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View Full Version : MandoJoe's Budget PVC/Copper Saber build



MandoJoe
09-10-2010, 05:32 AM
Hey yall. I'm the new guy, obviously. I've been wanting to build a saber for a while now, and only recently settled on a design (and talked the wife into letting me spend the money to do it, heh). My best friend and I are building our sabers together, so this may wind up being a dual build thread.

I was originally planning on doing a straight PVC saber, but I found myself a nice piece of copper tubing that I think I'm going to use as my hilt base. The power source for this saber is a 3 watt tactical flashlight, which lights up the 40" white poly blade and color disks I got in last night beautifully. It's a nice even blade color, without the usual flare at the base of the blade (dang, I kinda wanted that...). I'm going to be making a trip to the local hardware store to pick up the rest of my supplies some time this weekend, and I'll try to take as many pictures as I can. Hopefully I'll have something workable soon.

xl97
09-10-2010, 08:40 AM
suggestion... even though PVC is easier and more forgiving that metal.. metal gives it that look and feel of 'realism' to me (more so than plastic)..

maybe use the PVC sparingly.. and for accent pieces?

copper, sink tube overlays.. and cutouts..you shouldnt have any problems making something cool.


good luck!.

MandoJoe
09-10-2010, 09:15 AM
Oh yeah. I'm gonna use the copper tube as my base, probably with chrome sinktube accents, and use the PVC for the internal chassis.

I've got a boot zipper panel (like so http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JACXJJAJL._SL500_AA300_.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.com/Military-Jungle-Boot-Zipper-Laces/dp/B000B55AJU&usg=__bBY37n4HRRyiqciJlU5SgZ1pkgY=&h=300&w=300&sz=12&hl=en&start=0&sig2=Flkej9jd2vCcfgo1sdKWiw&zoom=1&tbnid=1I5zCEb9qlNKKM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=145&ei=WVmKTOm1J8KC8gbU38muCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboot%2Bzipper%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa fe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1277%26bih%3D875%26tb s%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=674&vpy=171&dur=2083&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=111&ty=117&oei=WVmKTOm1J8KC8gbU38muCg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0) that looks pretty snazzy around the outside of my copper tube, and feels comfortable in my hand. I think I'm gonna go with that around the outside of everything else, giving it one more layer and a sort of used/cobbled together look. Going to weather the copper and the leather of the zipper panel, leaving the only "less used" pieces the emitter and switch.

RevengeoftheSeth
09-10-2010, 08:39 PM
Of course, if you want to go cheap, it doesn't get much cheaper than PVC. I haven't really seen any mixtures of metal AND PVC, yet, so maybe you could surprise us with your own version, eh?

Skottsaber
09-11-2010, 02:09 AM
Ultrasabers Vagabond (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW6OkcSzDLY)

MandoJoe
09-11-2010, 07:14 AM
Of course, if you want to go cheap, it doesn't get much cheaper than PVC. I haven't really seen any mixtures of metal AND PVC, yet, so maybe you could surprise us with your own version, eh?

Well, that's the plan. I took some proper measurements last night, and my copper tube is 10" long, with an ID of 1.25". I did a bunch of playing around and planning, and I've pretty much come up with how this thing is gonna go together. I Dremel/sanded away all the corrosion, and that wound up giving the tube a hammered sort of look, so I brought it in to work and took it over to the Engineering shop, stuck it on their bench grinder's brush wheel, and now it's got a nice even brushed finish. I'm gonna go some time this afternoon and try and snag their mitre saw and belt sander to see if I can't get my emmitter shroud cuts on this piece. Still can't find my camera, so no pics yet, but I'm going to make a point to snag some before I actually start assembly.

RevengeoftheSeth
09-11-2010, 11:46 AM
Ultrasabers Vagabond (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW6OkcSzDLY)

I stand corrected. Again.


Of course, I don't really like Ultrasabers, so I never go there. But that is indeed a hybrid. I can't really see it very well from the video, though.

MandoJoe
09-11-2010, 12:12 PM
So I took the copper pipe to the grinder again, because I can't seem to leave it alone....heh. I've got a rough S curve shape on the emitter end. It's not symmetrical, and it's not pretty, but I kinda like that. It's smoothed, obviously, but not perfect.

