Point of Origin's "Ambitious" - MHS/Sinktube

[pointoforigin]

So my parts arrived today for my first build, rather excited...
I of course ripped everything open and made a huge mess instantly. Kudos to Tim for using recyclable materials for packing.
I started to test fit my parts, before doing any cutting, just to see how it would work and already I hit a problem.
I was led to believe from the content of the shop site that the 1.5” MHS/sinktube adapter would be exactly right to use as a 1.25” adapter, but it seems that I have to sand out the inside by about half a millimeter. Not a big deal, but another step to do.

So the plan includes these skills:
Dremel-fu
Slothfurnace-fu (I’m coining the term)
and Electronics-fu and Cram-fu as well.

There’s a few pics here to start you off - renders of what my idea is, and many many parts.

Inspiration for the design came from several people here -
Slothfurnace, Sunrider and Crystal Chambers for the crystal chamber
Obi-Dar and LDM for the easy access electronics ideas
And someone who did a Starkiller extremely nicely... but I can’t remember your name at the moment sorry!

The design started on the MHS builder, and then I wanted a more “real” representation of what it would look like, so into Sketchup I went. After recieving the parts though, a few of the dimensions are obviously out. But that’s ok, I can ajust.

As my electronics-fu is rather... non-existant, I’m not going for sound yet, just light. The actual design of the hilt by itself will be hard enough without complex wiring issues on top.

The first real work starts tomorrow, with cutting the sinktubes. I’m going to have to be super accurate to make it all work, so we shall see how that turns out.

Wish me luck!

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Very cool, look forward to seeing this progress! Looks like you have a neat idea here, i wish you luck :D

[RevengeoftheSeth]

Which sinktube adapter did you order? There is one for 1.5" sinktubes, there is one for 1.25" sinktubes, and then there is a 1.25" to 1.5" adapter.

[Silver Serpent]

Looks like it'll be a great saber when you get finished! The parts for my first MHS saber are arriving tomorrow, so I'm chomping at the bit to get started as well.

Unfortunately for me, my saber is a surprise Christmas present for my fiancee, and she's showing up tomorrow as well. How to hide the parts without her noticing...?

[pointoforigin]

Nah there's only the two. I got the 1.5" and theoretically it should have fitted the 1.25" tube on the inside as well as the 1.5" on the outside, but it's just sliiiightly off. It's ok, will just take some work to get it erm... working.

[RevengeoftheSeth]

Nah there's only the two. I got the 1.5" and theoretically it should have fitted the 1.25" tube on the inside as well as the 1.5" on the outside, but it's just sliiiightly off. It's ok, will just take some work to get it erm... working.

Ahh you are right - I swear I saw a 1.25 to 1.5 adapter somewhere, but I guess not.

Either way, I can't wait to see your saber progress.

[Crystal Chambers]

Strange...maybe it's the gauge of sinktube. I've yet to try it myself but I have used both sized sinktube inside and outside MHS body/extension.

Personally I would prefer to cut up body/extension pieces then use the 1.5 adapter because lining up the holes on sinktube to MHS underneath is difficult so why not do the opposite? Drill your sinktube first and then the MHS underneath.

Some of your pictures are dark and I'm not sure where you're going with this, but anytime sinktube and MHS gets mixed and modified I'm usually intrigued.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

good luck man. have fun.;)

[polarcupz]

Looks good so far man. Hope all goes better.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I think I can see where you're going with this. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Good luck, and MTFBWY!

[Rafalema]

I, as well, cannot wait to see the finished product.

Out of curiosity, what did you use for the renders?

[pointoforigin]

Here's a laugh:
Sister 1: Are those parts for a lightsaber?
Me: Yep!
Sister 1: I can think of better ways to spend money...
Sister 2: Pretty sure I can't!

I love my folks :P

OK so I spent all day today in the shed, basically.

Would you believe I've never used a dremel before? I bought one this morning in great anticipation of things to come. It's not a brilliant one, but hey! It does the job.

