New guy getting ready to start first MHS

[stegasp]

Hello, all! First of all, I'd like to say that I've been lurking for a while now, & I've been massively impressed with the saber designs I've seen. I've also been quite enamored with the sense of community on these boards. Now onto business.

In my younger (Padawan) days I built many a sink-tube saber. My designs were often hit-or-miss, but there are a couple of them that I'm particularly proud of. I've never built any sort of lighted saber & I want to go with MHS for my first LED saber. I'm also wanting to add sound to this one.

Here's the 1st draft of the design I was thinking about. I really want this saber to be a "skeletal" Soresu-type saber. I'd like it to be similar to an Obi-Wan/Luke saber, but personalized. I'd really appreciate any critiques or suggestions for this design. I'm mostly unsure about the pommel I've chosen.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/stegasp/soresusaber.jpg

So, let me know what you guys think! Again, I'm not sure which pommel to use. I know I'm not quite ready to do a lighted switch on this saber, but switch suggestions are also welcome.

MTFBWY

[Tarrell]

I would defiantly use the antivandell switch, they look fantastic.
Are you planning on having a control box or mount directly to the saber?
Also the pommels is ok, but if you’re unsure, just try out some other combinations using the HMS builder, It’s what I did, lined up all my Favourites and choose the best one. :cool:
Otherwise thumbs up.

[stegasp]

Thanks for the thumbs up on the design, Tarrell! I do like this pommel, but I'm torn between it and pommel #10. I'd like to mount the switch directly to the saber with no control box. Do you think you could link to one of the antivandell switches that you were referring to? I'm not quite sure which they are. I really appreciate the input!

[Azmaria Dei]

AV or Anti-Vandal Switches are under Switches. conveniently, all under AV Style for both Latching and Momentary.

Latching (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/AV-Style-C68.aspx)
Momentary (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/AV-Style-C64.aspx)

[stegasp]

Okay... So this is how much of a noob I am. I assumed that AV was audio-visual. Haha! When I think about it, audio-visual doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Okay. Thanks so much for the help!

Azmaria, what did you think of the design? Any suggestions? and thanks again.

Those switches are nice. As it is my first time building a saber that has both light & sound, will it be very difficult to wire this using an AV switch? I plan on using a Hasbro economy board.

[Azmaria Dei]

personally i think it's a nice design for a first saber - lots of room and a great jumping point into the hobby. as for that pommel, it doesn't have much resonance to it so i would actually recommend one of the longer pommels, but it's still a very good one and goes well with that main body.

as for the AV switches, they're fairly easy to wire. you'll want a momentary version as well as the AV countersunk hole service in the store, so you can get the nut on it - and that's a bit of a pain either way. as for wiring for the ecomo boards with an accent LED in the AV switch, see the red link in my sig. ^_^

[stegasp]

Thanks for the advice. I've put together a revised design with a longer pommel. This one uses pommel #10. I've actually read through your econo wiring diagrams before. They're great walkthroughs & they're very easy to follow. But since my soldering experience is very limited, I was a bit worried about trying to use an illuminated switch on my first LED saber. I'm willing to give it a shot, though!

Would it be wise to go ahead and ask Tim to not cut the final groove since pommel #10 is supposed to be fairly heavy?

Here's the revised saber design. All critiques & opinions are welcome!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/stegasp/soresusaberrevised.jpg

[Azmaria Dei]

that looks rather bottom heavy to me now... but still quite nice. as for that bottom groove, yeah i would have him skip it for that one. what about pommels 3v2 or 5?

heh, those actually aren't my diagrams. i point everyone to them because Rhyen and Cardcollector did so well on the information in them. ^_^

[stegasp]

Azmaria, you're my new best friend! Haha... Well, I was hesitant to use either of the pommel #3's because they make this design a bit close to the Obi-Wan/Luke sabers, but I think the splash of color helps differentiate them. Here are two revisions with the pommels you suggested. Again, thank you so much for the help! I can't wait to start ordering parts. I just need to get this design finalized!

Pommel 3v2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/stegasp/soresusaberv4.jpg

Pommel 5
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/stegasp/soresusaberv3.jpg

[Azmaria Dei]

yeah pommel 3v2 looks reallly good with that emitter. ^_^

have fun and good luck!

[stegasp]

Thanks so much! I really like that design with the custom painted pommel 3v2. I'm glad that you were so quick with your replies! Hopefully, next time you hear from me, it'll be in a WIP thread! Thanks again!

[Azmaria Dei]

any time ^_^

[Tarrell]

yeah pommel 3v2 looks reallly good with that emitter. ^_^

have fun and good luck!

I agree, 3v2 looks cool, but why not try out 3v1, its a little smaller, but looks just as cool, im using it myself for my saber project, it should look fairly gnarly.

[stegasp]

Tarell, I like 3v1 & 3v2... I wasn't sure about 3v1 until I put the color on it. I'm torn between the two #3 pommels! OH NO! Haha... well have a look, here's both of them together. Opinions?

pommel 3v1
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/stegasp/soresusaberv5.jpg

pommel 3v2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/stegasp/soresusaberv4.jpg

[Azmaria Dei]

v1 is more sleek to me.

[Tarrell]

V1, all the way, sleek and ***y.

[stegasp]

Yeah... the more I look at the pics side-by-side (which I couldn't do while posting), the more I like v1. I think it's helping set the saber apart from an Obi-Wan/Luke build.

Ooooh! Tarrell said a no-no word! Heh.

I'm definitely going with a green LED with this saber. I'm thinking I'm going to go with one of the green AV switches (ring, not dot) or the standard nickel plated with the recessed switch hole (no activation box).

