Sourcing Crystal Chamber Parts and Chassis Cover

[Darth Nurse]

I have collected a few odds and ends to build a CC on my next build.

I plan to use TCSS chassis discs #2 and #5 for the ends. I have brass fittings from Home Depot that will hold the crystal and LED. I have brass tubing from TCSS, and I ordered some quartz crystals from Amazon.

Now, I have seen folks use some very cool looking flexible brass tubing and other types of small brass tubing so and wires. Where are you guys sourcing this?

Also, I am looking for ideas to shroud the battery and sound card, so that it looks cool when the handle is removed. Perforated brass sheet? Problem is that it needs to be something breathable, removeable and thin enough to fit inside the MHS tube.

Hopefully all that makes sense!

[darth_chasm]

K&S metals is a hobby metal manufacturer that makes the small tubes, bars, rounds, sheets, etc. I pick it up at either a local Blick art supply or the Rainbow hardware store near me. Just yesterday I picked up a 1lb bag of scrap they sell. Full of different sizes and shapes. $15

Whatever you choose for the board and battery make sure it's insulated in one way or another. Don't want any shorts. Why not try pvc and paint it the way you want it to look?

[Darth Nurse]

Issue with pvc may be thickness, but I will look at that option. Thanks!

[Darth Nurse]

Any other ideas for encasing the battery and board? I plan to build on a TCSS chassis system and encase that somehow and still have it fit in the handle.

[darth_chasm]

An idea I was toying with at one point was to use the disks for 1.15 id parts inside an aluminum tube with a 1.25 OD. Problem was, I didn't want to turn down the tube by hand and the closest corresponding ID I could find was 1.18.

Maybe you can brainstorm on this track...

[Darth Nurse]

An idea I was toying with at one point was to use the disks for 1.15 id parts inside an aluminum tube with a 1.25 OD. Problem was, I didn't want to turn down the tube by hand and the closest corresponding ID I could find was 1.18.

Maybe you can brainstorm on this track...

If I were using the NB this would have been viable. I was looking to see if there were any 1.15 discs for the PC/Prizm, but there were not. I have time since I am waiting for the metal chassis discs to come back in stock. So, my big issue would be clearance.

I have seen some killer chassis where it looked like what a real saber would look like and all the battery and electronics were well hidden. I do not have any fancy machinery so I am trying to brainstorm ways to do it.

[darth_chasm]

Yeah most of those were done with machines. It would be nice to have all those toys.

Im working on a full reveal now as well. I've opted to go the 3D printed route. I'll probably have a small update to the build log today if you want to check it out.

[Darth Nurse]

Yeah most of those were done with machines. It would be nice to have all those toys.

Im working on a full reveal now as well. I've opted to go the 3D printed route. I'll probably have a small update to the build log today if you want to check it out.

Nice, I have seen a few 3D printed ones that are pretty cool, but I just prefer the look of metal.

[darth_chasm]

You can 3D print in metal ;)

Mine is a mix of both plastic and metal parts. You could do all metal if you wanted, but the cost may be ridiculous.

[NanoRex]

It's pretty expensive, but 3D printing can be done with metal as well. I've also seen "metallic plastic" 3D printing materials that are a mix of metal and plastic to give it a metallic look. If you need a really specialized part that would be difficult to make without machines, that's always an option.

[Darth Nurse]

It's pretty expensive, but 3D printing can be done with metal as well. I've also seen "metallic plastic" 3D printing materials that are a mix of metal and plastic to give it a metallic look. If you need a really specialized part that would be difficult to make without machines, that's always an option.

That's an idea. I think though, what I am looking for is a thin but fancy tube to cover the guts, but still fit inside the grip.

[darth_chasm]

Careful of metallic plastic. Because of the way it's made its more brittle than other materials.

[Darth Nurse]

I have an idea that I need to fully work out.

There is too tight a tolerance between the chassis discs and the inside of the saber. So, what if you could make perfectly sized spacer tubes that would sit outside the threaded rod but be the same OD as the chassis discs? This would male for a very clean presentation for a full reveal. You could make these tubes as simple or fancy as you like and out of whatever material you can source in the proper size (or roll your own if using metal).

[darth_chasm]

May work. Maintaining alignment may be an issue. Access to the electronics could be as well.

[Darth Nurse]

May work. Maintaining alignment may be an issue. Access to the electronics could be as well.

You could cut access grooves.

[darth_chasm]

Yes, that could be a solution.

That idea made me think of something to possibly address alignment. I don't know what the right terminology would be, but something like a straight dovetail where the sleeve and disc interlock? That could produce a very nice visual effect as well.

Edit: I just measured some 22 gauge 1.5" brass pipe and the wall thickness is ~0.025-0.28". On a 1.25" pipe that would give you an ID of ~1.2-1.194". The distance between the two outer edges of the 4-40 rods in a chassis disc is ~1.166". Looks like it would definitely slide over the rods and slide into an MHS part with some sanding of the OD; however, you'd have a bit of play between the 4-40s and the pipe. That extra space could possibly be filled with some of the brass tubes that I mentioned earlier in the thread.

[Darth Nurse]

You got a source for 1.25 pipe with that wall thickness?



Yes, that could be a solution.

That idea made me think of something to possibly address alignment. I don't know what the right terminology would be, but something like a straight dovetail where the sleeve and disc interlock? That could produce a very nice visual effect as well.

Edit: I just measured some 22 gauge 1.5" brass pipe and the wall thickness is ~0.025-0.28". On a 1.25" pipe that would give you an ID of ~1.2-1.194". The distance between the two outer edges of the 4-40 rods in a chassis disc is ~1.166". Looks like it would definitely slide over the rods and slide into an MHS part with some sanding of the OD; however, you'd have a bit of play between the 4-40s and the pipe. That extra space could possibly be filled with some of the brass tubes that I mentioned earlier in the thread.

[darth_chasm]

I would start in the plumbing section of a home improvement/hardware store and look for slip joints. That's where I got the 1.5". They should be marked as 22 gauge.

I have some supplies at home. I can check if it'll work.

[darth_chasm]

Ok, I had to dig in the old saber parts from the 90's but here you go. Some good news, some not bad but not great.

The good...

A 1.25" 22 gauge slip joint fits inside an MHS V1 part. This is even without sanding and the MHS part rotates smoothly around it.
13081

The 4-40s do fit inside the slip joint when inserted through chassis disks. And the chassis disks can sandwich the slip joint.
13082

The not so great...

As expected, there is a lot of play in the tolerance between the slip joint and the 4-40s. I think even if you tighten the disks down as much as possible, you'll still have too much play. You'll most likely need to figure out a way to lock the slip joint to the disks.
13083

[Jake]

http://www.midwestmodelrr.com/product/gmm87-01/
I used parts from this for my crystal chamber. Also some pieces I found from a computer disc drive and a broken micrometer I had laying around.

[Darth Nurse]

You could epoxy it to one disc?

[darth_chasm]

My first impression is that there may not be enough material contact to create a reliable bond. It could get messy too.