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Allen Pan demonstrates his mini-flamethrower lightsaber. Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET Somewhere, on a YouTube channel far, far away, an intrepid maker created a lightsaber that burns blue, crackles and can light up a cigarette. Electrical engineer Allen Pan already has experience turning fictional weapons into functioning objects in the real world. You might remember the that only he can lift.
Let's take a closer look at this build. The shiny lightsaber hilt hides an interesting array of technology and chemicals. There's a nichrome ignition, like you'd find in model rockets; a syringe valve in a 3D-printed enclosure; and a mixture of methanol and acetone for fuel. Pan loads the device with butane (found in lighters) as a propellant. More importantly, a button triggers lightsaber sound effects.
Pan got his inspiration for the functioning lightsaber from a blog called and a post on building tiny flamethrowers using a needle, butane torch and tubing. Pan's version, posted to YouTube on Thursday, is essentially a small flamethrower with a focused 'beam.' Pan's lightsaber might not be the Holy Grail of all lightsaber builds - the 'blade' is thin, variable in length and a bit on the wavy side.
But it's still quite a design feat. You're not going to fool Luke Skywalker; he'll want to know where his real lightsaber is. This also isn't the sort of DIY project most people will want to tackle. Even Pan declares the gadget 'scary' during a test of the device.
To stay on the safe side, you'll want to stick with the plastic toys you can use to engage your buddies in friendly, non-burning battles.