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slothfurnace
03-23-2011, 05:22 PM
Since I'll probably actually finish this one before Derelict, I thought I should start a thread about it.

This will be my ANH Vader "epic" reveal, crystal chamber, yadda yadda for a client with loads of patience and time to wait ;)

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/000.jpg

The first thing I started doing was sketching out the moving parts, trying to come up with a good way to open and close the saber, which meant a reliable and durable locking mechanism. Naturally, before I had my head wrapped around the way this needed to work, I drew it backwards; as is evidenced by the annotation.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/001.jpg

Correcting that, and sketching out the rest of the insides, I realized this wasn't far off from my ANH Graflex in terms of layout. (battery can, crystal chamber, plug into blade adapter) One thing that annoyed me about the ANH graflex was the fact that the crystal chamber itself was obscured by the top half of the graflex when the chassis was engaged into the blade adapter. Now I know the MPP based Vader sabers don't seperate in the middle like the graflex based sabers. I'll have to cut it just under the clamp, and machine a few parts to ensure than when it's closed, it will be sturdy.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/002.jpg

Designing in a double springloaded reveal would solve that, and allow me some extra "cool factor" upon completion.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/010.jpg

To put the rear mechanism to the test, I machined the appropriate (yet backwards, dangit) slots into a scrap piece of aluminum tubing.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/011.jpg

The size of the endmill I used is the same as this small rollerbearing I salvaged out of something. I could just use a static pin, but it wouldn't be as smooth an operation, and the wider surface area of the roller bearing will mean less stress on the attachment point at the flash wall.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/012.jpg

Seen here, how the rear flash will fit over the battery can, slide forward...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/016.jpg

...with the bearing moving in the groove of the can...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/015.jpg

...till it hits a stop. The rear flash body will rotate to allow the bearing to engage the main slot...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/014.jpg

...at which point, spring pressure will push the camera flash body back into "locked open" position. To close the saber, you'll push the rear body forward...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/013.jpg

... then rotate closed.

slothfurnace
03-23-2011, 05:22 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/003.jpg

At a certain point, I started working on the battery section. I wanted an exposed power plant area to be visible, but didn't want to sacrifice room for batteries, so I plan to embed the batteries into the power plant. To do this, I'll need to decorate some brass tubing...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/004.jpg

... cut it to length for the AA batteries and blacken the pieces...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/005.jpg

And construct the main 3 sided housing. I soldered these together using a Creme Brulee torch and then milled out the curved slots to show the blackened ribbed sections that fit the batteries.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/009.jpg

Seen here with greeblies held together with a rubber band, this section will go between sounboard and crystal chamber.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/017.jpg

Speaking of crystals, I finally found an appropriate smoky quartz crystal from China.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/018.jpg

In a temporary lighting setup, I have some detailing on the LED and with a test power up...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/019.jpg

It looks like the crystal will diffuse light well. Two more LEDs and I'll be able to start the chamber lighting array.

jin starkiller
03-23-2011, 05:40 PM
Very cool unveiling of your new project....i like the battery section that you have going there really cool looking ,,,,,can't wait till the final product

jodan-pac
03-23-2011, 06:12 PM
beautiful work

IndustrialAction
03-23-2011, 06:34 PM
I love your work! I would love to have you build me a saber someday. I have so many ideas that I just can't produce myself.

BTW - the quote in your sig is priceless!

Borax
03-23-2011, 07:27 PM
Sloth, you are awesome. The movable parts you come up with are amazing. I really like the hidden batteries. As with all who watch, i eagerly await the continuation of this thread.


i am wondering did you cut all the grooves on the battery sleeve by hand or is you machine cnc? If by hand, nicely done. My lathe/mill. Has totally worn out dials so i generally have to eye ball all my cuts or physically use a caliper. Can wait to upgrade some day :)

Aradian Valentine
03-23-2011, 08:02 PM
Wow, so cool! Can't wait to see more.
-AV

cannibal869
03-24-2011, 12:25 AM
LEGENDARY THREAD!!!

Brad, I can't believe you put a freaking ball bearing in there!
Wow, the epicness continues to impress and amaze me.

Bravo!!!

