade?
If you feel you can't blast SOLELY the outside... what--you can't just COVER the outside of the blade with some towels or cloth or whatever to protect it?
If you feel that you need a different blaster... buy it?

Also I'm curious as to how this could be done in a very even fashion. I'm not trying to scorn, I'm trying to HELP and bring up pertinent concerns.

My final thought has to do with what *I* do with my blades... which is abuse the heck out of them. OK, not "abuse", but... you know--USE them / DUEL with them, whatever. Over time, they get so incredibly scuffed up... they appear to have like a 1000 grit smooth sand upon them!

Ask Grayven and Gundamaniac if you do not believe me, but... my blades "automatically" look extremely evenly lit.

So, my advice is... just duel with them. After several thousand hits... they'll look like they were sanded down! :P

[xl97]

Ive have never done it myself.. so how well it works, I cant comment.

Its all personal opinion I suppose. (if it worked well) you wodl saver overall/over time IMHO..

where as buying a diffuser would be only for that blade..and then another purchase..and another..etc..

which is why I asked what is considered a HIGH COST.

I dont really understahd the outside blade blasting comment...

however if getting the inside to blast evenly doesnt work so well..I can see this NOT being a viable solution.. regardless of cost.. as it just doesnt work (or produce a useful effect we are looking for)... but not everyone duels, or produces BOP's.

I do believe you use your blades for dueling and they get scuffed up..so Im not sure where thats coming from... excpet to suggest he do nothing but duel with them to get his 'frosted look'..

however alternatley.. you could use a dowl with some high grit sand paper to get a 'frosted look' as well.

this is the first Ive read about it hurting the stability of the blade though... but again.. not done it myself..so no clue from personal experience.

[Ghostbat]

I have a completely untested and probably hare brained theory.

You could push adhesive/thinner fumes through the tube to craze the surface, a good even flow would in theory create even fogging, like using the wrong glue on a model airplane canopy.

Of course no telling how much this would weaken the blade, or how to control the flow accurately... but it's a thought.

[Master Dru-Er]

I would think the fumes would be a sure fire way to weakened blades... Isn't that effect caused by crystalization!? I just see your polyC blade becoming a little more brittle. I gotta 7/8 wooden dowel and 400 grit i've been using but havent gotten it lit up because i havent got a mirror yet

[Arm on Fire]

Chemicals/paints + polycarbonate could be bad news. Polycarb is a resiliant material but is easily weakend by some of the chemicals in glues and paints, use extreme caution.

Even sanding/ blasting a blade will break the "skin" on the tube and weaken the blade, enough to cause it to break? i dont know, but think of it like a pane of glass, its pretty strong by it self , but score it ,and it snaps along the score pretty easy. Now Im not directly comparing a blade to glass but the same principles still apply.