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rogue9607
07-20-2013, 06:55 PM
Holly was a fun first project, and now with a bit more experience, and a few new tools, I have the opportunity to revisit the design and do a more accurate version of Satele's saber. I'm tweaking the construction a bit as well as updating to accurate artwork. The first piece of my metal order arrived yesterday, and I was able to get a bit of work in this evening.

I cut a piece of the plate off for the fin template.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7320/9329188281_bdba269798.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9329188281/)

And managed to get one pair of fins cut and generally sanded. This was the first time using this small belt sander, and what an incredible addition to my shop!
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/9329186653_49cf5bbc39.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9329186653/)

Hopefully I'll be able to knock out a few more fins tomorrow since this should be ready for Dragon*con at the end of August.

rogue9607
07-21-2013, 06:43 PM
I had a couple of more hours in the shop this evening and made more fin progress. All the fin pieces are now cut and sanded to the right shape. I've generally smoothed the edges on two of the pairs.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/9339938386_ed45b02746.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9339938386/)

I may turn to some of the etch testing soon since there's only so far I can go with the flat stock, and the rest of my metal order hasn't shipped.

Silver Serpent
07-22-2013, 06:26 AM
Oooh! *drools*

Batosai
07-22-2013, 09:49 AM
making a perfect saber even better...that's what I call enthusiasm!

can't wait to see more of it

YoRn Mangers
07-22-2013, 07:57 PM
This shall be fun to follow!

rogue9607
07-23-2013, 04:35 PM
Last night was a bit of a short night in the garage with continued sanding and filing... The fins really feel like the most tedious part of the build.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/9352623077_73d8dd3a52.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9352623077/)
1. Pre-etch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9355327944/in/photostream/), 2. Immediately post-etch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9352551443/in/photostream/), 3. After buffing (low angle) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9355325558/in/photostream/), 4. After buffing (high angle) ("http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9355324010/in/photostream/)

rogue9607
07-27-2013, 09:06 PM
Got a bit of time to work on this today and feel good about the progress even if it doesn't look like much. I feel like I spent more time with setup and working with the tools than actually working on the saber, but I'm sure that time will decrease as I get more familiar.

Started out by printing a full scale version of the emitter and cutting the aluminum to length.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5454/9382052568_0a9687d15c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9382052568/)

I didn't take a picture, but I bored out the one end where I'll mount the speaker and I have a nice snug fit.

I turned two of the ridges turned down to the proper diameter, and removed a lot of the material around the neck in the process.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/9379265077_c882d8ddbe.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9379265077/)

It seems I need to order a longer boring bar so that I can get the blade holder sized appropriately. Hopefully I'll be able to at least finish this emitter tomorrow except for the sizing of the blade holder.

rogue9607
07-30-2013, 05:22 PM
First piece is off the lathe! I still need to do some cleanup and cut the sound holes.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9405546502_26d53d6465.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9405546502/)

The speaker fits in the interior side. I'll cut a channel for the LED wires to run around the speaker.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/9405545338_b9300fc0f1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9405545338/)

The Yin
07-31-2013, 09:13 AM
Nice work! and keep us posted. I love in progress build logs. It makes me feel like I'm working along with you on the project.

rogue9607
08-01-2013, 08:18 PM
I finished turning the second emitter tonight. Unfortunately, one of the levers in my lathe's quick change gearbox froze up and I still haven't gotten it working properly. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get that squared away before moving on to the center section of the hilt.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5342/9420561852_51ec074978.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9420561852/)

rogue9607
08-04-2013, 06:03 PM
I made some good progress this weekend after deciding to attempt the tapers in the hilt. Since the speaker will be at the base of one of the emitters, I don't need a large diameter section in the middle of the hilt and can make the entire middle section one piece. Here was my diagram that I worked off (only printed one half due to paper size limitations).
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/9440962132_0f2deb913a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9440962132/)

It wasn't too bad to turn, unfortunately my cross feed slide only has a range of ~2" and I don't have a taper jig.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/9440999034_d25c231957.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9440999034/)

The emitters fit quite nicely and it's starting to look like a saber! Now for a *lot* of sanding...
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3792/9440957388_9ec869390b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9440957388/)

I apologize for the quality of these pictures. My hands have been so dirty after these shop sessions that I don't want to pull out my good camera, and my phone has a habit of getting background items in perfect focus rather than the subject, despite my focus selection.

DarthMarr
08-04-2013, 07:11 PM
Great work, Rogue! Cant wait to see more, and I feel ya with the phone camera, they can be sooo evil!

rogue9607
08-07-2013, 05:34 PM
So the last picture of the hilt left a lot to the imagination, both because of the amount of sanding needed and the quality of the picture. I've had some time to get some sanding done, and now have the center section cleaned up through 600 grit. I'll probably go a bit farther before switching over to a polishing wheel, but I can't feel my arms and hands at the moment, so I figured that was a good stopping point.