Ronan
03-24-2011, 12:58 AM
Be sure to facebook him everyone!

https://www.facebook.com/Slothfurnace

Skottsaber
03-24-2011, 05:32 AM
*Looks up*
Somebody wants to have a 1k follower giveaway :p

Sloth, I really can't convince myself to join the monotonany of this thread.
So I'm going to just say Super banana chocolate milkshake head bamboo mercury infused cat brains with Martian hollandaise awesomesauce :D

slothfurnace
03-24-2011, 08:10 AM
Fair enough, Skott lol...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/020.jpg

Here I have sectioned off some thick brass plate for the radiator section. This saber will have much thicker plate here to go with the "beefyness" of this saber.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/021.jpg

Laying out the parts, sizing up what I have, and what I have left to rough in. I will have enough room for what I want to do, I think. This is a Heiland flash gun, with more or less "correct" coin knurling on the endcap. I have a Parks MPP replica coming to actually use for this saber, but I wanted to get some idea of what I have to work with while waiting for that to come in. Also in this pic are four Harddrive motor casings, which I like to work with since they have perfectly spaced holes in them already.

Knighthammer
03-24-2011, 08:32 AM
......
*speachless* ;)

Azmaria Dei
03-24-2011, 09:06 AM
um... ok... so you're building one that can cut trees down and stuff?

brett
03-24-2011, 09:12 AM
Well Mr Lewis, as if enough superlatives have not already been written to your work, I would like, however, to comment on how much these builds inspire myself, friends, and I am sure countless others, to either start the hobby, or lift their game to new heights. It was your New Hope Luke Skywalker Graflex that started me on this path. Being an illustrator I had no tools for this, or skills much, but in the last few months I have amassed many new toys, a Foredom flex-shaft tool being the most interesting so far. Learning electronics, metalwork and soldering are amongst the many extremely interesting new arenas this hobby brings, not to mention the outstanding quality of The Custom Saber Shops' merchandise that bridges the gap for those without the many years of skill it must take to be able to produce such fine work. So, kudos, on your continuing work, the inspiration it brings, and the dreams you must make reality for those lucky enough to commission a sweet combination of 21st century art and technology.

Darth Midian
03-24-2011, 10:41 AM
Sloth, your work is simply amazing, & your sketches are awesome too.

Rafalema
03-24-2011, 11:48 AM
Wow... :o


Amazing. That's all I have to say.
Especially the LED on the crystal, the grill around it looks really cool! :cool:

slothfurnace
03-27-2011, 03:44 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/022.jpg

This will be how I drill the first hole through the plates. Once that's done, I can bolt them together, and discard the tape. At each stage, I mark the plates in order, because as I get more work done on these, it's very important not to mix up the order of the plates, as they are drilled.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/023.jpg

Here I am using a chamfer/countersink bit to deburr the holes after drilling the first set. This is needed so the plates are as close together as possible. Any space or gap between the plates means brass shavings could work their way between the plates and bend them as the holes are drilled.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/024.jpg

Drilling my holes using the motor housing as a guide, it's somewhat crucial here to make sure everything is as straight and tight as possible, as the drill could tilt the plate setup as it goes through it, leaving me with a out of line hole, which means headaches later when assembling the radiator section.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/025.jpg

Clamped up and tightened to the motor housing, I use the lathe to SLOWLY remove the corners. This has to be done slow and carefully, as to not bend things. The benefit of the thicker plates is, that they don't deform too much when doing this. Previously, with thinner plates, I'd have several that were deformed and unusable after this step.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/026.jpg

The first drill with a 3/8 bit gets my pilot hole straight for the larger hole I want to put down through the middle of the radiator.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/027.jpg

Final drill with a 1/2 inch bit.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/028.jpg

The fins as I use the chamfering tool to remove more of the burring. You can see one of my original fins from the Graflex ANH Luke beside them. Note how much thicker these are compared to the original one. Once I get more of an idea about where my wires and such will go, I'll stack them up again and drill down through them for wire channel, etc. I'll also probably open up the flat end so that it's more horseshoe shaped.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/029.jpg

This is what I plan on using for the crystal mount. A scrap piece of anodized black aluminum, I shaved off a section so that it would fit into the hole drilled in the middle of the radiator fin.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/030.jpg

The #1 radiator fin BARELY fits on to the shoulder of the crystal mount. I'll need to flute three channels on the mill for the bolts to go alongside, as well as mill and drill out three other slots for the LEDs to sit in, and probably thread some screw holes for clamping down on the crystal.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/031.jpg

So I may need to shorten the radiator section a tad. In the end I would like for it to be just as long as the clamp. The fins need to be a certain diameter, so they'll be shaved down a bit as well. They'll also get some more fine detail as I get time on the milling machine. The plate spacers right now are temporary, I need to go to the hardware store and get some smaller nuts and turn them down into cylinders. Also, I may drop one of the plates to coincide with the six bubbles in the bubblestrip.

