DJ AmanSILVER Member
newbie
34 posts
Location: Lodi Heights, Michigan, USA


Posted:
My long time friend has been wonder how to go about making a cheap glostaff. I told him to look for clear PVC pipe (which I don't even know if it exststs or where to get it.) then just run a circut down the pipe. I also, told him to tape two light sabers together or buy a darth maul one. He got mad. ubblol
I've given him some more ideas on how to go by it but, what's the best and cheapest (my friend has money wasting problems) way to build a glow staff?

ImbalanceGOLD Member
not different, just not the same
263 posts
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA


Posted:
well see here is the problem, its rather hard to make a good, reuseable and CHEAP glowstaff. there's TONS of ways to make em, none that I know of that will take any kind of beating and not cost a bit.



The pvc pipe idea works except it doesn't come in clear, what you need is clear polycarbonate, however unless you get some super thick stuff it tends to have too much wiggle and bend in it for my tastes. I have 2 Flowstaffs from flowtoys.com which are essentially clear polycarbonate with good ends on em and such and they have a LOT of bounce/bend in em whcih makes contact stuff impossible but they spin ok (as long as you DO NOT hit anything or hit them together because they rebound like crazy). One thing to remember is if you buy polycarbonate DO NOT put regular old glowsticks in them as the esthers (sp?) that they release will cause the polycarbonate to become brittle and eventually snap in half (at the least opportune moment I might add).



Another item to look into is EL (electro luminescent) wire, or glow wire. Typically a thin wire with a battery pack attached that glows the whole way up, looks good wrapped around a staff and you can stuff the battery pack (usually) down into the ends of the staff.



Often times at dollar stores and the like you can find cheap glowing LED plastic swords. These can be used as is or taken apart and affixed to a staff for a neat look.



Also if you want a sturdier staff get a metal staff (pipe) from whatever hardware store and then go purchase a buncha regular old glowsticks and attach them to the end with clear packing tape. I find that 4 attached evenly around each end works well but then when they are done you gotta take em off and redo it again. * on an end works better or you can put em end to end etc etc to play with the configuration.



If you want to spend a bit more money look into buying some StreetLight glowsticks (i get em cheap from www.extremeglow.com) and attach them the same way, just remember if you hit something hard they will break and you'll be pissed.



If you are handy with tools you can use wood to make a good glowstaff. Get a nice thick dowel the size/weight you want. Then measure the length of a glowstick/streetlight. Cut a hole or 2 this size on each end longways down the staff. and insert the glowstick/streetlight into the hole. The hole should be a long slit basically so that the glowstick fits inside (parallel) without sticking out of the staff. in the (crappy) illustration below the ====== is the long slit. Affix with glue/packingtape or some other method. You will want a bit of weight on the ends so you can add weight with metal washers or some such thing screwed into the end of the staff.



||======||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||======||



alternatively I've had some interesting success with drilling exact glowstick sized holes in the end of a staff (perpendicular to staff) so that glowstick sticks THROUGH the staff. You'd want several holes in each end so essentially the glowsticks each make a T with the staff. I'd recommend at least 3 holes, each 120 degrees of rotation off from the other to balance out the spin. This can throw the weight off a bit if you aren't carefull but it actually does look nice when spun. Be aware that the ends will be much bigger like this so don't hit yourself. You can also combine both methods above. One thing to note here is to get a strong wood since you don't want it cracking apart.



If you wanna go super cheap for one time use or whatever you can get a rod of whatever kind and wrap a glownecklace spiral around each end but as with glowsticks its a pain to buy more all the time.





hope some of these ideas help.
EDITED_BY: Imbalance (1184627103)

I once learned every move that there was,
Every style, Every technique.
Then I woke up, and forgot it all,
So now I struggle to dream.


Twisthem488member
187 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
I still need to get off my butt and put together a staff reminiscent of my glowchucks. It would help if anyone in my area sold aluminum tubing though. Anywho, what i've done for my glowchucks, is insert lights (glowsticks) in each of the tubing (pvc in this case) and drilled several small holes through the tubing for the light to shine through. That way you can still have a sturdy metal staff that lets you see the lights without having to use flimsy plastic. It would be more susceptable to bending where the lights are placed, but I recon it would still be stronger than a plastic glowstaff as long as the lights dont go all the way down.

Im a Thespian, But I'll Act Normal Around You Guys


mcpPLATINUM Member
Flying Water Muppet
5,276 posts
Location: Edin-borrow., United Kingdom


Posted:
 Written by: Imbalance


I have 2 Flowstaffs from flowtoys.com which are essentially clear polycarbonate with good ends on em and such and they have a LOT of bounce/bend in em whcih makes contact stuff impossible but they spin ok (as long as you DO NOT hit anything or hit them together because they rebound like crazy).



flowtoys will put extra clear plastic weighting on the ends to make the staff's better for contact if you ask em. I have two like that, and they're good for contact. The bounciness just trains you to do the contact move properly.

"the now legendary" - Kaskade
"the still legendary" - Kaskade

I spunked in my friend's aquarium and the fish ate it. I love all fish. Especially the pink ones. They are my bitches. - Anon.


CBMSGOLD Member
newbie
15 posts
Location: Victoria BC, Canada


Posted:
I too am Trying to make a glow staff. I see that the HOP staffs use a LED rope arrangement, but what kind of plastic do they use?

And Shepherds We Shall Be..
"Is my hair on fire?"
Damn! My pants really are on fire!"
So the whole white gas thing on the campfire was a bad idea....


akgraphicsSILVER Member
member
133 posts
Location: Churchill College, Cambridge, United Kingdom


Posted:
From the flowtoys website, you can ask to buy polycarbonate tubing, without any outher mouldings inside. Sean's end-caps and flowmass are excellent for to add to this too smile


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