I started last night actually with marking out on paper my templates for all my pieces, save one. I also borrowed a LOT of things from Jay-Gon on how to do this - namely the masking tape so you don't scratch the rest of the tube, soaking it in water after to get the paper off again etc etc.
http://a.imageshack.us/img717/8718/img2445n.th.jpg (http://img717.imageshack.us/i/img2445n.jpg/)http://a.imageshack.us/img717/5547/img2446r.th.jpg (http://img717.imageshack.us/i/img2446r.jpg/)
Incedentally, it didn't take much to get the 1.5" st adapter to the right internal diameter. The left one is how I recieved it, the right one has been worked. Not a whole lot of difference, but enough to make it useable.
http://a.imageshack.us/img541/8264/img2444at.th.jpg (http://img541.imageshack.us/i/img2444at.jpg/)
So the whole day was spent practicing my dremel-fu, of which I have none, on several different pieces. Anyone try to cut MHS parts with a dremel? Not easy. Fortunately the majority of the cuts I had to make were sink tube ones.

My dear father assured me yesterday that we did indeed have a metal cut off disc for the circular saw, but when I came to use it, it had turned invisible. A solution presented itself without me having to go buy more stuff (I had already got the dremel by this stage) Dad is an archery coach. He makes a lot of things, like strings, grips, arrows... He happened to have an arrow cut off saw, which is basically a tiny circular saw with a tiny disc attatched to a piece of right angle with a measuring tape. It worked brilliantly... but not very square lol.

I also had a lot of trouble lining up my drilling holes, as Crystal pointed out before. Still havn't got them perfect, but now that I have the basic shape, I can work on that more.

This will become the crystal chamber a la Slothfurnace, hopefully...
http://a.imageshack.us/img834/3572/img2450n.th.jpg (http://img834.imageshack.us/i/img2450n.jpg/)
I really liked the starkiller look for a crystal chamber, but didn't like the idea of it being knock-able. The idea is that the outer shroud can rotate so as to access the crystals.

Here's the back of the assembled hilt with the grip shroud turned around - easy access to electronics, thankyou Obi-Dar...
http://a.imageshack.us/img834/8974/img2449.th.jpg (http://img834.imageshack.us/i/img2449.jpg/)
Which takes the number of moveable pieces to two...

Aaaaand the last two pics, with grips showing - the shroud hides the access point on the back.
http://a.imageshack.us/img685/1690/img2448k.th.jpg (http://img685.imageshack.us/i/img2448k.jpg/)http://a.imageshack.us/img413/3209/img2447l.th.jpg (http://img413.imageshack.us/i/img2447l.jpg/)
(I think I made the images the right size, I certainly hope so!)

So there's a lot of cleaning up to do, a lot of straight lines to be fixed, and a lot of prettiness to be added. I can't decide if I should start the chassis or clean up the parts first though...

*sigh* probably have to go and do life things like college and work in between though...

Oh and Rafalema? Sketchup is the starting point, and Indigo makes it all pretty. I actually found that from a link someone posted here.

[Crystal Chambers]

Nice..that's what I thought actually. Off to a great start. I see you cut into the grip so you could have a window to access electronics..nice touch. this will also reduce some weight from the layers.

[Invisas1979]

Yeah really good start.

Just like with a MSH saber I started, I think you need a contrast of color. The chrome over alumi doesn't really jump out at me, had you sanded the chrome off then pow that would have looked awesome from the off.

Nice idea to cut out easy access holes into the saber, not many new saber builders do that, looks like you mean business.

Looking forward to seeing your Crytal chamber interpretation.

[pointoforigin]

Thanks guys, I do like meaning buisness :)

I'm actually thinking of paint on the shrouds, probably a dark colour, and if I can pull it off weathering on the edges like Crystal's Mantis. Not entirely sure about that though, I don't really have any experience with weathering at all. Or painting metal come to that lol. The idea is there.