Borax
03-28-2011, 10:08 PM
Progress is looking great sloth. I realliy like your idea to go with the thicker radiator plates, ties it together nicely.

dgdve
03-29-2011, 01:08 PM
I second the idea.. 6 bubbles/6 radiator fins

slothfurnace
03-29-2011, 07:26 PM
Tonight I worked on the radiators a bit...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/033.jpg

Here are the fins after the second pass of milling. I still have a lot to do here, lots of sharp edges I need t o clean up, and some more milling I want to do, but this is the general idea. also visible are the turned down brass nuts that I use as spacers.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/034.jpg

A view of the other side, showing the slot I milled out for my wire conduit. I chose to mill it from the outside on this saber, and allow wires to run inside tubing that will lay in that channel.

Borax
03-30-2011, 05:10 PM
BEEFY ! :)


*sitting on couch awaiting more progress* ;)

slothfurnace
03-30-2011, 06:35 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/035.jpg

Here's the crystal mount, machined for the three flutes to allow the mounting bolts to pass alongside, and the flat areas where I will mount the LEDs for illuminating the crystal.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/036.jpg

Here the crystal is just sitting in the mount, nothing holding it firmly in place yet, but I wanted to get a sense of the colors and spacing i was dealing with.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/037.jpg

With a small battery pack hooked up to an LED in the base, testing for color and light spread. The actual color of this is a deep red, the camera put orange in there for some reason, but it's much prettier in person.

ARKM
03-30-2011, 07:21 PM
Very cool.

Loachri MacTalabh
03-30-2011, 07:54 PM
:(It's not fair, why can't I have that kind of tallint. I envy you. You always amaze me with your builds. :D Excellent work.

slothfurnace
04-06-2011, 06:39 AM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/038.jpg

This is the beginning of the bladeholder. Here you see the stock Heiland bulb spring retention... thing. I lathed down a piece to just fit inside the heiland body, and that just fits this section of the original flash. I wanted to retain both the chromed curved lip and the flat spring from the original piece.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/039.jpg

I lathed a dip into the front face of the holder, that snugs up against the spring. I also chamfered the incoming edge, so the blade would be fed properly into the holder.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/040.jpg

I also tested out milling the slots into the holder under the original flash connector holes. Once this piece is anodized black, this will look much better.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/041.jpg

I'll also need to add contact fins into the slots to resemble the original piece, and will probably use the opposing vertical slot to put my setscrews for blade retention.

slothfurnace
04-06-2011, 04:39 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/042.jpg

Today, in the mail, I got the MPP replica from Parks. At first glance, I see a few things that bug me about this. Such as the grips don't mesh well with the endcap at all, being pushed away from centerline at the back, giving the flared appearance. Plus the front shroud is a bit clunky.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/045.jpg

Visibly unpolished machine lines on both the inside of the emitter shroud and the radiused inner lip of the bulb holder. That radiused lip is perfectly mirror smooth on my heiland, and the spring seems a bit different too.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/044.jpg

Shown here are shrouds from a Heiland Synchronar, the Parks MPP Replica and the MR Vader. The knurled bolt is also a good bit different from one to the other. I will allow the client to pick which one he wants for the final build.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/043.jpg

Note how thick the walls are on the Parks, and how much less of a "step" there is. I prefer the shape of the MR, or even the Heiland to this. Especially given the machinemarks. The good parts of the Parks shroud are the lack of the notch on the underside, and the preinstalled D ring on top. Overall, I'd rate the Parks MPP replica as "sufficient" but I am positive the real thing is a giant step above this. It's better working material than a Heiland, but I may need to do some mix and match to get what I am going for.

Knighthammer
04-06-2011, 06:57 PM
I would have to say that I'm appalled by the "quality" of the Parks parts from the above pictures. Given what Tim makes and sells to us the general public, and what you and other high-quality sabersmiths consistently make are just way beyond the machine marks in the pieces above.

slothfurnace
04-07-2011, 10:24 AM
I've been refining some of the design, as I get into the metal and start seeing where things need to line up...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/refiningdesign.jpg

I'm boiling it all down to something I can actually make. Hopefully it will all fit.

Grackle
04-09-2011, 06:31 PM
I would have to say that I'm appalled by the "quality" of the Parks parts from the above pictures. Given what Tim makes and sells to us the general public, and what you and other high-quality sabersmiths consistently make are just way beyond the machine marks in the pieces above.

