Black saber blades?

[navajas]

Try it.  Post pictures of your results.

Heh. 

[empty]

There's one BIG difference though. With a car headlight the light is shining in ONE DIRECTION. So you can adjust the opacity of the sides of the light cover to keep it black, since the light itself is only being seen from the front.

When you talk about a light saber blade you need the light to come out in ALL DIRECTIONS. 360 degrees around the blade. You can't adjust the opacity of the edges because there are no "edges" per se.

Stand in front of one of those cars with the headlights on and tell me if you see black.

D'OH! You're right!  When lit it only looks black from the sides but the light going to the front still looks white. Sigh, posting at 2am after a few drinks 

[Jenny]

Dudes!  I totally figured out how to make a black blade!  You use carbon-based buckyballs in an adhesive matrix to make the rod, which makes it black.  Then you dope the surface with quantum dots tuned to emit white light.  The dots self-illuminate the black surface and give off a white glow!  Of course, you'll need nano-tube wiring to provide power to the quantum dots.  But that's a detail.  Also?  It would cost upwards of U$10k.  But again... it's a detail!  For a true black-blade enthusiast details are irrelevant, right?

[thatawesomedude]

Dudes!  I totally figured out how to make a black blade!  You use carbon-based buckyballs in an adhesive matrix to make the rod, which makes it black.  Then you dope the surface with quantum dots tuned to emit white light.  The dots self-illuminate the black surface and give off a white glow!  Of course, you'll need nano-tube wiring to provide power to the quantum dots.  But that's a detail.  Also?  It would cost upwards of U$10k.  But again... it's a detail!  For a true black-blade enthusiast details are irrelevant, right?

Not sure if that's possible, or just technobabble, but either way proves the point on just how impossible this is.
On another note- there's some discussion on insering a black core that light shines around. Regardless if that works or not, would it be possible to have a similar system for normal blades? I mean, currently blades are just a solid color all the way through. In the movies theyre white with the color radiating around it. Could this be achieved by having a blade within a blade, so to speak? Have the smaller blade fitted inside the larger one so there is some space between them, and have a white led illuminate the inner blade while a ring of colored leds illuminates the outer one? I'd imagine that the white light could be bright enough to shine through the colored light, but you could still see the color along the edges where there is no white light shining through. Thoughts?

[Luna]

Dudes!  I totally figured out how to make a black blade!  You use carbon-based buckyballs in an adhesive matrix to make the rod, which makes it black.  Then you dope the surface with quantum dots tuned to emit white light.  The dots self-illuminate the black surface and give off a white glow!  Of course, you'll need nano-tube wiring to provide power to the quantum dots.  But that's a detail.  Also?  It would cost upwards of U$10k.  But again... it's a detail!  For a true black-blade enthusiast details are irrelevant, right?

Quantum dots are nanoscale conductors that capture light and turn it into energy. Good joke, though

[Darth Cestual]

While I'm on the side of "no such thing as a black blade", if I were asked to come up with my take on the idea, I'd consider filling a blade with black paint, either pouring or spraying-probably try spraying 1st. Then rig some kinda wire thing on the end of a thin, long dowel and scrape away the paint with the hopes to get some kind of random crackling look similar to electrical arcs. Then using the aforementioned idea of letting the light shine up through the walls of the blade, along with the light that shines through the scraped paint might make an intersting look,... or it may look like shelle. But that's probably how I'd make an attempt at it, if someone asked me to do it and after I explained the concept of a lightsaber.  

[Akos_Amun]

I thought a black bladed lightsaber would be cool WAY before any video game showed me one. The concept is cool but it is a practical impossibility as is an actual lightsaber. (sorry to dash all of our dreams folks, but that's why we have the good people at US to help us live our fantasy)

[Luna]

(sorry to dash all of our dreams folks, but that's why we have the good people at US to help us live our fantasy)

Since people's dreams haven't been dashed by all the other people saying that same thing, I doubt you're crushing anybody

[Jenny]

A review of the literature* indicates that Quantum Dots can also emit light.

*for admittedly small values of 'literature.'

[Arakan Steele]

A review of the literature* indicates that Quantum Dots can also emit light.

*for admittedly small values of 'literature.'

Black is not a "light"

Black is a lack of light. That's why there are "black holes" because the gravity is so strong nothing can escape, not even light... thus it's a black hole.

*sigh*

It really never ends, does it?
 

[Luna]

Black is not a "light"

Black is a lack of light. That's why there are "black holes" because the gravity is so strong nothing can escape, not even light... thus it's a black hole.

*sigh*

It really never ends, does it?
 

She's not saying that black is light. We are speaking of quantum dots

Anyways.... quantum dots DO glow, but I'm not sure you want the future of solar energy sprayed on your blade

[Darth Renov]

just spitballing here but what if you took the film out of your non-ultraedge blade and the put it on a white led? I'll try it when i get home from work with some of the spare tubing lying around but that should give the illusion on film...

[Osmethae]

I've done it.. I know how to make a black core with a red glow blade.

[Jenny]

Yay! You tried it and posted a pic of your results!  Well done! 

[Osmethae]

Took me years of complete concentration and.. magic