Hi everyone, today I’m going to show you how to make a fantasy sword that glows using embedded Neopixel style LEDs. I must admit that I did not really have a reason for making this, other than I just felt like having a glowing sword. I’m a big ol’ nerd okay. Anyway, hopefully someone else finds this useful as a part of a costume or prop.
The sword is about 33 inches (~84cm) long, so it should comfortably work as a one-handed sword for adults, or a two-handed sword for children. I should note, that, due to the electronics, the grip is slightly thicker than you might expect. It’s dimensions are 41x46x120mm. The best approximation to this is 1-1/4″ PVC pipe. The thickness should be comfortable in adult hands, but if you’re planing on building this for a child, you might want to check with some pipe first. The upside of this is that the grip makes up the majority of the sword’s weight, keeping it surprisingly well balanced.
One of my overall goals with this project was to keep the sword almost entirely 3d printed. Since 3d printers are fairly cheap and easy to use, hopefully this makes it easier for you guys to make one. Likewise, it makes it easier for me to adjust the design and make new swords, if I feel so inclined :).
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