Loki Staff, Loki Walking Stick

8/26/2012

In the process of making a Loki dress, I felt the odd compulsion to accessorize. And when you're talking Loki, what better than the scepter used in the Avengers movie?

I decided I wanted to make the walking stick version of the scepter seen in the German opera house scene. (When Loki is in that scrumptious suit.)

It started with a trip to Lowes (only reason I went to Lowes instead of Home Depot is because Lowes is on my side of the street.) I wandered through with the image of the walking stick on my phone and wondered how I was going to make it happen.

I also decided I wanted to make two sizes, just to see what would work better with the Loki dress. I started with wooden poplar dowels at 1/2", and 1" in diameter.

I knew I wanted to make it glow, so a light source was one the first things I needed to figure out. I wanted to keep the staff compact, so many of the LED ideas were ruled out based on the battery size needed to power them. I settled on flashlights as a compact and easy to deal with light source. The light is already made to be focused in one direction, and a decent amount of lumens can be packed into a small flashlight. Since I'd have to make the walking stick parts fit around the flashlight, I went for the smaller, but still bright lights.

Once I chose to use Flashlights as a light source, I worked to find the fittings that would fit around them. (I wanted to be able to remove the flashlights in order to replace batteries and so that the staff could be broken down into smaller parts.) I then went back and forth between the plumbing section and the electrical section looking at PVC fittings. The electrical section had better fitting pieces (grey pvc on the right.) The heads of the staff are electrical boxes.

Stone for the Staff

One of the parts of the staff that took me the longest to figure out was the blue stone in the center.

I wandered Michaels, JoAnns, Lowes, Walmart, Target, Hobby shops, Etsy, eBay...all looking for the right stone. To the left is what I ended up bringing home. Let's see, we've got Chandelier replacement crystals, vintage glass stoppers to decanters (my mom sent me these), colored glass beads and squares, Glass containers, bits of safety glass I obtained... um... somewhere... okay, moving on...What worked by far the best was real stone - polished quartz crystal cylinders. They catch the light the best. (where I got the stones? - eBay)

Alright, so I had the parts and to the left you can see how the crystals glow with the light from the flashlights.

The next step was figuring out how to make these parts look less like dowels and electrical PVC fittings and more like an ancient weapon of awesome proportions.

Time to get out the Dremel...

I also got to be fashionable while working on cutting and shaping the PVC in the shed out back...

Here's my awesome set up in my Loki's Lair...apparently Loki weedeats...and golfs...and uses box fans.

Here are the two sets of tops for the walking sticks. Once I was done coating myself in PVC dust (don't worry I had on my PPEs - Personal Protection Equipment) I then glued the pieces together.

Once glued, it was time to spray paint. I started with a dark gunmetal grey and then sprayed a metallic bronze over it, to try for some depth and shadows. It wasn't hugely successful for what I was trying for, but I am still happy with the look. To the left is the smaller walking stick and to the right is the larger.

The final piece of the puzzle, since I had acquired clear quartz crystals, was to make them blue. I didn't get a blue LED so I decided to go with a blue gel (filter) made for professional stage lighting. The lovely people at Bay Stage Lighting were incredibly helpful. I secured the squares of blue plastic around the flashlights and Voila-

Here are a few additional pictures so you can see how it screws together and where the flashlight goes.

I crammed -I mean gently placed- the blue lighting gel (plastic sheet) inside the head of the staff between the crystal and the flashlight. I did not glue it in place in case I ever wanted to use a different color. The gel's are made to take the heat from professional lighting, so I was fairly confident the flashlight wouldn't melt the plastic.

(Below) To secure the crystal in the head of the staff, I took some jewelry wire, wound it around the crystal and secured it through holes I bored in the plastic of the staff head.

26 Comments

Brian J Hoskins link

11/3/2012 09:03:07 am

This is the most awesome self-build I've ever seen! I like it very much!

The stone makes a really nice effect - I want one of these.

Gertrude Fin

3/17/2013 02:39:59 pm

Wow this is really great! Just what I was looking for too! Do you mind if I try to make one of these myself, following this? Thanks for sharing!

Jennifer MacNaughton

3/18/2013 05:08:16 am

Please do! I included as much detail as I could so that if someone else wanted to try it or was looking for ideas I could give as much information as possible. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. I want to share the Loki joy!

Gertrude Fin

3/21/2013 08:22:11 am

Great! Thanks so much! I do have a few additional questions:

1. I know it was last year when you posted this, but do you happen to remember what parts from Lowe's you used, specifically? Like, do you still have a receipt from the store or a shopping list? If not I should be able to figure it out by the pictures, but it would be nice to have a concise list.

