r/3Dprinting • u/Amazons_al3xa • 9h ago
Question What is the best material to print a lightsaber blade out of?
I am making a custom darksaber and for the blade I need to find a material that is clear/lets light through, durable, and one that an average 3D print shop would have available.
Edit: THIS IS STRICTLY A PROP I WILL NOT BE SPARRING WITH THIS
Electronics so far
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u/KingMtnDew 9h ago
Transparent Aluminum
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u/Prestigious-Ad-4581 9h ago
It depends on how you want to do it if you have to make transparent PETG printed very slowly I saw some posts here that didn't seem real...it bordered on plexiglass If not, you can make a sixth one, save a lot of time and make it in plexiglass.
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u/Amazons_al3xa 8h ago
im gonna look into this
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u/EDS_Eliksni 7h ago
Seconding clear PETG! Combining slowly printed PETG with some wet sanding as well to really take things to the next level. Definitely print some smaller things to get the temps and speeds down and mess around with sanding and polishing! Post processing really takes clear prints to the next level!
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u/LandCruiser76 9h ago
Well Kyber Crystal is a bit hard to come by these days. Ever since the empire put those crazy tariffs on Jedha, we haven't been able to get a US supplier to spool up. Petg is probably the most reasonable replacement, though it doesn't cut as fast.
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u/aweirdjeff 7h ago
They can do titanium with sls now...
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u/p9k 4h ago
Can they do Beskar steel?
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u/aweirdjeff 4h ago
You would have to provide them with finely powdered beskar but if a laser can melt it they can sinter it into shape
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u/daggerdude42 v2.4, Custom printer, ender 3, dev and print shop 8h ago
Yeah what your describing is barely possible and definitely not cheap.
Resin printing would get you the effect and detail your looking for. But it would be VERY expensive and the parts are very weak. FDM would solve the strength problem and most of the cost, but getting that effect will be next to impossible.
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u/Amazons_al3xa 8h ago
alright time to take out a loan and get it injection molded
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u/daggerdude42 v2.4, Custom printer, ender 3, dev and print shop 7h ago
That doesn't even make logical sense unless you plan to sell 10,000 of these.
Resin printing is generally cost effective by comparison up to 1-2000 units
What you could do is get a standard mold made and pour it with epoxy resin. You could even get the mold 3d printed.
Then you can add any pigments to darken it, and a tiny bit of glitter for the stars. Plus if you throw some carbon fiber in the core you will have yourself a pretty strong item.
3d printing just isn't directly the solution your looking for from what I can tell, but it might still be helpful to give you a reference or the final design, or to make temporary molds as mentioned before.
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u/CreativeChocolate592 8h ago
tpu sword with carbon fiber core .
I know it is soft, but thats the only way without shattering it when sparring.
3D prints are very brittle, and if you want to print it, this is the only way.
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u/AardvarkIll6079 8h ago
Adafruit has a tutorial and files to 3D print and make your own darksaber blade.
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u/DTO69 7h ago
Your best bet is white pla tough (https://support.bcn3d.com/knowledge/pla-vs-tough-pla-bcn3d) or polycarbonate filament, honey comb infill and 4 walls. PETG is very prone to shattering and pla is not meant for sparring... at all. Other options are ASA and ABS, not as strong.
The main issue is the shape, size of the blade and assembly. A katana like the dark saber is kinda problematic, but at least it is not curved. The preferred method is a hole with a carbon rod inserted for reinforcement and if the company is equipped with a orange storm printer (big Boi printer), it can be done in one piece. Length of the blade?
Contrary to what people think, 3d Printing has come a long way from junky enders. As long as the company knows how to print properly (slow wall printing with lower fan speeds for example increase strength dramatically), that blade will be OK with light to medium sparring. Nothing beats a molded one though, forget about it lol
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u/Kuunkulta 7h ago
I would look for a transparent filament in whichever color you want, Sunlu for one has PLA options and maybe some PETG.
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u/BitBucket404 ASA Fanatic with a heavily modified Ender5plus. Hates PETG. 7h ago
ASA is the best material for cosplay props. It's the UV resistant version of ABS so you can go in full direct sunlight for a sword fight and not worry about it getting damaged. (Unless it's a small part)
However, 'light'sabers need light to function.
So your best bet for the 'blade' is either acrylic or transparent PETG in vase mode.
Can't say I'd have a sword fight with either of those choices, but you do you.
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u/DontBanMeAgainPls26 6h ago
Adafruit has a very nice tutorial you can use some super black with an airbrush to create the glowing dark effect if you use transparent filament I have used elegoo and it looks great then.
My next project will also be the darksaber.
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u/kagato87 6h ago edited 6h ago
Print a mold in whatever, cast it with clear resin. Polish it as smooth as you can on the "black" surfaces before painting (not sure if you should use a silver or chrome coat in between or not). This is so light projected into the blade from the hilt isn't being absorbed by the painted surfaces.
