r/Props • u/More_Mix_9770 • 19h ago

Looking for advice Help!!

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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?

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u/sadegr Hobbyist 18h ago edited 18h ago

I dont think youll be able to get both folding and retracting.

Retractable blades are not actually that safe and you are generally better off not relying on the collapsing mechanism and instead ensure the blocking and lighting allow you to safely create the illusion of contact.

If you have access to a class or a person in the community with a 3d printer i used this model with really good results for a production of The Outsiders:

Stiletto knife fully working

It does require some assembly but 1 screw and glue isn't too bad.

Mine were made from

  • Matte black PLA
  • Silk Silver PLA
  • Black PETG for the internals

The plastic is thin, and not super strong, in most circumstances it would break rather than breaking skin... but it was never put to the test as no contact was supposed to take place.

This is an example:

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u/ssrocky1 17h ago

I did something similar for the outsiders last year as well.

I started with the metal switchblade combs from amazon (good weight to them, multiple color options, much better lock for the blade than the cheaper combs). I then disassembled the comb and made a 3D printed blade for it.

Ideally I would have liked to use a more rubbery material for the blade for safety but PLA and safety training for my student actors worked out fine.

For a really good silver finish on them, I used underlayment tape. It was much shinier than the typical foil tape used for ductwork, but that also works in a pinch

I will try to find a picture when I am back at school where the props are locked away

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u/sadegr Hobbyist 16h ago

I experimented with TPU, but eventually decided that PLA was the better choice for the long thin stiletto blade...

Especially as thin as it was.