[Azmaria Dei]

have you taken a thought to the cyan rebels? they're a nice minty green.

bleh... i can't believe i'm recommending a green... at least the cyan rebel doesn't taste disgusting - just insanely minty... (i take after my mother and can taste colors)

[Tahm]

Since your asking for opinions I would recommend pommel 4, it looks great with almost every saber design and isn't too similar to anything in the movies. I think this saber looks a LOT like Luke's ROTJ with either version of the pommel 3 (especially after you add a green LED). I also recommend you use the nickel plated AV switch it's a favorite of mine and it's super easy to setup (especially if you're new to soldering because you can just use the screws that come with it). That's my two cents anyways.

[Azmaria Dei]

pommel 4 is nice, but 4 and 8, with their angles as they are, just don't feel like they flow well with the rest of the saber to me. though 8 does have some nice resonance. ^_^

[stegasp]

I really prefer more of an emerald green to the greenish-cyan colors. Would the P4 kit from the store be a good way to go & then just replace the switch & wire in sound or would I need a more custom set-up.

Oh... Thanks, Tahm. Pommels 4 & 8 look nice too... Clearly I'll have to think about the pommel for a bit longer.

[Tahm]

Also, it's a small thing, but if you added a covertec wheel to this saber design it would help distinguish it a little from Luke's saber, but it's probably a difference only saber buffs would notice . Out of all the designs you've posted I like the original pommel 7 best. It's also an awesome pommel that is comfortable and looks good with that style of main body. Whatever you choose just remember to be sure before you spend your money.

[Azmaria Dei]

yeah that would work pretty much. think long and hard about your sound setup and wiring though. alkalines or rechargable. if rechargable, NiMH or Li-Ion. in-hilt recharge or not. etc, etc, etc...

personally, going econo sound, to keep it simple i would recommend a 4x AAA pack with NiMHs and forget the recharge port for now. put one of those in later once you get a bit more practice.

[stegasp]

Tahm, I do plan on using a covertec wheel on this design. I already have a couple of "reject" sink-tube sabers that I parted out several years ago, so I have a few extra covertec wheels.

Azmaria, I have been planning on using the 4x AAA pack for power w/the econo sound. Rechargeable seems a bit too intimidating the first time out.

As far as the pommel goes, based on my opinion & the feedback I've been getting, I'm now thinking either pommel 1, pommel 3v1 or pommel 7. I really do like every version I've posted, but I need to narrow it down & I think these three fit the style the best.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/stegasp/soresusabermulti.jpg

[Azmaria Dei]

it looks like you have a good solid plan then. ^_^ i look forward to seeing which pommel you pick. (and definitely hope that you use NiMHs in that 4x AAA pack)

[stegasp]

Thanks again for all of the help! Oh... and I don't have a fortune to spend on AAA batteries, so rechargeable NIMH is definitely the way I'm going with that... hahaha!

As far as the pommels go, I'm thinking 1 or 7 to move it farther away from the ROTJ Luke design.

So, with this design (and whatever pommel I choose, ha), I'm going to use a covertec wheel, the nickel-plated AV switch, econo sound (whichever I can get my hands on) & the green P4 kit from the store. If there are any problems with this set-up, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Azmaria Dei]

remember to use heatshrink and NEVER break the cardinal rule - NEVER use electrical tape.

[Tarrell]

Looks cool, cant wait to see it all together, know what you mean by sound, I like the Crouton myself.

[Jacen Solo]

If you do get your parts powdercoated by Tim he'll only be able to do part of what you want for your Pommel 3v1. He can only clear the tops of the knobs/bumps of the pommel not the sides. That's what he told me when I asked him about something similar for the saber that I'm building. My order is in the international postal system at the moment but here is something similar that Jay-gon Jinn did that shows what I mean.


MPS pommel style 3v1 in Super Wet Black custom style:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/Chrome%20Saber%2029/100_7338.jpg

MPS pommel style 3v2 in Super Wet Black in custom style:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/Chrome%20Saber%2026/100_6841.jpg

[stegasp]

Thanks for the heads up Jacen! I actually have some experience painting & curing aluminum, so I planned on doing that part myself. I'm just about ready to get the build started. I just need to make a decision on the pommel. As I mentioned earlier, I'm leaning toward pommel #1 or #7.

[Kant Lavar]

For myself, I'd probably go with pommel 1 - it just seems to flow a bit better than either of the other two to me. Either way, I think you've got a good start going here.

[stegasp]

Pommel #1 does seem to make the saber terminate less abruptly. Plus, it gives me more wiggle room for the electronics. Right now, I'm about 60/40 leaning towards pommel #1.

Any suggestions on the placement & type of screw to go with on the for the blade retention screw?

[Kant Lavar]

With set screws I usually go with the 10/32 x 1/4" set screw Tim sells. Big enough to get a satisfying hold on the blade, and short enough to not stand out against the blade holder. Any screw will do, really - the thumb screws have the advantage of not needing anything more than your own fingers to unscrew them. As far as placement goes, if you were planning on having Tim drill and tap the hole for you, you can just put in the "Location for hole?" box that it goes on the blade holder and it's for a retention screw, and he'll do right by you. If you're planning on doing it yourself... I'm not sure - I've never seen that blade holder in real life before. My suggestion would be on the neck of the holder, the higher up the better. That's just my guess from looking at the pictures, though. Bear in mind that what you're doing with the screw is mostly just pressing the blade against the other side of the blade holder, thus increasing the friction on the blade itself.

[stegasp]

Parts have been ordered. I'll start a build thread when they arrive. Thanks to everyone that helped me out!