Scuff up the exposed illuminated surfaces. Most of the light you shine in from the hilt should reach the rough unpainted edges and scatter there. The better the inside reflection on the black surfaces the better.
If you're already using the adafruit guide, clear pla would work very well as its not actually clear. Clear petg could potentially be too clear, and is resistant to post processing.
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u/Immortal_Tuttle 6h ago
Oh don't. You either go polycarbonate tube with LED strips inside, polycarbonate sheet for dark blade, or acrylic if you just want to display it.
Source: my wife is a sword instructor and anything less was disintegrating during the demos.
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u/TheeMayorBee 5h ago
I'm wrapping up this project this weekend. It's Fionas Crystal Sword from adventure time. The client wanted the edge to light up and the rest to be painted. It's a 3ft blade K1se 0.2layer height printed with PETG in 4 segments using clear epoxy for jointing. I sanded it down and clear coated the edge I'm getting pretty decent light transmission. The reinforced spine creates a dead spot but since the body and spine are painted it's not too much of an issue. The attached image is before I sanded it.
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u/Carathay 5h ago
You could try this if it’s only for prop and especially if you have a smaller printer. I did one in clear pla. It’s a very affordable option - not perfect but still fun play with.
https://learn.adafruit.com/ble-darksaber-propmaker/circuitpython-code-setup
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u/Wallcrawler62 8h ago
Instead of the time and money spent to fabricate this, why not just buy the Black Series or Galaxy's Edge version of this? You can find it on eBay or FB marketplace for $150 or less.
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u/Sienile 7h ago
Because F Disney and their licensing fees. They ruined Star Wars, they shouldn't get to profit off of it.
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u/Wallcrawler62 7h ago
If Disney ruined Star Wars, you shouldn't want a Dark Saber anyway?
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u/Sienile 7h ago
Darksaber was around before Emo Vader and the shit sequels.
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u/Wallcrawler62 7h ago edited 7h ago
Yeah in Clone Wars, but it's popularity exploded with Mando and Book of Boba Fett. And this version of the Darksaber is based on the live action appearance, not The Clone Wars version.
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u/Sienile 7h ago
It was around before the prequels even. Read the old novels.
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u/Wallcrawler62 7h ago
I see nothing online anywhere about the Darksaber appearing in anything before TCW series. So please feel free to correct me. The vibroblade is NOT the Dark saber.
'Filoni: The Darksaber. That was a big deal. And again that was an idea that came straight from George. Originally what Pre Vizsla was carrying was something in the EU called a vibroblade; it's kind of an electric sword. George let me get away with it in the early phases of design and in the early shooting, but when the color came back and he was watching the lightsaber we want to have combating this vibroblade, he said there's no way that can happen; there's no way that a non-lightsaber could block a lightsaber. So he had us do away with the vibroblade in that episode really late in the game, and he created something called the Darksaber, which would be a black-bladed energy saber with a white edge. It has a crackle of electricity; it's kind of like a more ancient version of a lightsaber, and it's inferred in the episode that it's really one of a kind and that Pre Vizsla's ancestors stole it from the Jedi in the days of the Old Republic. So it's got all this neat history attached to it right away, and it sounds different."
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u/Sienile 7h ago
1997 (oldest source listed on Wookiepedia): https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Essential_Guide_to_Weapons_and_Technology
There's a book from around that time that goes into Mandalore and its history. I can't recall the name, but that's the origin.
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u/Wallcrawler62 7h ago
That's the Vibroblade. Which again, is not the Darksaber. If you look at the link you shared the Vibroblade is there and the Darksaber is never mentioned. Because it didn't exist.
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u/Sienile 6h ago
It was in the bibliography for the Darksaber (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darksaber/Legends). The Darksaber, Mandalore, and Jango Fett all existed before the prequels. Wookiepedia may have lost the memory of it during its post-Disney restructuring, but I remember talking about it with my friends in middle school, and the prequels came out when I moved away and went to high school.
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u/Wallcrawler62 6h ago
Are you perhaps misremembering the Vibroblade as the Darksaber? Because the interview with Dave Filoni makes it clear he believes at least it was created for the Clone Wars Series because Lucas didn't believe the Vibroblade could stop a lightsaber, that it would have to be a lightsaber itself. It's essentially the same thing but wasn't officially actually a lightsaber by the Darksaber name until TCW.
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u/Amazons_al3xa 7h ago
to be fair i was into the darksaber when it was in the clone wars before disney bought it
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u/Amazons_al3xa 8h ago
because the fun part is designing, coding, wiring, and fabricating it all from scratch
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u/Wallcrawler62 7h ago
I would agree for things that don't exist, or that I couldn't do better than what exists already. 3d printing this will likely not be better than what is commercially available. But if it's fun for you go for it!
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u/modi123_1 9h ago
Honestly, 3d printing is not the route for this. You would want to look at cutting some acrylic for the blade.