Step 1:

Start of by buying a $10 kids lightsaber (the kind that has the plastic tube that telescopes out)

Step 2:

Beat the crap out of it. This step is if you want to "weather" your lightsaber. You don't have to, but I think it helps to see the "realistic" look when using plastic.

All I used was a $5 pack of acrylic paints, and a couple brushes for the painting. And the multitool you see here to add scratches and marks.

Work in layers. Think about how things get dirty and look at photos of the kind of tools and objects that get used, dirty and covered in grime. Might help to literally hit it with things, scratch it and beat it up. But remember, Less is more. Don't go overboard.

Start with grease and grime. Then add dust, dirt or any other little features.

Step 3: LED's

I used x8 5mm LEDs. They are run in pairs, each with a resistor. Then they run to a 9 volt battery. Pretty simple.

I don't have a soldering iron at the moment, so I had to stick with twisting. A lot of twisting.

Step 4: Grab your blades!

I bought a 6 foot length of 1 inch O/D polycarbonate tube. I forgot to take photos of it... sorry.

It was a little narrow at the end, so I had to heat it up a little and stretch it out with a pair of pliers, in future I'd get a little bit wider of a tube, maybe 1 1/4 inch tube.

I made sure the LEDs would all fit together in the tube (this is before I had to stretch it) You can also see how the tube is frosted here, that's in a later step.

Test fitting... Here you can see the clear tube.

Step 5: Set screws and frosting

I used a few little self tapping screws to hold the tube in place nice and tight. As you can see I also frosted the tube, this helps it look best when lit up. I used "frosted glass spray" from home depot.

Step 6: Battery connections

I used a 9 volt battery clip as both my battery compartment and on/off switch. This saves time, money and effort. You could add an on/off switch to the circuit later, or now I just didn't have time.

Battery in place, it sticks out a little bit, but you cant see it when you're holding the handle, and it makes it easy to pull in and out to turn off and on.

IT LIVES!!

Another detail shot of the weathering.

I distressed the end of the tube with some hot glue, as well as the stretching process, adds to the lighting effect.

Step 7: Make an extra for your girlfriend... or boyfriend.. or cat/dog

This step is vital, not only does it let you see what another color looks like, it makes your girlfriend, boyfriend, cat or dog very happy. It also lets you use the other half of the 6 foot tube you cut down.

Step 8: Use the force.

If you have ANY questions about the steps, processes or need help with this project, please feel free to ask in the comments and I will answer all of them!

Dog and Puppy tax

My huskies had puppies and they're so cute!!