I'm drawing my ideas up for how exactly I'm going to do the crystal chamber and chassis - trying to think how I'm going to keep it strong enough to duel... but I have one or two ideas up my sleeves. Think I'm gonna go the pommel inserts trick with some custom lathe work... we shall see...

I gotta add some custom work in at some point, because so far everything is a mash up of everyone else's works! Does that qualify as plagiarism? Since it's to do with the Star Wars universe is that Darth Plageius-ism?

Or should I shut up now? :)

[Shadar Al'Niende]

....Since it's to do with the Star Wars universe is that Darth Plageius-ism?

Or should I shut up now? :)

Well played :cool:

[jin starkiller]

looking good so far ..can't wait to see it finished

[pointoforigin]

Got a couple of hours free today, so I did some lathe work.

I had some spare brass rod lying around (about 1.75" diameter) so I grabbed that and started turning. Turns out though, with my design, you aren't even going to see this lathe work in the finished product!
http://a.imageshack.us/img534/6411/img2451hk.th.jpg (http://img534.imageshack.us/i/img2451hk.jpg/)
Bit o' rust on that chuck hey? That's what you get from a 20 year old lathe that's been through a flood... still works beautifully :)

Can you see where I'm going with this?
http://a.imageshack.us/img821/5568/img2452c.th.jpg (http://img821.imageshack.us/i/img2452c.jpg/)
The fat bits hold my extra pommel inserts in place to make a basis for the crystal chamber. The thin bits fit inside the MHS ribbed section - they're going to be accent LED mounts. Yes, there's going to be shine through from the handle. Hopefully.
http://a.imageshack.us/img440/3416/img2453k.th.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/i/img2453k.jpg/)
And a bit of a teaser. I decided that the crystal bag I got from TCSS wasn't exactly what I was after, and if I got a real crystal it would look better. But what are the chances of getting the "right" crystal? Instead I'm going to make some!
http://a.imageshack.us/img401/1704/img2455bn.th.jpg (http://img401.imageshack.us/i/img2455bn.jpg/)
Yes, those are pen blanks. When made the right size and shape, they will show the light through them, and be much easier to mount.

Now I just gotta track down some thin brass rod, tubing, and sheet.

On a more inquisitive note, being entirely without electronics-fu, I wonder if someone can tell me if I have this right?
I'm just using resistors, no driver/buckpuck, and am going to wire up accent LED's and an AV switch.
So I think it should go something like this -
http://a.imageshack.us/img52/4812/wiring.th.png (http://img52.imageshack.us/i/wiring.png/)
With the 3 different LED's running in parallell each with their own resistor, and the accent LED's running in parallell with each other. Should work right?

Tomorrow I should have another couple of hours free, so I'm thinking to crank out the dremel again... there's some specific fit things I want to do... stay tuned :)

[pointoforigin]

Started work on my crystal chamber today. I thought about getting sheet brass and cutting it to size, but my funding at the moment is a bit low for that. I got some big washers to be heatsink vanes. Couldn't find brass ones at my local hardware, so I got these ones instead. They'll do for a proof of concept.
http://a.imageshack.us/img807/7366/img2477k.th.jpg (http://img807.imageshack.us/i/img2477k.jpg/)
They were slightly too big to fit inside the 1.25" sinktube, so I had to turn them down to a proper size. I then proceedeed to drill holes in them. I also took the angle grinder to them to get the shape right.
http://a.imageshack.us/img708/5052/img2478fq.th.jpg (http://img708.imageshack.us/i/img2478fq.jpg/)http://a.imageshack.us/img718/3020/img2480p.th.jpg (http://img718.imageshack.us/i/img2480p.jpg/)
I looked and couldn't find the brass rod that I was sure I had lying around, but I did have some thicker which I turned into shape. Ever try turning something 5 inches long and 1/8" diameter? Not very easy. It likes to bend in the middle and be thicker there. Next time I'll just buy more...
http://a.imageshack.us/img72/6163/img2479u.th.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/i/img2479u.jpg/)
And here we have my heatsink, basically done. I may find some brass washers and re-do this, or I may just find some appropriately coloured paint. We shall see.
http://a.imageshack.us/img15/1303/img2483q.th.jpg (http://img15.imageshack.us/i/img2483q.jpg/)http://a.imageshack.us/img685/7263/img2482kz.th.jpg (http://img685.imageshack.us/i/img2482kz.jpg/)
There's my story for the day. And the moral of the story of the day (because it DID take all day) is: Always! Make sure you have the right things to fit properly.

