What’s better than being a Jedi? A Jedi (or Sith, of course) is essentially a psychic ninja space wizard with the moves of spiderman, the future-tech of Tony Stark, and the coolest sidearm ever swung… the Lightsaber.
Unfortunately in our galaxy far, far away, the only lightsabers we get to swing are cheap plastic toys or ridiculously expensive replicas… and neither are up for true jedi-to-sith combat.
We set out to change that, and along with the help of my three year old son, we have constructed what may well be the most fun toy in the galaxy… combat-ready lightsabers you can actually spar with… and not get hurt.
Here’s how to construct your own combat-ready lightsaber:
What You’ll Need
Here are the components required to construct your own combat-ready lightsaber:
• 1 1/4″ diameter, aluminum plumbing extension tube (12″ for big kids, 6″ for kids under 5)
• 1 1/4″ diameter, 3″ plumbing coupling (silver pipe in the bottom left of below photo)
• 3/4″ diameter, “ZURN-PEX” flexible hot/cold water line
• ~2 1/4″ diameter pool noodle w/ ~3/4″ hole (currently available at Ace Hardware stores) Choose your blade color!
• Duct Tape
• Black electrical tape + Color of noodle/blade electrical tape
• Miter Saw (or steady hand)
• Scissors, tape measurer, utility knife
• Endless loop of the Imperial March
1. Assemble the Handle
Connect the 12″ (or 6″) extension tube and the 3″ coupling and firmly tighten.
2. Measure and Cut Water Line & Noodle
Depending on whether you are constructing a saber for a big kid or toddler, you can alter the length of the blade accordingly. Far from scientific, these are the sizes we ended up with for our big & little lightsabers:
| Big Kids | Little Kids | |
| Handle’s Extension Tube | 12″ | 6″ |
| Water Line | 48″ | 39″ |
| Noodle “Blade” | 38″ | 33″ |
3. Slide Noodle Over Water Line
Once they are cut, slide the noodle (“blade”) over the blue flexible water line, leaving an inch of space between the tip of the noodle and the beginning of the plastic tube. It is important to leave enough space so the hard inner tube does not make contact with opponents during combat. It is not recommended that you use stabbing motions with the saber, unless you are able to cork the end.
4. Wrap The Bottom of The Water Line With Duct Tape
Wrap a thick layer of duct tape just below the blade, in the middle, and at the bottom of the exposed portion of the plastic water line. Wrap a layer thick enough so that the wrapped water line must be pounded into the handle. If you have too much tape, unravel some until the fit is secure. If the fit is too loose, back up and add more tape.
5. Pound That Sucker
Beat the duct-tape wrapped waterline into the handle until the noodle blade makes contact with the handle.
6. Shape the bottom of the blade with electrical tape
Using electrical tape that’s the same color as the blade, begin wrapping the bottom portion of the noodle starting about 1 1/2″ away from the handle. As you wrap the noodle toward the blade, continually increase the tightness of the wrap so you get a nice cone shape that reduces the full blade diameter to disappear inside the opening of the handle.
7. Wrap your handle & personalize your saber
The final step is to use black electrical tape + electrical tape that is the color of the blade to stylize your handle. Because the silver of the water pipe is so shiny and beautiful, aim for a design that has open sections of unwrapped handle in addition to the wrapped portion.
You can also add finishing touches like buttons, and our favorite: a single band of tape in the center of the 3″ extension piece to simulate the glow of the saber’s emitter.
8. Spar!
Aside from the simple joy of honing your skills and finding fun ways to spin these around like a true Jedi knight, one of our favorite pastimes this summer has been to have Jedi battles with our friends and family.
While free-style competitions are the most common, we have developed a simple points system that makes one on one combat an intense battle for survival: Each opponent begins with 5 points. Every time someone is hit, they lose a point. Lose all points and you have to act out a dramatic death sequence, complete with tragic monolog.
Sometimes we go for the same game + Monty Python Rules, whereby every limb that is hit is lost and cannot be used again. I love watching friends hop around with one leg and no arms trying desperately to evade a 3 year old sith lord.
Primary Evidence of Awesome from recent toga party:
Obligatory Disclaimer:
These are incredibly fun toys because you can actually make contact with the other person. Of course there is always the danger of getting too rough, so supervise kids and don’t let your couples’ therapy sessions go to the dark side. Also be cautious that the metal handles are made of metal, and metal is, believe it or not: hard. Finally, don’t “stab” at people, as even a padded tube can still hurt if jammed into your neck. (believe me, I know… thanks Aiden).
Bottom Line: Play at your own risk!
