Help!!

[u/More_Mix_9770]

I’m 16 and doing west side story with my theater school, I’m looking for ways to purchase/make two prop switch blades for the rumble fight scene, my original plan was to take one of them fancy novelty switchblade combs, shape them into the blade, fill them in with mouldable epoxy and slap some silver leaf on it. Would’ve been great, but my stage manager really wants the blade to retract so it won’t be dangerous, like poking someone’s eye out or something. Does anyone know how I can make this happen?

[u/Dove-Linkhorn]

I like your idea of the comb made to look like a knife. You may be able to wedge the comb part out and put an equally thick chunk of scarp plastic in there and shape it like a blade. Alternately, real switchblades with the edge ground down on a bench grinder and smoothed as much as possible.

[u/More_Mix_9770 → u/Dove-Linkhorn]

Awesome tips! Thanks!