After washing myself and the piece (anyone else feel like the Tin Man after sanding aluminum?), I got a decent pic of it so far:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/9455739670_826a695b02.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9455739670/)

rogue9607
08-11-2013, 07:47 AM
I've been spending quite a bit of time getting the artwork to appropriately fit to the tapered hilt which resulted in some fun with geometry and illustrator. Ultimately I have the two cones that I can wrap around the hilt that match up.

Also, turned a piece of 1" aluminum so that it will fit in my boring bar tool holder. My thought is that I'll slide the emitter onto that rod, secure it with a screw, that will ultimately be hidden by a fin, and mill the slots rather than relying only on the etching. My first test slot (on the jig itself) came out pretty well.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/9481071545_5a910c10c6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9481071545/)

rogue9607
08-11-2013, 06:13 PM
Made a bit more progress today with the switches. I have the bases for the two end switches done and think they're much closer to Satele's. I still need to add the button, ribbed top piece, and the small fins at each end.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7334/9488893465_05f0cf54a5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9488893465/)

I also realized that the center switches are smaller than the outer ones, so I'll need to tweak the design a bit before making those.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2808/9491701882_aaf55d0228.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9491701882/)

cannibal869
08-12-2013, 08:10 PM
awesome work... love the detail pics and in-progress shots. Really gives you a feel for the passion and love that goes into sabermaking, huh?

Jedi_Knight_Zekk
08-14-2013, 03:50 PM
Holy smokes! This looks great so far! Super excited to see how this turns out! Now I know it's a little long term, but do you know if you're gonna stick with the cyan/blue blade? or are you gonna have some fun with the LED

rogue9607
08-15-2013, 08:36 PM
Thanks everyone. Holly, my wife's saber that's Satele-inspired, has an RGB LED that's lots of fun. I have it setup so that I can cycle 100 different colors for the blades/crystal, and even assign the crystal a different color, though I haven't done that beyond just trying to color match better. I think I only have 8 presets on there now though for ease of use (tiffany blue, blue, green, red, and a corresponding set with the crystal off). This saber isn't for me, and the goal is to get as accurate as possible to Satele's, so I'll be going with a blue blade. With all the work that's going into this saber, I'm sure it'll be hard to part with, but I know it's going to a good home and will be part of an incredible costume.

I've been working on the switches the past few days and have the bases and the "sliders" shaped. I still need some more sanding, etc.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7434/9518916183_b1bcb17d95.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9518916183/)

Jedi_Knight_Zekk
08-16-2013, 05:52 AM
Those switches are looking fantastic! And the overall look of the saber is starting to come together, even with just the switches! I can't speak from experience, but I can imagine how hard it is to give up something you've worked this hard on. But hey, maybe there's a future of sabersmithing for you! Who knows, maybe you'll be the next LDM or Vader's Vault? :) Congrats so far

rogue9607
08-19-2013, 05:50 AM
Thank you! I have several projects lined up after this one... the first of which will be finishing my own saber so that it's more than a static hilt. :P

Hopefully etching will be early this week. To that end, I was working on sanding/polishing parts this weekend and the shot below shows some of them in different stages. I've added the center rings to the hilt piece at the top, which has also been polished and is pretty much ready for etching. The top emitter has been sanded through 1500 grit and is now ready for polishing. The switch pieces on the left have had an initial polish, but they don't have any etching. The pieces on the right are earlier in the sanding process.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/9541120843_36b3e8de07.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9541120843/)

koko kama
08-23-2013, 04:53 AM
Holly version two, i dont think my poor heart can handle another one.

ill watch this closely to see how you execute the slider switches, i have that in my plan for my 2nd saber but
i know not how to do it properly.

rogue9607
08-23-2013, 05:57 AM
The switches for this saber are still going to be push buttons, like Holly. I keep putting "sliders" in quotes since that's what they look like to me, but they're just a trim piece tacked on. I'd like to eventually do a version where they slide, but that's a bit outside of my milling ability at the moment.

On a side note, I've been busy at work on the saber this week and hope to have some progress to show for it later today!

koko kama
08-24-2013, 01:40 AM
The switches for this saber are still going to be push buttons, like Holly. I keep putting "sliders" in quotes since that's what they look like to me, but they're just a trim piece tacked on. I'd like to eventually do a version where they slide, but that's a bit outside of my milling ability at the moment.

On a side note, I've been busy at work on the saber this week and hope to have some progress to show for it later today!

hmm interesting,.... I seem to recall something of the drawings done by slothfurnace when he did his satele saber.