Unfortunately, Tim doesn't make replica flashgun parts :( (if he did, I'd be buying them by the truckload!)

Currently, the only choices for an MPP are either the real thing (last one I heard of on ebay was going for over $500 - they're a lot rarer than Graflexes or Heiland Synchronars (I bought a Synchronar for $10 on ebay a while back)), or a Parks replica. Blast-tech makes a replica MPP shroud, but it's made of polyurethane plastic instead of metal, so not sure how well it would hold up or compare to a proper metal shroud...

Tarrell
04-09-2011, 08:55 PM
Dear Slothfurnace
You sir are just to much, each Saber you produce leaves me drooling at the mouth, and wishing I could have something so awesome.
My hat is off to you.
Yours Tarrell,
P.s. looking forward to your next post, like a sequal to a favourite move. :D

Event Horizon
04-11-2011, 02:12 AM
Your work is inspiring. I can't express my appreciation without using the same old "awesome, incredible, amazing". For the beginning saber fabricator, any recommendations for lathe/mill brands and sizes?

Azmaria Dei
04-11-2011, 05:32 AM
i'm going to invent a new word that adequately describes your work...

ready for it?

uberslothsplendawesomeness.

be careful you don't blind anyone with that. ^_^

slothfurnace
04-12-2011, 07:55 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/046.jpg

Here's the internal pieces so far, the forend plug section still needs to be hollowed out to fit with the back of the blade adapter, and I still need to shorten the back can to length. One thing I have noticed is that I might not have room for the brass triple battery holder detail that I had originally planned for. While I hate to lose this detail, it frees me up to allow for the proper resonance chamber for the speaker, and more room for detail in the crystal chamber.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/047.jpg

Here I am machining out a new crystal holder. I didn't quite like the way the other one turned out, it seemed like an element out of place to me. This new brass one will fit more with the rest of the chamber I think.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/048.jpg

An example of the weathering I might go with, deep ambers in the crevices, and brass showing through on edges and corners.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/049.jpg

At this point, after a bit of work and handling, the weathering is coming off, this will be repolished and applied, as soon as I am done with all the brass pieces, so that everything is consistent. I also have the three holes drilled that just fit the LEDs. I'll be doing a bit more detail on the LEDs compared to the previous sabers I've done, so I machined out a bit more deep crevice for the crystal mount to sit in.

slothfurnace
04-13-2011, 05:52 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/051.jpg

Here's the 3/16 copper tubing I am cutting into pieces to pass the insulated leads to the LEDs. I carefully spaced the 6 new holes for these tubes around the cap, and only drilled partway in with the larger bit, then all the way through with a slightly smaller bit, so the tubes will bottom out against the cap, and not push through. The wires, however, will go all the way through the cap.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/050.jpg

Here's one test lit. I might go with a black insulation on the leads instead of red, it sort of clashes with the copper when it's off. I might also go brass with these tubes, I have plenty of both metals in this size to test with.

Azmaria Dei
04-13-2011, 06:10 PM
yeah, i think the black heatshrink and brass tubes would match a whole lot better, though weathered copper would still look awesome.

looking great sloth! keep it up! ^_^

Knighthammer
04-13-2011, 09:45 PM
to quote the Joker from the 1st (80's) Batman Movie - "Where does he get those toys!"
Sloth is where - awesome work my friend, love the weathering on the crystal holder.

Tarrell
04-13-2011, 10:41 PM
yeah, i think the black heatshrink and brass tubes would match a whole lot better, though weathered copper would still look awesome.

looking great sloth! keep it up! ^_^

Agree Black heatshrink, brass tubes.
Idea!! Weathered brass tubes. (-;

slothfurnace
04-14-2011, 05:13 PM
Brass it is...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/052.jpg

Tonight after dinner, I measured and cut and beveled six half-inch long 3/16 brass tubes for the LED lead guides. I like this brass much better than the copper. I want to make the beveling as consistent as possible, but it won't take much to clean these up.

dgdve
04-17-2011, 07:52 AM
Impressive details as always, and a joy to watch wip *popcorn*

slothfurnace
04-22-2011, 06:35 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/053.jpg

This is the 10mm ruby I have for the focusing crystal. There's a smaller diameter lip keeping it from coming out the front of the brass mount, and a spring behind it keeping it snug. There's an aluminum LED mount keeping the LED and the spring in place.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/054.jpg

