A gift for my brother-in-law!

[pinkYeti]

I am incredibly excited to post in this forum having read soooo... many posts/articles from the Custom Saber Shop Forums ( CSSF ) over the last six months. I realize what I am about to attempt is extremely ambitious for my skill level. I'm hopping many of you will back me up and say, "Through caution to the wind"; and I am sure a few of you will say, "It's your first saber, take baby steps". Along with reading, over the past six months I have been assembling the necessary tools to create my first lightsaber, in hopes to gift it to my brother-in-law, a.k.a biggest StarWars* fan in my family. He currently displays all sorts of Lego* ships around the house virtually in every room. He has never had a prop to the level of realism I intend to create for him.

The largest and most expensive tool i my arsenal is a precision metal mini lathe. I have had it for many years and feel quite proficient at creating all manner of things with it. I recently acquired a quick change tool post and am in the process of attaching it to my lathe.

I have drawn out the blueprints, complete with measurements, representing my brother-in-laws future Luke Return Of The Jedi style saber. Apart from the pommel section and the control box I am confident I can create the Saber from Aluminum stock. I will be posting pictures and procedural progression on the CSSF. Once through the blueprinting process I thought it would be a good idea to acquire all the electronically guts( main LED, Heatsink, Switch, Wires, Battery power source, BuckPuck, accent LED's, Resistors ) needed to measure and fit inside the future housing. That's where you guys come in.

I have acquired a soldering iron, researched the basic DC electrical information needed to not fry the wiring or shock the wielder. Will post more info about this at a later date for others to peruse.

Ok, on to the stuff you care about: Lists!

So far in CSS cart:

- 4AAA battery holder
- Luxeon Rebel Star( Green )
- Luxeon Rebel Lens Holder
- Collimator Lens 8.7 deg
- Push on/Push off switch // a.k.a latching
- 1" Thick walled Trans White PolyC 40" long // I do realize 36" is the standard size
- Shouldered 1" thick walled blade tip with reflective disc
- MHS "new style" Short Heat Sink
- BuckPuck 1000mA 4-wire

First off, am I missing any parts?
Second, does anyone suggest a different product and why?
Third, Does anyone know the pitch, a.k.a in America, threads per inch of MHS parts? // Otherwise I'll use my pitch gauge once I receive the heatsink.
...and Last, What are the Pros/Cons of overdriving the main LED? // 1000mA vs 700mA, To my knowledge it might be brighter but the risk of harming or burning the LED will also increase;
// some color change will occur

[Silver Serpent]

You've got all the necessary electronics to make a functional stunt saber. You might consider switching to a 7.4v li-ion battery pack instead of the AAA alkalines. It's not necessary, but you'll get longer runtimes, and it'll save you money in the long run.

TCSS has top quality parts. The only time I recommend someone go somewhere else, is when you need something that TCSS doesn't carry.

You'll have to measure the thread pitch yourself. It's not openly discussed on the boards. You could get http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MHS-new-style-Heat-Sink-V4-P841.aspx and then the only threading you'll need to worry about would be on the parts you're fabricating.

Overdriving shortens the lifespan of an LED, but increases the brightness. We generally use 1000mA for most LEDs, except for the warm colored Rebels which take 700mA.

Since you have a lathe and are knowledgable in its use, you're at least one step ahead of most novice saberbuilders. Measure carefully, and keep in mind that space inside a saber fills up VERY fast. Good luck, and I look forward to seeing what you can come up with.