Blade assembly and Darth Maul question.

[Kurosawa]

Im planning to buy the darth maul conversion kit, but i hear that the stock blade will not fit. If i sand down the base of the blade, will it fit? More importanly, I am a noob at the whole assembling blades. What do i need to build a corbin style blade? I know that i need the poly C tube, a double wrap of the defuser, and the shouldered tip. Do i need both the adhesive disc and the mirror? and how do i go about assembling all of these components and with what type of glue? thanks.

[xwingband]

Once converted the stock Maul blade will not fit. You would have to sand it down to fit as it's now made to fit ANY 1" blade.

If you stuck with the stock one you would only need a mirror. I wouldn't use the adhesive disc (you need the rigidity). Just push it up with a dowel or maybe with the old foam diffuser.

[vortextwist]

or just buy a completed corbin blade. :)

[Steeljack]

Im planning to buy the darth maul conversion kit, but i hear that the stock blade will not fit. If i sand down the base of the blade, will it fit?

It's true that the stock Maul blades are slightly too large to fit into converted holders, but yes, if you sand down the stock blade, it will fit. That's what I did with mine. (Though I have a fair number of 1" blades at this point, I thought, "waste not, want not.") It's a straightforward process, if a slightly tedious one.

When I did the conversion, I poked the stock tips out of the top of the blade by running a long dowel the length of the blade. With the blade vertical, tip up, and the dowel's end resting on the floor, I gave a sharp jerk downward and -- presto. Plain tube ready for further mangulation.

I then glued some of Ultra's thin-walled shouldered tips in their place. Since the stock Maul blades have an inner diameter smaller than a thin-walled 1" blade, I also had to sand down the inner edge of the tube to get the Ultra tips to fit. (This was before Tim offered thick-walled shouldered tips here. I'm not sure if those will work unmodified in the Maul blades; when my next TCSS shipment arrives sometime this week, I'll be able to check and tell you.)

Personally, I find the mirror to be overkill -- the adhesive discs work perfectly with Tim's thick-walled shouldered tips. (I cut mine down just a tad -- I want a little light to leak past the edges to illuminate the tip itself.)


More importanly, I am a noob at the whole assembling blades. What do i need to build a corbin style blade? I know that i need the poly C tube, a double wrap of the defuser, and the shouldered tip. Do i need both the adhesive disc and the mirror? and how do i go about assembling all of these components and with what type of glue? thanks.

Like I said, I think the mirror's overkill with a shouldered tip.

You have two basic choices when it comes to glue: liquid or cement. The chemistry's the same in either case -- it's just a matter of viscosity. The liquid stuff is really good when the pieces to be joined fit snugly: capillary action pulls it right where it's needed. You just have to be careful to ensure that it only goes where you want it: use too much and it can run down the blade, leaving any plastic it touches hazy.

The cement is thicker, and so is a better choice when there's some slop between the parts being joined. It won't run; on the other hand, it can form fine strands that will slightly mar any plastic they land on. Also, depending on the relative humidity where you live, it can dry so quickly that you'll find yourself racing to lay it all down before it starts to lose its "tack". (I live in Northern California, where it definitely gets that dry in the summertime. Thus I generally prefer the liquid stuff.)

The glues go by various different names: J-B Weld is one of the most popular. Glues that work with acrylic should work with polycarbonate as well. If you have a TAP Plastics or similar store in your neck of the woods, the glues they carry will work well. If not, try a hardware store, or possibly a hobby shop. (Polystyrene solvents like Plastruct or even regular model glue may also work, although I haven't tried them myself yet.)

My personal preference is to glue in the tip first, and then insert the diffuser. All you'll need for the latter step is a long dowel, such as the one you used to knock out the original tip. Its diameter should be smaller than the inner diameter of the tube, but not too much. 3/4" worked well for me when converting my Maul blades. Roll the diffusing film onto the dowel, then insert the filmed dowel into the tube, keeping the film rolled tight as you do so. (Twisting the dowel against the direction of the wrap helps here.) When the film is fully inserted, let it go, and twist the dowel with the direction of the wrap. This will loosen the film's grip on it, and press it against the interior of the tube instead.

Slowly and gently withdraw the dowel. If the film wants to follow the dowel out a little, no worries -- just finish withdrawing the dowel and then bounce the blade on its tip a few times to re-seat the film.

Some people like to secure the film inside the blade with a thin bead of silicone glue, also known as "Room-Temperature Vulcanizing", or "RTV", around the edge of the film near the emitter. As far as I can tell, this isn't strictly necessary while the blade is in the saber, but it does keep the film from sliding out of a detached blade.

[Lord Maul]

the best glue for polyC is called Weld on 3 (http://www.rplastics.com/weldon3.html)

however, it is
This glue is illegal to use in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties by the Air Pollution Control office. Please choose Weld-On #4.

[vortextwist]

if you don't have a dowel find a deepwell socket and just put your thumb over the hole and hammer away. I used a couple of pieces out of an 3/4 inch air impact that was broke, works awsome.