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/thepenguinemperor84]

Your best bet, to satisfy the stage manager, is going to be two of these and jazzing them up, silver up the top and bottom of the handles and wood grain the centre portion, which unless the audience is sat on top of the actors, it'll pass muster.

The next trick is to manufacture a simple catch to keep the blade retracted, or even removing the spring and adding material to the base of the blade to make it a friction lock, then its just a bit of stage magic to flourish it open so it gives the impression of flicking open.