I shall give it a go and then post the results.

rogue9607
08-24-2013, 08:34 PM
Progress has been a bit slower than I'd hoped this week as I've been encountering an unusual number of complications, however things took a good turn today and I've made most of the parts and moved on to the first piece of etching. I was able to get a really nice deep etch for the center section of the hilt. I still need to do more cleanup, and etch the detail onto the center ring.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2892/9588418820_58b7d5d7fa.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9588418820/)

The emitters are ready for etching, and that'll be the first item I work on tomorrow. I think this will start to come together quickly now!

koko kama
08-25-2013, 04:45 AM
Man i really need to try out this etching it looks like so much fun.

Rogue are you going to try milling the slots in the emitter this time?

rogue9607
08-25-2013, 05:25 AM
The etching is a lot of fun, but also a trial and error process with a lot of learning. Oh, and INCREDIBLY nerve wracking...

Assuming the emitter etch goes well, I'll be milling out the slots a bit... ~1/8" maybe? I'll just try to get the first one to look right and go from there. I may or may not etch the inside of those slots depending on how they look, though I'm leaning towards etching them for color consistency.

Oh, and for the switches, I know Slothfurnace had sketched a working slider, but to my knowledge he never built it. I'd intended to try them with Holly (though in retrospect think it probably would've been really tough), but the switches I'd ordered for it didn't come as advertised. I was trying to use a "momentary slider" which in my thought would be a spring loaded slider that would return to open when you released pressure. What came was just a latching slider (not something from TCSS). I was never able to find the right kind of switch in a small enough package. I'm sure a mechanism could be machined that would work, but that'd be pretty involved and not something I'll be tackling for this build, however, the though has crossed my mind for a future version if any of my friends finish CNCing their mills. :)

rogue9607
08-27-2013, 12:10 AM
I got quite a bit done over the past couple of days. The bolts/lines are etched onto hilt and emitters. I also etched guides for the slots on the emitters and then milled the slots out. I used the lathe, boring bar holder, and a piece of 1" rod inserted into the emitter to hold the piece in place for the milling. Not an ideal setup, but certainly better than some of the stuff I rigged up for Holly. I really like the effect of the added depth. The sound holes are milled in the emitters as well as slot for the LED wires to bypass the speaker. The sound holes are hidden by an overhang in the hilt. The recesses for the momentary switches are milled out, and now I just need to get them mounted/wired without grounding out against the hilt. I've been working on the fins and rods off and on during the project and the fins and rods are fit, but I still need to polish the fins. The polishing continues as pieces are completed, and there's not much more other than polishing and assembly. I need to drill/tap for the set screws to hold the emitters in place, and possibly figure out the small fins on the switches.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2835/9606461806_0d157b7397.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9606461806/)

Batosai
08-27-2013, 02:18 AM
damn.......
I'm speechless

amwolf
08-27-2013, 01:15 PM
Daaaaaaaaaarn that's sweet! (That's the family friendly version...)

YoRn Mangers
08-27-2013, 08:42 PM
Absolutely beautiful dosn't do this justice. What is your etching setup?

rogue9607
08-28-2013, 03:25 AM
Thank you. I'm using a solution of water, salt, and copper sulfate (Zepp's Root Killer) for the etchant, toner transfer as a resist, and a capped segment of pvc pipe for a container.

YoRn Mangers
08-29-2013, 09:22 AM
Ahh I never thought to use copper sulfate. And I'm assuming you use a car battery as well? Thanks for the tip.

Silver Serpent
08-29-2013, 09:49 AM
It's an acid etch, so electricity isn't required.

South-Paw Jinn
08-29-2013, 10:09 AM
Maybe I missed it, sorry. First of, gorgeous saber. Is this steel that you are etching? I have been looking for an aluminum etchant, can you point me in the right direction?


Last night was a bit of a short night in the garage with continued sanding and filing... The fins really feel like the most tedious part of the build.

At lunch today I stopped by a sign shop to talk to them about cut vinyl to us as a resist and they gave me a sample piece. I used one of my wife's die cutters and did a quick test. The etchant I was using was rather old and weak, but the resist performed really well. After the etch, I was still able to peel the vinyl sticker up and reapply it securely to another piece. I'd like to go a bit deeper, that that's more a result of the etchant rather than the resist.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/9352623077_73d8dd3a52.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9352623077/)
1. Pre-etch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9355327944/in/photostream/), 2. Immediately post-etch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9352551443/in/photostream/), 3. After buffing (low angle) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9355325558/in/photostream/), 4. After buffing (high angle) ("http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/9355324010/in/photostream/)

Silver Serpent
08-29-2013, 11:27 AM
I use Ferric Chloride (PCB etchant) for aluminum etching. I dilute mine in a 2:1 acid to water solution, to slow the reaction down a bit. Copper Sulfate (Zep's Root Kill) is what is being used by rogue9607 on the saber in this thread. I'm not sure what specific concentrations he is using.

rogue9607
08-29-2013, 11:57 AM
I'll be rather slow replying since I'm heading to Dragon*Con.. . Thanks for the replies Silver Serpent.

