TOPIC: Tapered (not bullet tip) blades ever attempted?

Hey guys. New guy here. After doing a bunch of searching all over the net to no avail, I was wondering if anyone had ever crafted a tapered light saber blade to look more like the movies. Now I'm not talking about a bullet tip, but a truly tapered blade that starts thick at the emitter and significantly smaller at the tip.


Here's a close-up of Darth Maul's blade. Other movie blade effects are similar of course.




I've contacted a few plastic companies who say that all they have is the cylindrical tubing, but nothing similar. I'm guessing a custom run would have to be pretty darn large to get a custom blade made.

I'm considering sculpting one out of wood and then casting it in resin. But that would be a ways off as I don't even have my first saber yet Resin wouldn't be great for dueling, but it might look nice and unique. Another method might be to heat thermoplastic around a mold for the right shape. That has it's own drawbacks of course.

Thoughts? Interest?

They don't actually taper in the movies they don't start to taper till rebels

Not sure if I share that opinion. If there's some sort of canon proof of that, I'll gladly agree, but from what I see, they are. Of course the fx are all over the place to be 100% honest. Different in different scenes.



Whatever the case, I like that look better, but don't think I'll ever see that happen unless I make one myself. Which won't be for a long while.

Hey ANorris,
you mentioned you might one day get round to making one yourself.
Out of interest how would you go about that? Using an existing blade and a lathe/ sanding, or starting from scratch with plastics and some way to form the shape?

Sounds like a good diy project if you're serious and confident.

Actually, you know you actually gave me an idea. I could sand the walls of the existing tubes and then possibly add some extra at the bottom that was grated to look like it added girth.

If I was going to do it though, I'd probably just do as a resin cast by sanding a wooden dowel to the desired shape, sanding another that would fit inside it, making a mold of them together, then filling the negative space with clear resin.



I've made similar molds before for anime bows that light up so I know that it can be done. It wouldn't be great for dueling, but it could look good for a prop piece.

Thats due to the angle they are held and viewed from i've seen the movies several hundred times and have yet to see a tapered saber in them, rebels is canon

Sometimes yes, other times no.

Just curious? I am assuming you want this just for looks. Even taking dueling out of the equation a resin blade could be broken just from a drop while spinning, especially with such thin walls near the tip.


I have to agree with Dav on the taper thing, viewing angle is critical, for every pic from the film that you show where they are tapered, I can show pics where they don't look tapered.

In the pic below Luke's saber looks far more tapered than Vader's--due to the viewing angle.




In the next one-- little to no taper.






Luke withe the remote





That is not to say the taper is not cool--but it would just be a shelf queen or a con walking around blade.

I like the tapered look on rebels it's a cool and new twist but I guess a jedi can adjust the length and thickness of his blade with alittle work on his saber

(that sounded so wrong lol)

I can't stand tapered. But to each their own.

I don't own one yet, but the in-hilt LED would fake this a little bit by virtue of the fact that it's a little brighter at the base, would it not?

I never thought of it as a taper but more as the light is stronger at the base because that is where it is closer to where its being generated (closer to the crystal = stronger light). and that's what may be causing the tapered look.

Hellrazoromega wrote:
I disagree. I've made lots of resin props...from big anime bows that light up to detailed light up raised rune bits and dropped them more times than I'd care to count...and they didn't break.

They'd be perfect for a con.