California engineer Allen Pan, known for creating a "real" version of Thor's hammer, posted a video to his YouTube page Sufficiently Advanced showing him testing a working lightsaber.
Photo By Sufficiently Advanced/YouTube
Pan begins the video by using the flame to light a cigarette and remarking how scary wielding the sword feels. He later demonstrates the lightsaber in action by using it to pop stormtrooper balloons and burn a photo of Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks.
The flame is produced using a methanol/acetone fuel mixture and uses butane as a propellant. Pan also demonstrates how different chemicals can produce different color flames representing the weapons used by various Jedi.
It is activated by a switch on a model lightsaber base that opens and closes a valve while also producing sound effects similar to those used in the films.
