My brother insisted I could make a perfect lightsaber hilt from a $3 plumbing part from Home Depot, and after painting it with some leftover spray paint, it honestly looks better than the $80 replicas.

Has anyone else found a random hardware store item that became the perfect base for a prop?

3 comments

3 Comments

Totally believe it. The plumbing aisle is a prop maker's secret weapon. Grabbed a sink drain flange once for a sci-fi blaster. A little sanding, some black paint, looked like a real movie piece. Hardware stores are full of those weird shapes that just work. Cost me maybe five bucks.

karenlee3mo ago

See, @the_nathan, this is why my plumbing projects always look like they're from a bad sci-fi movie. I just needed a regular drain, not a blaster.

nancy_green1mo ago

Tell you what, I've done the same thing with PVC pipe fittings and some spray paint. Made a set of turbo-looking intakes for a buddy's cosplay truck. Nobody could tell it was just a couple of sanitary tees and some elbows from the plumbing section. It's crazy how a little imagination and some cheap parts can turn into something that looks like it cost a hundred bucks at a specialty shop. You guys are onto something for sure.