My camera absolutely doesn't do this color justice, it's a BRIGHT deep red, very satisfied with how this turned out. I might not even try the other combinations I had planned. Flipping it so the point is out, and trying the Helenite gem, one way then flipped. I might try these later, but I am sure happy with this.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/055.jpg

I also shaved a bit off the crystal mount, and tried a new way of fitting the crystal. Since the inside diameter of the mount was too small to really fit this crystal, and I didn't have a drill bit the right size, I used the milling machine to cut slots down into the mount where the outer corners and garnet nodules were keeping the crystal from sliding in. I hadn't ever tried anything like this before, but as I fit the crystal in, any place that stuck out too far to let it go on in, I marked on the mount, and cut a channel.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/056.jpg

And now the crystal fits VERY well into the mount.

(null).exe
04-22-2011, 07:06 PM
Very splendid sir!

Can't wait to get my grubby little hands on it in person!

Sunrider
04-22-2011, 08:02 PM
Ohh.... me likes the ruby. Great minds think alike sir.;)

Knighthammer
04-22-2011, 08:27 PM
Ruby - wow you continue to blow our socks off Sloth!

Umbral Lotus
04-22-2011, 09:04 PM
Your genius astounds me... the things you imagine and create are beyond amazing. I like Azmaria's word for it actually, because one needs their own new word to describe the sheer level of amazing that you exude forth to the world.

I bow to your genius and skill, and only hope that studying your builds helps me achieve 1% of what you are capable of...

slothfurnace
04-25-2011, 03:11 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/057.jpg

Today, I machined the brass spacers to go over the threaded rod, and test fit the forend into the Heiland tube with the MPP clamp on. The ruby really catches the light, even down inside the chamber. The colors are really nice, the brass has a lot of the same tones as the smoky quartz, and the red really stands out here.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/058.jpg

When it's lit, though, it spills light out in a fan pattern, not just pointed at the crystal. It illuminates the radiator fins really well.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/059.jpg

Here I have machined the speaker holder/ resonance chamber out of plastic, to keep things isolated. I don't want to short out the speaker against the metal housing.

Ronan
04-25-2011, 06:03 PM
Mmmmmmmmmm

And just so you understand, MMMMMMMMM

;)

dgdve
04-26-2011, 05:21 AM
NICE spk... 2w 4ohm(stable?), 28mm?

(yes yes the chamber is coming along nicely as well.. just saying)

Rafalema
04-26-2011, 05:42 AM
That first pic is 110 % WIN :cool:

Loachri MacTalabh
04-26-2011, 08:39 AM
NICE spk... 2w 4ohm(stable?), 28mm?

(yes yes the chamber is coming along nicely as well.. just saying)I have the same question, and where would one get a speaker like that? I am biting my finger nails with anticipation:D!!!!!

slothfurnace
04-29-2011, 07:31 PM
Thanks everybody, this has been one heck of a rollercoaster ride... here's an update...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/062.jpg

Here comes a cut that makes me pretty nervous. I marked where I want to seperate the Parks MPP Replica, and chucked it in. I used masking tape as not to scratch the top of the shell, even though I realized later that where the chuck jaws met the case would be hidden under the emitter shroud. I have a section of aluminum under the top of the case so my chuck jaws have something to push against instead of crushing or deforming the case top.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/063.jpg

After burring about half way into it, so I had a guide groove, I VERY VERY CAREFULLY cut along my groove with the hacksaw to seperate the two halves.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/064.jpg

Success! I then chucked the front end up and carefully cleaned off my saw marks, trued it up and faced off the edge, no problem. I removed the grips, slid my aluminum blank down into the back where the threads are, but not all the way as I didn't want to crush the threads in the chuck. I had just enough material to grip about a half inch worth of case and aluminum, and started cleaning it down.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/065.jpg

Once I had everything straight, clean, deburred, etc. I tossed the grips back on for a pic. They may be crooked, but I'll reapply them for good at the end of this project.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/066.jpg

Everything slides together perfectly. When it's pushed closed, the top of the back half fits about an 1/8 of an inch under the clamp, stabilizing everything. I'll cut my latching groove in the back can soon, and finish out the top where the bladeholder and DIN plug interface section will be, and find some good springs to fit into both sections.

(null).exe
04-29-2011, 08:04 PM
Looks soo good

Borax
04-30-2011, 10:08 AM
Update looks great sloth. Fin section looks great lit up.

