Silly / Absurd

#91 · Mini lightsaber

Hold aloft, make the appropriate vwomm sound effect, and engage your opponent. All duels respectfully accepted.

A chopstick is very close to the right proportions for a lightsaber at 1:6 - the scale most collectible action figures are made to. Add a metallic hilt and a coat of glow paint and your shelf can finally host the duel it has been building towards.

How to do it

1. Wrap the blunt end in metallic tape to form the hilt, keeping it to about a sixth of the total length.
2. Paint the remainder in glow-in-the-dark paint - two thin coats beat one thick one.
3. Charge it under a lamp for a few minutes.
4. Turn the lights off.

Why it works

Glow paint is phosphorescent: it absorbs light energy, holds it in a metastable electron state, and releases it slowly as visible light over the following minutes. It is the same chemistry as glow-in-the-dark stars, and it is why the charging step is not optional.

Tips & warnings

• Crisp hilt-to-blade transitions are what separate a good prop from a painted stick. Use masking tape.
• Fine detail brushes make an obvious difference at this scale.
• Green, blue and red are the canonical choices. Purple if you are feeling strongly about it.