How to create an authentic Star Wars lightsaber using old camera components

Here’s a bit of photography-related Star Wars trivia you may have never known. The lightsaber used in the original Star Wars was a modified 3-Cell Graflex Flashgun handle.

DIY YouTube effects guru Shanks FX took this piece of trivia and used it to create an informative tutorial video showing how you can make your very own lightsaber using the same methods and materials the Star Wars special effects artists used.

The five-minute video isn’t like most tutorials wherein the supplies and steps are listed in perfect chronological order. Instead, Shanks FX takes a more laid back approach that simply walks through the materials needed one-by-one showing how each was used in the filming and how they will affect the look of your lightsaber on-camera.

Broken down, the lightsaber uses four main components: a wand wrapped in Scotchlite tape, a motor to spin the wand (providing the strobe effect), an external light to illuminate the Scotchlite material and a handle to properly house and secure all of the components.

Along the way, Shanks FX also shares mini time-lapse sequences he created using Star Wars toys and models – a fun addition the helps the video transition from one sequence to another.

If you’re quick with DIY projects, you might even have enough time to take it to a showing of the new Star Wars movie. Don’t be surprised if they don’t let you take it into the theater though.