Knighthammer
04-30-2011, 11:10 AM
Look'n good sloth-man!

jin starkiller
04-30-2011, 12:13 PM
lookin really good their Sloth

slothfurnace
04-30-2011, 01:57 PM
Thanks all!! I appreciate it. This project has had some hurdles, but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/067.jpg

This is about as far back as I'll probably allow the rear section to retract. This is plenty of room for some detail work and the recharge port.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/068.jpg

I also found the proper spring for the rear section, not pictured, but it was a one inch by 6 inch spring, out of a mop my wife threw out. Gotta love reuse/repurposing scrap!

RevengeoftheSeth
05-09-2011, 07:18 PM
Sloth,
I love you.

That is all.

Always,
Seth

IndustrialAction
05-09-2011, 07:40 PM
As always, stunning, just absolutely stunning

Tarrell
05-09-2011, 11:11 PM
This is a love hate relationship we have here Sloth, We love you Saber's, and hate the fact we dont have one.

slothfurnace
05-11-2011, 01:22 PM
Minor update, I milled a couple holes down through the radiator plates, and installed some 3/16 brass tubing for the wire conduit. Flexible conduit in chrome to feed wires from the front of the can cap to the tubes in the radiators...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/069.jpg

Edit: replaced crappy cellphone pic with non crappy one.

stegasp
05-11-2011, 01:28 PM
I can't stop myself from looking at this thread. As always, this is amazing work. Is there a fan club?

Aradian Valentine
05-11-2011, 01:40 PM
Love them tubes!
best,
-AV

Jedi-Loreen
05-11-2011, 01:45 PM
Slothfurnace has a Fan page on Facebook. Go find him and "Like" him.

Boj-Vaati Mau
05-11-2011, 05:26 PM
On Facebook, by me, he has been "Liked", yes!
I love that little detail, sloth. It adds quite a bit of character to the chamber and covers the wires nicely.

Skottsaber
05-12-2011, 12:55 AM
Search Slothfurnace on facebook.

Uhh.... ok....
It seems the 2 previous posts didn't show up when I posted this morning. Weird.

slothfurnace
05-13-2011, 07:44 PM
Thanks aradian! Me too!

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/070.jpg

Here I polished up the raw faces of the plates into a circular "record groove" pattern.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/071.jpg

And after some extensive machining on the battery can cap, so that I can pass wiring through the conduit, and also secure the conduit...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/069.jpg

... I started cutting the flexible metal conduit to fit. I also will have brass tubing to pass it through the plates.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/073.jpg

Here you see machined paths for the pipe to go pass against the wall of the cap.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/074.jpg

And the single pipe gets a curved slot for the top of the tube to bend into.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/075.jpg

Cut and fit together, as a test...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/076.jpg

I think this is going to look sharp once I get the front two tubes top sections in, some thread covers for the top, and the LEDs, wiring and crystal installed.

Borax
05-14-2011, 09:48 AM
Everything is coming together beautifuly sloth. That cap does have some serious machine time into it for being so small lol. Are you going to "weather" up those flexable tubes ? Its so awesome how many individual parts you have fit together to cram into such a small space. It all looks so amazing.

slothfurnace
05-15-2011, 05:34 PM
Woohoo sloth must be crazy to cut all these slots.... sigh. yep.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/077.jpg

I am attempting quite a lot here, saying a few prayers to God almighty while I cut these slots, as I can't really mess these up, or else I'll have to start over on the battery can.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/078.jpg

Done milling! Here is the fine hex mesh I got from Az, I think it's going to look great under the slots.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/079.jpg

I have a few things to clean up, but overall I think it turned out well. I have left a few spaces for recharge port, aux switch, etc.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/080.jpg

The hose along with the LED leads and piping looks pretty good to me, I painted the back half of this LED as a test. Not sure if I want to do it this way or not for the other two.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/081.jpg

Have a slight dent on the case I need to mill off, I think that's where I'll put one fo th set screws that attach the cap to the can.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/082.jpg

Left to do on this section, set screws and threading a hole for the recharge port.

Knighthammer
05-15-2011, 07:10 PM
picks jaw up off the floor....:eek:

cannibal869
05-15-2011, 08:17 PM
I would help Knighthammer pick his jaw up off the floor, except I've gotta pick my own up first... :O

Epic work as always Sloth!

Skottsaber
05-16-2011, 12:21 AM
I aux switch, etc.


