Many Star Wars fans have tried to create a genuine lightsaber, but have only succeeded in achieving the look through the use of non-retractable metal tubing and light.
However, the self-dubbed "Hacksmith" demonstrated how he managed to manufacture a weapon that was previously thought to be nothing more than movie magic.
In order to capture a beam of plasma, Hobson and his teammates, Dave Bonhoff, Ian Hillier and Darryl Sherk, employed the principle of "laminar flow", combining liquefied petroleum gas, or propane, with oxygen and sending them through "laminar nozzles", a specialised tool for engineers, which generates a highly concentrated flow of gas to create a plasma beam, according to Hobson.
By adding chemicals to the mix, different colours can be made: Sodium chloride (salt) turns the beam yellow, like Rey’s in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. Boric acid makes green, strontium chloride goes red, and calcium chloride produces an amber colour.
To be able to capture and control such high energy output, about enough to power a nuclear plant, he claims, the lightsaber is connected to a custom-built backpack that serves as the power source, with a circuit that can control the flow of gas.
The result is a near-replica of a lightsaber that projects and retracts on command, and burns at 2200 C – hot enough to slice through steel.
One of those laminar nozzles can cost around $5600.