All of my etching has been in aluminum, without electricity. If I remember correctly, for the last batch I used 1.5 cups of root killer, 1.5 cups salt, and 8 cups of water. I can share links when I get back to my computer next week.

South-Paw Jinn
08-29-2013, 12:33 PM
Thanks Silver. The FC, is that a paste solution? I'm trying to avoid submerging, I really only want to do a small emblem, or similar, and would like to avoid masking the whole piece to etch a 1X1" section, you know?


I use Ferric Chloride (PCB etchant) for aluminum etching. I dilute mine in a 2:1 acid to water solution, to slow the reaction down a bit. Copper Sulfate (Zep's Root Kill) is what is being used by rogue9607 on the saber in this thread. I'm not sure what specific concentrations he is using.

Silver Serpent
08-29-2013, 12:53 PM
I mask my parts with clear wide packing tape, and use it to close off the open ends.

The Ferric Chloride solution I use is a liquid. If you don't want to mask the entire piece, then there is an alternative method:

Get some latex gloves, safety goggles, a sponge, some FC etching solution, and a bucket of water. Mask your part as normal, then put on your gloves and goggles, and use the sponge to apply full-strength etchant to the exposed aluminum. Be careful, as spilling the etchant will leave stains or chemical burns. It's best to do this outside, to avoid buildup of toxic fumes. Dunk your part in the water when you are done etching, to stop the reaction.

You can get a visible etch after wiping the sponge over the part for a minute or two. Keep it up until you get the depth you're looking for.

koko kama
08-29-2013, 06:35 PM
WOW! there's certainly no slowing you down.

Well I'm gonna give the sliding switches a go on my current scrap parts saber,
its not really a Satele saber more like a Corran Horn saber really.

will post a link rather than hijack your thread ha ha

slothfurnace
08-29-2013, 07:25 PM
Looking fantastic! Giant slothpoints to you!!

rogue9607
03-24-2014, 09:19 AM
So, long time with no updates, but she's finally done!

Introducing Lula Mae!

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/13382731355_689cec1764.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13382731355/)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/13382724115_5173e5e752.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13382724115/)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/13382661875_0a7a78f7b1.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13382661875/)

I made Lula Mae for another RL member, Abby Dark-Star to go with her incredible Satele Shan costume. Compared to Holly, I've added a taper to the center hilt section, used accurate artwork for the etchings, improved the accuracy of the switches, and milled out the slots in the emitters.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/13382668855_7e868398d2.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13382668855/)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/13382825323_91b7a48360.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13382825323/)

Also, the sound holes are hidden under an overhang between the center hilt and each emitter.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3784/13382844053_dfe920c68e.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13382844053/)

I used blue blades to give a better effect in photographs and painted the tips to match.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/13383069624_07675c76ac.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13383069624/)
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3804/13382860473_baa9fe4bef.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13382860473/)

Here's the family portrait before she shipped off, though Varjack was off on holiday and couldn't make it...
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/13383089844_bb8b897e5d.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/13383089844/)

Forgetful Jedi Knight
03-24-2014, 09:22 AM
Excellent work!

Silver Serpent
03-24-2014, 09:23 AM
Those are some truly magnificent sabers! The detail is absolutely fantastic!

I can't imagine the new owner will be any less than thrilled.

rogue9607
03-24-2014, 09:33 AM
Those are some truly magnificent sabers! The detail is absolutely fantastic!

I can't imagine the new owner will be any less than thrilled.

Thank you!

She couldn't be happier with it. If interested, here's her unboxing vid...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRb0e8NbRwI&feature=youtu.be

Gnar-Gnar Gin
03-24-2014, 10:32 AM
freaking gorgeous! well done!

Starwinder
03-24-2014, 10:56 AM
Absolutely beautiful work ... again! :)

amwolf
03-24-2014, 02:27 PM
Wow. Just... wow. Beautiful saber.

AckAck
03-24-2014, 04:42 PM
Wow! That is gorgeous! And very inspiring. Just wow!

Sevinzol
03-24-2014, 08:51 PM
A true work of art.

Batosai
03-25-2014, 05:56 AM
a true piece of art. I wish one day I can build a saber only half as cool as yours

Darth Ryo
03-26-2014, 11:40 AM
Awesome, I'm speechless really :mrgreen: