you got me really excited. Do you sell whips as business or do you make them just for yourself?
Forum rules prohibit the advertising of trade, but yes, I do make them for sale. I believe I have my MSN Messenger ID posted in my profile, if you want to discuss whips outside the forum. I'm not anxious to break the rules in a new forum.
ed_ification, the method you propose is essentially how I was thinking to tackle the problem. Any sort of binding material for the transition would have to be transparent as well, to avoid dimming the blade at the base. I'm thinking heavy clear PVC, cut to tapered strips, then backed with the diffuser film before plaiting.
There's another problem to consider: Lightsaber blades are hollow, while a whip's thong must be solid to function properly. Too much of the film, or too much translucence in the thong material, and you'll dim the blade to an unacceptable level. I'm thinking of an airline tubing core, stuffed with twisted fishing line, fitted with a plaited core filler, then one or two layers of braiding. It should be lighter than most leather whips, but should retain enough of its effectiveness to be usable.
I can begin searching for materials locally, but so far the only leads I've had are USPlastics (who sell a thick polypropylene sheet) and some online art shop who sells stencil film. The stencil film claims semi-transparency, which might produce a similar effect to the film used by Ultrasabers. I can't verify that until I can compare the two.
This project won't start for a few months, at least. I have to save the money for my saber first, then wait until it arrives, familiarize myself with all its features, then analyze its basic setup.
After all that is accomplished, I've got to build my own hilt. It won't be easy.
For the hilt, I wanted to use existing MHS emitters so that any standardized saber can be converted to a lightwhip. I will attempt to apply a sort of a "stopper" base on the end of the thong, so that it can be threaded (point-first) through the emitter assembly. Once the emitter is screwed firmly onto the hilt, the thong should have nowhere to go.
Points on care and usage: Proper whips have a natural curve, which assists them in picking up the user's movements. You've got to make sure you coil the whip
with the natural curve, not against it. Any traditional whip also has several layers of binding at the transition area (where the thong leaves the handle) to provide response and easy action. This binding layer must not be broken, or the whip will lose much of its responsiveness and power. I will attempt to bolster the durability on both of these points but I can't guarantee as much sturdiness as a standard Ultrasaber. Heck, I can't even guarantee it'll work at all.
But I'll try.