:D ;)

Again, more cliche, epic nifty awesome blah blah blah

bk_renesis
05-16-2011, 03:28 AM
:D ;)

Again, more cliche, epic nifty awesome blah blah blah

I second that notion, Vaders saber was never a favorite of mine but this just changes everything. You are a real asset to the community, well done.

Umbral Lotus
05-16-2011, 07:59 AM
That mesh REALLY REALLY looks uber-awesome.

Where might us lowly mortals find something like that?

Silver Serpent
05-16-2011, 08:01 AM
That mesh REALLY REALLY looks uber-awesome.

Where might us lowly mortals find something like that?

Ancient Japanese secret I imagine. ;)

Azmaria Dei
05-16-2011, 08:36 AM
Ancient Japanese secret I imagine. ;)

something like that. ^_^ i get it at a store called Yodobashi.

Borax
05-16-2011, 11:16 AM
So this saber already crammed with details and greeblies....and sloth says " you know, I think this could use some more details and intricate mill work." just really love your thought process sloth!

Tarrell
05-16-2011, 04:02 PM
Sloth; Making ridiculously awesome sabers, that put props from the movies to shame...
And i want that mesh, in black. :D

Loachri MacTalabh
05-16-2011, 04:23 PM
Sloth; Making ridiculously awesome sabers, that put props from the movies to shame...
And i want that mesh, in black. :D
Very well said. Sloth, you are a Modern Marvel!

RevengeoftheSeth
05-16-2011, 05:58 PM
Sloth uses cheat codes.

bk_renesis
05-16-2011, 06:06 PM
sloth uses cheat codes.

lmfao

slothfurnace
05-16-2011, 06:11 PM
Sloth uses cheat codes.

I laughed out loud at this... haha...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/083.jpg

Couldn't resist taking a shot with the test lighting hooked up.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/084.jpg

Nothing in the can but jumper wires, but it still looks pretty good.

Skottsaber
05-17-2011, 05:23 AM
The mesh needs more light!

Crystal Chambers
05-17-2011, 06:20 AM
I agree..more light. Those slots and conduits are awesome.

Darth Icculus
05-17-2011, 05:36 PM
Wow I just joined the boards today and am truly inspired by your saberwork. You are a master machinist. One day I will have to commission you to make me a one off work of art.

Azmaria Dei
05-20-2011, 04:44 AM
lol join the crowd DI. there are several thousand people already lined up to get a little bit of slothy fantabuliciousness. ^_^

Crystal Chambers
05-20-2011, 05:48 AM
Just remember we don't talk business here since the forum IS attached to a store.

Jedi-Loreen
05-24-2011, 01:06 PM
Just remember we don't talk business here since the forum IS attached to a store.
Yes, what she said.

Skottsaber
05-24-2011, 01:08 PM
Yes, what she said.



*snigger*

slothfurnace
05-26-2011, 06:10 PM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/085.jpg

LED string finished for the Vader, testing on the PC-U I have installed in Derelict. At the same voltage output settings, it's a bit more orange than the single Ledengin Deep Red LED I have installed in Derelict. Also more evenly lit. The single LED is brighter at the base, but I think I like the more evenly lit blade the string offers.

I do really like the flicker and clash using an LED string hooked up to a PC-U...

Knighthammer
05-26-2011, 08:11 PM
Nice string man...defiantly nice.

slothfurnace
06-06-2011, 07:12 AM
http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/087.jpg

Here is a rod of solid one inch diameter polycarbonate and some nylon. I am going to attempt to machine my blade plug to accept the six LEDs in a fan pattern to better disperse the light against the bulb retention spring in the emitter.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/088.jpg

This is the outward facing end of the plug. I have machined out a recess for the original bulb stop. Next I will machine the LED array slots.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/088a.jpg

Here is my jig I set up for drilling my diagonal holes for the LEDs. I can rotate the polycarbonate rod without changing the angle in the vise. This also lets me keep the holes at pretty much the same spot. A big improvement over my other setup, i had inaccurate holes and madly aligned angles.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/089.jpg

This one turned out ok. My first attempt was... pretty horrible. It will be shunned and not be allowed back into the kingdom.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/090.jpg

This is the plug partially machined and hollowed. I'll be machining an aluminum sleeve and case for the din plug next.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/vaderanh/091.jpg

A test with three of the six LEDs lit up, I still have to do a little work to get them all to fit, but it's promising.

(null).exe
06-06-2011, 07:45 AM
Looks really evenly lit! well done!

slothfurnace
07-09-2011, 07:20 AM
Thanks Nully!