2. Do you mind if my brother and I make a video tutorial detailing exactly how to put this together? Like, step by step so it's completely clear for anyone else who is looking for this kind of thing. We'll credit you for the original design.

And again, thanks for sharing this! :D

Gertrude Fin

3/21/2013 08:22:17 am

Gertrude Fin

3/21/2013 08:22:26 am

Gertrude Fin

3/21/2013 08:23:35 am

lolololol Woops! Didn't mean to submit that comment three times. My computer's dumb xD

Jennifer MacNaughton

4/16/2013 03:24:08 am

I've been looking for the receipts but just can't seem to find them. I know the smaller staff was either a 3/4in or 1/2 in dowel. When selecting I tried to get the straightest one I could find. (Whatever machine makes the dowels for Lowes or Home Depot doesn't always make them straight.) Once I'd decided on a dowel size, I found the other parts to fit, usually 1/2 in or 3/4in fittings. I preferred the plastic fittings in the electrical section over the plumbing section. A good part of my construction was just wandering the isles of the hardware store trying to see what parts might work, what other uses I could find for electrical or plumbing fixtures.

I definitely recommend quartz crystals as the main stone. They lit beautifully and if you happen to drop and break one (I may have done that during DragonCon) you can crazy glue it back together and not even tell it cracked.

Please do make a video, I am very much about sharing ideas and want people to costume and make props to their hearts' content. It is so wonderfully empowering to make something with your own hands, I'd love to share that feeling.

Ramon

6/5/2013 10:14:44 am

I was wondering how much you would charge to make one of those for me. i would do it but my work takes up A-LOT of my time. If you need to get a hold of me please feel fre to post a comment and i will reply to it. thanks.

Jennifer MacNaughton

6/10/2013 10:26:51 am

Unfortunately, I too am very busy at the moment. Was there a time frame you were looking to have it by and did you like the smaller walking stick version or the larger sized one I made?

Perry

7/13/2013 02:02:39 pm

I'm going as that version of Loki this Halloween but am having trouble with that version of the staff, I saw someone else asked, would you make and sale a small one.. If so how much , I have a Halloween party on Oct 26

Crystal

7/14/2013 06:03:44 am

My husband Perry posted the comment about us commissioning you to make a staff, but I feel confident that I can make this for him especially with the instructions you provided.

1) What size was the crystal you purchased for the larger staff? I think finding the right crystal / flashlight combo will be the most challenging.
2) How did you assemble the light portion of the staff? How did you attach the crystal to the flashlight? Just glue?
3) How do you turn the light on once it is assembled? Basically, is the flashlight easily removed from its casing or do is it permanently enclosed?

Thanks for your assistance. As my husband Perry indicated, this is for our Halloween party.

Jen Mac

7/14/2013 07:38:35 am

The smaller walking staff had a 3.93" clear quartz crystal (the larger staff's was 5.18") and I found both on ebay. And yes, finding the right flashlight to fit inside the staff was one of the hardest parts. I used mini LED flashlights I found at Target as the light source (This is them - http://www.target.com/p/life-gear-2pk-alum-keychain/-/A-14305913#prodSlot=dlp_medium_4_1&term=flashlights ) and tinted the light blue with a lighting "gel" I found at a professional lighting store. (Gel is the name for a thin sheet of colored plastic made to put over large stage lighting for color effects.)

The crystal and the flashlight never actually touched. The crystal sat above and I made sure the head of the staff (with crystal) could unscrew so I could get to the flashlight to change batteries and to turn it on and off. I did have to remove the head to turn on the flashlight (I did not have an external switch.) One of the challenges was finding the plastic fitting that would accomodate the flashlight and not be too bulky as a park of the staff.

Give me a day or two and I'll post some more detailed pictures of how it all connects and works as an update on this blog page.

Crystal

7/22/2013 12:50:26 am

Thanks for the extra tips! I found the pieces I need to make the staff. I have a clear plastic test tubes that are 4" long. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F8XF6S/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They look like they will pass for light sources. I'm still looking for a crystal - do you think the Dremel rotary tool can cut through crystal if I have to flatten a pointed end? I didn't see anything that matched your picture of the crystal for sale by the eBay site.

I'm sorry if I have so many questions. I'm going to start cutting on the staff this weekend.

Jen Mac

7/23/2013 09:24:09 am

The tubes are a good size (if not exactly right, you should be able to trim them with the Dremel if needed.) You might need to put something in them to catch the light or scuff up their surface a bit. Something frosted would glow really well.