It could also be said that the moral is Don't try and emulate Slothfurnace on your first ever build...

My next one will be a lot simpler lol!

[Crystal Chambers]

Wow..off to an ambitious start. I wouldn't recommend that anyone do anything too similar to Slothfurnace for several reasons, but the one I can stand behind more then any is originality. Maybe we've all learned a lot from seeing his build but we should be more inspired to bring it our own styles. The parts that look the least like his are the ones I like the most on this.

[Ronan]

Looks like it'll be a great saber when you get finished! The parts for my first MHS saber are arriving tomorrow, so I'm chomping at the bit to get started as well.

Unfortunately for me, my saber is a surprise Christmas present for my fiancee, and she's showing up tomorrow as well. How to hide the parts without her noticing...?

Put the hilt in your pants.

*Runs from J-Lo*

OP nice design, can't wait to see it finished!

[Jedi-Loreen]

http://media.ign.com/boardfaces/28.gif *shakes head at Ronan*

[Ronan]

http://media.ign.com/boardfaces/28.gif *shakes head at Ronan*

:oops:

[slothfurnace]

It could also be said that the moral is Don't try and emulate Slothfurnace on your first ever build...

My next one will be a lot simpler lol!

You're doing great!! It's looking fantastic.

[pointoforigin]

Sloth, coming from you, that's an incredible compliment :) thanks dude!

I do think Crystal is right though, need to focus more on my own ideas than "stealing" others lol.

Just waiting on electronics to arrive. I DO have a few ideas there which I don't think have been explored by others... but I guess I'll find out when I post them up lol!

Thanks for the confidence guys, it spurs me on past "Oh i guess it's ok" to "Hey I'm not doing too bad here at all!"

[Invisas1979]

Mate Keep doing what you're doing.

I don't really agree with CC, a lot of people are going to take inspiration from SF's crystal chamber and I'm very sure his inspiration came from elsewhere just with a super SF twist.

Taking inspiration from others is not stealing.

You're general design is looking good, for me I'd have a few less vanes in the crystal chamber

[Shadar Al'Niende]

All I think crystal is trying to say (coming from an artists point of view as she is) is that originality really is the lifeblood of this hobby. While inspiration and design cues can be something that EVERYONE takes from others, a saber with even 50% replicated parts just isn't showing the kind of creativity that the OP is clearly capable of.

Good work man, keep it up... i love when you update :D

[FenderBender]

Just a tip on the brass rods. Lathing thin rods of any metal is tricky as it will bend on you and not give you accurate results. It's more waste, but you need something like 1/2" or 3/4" rod and lathe it down a little at a time. There is more material in the chuck and gives you more stability for cuts.

[DJMoonbass]

i will second this.

[pointoforigin]

Fender, the brass rod I started with was about 3/4" lol! Goodness me that took some patience. I was pulling it in at about 1/20th of a mm per cut, horizontal travel set on auto at the slowest speed possible. It's never going to be accurate with something that thin though - the bowing effect made the ends be about 1/32" thinner than the middle.

Doesn't help that the chuck isn't 100% accurate! But it's working.

If I was doing it again I'd definately do it differently. Maybe I'll even re-work it in the future. For now, the ideas are still coming out ok, and as a proof of concept, it's certainly working.

