"Brass Fencer" by Don-Se Wion

[Don Se Wion]

Hello saberworld !!

I'd like to present my second saber, named Brass Fencer.
The name is kind of silly but I did not manage to find a better one so far.

http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/DSC_3460-600.jpg

Basically I built this saber to be used in lightsaber combat classes as my personal saber.
The specifications are:

- MHS parts with custom AV switch and recharge port placement
- Sink tube overlay
- MR Mace Windu 2005 sound board
- Cree XP-E Blue LED with 6° lens and constant current driver
- 4x AA NiMh batteries
- Custom chassis

Here are some pictures of the hilt:

http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3465.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3465.jpg) http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3462.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3462.jpg) http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3466.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3466.jpg) http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3469.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3469.jpg)

The LED in the AV switch is wired directly to the battery pack and turns on when the kill plug is removed.
The recharge port is placed between the AV switch and the planetary system logo ... and it was a real nightmare to be screwed in. Next time I think I will borrow the solution suggested by Jay-gon Jinn in his Mara Jade(ish) saber.
Originally I planned to paint the recesses on the blade holder in black but then I tried some o-rings and I decided that they look very good in this case.

http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3405.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3405.jpg) http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3409.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3409.jpg) http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3408.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3408.jpg) http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3407.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3407.jpg)

The last chassis ring is slightly larger than the others and sits on the rim at the end of the main body's thread. Speaker and resonance chamber slide inside the pommel while the outer rim on the resonance chamber is high enough to lock the chassis when the pommel is screwed in. This way nothing is moving inside the hilt and it can sustain some serious beating.
The "exotic" battery pack build (3+1) was kind of forced because I was having some problems to fit everything in the available space. However, in the end it proved a good decision because the hilt's center of gravity is moved backward helping in balancing the blade weight.

http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3479.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3479.jpg) http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3477.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3477.jpg) http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/th_DSC_3453.jpg (http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/DonSeWion/Fencer/?action=view&current=DSC_3453.jpg)

The first picture of the blade was taken in a dark room with the flash. The other two pictures are taken in a room with full daylight without flash (on a cloudy day). The color of the blade is actually more blue to the eye than what I was able to obtain in picture.
The blade is sourced from my lightsaber school because they prefer that everybody uses the same materials but I think it is very close to the TCSS combat clear blades (it has a 2mm wall). Inside the blade I put about 6ft of polipropilene film.

Thanks for looking and happy saber-building to everyone !

[Azmaria Dei]

that looks really awesome! ^_^ i especially like the little logo on it. it adds just a cute little flare to the whole thing that kinda sets it apart. ^_^

[cardcollector]

Yeah, the logo is great!!! Did you do that with files?

[Don Se Wion]

Yes, I did a series of small holes and then shaped the "orbital path" with files.

And thanks both for you kind words.

[Rafalema]

Excellent work on the overlay and on the logo! :cool:

The chassis is also very nice.

[Knighthammer]

Yes, I did a series of small holes and then shaped the "orbital path" with files.
:o

wow...

Also I LOVE the chasis...that is very nice. keeps everything in place, and looks great!

[bk_renesis]

Great looking saber, chassis is awesome too. Bet it feels great to swing and spin. Nice work!

[Caine Drathul]

Great build overall!

[Crystal Chambers]

I agree with all the other comments and have to add that I kinda like the stand too. What did you use for the stand?

[Don Se Wion]

Thanks again for the appreciation.

Regarding your question, the base is a standard display base I bought at a modeling fair; it also has an acrylic cover to so that my first saber don't get too much dust :)

The stands are a pair of support brackets for curtain poles I found some times ago at a local DYI shop. They were something like this (not exactly the same thing but just to give you a rough idea)

http://i52.tinypic.com/24dh547.jpg

They already had the central hole, the only thing I had to do was to enlarge the pole socket in order to accept the larger diameter of the hilt.

[jedimastergarcia87]

Nice saber. Looks like your saber would actually be used in the movies. I lke the overlay and the logo too. And nice shade of blue also. How does the saber feel when spining the saber with the overlays and all?

[Salohcin0083]

Great looking build. Keep up the awesome work.
Is that the new TCSS constant current LED driver?
If so how do you like it?
I am interested in seeing how it performs.

[Don Se Wion]

Nice saber. Looks like your saber would actually be used in the movies. I lke the overlay and the logo too. And nice shade of blue also. How does the saber feel when spining the saber with the overlays and all?

Well, with an heavy blade the saber is slightly tipping to the front, a real neutral balancement is obtained with the thin walled TCSS trans-white blade, but I can't use that in the school anyway.
The grip is good enough, there is a lot of space for the off hand and spinning it gives a good feeling.
If I have to think about improvements I would probably move the activation switch a bit backward and swap the position of the sensors board and the 3-cells battery pack to achieve a better balancement with the thick walled blades.


Great looking build. Keep up the awesome work.
Is that the new TCSS constant current LED driver?
If so how do you like it?
I am interested in seeing how it performs.

The constant driver was sourced locally. You know, living in Italy I have to pay duty fees with every shipment so I try to keep them as low as possible ;)

Apart from this I think that in my next build I will use a simple resistor.

I'm not completely convinced by these drivers because even if it is a 1000mA unit I was not able to get more than 800mA from this setup. The worst part is that even removing the driver and using a simple resistor looks like the batteries were not able to give more than those 800mA ... or the LED was "requesting" only 800mA.

I did a lot of tests and also changed the battery pack (which gave even lover mA ...) but in the end I gave up and used the driver.

The funny part is that I used the same setup in my first saber (same LED and driver) and I was having readings very close to 1000mA.

Really confusing ...

[dgdve]

Man... I really like this build... it grows on you

[Jedi_Knight_Zekk]

that looks really awesome! ^_^ i especially like the little logo on it. it adds just a cute little flare to the whole thing that kinda sets it apart. ^_^

I agree. Just like Star Wars tells us, no two lightsabers are ever the same. I think your saber fulfills that last little tid bit. The logo on it really makes it special and unique. I hope you enjoy this wonderful creation for years to come.