I do think the Dremel would work on the crystal, but I have never tried it. I'd say just go slow and be careful of cracking or shattering. A pointed end might not be too bad. I'd say test out the light source to see how you like the look, before shaping it.

I added a few more pictures to the blog to help illustrate how the head of the walling stick screws together for easy access to the flashlight and colored plastic sheet (lighting "gel")

Good luck on the staff and keep the questions coming, I'm happy to answer.

Crystal

7/24/2013 01:02:51 am

You're the best! I truly appreciate the tips. I was wondering how the crystal stayed secure, so thanks for adding pictures with the wiring. I was also wondering how you attached the gel filter, so this is perfect! I was thinking about filling the tube up with water, to allow the water to pass through it, but I couldn't figure out how to close the tubing up. I bet I could put a hardening substance in there that was clear, maybe a type of glue? I have plenty of tubes to test things with... especially since I can't find the right size crystal and the ones I did find that could were were $60-$80 each. Too much for my frugal self.

I couldn't find the EXACT conduit and PVC fittings you used beyond the crystal encasing conduit that you have... but I think the ones I have will work fine.

Oh, what type of substance/glue did you use to bind the conduit and pvc piping together?

If you're interested, I can send you the pictures when I'm done.

Crystal

7/26/2013 10:45:49 am

We did it. I followed your instructions for the most part and adjusted our staff to fit some issues, and it came out great! If you want the pictures, I can send them to you. Your assistance and tutorial was very helpful. I never used a rotary tool before much less worked on conduit and pvc pipe, but we got it right and it looks perfect!

Jen Mac

7/26/2013 11:59:38 am

Awesome! I would love to see pictures. Grats on success!

The process has definitely changed my perspective on hardware stores - they're now glorious worlds of prop-making potential!

Bernie

8/8/2013 10:13:19 am

Hi, can you tell me the length of the larger crystal?

Bernie

8/8/2013 10:17:44 am

Sorry Jen. Didn't read from the trail of posts. I'm having a hard time finding the polished cylinders. Just my luck

Jen Mac

8/10/2013 12:09:20 am

Finding the right crystal was the hardest part and the person I bought them from on ebay doesn't seem to put them up for auction on any kind of regular basis. Etsy might be another place to check. The person above who used the plastic test tubes had some good results with that. Maybe fill it with a glue that dries clear, but purposefully get air bubbles in it, or something to catch the light?

Sarge

11/6/2013 09:53:40 pm

Hi Jen,

Well done with the staff! Could the smaller staff be used as a walking stick? And how much would you sell one for?

Jen

12/16/2013 04:49:40 am

Crap, I apologize for the delay in response to your questions. Yes it could be used as a walking stick, though sturdiness is going to depend on the size (diameter) of the dowel rod and you'd want to set the height of the walking stick to something that is comfortable for the individual to use.

The main thing keeping me from making and selling these is the crystal in the head of the walking stick. I'm having trouble finding a reliable source for the quarzt crystal and still need to look into other alternatives (to what I tried in the initial creation process.) I'm hoping, when my schedule clears up a little bit next spring, to make a video how-to on the staff and make a few that I can sell. I'll definitely post when I do and will respond to those who've asked me about selling them first, before just putting them on Etsy.

Thank you for the questions and again I apologize for the delay in response.

Brian

3/6/2014 05:49:05 am

This is awesome! I have searched and searched over the internet and I have to say your staff is the best looking staff I have found. Since the last response I see was from Dec 2013, how has your staff held up? I am very interested in creating this staff for myself as a usable everyday staff. Do you have any recommendations as to what you would improve upon?
Thank you for posting this and good luck on future projects!

Jen

3/9/2014 08:42:26 am

Thank you very much!

The staff still looks good and it lighting up still works very well. Now, I haven't used it very much, just for conventions and photoshoots, so mostly it sits in my house and makes me smile to look at it. As to making it more sturdy - you can use a larger diameter dowel and/or make sure to use a hardwood, like oak. Also, I didn't put any sealant over the spray paint, but the paint still looks great. I used a gold spray paint meant to color shoes for the top layer and I am very happy with that color. I capped the bottom of the walking stick with a copper cap (from the plumbing dept) just to keep the wood from getting chewed up on the ground.

Good luck on making the staff and thank you!

Kevin Groce link

4/19/2014 07:43:59 am

I know this is an older post but I had to share in the Adafruit Group.

https://plus.google.com/101840024301621418757/posts/PsTmhWS6KRF

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I'm a zoo keeper. I currently work with Rhinos and it is awesome.

These are my random observations about the world...and I do mean random. I write about what catches my interest and my imagination.

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