Keep in mind this is my first saber. And the first time I've used a dremel. And the first time in about 3 years that I've used the lathe. And drill press. Pretty much name a tool and I've not picked it up for a while prior to this build :)

[pointoforigin]

Finished my crystal chamber today. Well, the guts at least. I may go back and paint, or swap out the heat vanes in the future.

The vanes are starting to show some slight surface rust, which I'm actually liking. I may weather the whole saber in this theme. If I can work out weathering!

To finish the chamber, I had to make some crystals. I had some plastic swirly red pen blanks which did the job nicely. Whacked them on the lathe and turned them to shape. Yes I know most crystals are not round, but these ones are :)
I drilled holes in the back of them to mount LED's - the crystals themselves now glow internally.
http://a.imageshack.us/img686/7851/img2484l.th.jpg (http://img686.imageshack.us/i/img2484l.jpg/)http://a.imageshack.us/img843/1641/img2485.th.jpg (http://img843.imageshack.us/i/img2485.jpg/)http://a.imageshack.us/img839/2255/img2486n.th.jpg (http://img839.imageshack.us/i/img2486n.jpg/)
I was going to thread them to screw them into my pommel inserts there, but I suck at threading, so I drilled the inserts out and fitted the crystals to the slightly bigger hole.Would you believe they're being held in place by masking tape?
I fed my wires through the holes drilled in the back of the heatsink vanes last night, and started soldering today.
http://a.imageshack.us/img294/8283/img2488p.th.jpg (http://img294.imageshack.us/i/img2488p.jpg/)http://a.imageshack.us/img541/2223/img2487n.th.jpg (http://img541.imageshack.us/i/img2487n.jpg/)
See in here the brass cylinder holding the bottom of the chamber in place? The length of that shaft is all I had at the top to connect the lux and the top LED for the chamber. Cram-fu much? I know some of you have done better than that though :)
http://a.imageshack.us/img825/3491/img2491b.th.jpg (http://img825.imageshack.us/i/img2491b.jpg/)
So as it stands, all that's needed is the hole for the anti vandal, and some more wiring, to complete the saber to a "useable" level. There's more embellishments to come though, if I get brave enough with wiring.

[pointoforigin]

Drilled my hole fo my av switch and did some wiring. It's basically done! I'm quite happy with it so far, hopefully some weathering will improve it.

My dremel decided to stop working hafway through my final cut with it - that being to cut out the part above the switch on the handle shroud, so it can still come off. I ended up finishing it with the angle grinder. It was a good thing it was a wide area!

But enough blab. Here she is, in a complete working state.

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy184/pointoforigin1/Lightsaber/IMG_2492.jpg
Yes I drilled through the MHS threads for the anti vandal. But I have that access point hidden behind the grip shroud, so it's not an issue.
Lit up with lights on:
http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy184/pointoforigin1/Lightsaber/IMG_2494.jpg

And with lights off
http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy184/pointoforigin1/Lightsaber/IMG_2498.jpg

Glow through from the LED in the handle
http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy184/pointoforigin1/Lightsaber/IMG_2499.jpg

I really like how those crystals turned out. I think I'll do that again.
http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy184/pointoforigin1/Lightsaber/IMG_2500.jpg

And a basic glamour shot
http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy184/pointoforigin1/Lightsaber/IMG_2501.jpg

There's no sound, and it's all wired up with resistors only. When I become more adventurous I may delve into the realms of sound design etc. For the moment, this is awesome :)

Weathering to go! And then some pictures taken with a tripod to make them not so ridiculously blurry!

Thoughts so far?

[Crystal Chambers]

Not bad! I like the layering, although I think the heatsink would look better on the other side as to expose the crystals more. Also it looks like the crystals you made are round with points. I've made my own with plexi-glass on a belt sander and they looked pretty good. I sanded and filed them to have streaks and fogging to diffuse light. The crystals look a bit far from each other and you still have a hole in your pommel insert....could be useful or a nice spot to add something cool looking.

Off to a great start!