I think I'm going to do away with the boot lace zipper thing. It's looking a little ridiculous now. Of course it's just on the copper tube. No accents, or pommel, or blade. Oh, wait...hang on....Okay. I just slid the S curve around so that it sort of lines up with the curved edge of the boot cover. Not so silly anymore. Hmm...Maybe it'll stay.

MandoJoe
09-12-2010, 08:27 AM
Went back at it with a Dremel and grinder. Can't not work on this thing! Dang! Anyway...deepened the S curve, and rounded it out better. Cut out a small window and rounded it's corners. Depending on how the PVC emitter that I'm snagging tonight fits, I'm gonna either leave it open for a normal see through window to the blade, or I'm gonna stick myself a nice small piece of circuit board from an old cellphone in there. Blaster scoring all around, obviously.

As for the zipper panels, I've managed to find two really beat up older ones, and laced one on either side. They're not as large as the newer one I had, and so they aren't as "RARGH!!! I'M TAKING OVER YOUR SABER!!!!", so that's good. They look more like strapped on leather grips rather than "GIANT STUPID THING STUCK TO THE OUTSIDE OF THIS SABER". I'm happy with the look, and they're much more comfortable in my hand. Now I'm just waiting for the next 9 hours to pass by so that I can run to the hardware store and snag the rest of my parts.

Probably gonna see about coming back to work tonight to see if I can holler at the maintenance guy on duty and "borrow" some of his PVC cement and clear silicone. If so, I'll have a completed saber (more or less) tonight, just waiting on paint. If not, then it'll be tomorrow night before I can do my final assembly. Who knows? If nothing else I can go get my parts and paint everything up, and troubleshoot my design this week, so that I can get everything fitted right. And I promise I'll post build pics before I do anything final.

RevengeoftheSeth
09-12-2010, 08:44 AM
Can you post some pics of your progress? It's a little hard to picture exactly what you are talking about without seeing it.

MandoJoe
09-12-2010, 09:12 AM
Sure, Seth. I'm gonna try and dig out my camera/cable tonight and take some starter pics.....just set an alarm on my cellphone to remind me, since I'm a forgetful kinda guy.

I thought about it, and I'm for sure not going to be able to assemble until tomorrow night. I live just outside Houston, and we've got 100% humidity here pretty much year round. I'm gonna have to swing back by work tonight to spray my PVC parts and leave them to dry in my apartment overnight.

I aged my copper with a vinegar salt solution today. Got a the small window roughed up a little more. Definitely gonna have a small scrap of circuit from a gutted cell phone inside for that battle damaged look. Gonna do some carbon scoring around the window as well.

Also, in lieu of any real photographic awesomeness, here's my design for the saber. This is all, obviously, not to scale, and not the best art work, but I'm an MS Paint kinda guy at heart, and so this is what you get.

RevengeoftheSeth
09-12-2010, 04:28 PM
I get what you mean, now :)

Yeah, I tried painting when it was really humid a couple weeks ago and it just bubbled the crap out of the paint.

MandoJoe
09-13-2010, 05:42 AM
Wow. This concept surely did bite me in the shebse. Originally, I liked the idea of a worn saber, and then, of course, I had to go and get a bright idea.

I though, "Hmmm. Jedi on the run after Order 66. Making a new lightsaber out of whatever he's got around, and using tools that might not be the precision items that he wants. I like it!"

Of course, I got home last night after buying the rest of my parts (some of which aren't what I wanted, but were all I could get) and began setting about prepping my pieces for assembly. Don't worry, pics are forthcoming, but my camera eats batteries, so it's slow going.

Got home and started drilling out my copper tube for my threaded insert/set screw. Pulled out my actual drill, and lo and behold, it's got the wrong bit in there. No big deal, I'll just switch it out. Started looking around, and my drill chuck was missing. Started looking for my toolbag, and it's nowhere to be found. I left it at my in-law's place last time I was there. Dang....

So I started working with what tools I did have. After several hours of fighting and swearing, I managed to get my holes drilled, and my pieces dremeled (mostly). I should have pics up some time tonight.

RevengeoftheSeth
09-13-2010, 04:22 PM
Good thing you weren't a Jedi on the run after Order 66 and you forgot your tools ;) LOL

MandoJoe
09-17-2010, 05:45 AM
Okay, so I've got the saber built, and lots of pics taken, but I can't find my stupid camera cable to upload the pictures. I promise they're forthcoming, I just have to find that stupid cord.....