How to do "light writing" in photography?

Light tube for photography project?

• I am looking for a light tube or rod for a photography project. It doesn't matter whether it is LED or fluorescent, but it must produce a constant light throughout its length and not have a backing attachment (i.e. it shines through 360 degrees - like a white light sabre!). I have thought of using Christmas lights, but the gaps between them means it doesn't give out consistent light, and most are on a flexible wire, whereas I need something straight and solid. Ideally it would be about five feet long and it would need to plug directly into the mains. I can spend up to £30. Is there somewhere I can buy something like this? Alternatively, is there a way to wire up a standard fluorescent tube so it doesn't need to sit inside a fitting? I have spent hours looking online but can't find anything that meets all the above criteria. Can you help?

• Answer:

  You can likely rig something up with a standard 4 ft tube and ballast. The top end would have some sort of socked, or wires directly fixed to the pins, with discrete wires running down and likely taped to the side. You could see what LED or incandescent light strings or strips do in a translucent perspex tube.