ATTN: Veterans. Need help/advice!

[trvrhrdy]

I'm new here. It's sweet that a forum exists for my most inner nerdom. I am looking to design and build my own saber from scratch. Although I have extensive experience in nearly all aspects of metal fabrication, I lack any machinery or tools (worked in commercial/industrial shops). My first question is, is there anyone on here that I can work with through correspondence in order to achieve this goal? Of course I understand that the design is completely my responsibility, but I would feel much more comfortable if someone were to assist me, or "hold my hand" so-to-speak. I was also wondering if anyone here makes a bulk list of parts that I can just buy and put together. It seems everywhere I look on the net, there is only a select few parts, which lack any variety, design, or colour scheme. I have become really inspired by the hilt designs I see at Saberforge, but for the inside and how it's put together, I really like what Rob at Genesis is doing. He really does a beautiful job, as well as keeping everything solid and authentic looking. Anyway, I would really appreciate any wisdom from our senior builders here in the forum. Cheers!


May the Force be with you.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

you do know this forum is part of a store that sell machined parts for building lightsabers, right? ;)

[darth_chasm]

Welcome aboard.

This forum is attached to a store that sells lightsaber parts and offers customization options as well. Top of page, link thats says STORE.

You'll find very quickly that you'll be hard pressed to find any hand holding. If you want to start designing you can take a look at the MHS builder which is the link at the top of the page that says MHS Builder. If you come up with something you like, you can post a pic here and the community can comment and give pointers etc. It's one of the best ways to learn and the way most of us have.

I also recommend watching all of the videos in the Video section of these forums. Rob (Madcow) has produced most of the videos and there are a few from our resident Mod FJK.

Good luck.

[Greenie]

Like so many others who came close to buying from those who remain nameless, surfing for sabers has lead you to here. Stop surfing now and start reading. Everything you need to know is here. I think I'm right in saying that many of us believe that learning, designing and building your OWN saber is a right of passage.
Welcome to the forums. Come on in, the water's fine ;)

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Welcome to the Forums.

[Silver Serpent]

Welcome to the forums. Building a saber from scratch without access to metalworking equipment is not the easiest thing to do. MHS parts put sabersmithing within the reach of nearly every Star Wars fan.

If you'd like to do it the long way, eastern57 put together a nice tutorial over on FX-Sabers. http://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=37406.0 You'll still need some tools, but nothing more expensive than a drill or Dremel.

[xl97]

I was also wondering if anyone here makes a bulk list of parts that I can just buy and put together. It seems everywhere I look on the net, there is only a select few parts, which lack any variety, design, or colour scheme.
May the Force be with you.


As mentioned this forum is part of a store front with a plethora of parts to choose from.
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/


It also has a builder you can use to play around with to design things before you buy the parts:
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/mhsbuilder/mhsbuilder.php?tabid=38

[Miraluka]

AND on top of the selection of MHS parts, Tim can possibly do some custom metal work for you. Just contact him with your design. It costs extra, of course, but his rates have always seemed good to me. I actually have an order for 2 custom pieces in right now.