So now that we're home with the baby, while she's sleeping, I am working...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/092.jpg

Originally, for this saber, I was going with a 4xAAA battery pack and Hasbro/Master Replicas Yoda soundcard. However, now that I have access to the Petit Crouton 1.5 unlocked version, I wanted to allow for more soundcard/battery pack options. To do that I hollowed out much more of the rear of the battery can than I originally had done. Seen here are my two 14500 rechargeable Lithium ion batteries, the MicroSD card socket and my recharge port.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/093.jpg

At this point I am test fitting components to see how I want them all laid out. There's enough room now in here for the batteries with heat shrink, and soundcard with heat shrink. Also there's room in the back for the speaker, and that leaves the front neck with the slots completely empty, which allows for...

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/094.jpg

...me to attempt to relocate the MicroSD card to a remote socket, and allow for easy swap of the MicroSD card from the exterior of the can, so the sound font and other settings can be accessed without having to disassemble the saber.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/095.jpg

I also slightly countersunk my recharge port, and am test fitting the MicroSD socket to see where it fits best.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/096.jpg

I might pass it throgh one of the slots, like so. However, I might also want to mill a more form-fitting slot below this. It just depends on how things line up. I will most likely machine a nylon or delrin piece for the inside of the neck to insulate and hold the card slot, and aux power switch, and allow for the recharge port.

Yoshi-Taka
07-09-2011, 07:39 AM
The micro sd slot idea is pretty slick. I really like that. Very happy to see this project is still carrying along.

cannibal869
07-09-2011, 09:51 AM
<claps hands loudly>
OUTSTANDING SIR!!
:D

Er Dan Gill
07-09-2011, 10:56 AM
Another neat trick for sure.

KuroChou
07-10-2011, 02:16 PM
Another neat trick for sure.

Bradley "Neat Trick" Lewis definitely has a ring to it...
I think we're all in the nail-biting phase of excitement and anticipation for this build.

slothfurnace
07-10-2011, 02:48 PM
Still testing the remote SD socket feature, will update as I get progress on it, till then, a minor speaker update.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/097.jpg

Behold! The rear of the battery/card can. What you see here is the speaker mount and mainspring. The mainspring I robbed out of the wife's old mop handle she threw out. This spring will push between the MPP battery cap end and the speaker mount shown here to open the saber.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/098.jpg

I machined this speaker mount out of a scrap piece of Delrin. I really need to get some new chunks of Delrin, as I am running out. It makes for really awesome speaker mounts and resonance chambers. This is the same type of speaker I used in Derelict.

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/VaderANH/099.jpg

The mainspring seats on the shoulder of the speaker mount with a nice snap. I left a half inch lip on the back of the mount to go inside the battery can. The battery pack and soundcard have about a 1/4 inch play once it's installed, so it's snug, but not too tight.

Tarrell
07-10-2011, 06:54 PM
Sometimes i forget about your ANH Vader, and have to read through all this from start to last update, and each time its still awesome, and makes me want one.

KuroChou
07-22-2011, 10:20 AM
Are you using any kind of resistance mechanism to regulate the speed of the reveal?

I have a ratcheting screwdriver from RS that has internal bit storage:
http://www.digicircle.com/images/product_image/RadioShack64-081%2011-in-1%20Ratchet%20Screwdriver.gif

When you push the button, the carriage slides out really slow and smooth.
I think I'm going to end up doing a spring reveal on my current saber, and I was tinkering over ideas on how to replicate the effect.
The only thing I could come up with was the air-springs, like on screen doors (not to be confused with the pressurized hatch springs).
I decided the simplest way would be using restricted airflow as a braking mechanism, either through a chassis disk with an o-ring and pinhole, or a disk with a very precise gap tolerance with the ID of the body.
I would drill and tap a hole in the "seal" disk, to accommodate a brass nipple, so I could pass the forward wires through an airtight hose in order to maintain regulated flow.
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5504&d=1311355178
Is this something you've thought about on this build at all?

[edit] I would use one of the larger size disks for the forward end, so that the whole thing would be anchored behind the BH.

slothfurnace
07-22-2011, 10:26 AM
Ah, yes, it all depends on my tolerances when I have it all put together, but the way my can and case is constructed wouldn't allow for airpressure resistance since there will be a large soundport hole in the back, and no room to create a secondary airpressure shell. my Luke ROTJ had a secondary spring to slow it down as it opened, I'll probably do something along those lines to ease the force of the mainspring.

imagehunter
01-23-2015, 02:47 AM
Outstanding!