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View Full Version : MHS Mara Jade ALMOST DONE



Kamurah
12-09-2007, 09:12 AM
Well...I almost have her finished. I say almost because the most tedious task still remains....those pesky grips. BUT...the rest of her is done.

I finally finished the switch assembly last night and thought I would post a few pics. I'll post a final version in the gallery once the grips are on. Please note final cleanup and polishing hasn't been done yet :)

She'll be run off of a MR FX board with a Red Lux III.

All the parts are MHS except for the activation box, which is Parks.

Cheers.

FULL
http://homepage.mac.com/richlisagreen/.Pictures/MJ1.jpg

SWITCH
http://homepage.mac.com/richlisagreen/.Pictures/MJ3.jpg

FULL3
http://homepage.mac.com/richlisagreen/.Pictures/MJ4.jpg

Barmic Rin
12-09-2007, 09:17 AM
Man!!!! That IS NICCCCEEEEEE!!!!!!

I was looking at doing a 'more masculine' version for a mate of mine, but that looks so cool! :D

Kamurah
12-09-2007, 10:56 AM
Thanks BR :D

I am actually making this one for my wife. She said of all the saber designs, this version of the Mara Jade looked the most "H.R. Giger-ish" to her.....so I figured I had to make it for her :P

Hasid Lafre
12-09-2007, 11:15 AM
Very sweet, very sweet indeed!

Er Dan Gill
12-09-2007, 12:13 PM
Wow. That's a great looking saber.

Lord Maul
12-09-2007, 12:42 PM
N-I-C-E

Did you put O Rings in the grooves in the hilt, or paint them?

Kamurah
12-09-2007, 01:03 PM
Thanks guys...I appreciate the comments :D

Maul: It's enamel paint. The biggest pain with that one was masking all those rings properly and then doing cleanup of the overspray / seepage a day later with acetone and about a bazillion q-tips....but I like the way it turned out so I guess it was worth it.

TimeRender
12-09-2007, 01:10 PM
Giger-ish... Odd... I don't see any naked female alien genitalia anywhere on that lightsaber... Anyway I have a question. How tall is that control box?

Kamurah
12-09-2007, 01:21 PM
Giger-ish... Odd... I don't see any naked female alien genitalia anywhere on that lightsaber... Anyway I have a question. How tall is that control box?

LOL.....I agree.....but, her words not mine...I've stopped trying to understand and just go with it.

Control box is 3/4th of an inch. For the total height, add another 1/10th of an inch for the bottom sleeve, which is a halved MHS sink tube adapter.

Hasid Lafre
12-09-2007, 02:30 PM
I think you pulled off that hilt design very nicly.

Kamurah
12-09-2007, 03:13 PM
Thanks Hasid :) but I still have those @#$% grips to contend with....am terribly afraid I will botch the whole thing....which would make me cry.

:oops:

Hasid Lafre
12-10-2007, 01:02 AM
Nah just take it slow and if your unsure of them staying see if you can put some tiny tiny screws in place to hold them.

B5813
12-10-2007, 02:58 PM
I'd suggest using a few screw down hose clamps to mount the metal strips to the handle before you begin the drill/tap process. That way you can be sure all strips are lined up right and if they don't but together end to end you can make sure they are spaced evenly. Tighten the hose clamps down tight and they'll keep the strips steady for the drilling/tapping.

DarrynVarson117
12-10-2007, 03:30 PM
That saber is gorgeous. Really nice work.

chaos
12-10-2007, 03:35 PM
Thats cool, can't wait to see it finished. I was planning on making a Mara Jade MHS saber at some point myself, but that will be a while as I have other sabers to finish first.

Ghostbat
12-10-2007, 04:38 PM
I'd suggest using a few screw down hose clamps to mount the metal strips to the handle before you begin the drill/tap process. That way you can be sure all strips are lined up right and if they don't but together end to end you can make sure they are spaced evenly. Tighten the hose clamps down tight and they'll keep the strips steady for the drilling/tapping.

*blink*

I seriously would not have thought of that, good idea!

Darth Zecks
12-12-2007, 08:45 PM
Well done Kamurah, can't wait to see it done.

yattle
12-14-2007, 07:21 PM
GREAT Saber, will you be putting a blade in it? If so what color will it be?
Yattle :?

Kamurah
12-17-2007, 04:12 PM
GREAT Saber, will you be putting a blade in it? If so what color will it be?
Yattle :?

Thanks :)

I will be using a Red Lux III driven from a MR Vader soundboard.



Got the grips installed this weekend. In the final stretch now....have some JB Weld to apply to hold spacers and the activation box....and then the electronics assembly, cleanup, and polish.

Man will I be glad when this one is done.....tapping 30 screws is time-consuming! :shock:

Grips aren't EXACTLY like the MR version...I changed it a bit...but it turned out interesting so it's all good.

Darth_swarze
12-19-2007, 01:16 AM
Hey i love ur MARA JADE saber wow looks awesome,just have a question if you dont mind answering, how did you get the black in between the line cracks so perfectly? is that paint? did u use pint tape or something?? cuz it looks 100% perfect and it would really help me, thanks! and isn't mara jade supose to have a red blade? i guess purple or red u can use depending if you go with episode 7-9 which will be red, but the expanded universe she use's purple looks good either wat

please post back

Kamurah
12-19-2007, 04:25 AM
Hey i love ur MARA JADE saber wow looks awesome,just have a question if you dont mind answering, how did you get the black in between the line cracks so perfectly? is that paint? did u use pint tape or something?? cuz it looks 100% perfect and it would really help me, thanks! and isn't mara jade supose to have a red blade? i guess purple or red u can use depending if you go with episode 7-9 which will be red, but the expanded universe she use's purple looks good either wat

please post back

Hiya DS,
Thanks for the comments. The black rings are enamel paint. I used Rustoleum spray (matte not shiny). I carefully taped off each space using painter's tape, applied first coat....waited about an hour, then did a second coat.

I then let the hilt dry for a day or so....and removed the tape. Keep in mind, enamel takes an extremely long time to dry fully so the paint was still 'tacky' at this point.

Then I took some acetone and used q-tips (LOTS) to clean the edges of the lines so there were no overspray or drip marks (these occur to a degree no matter how well you tape).

The process is extremely time consuming and tedious, but I really like the results, and am going to be painting more pieces in the future. :)

I chose to use a RED Luxeon because I personally think it will look good with this hilt. I do not know of another way to get purple other than using filters on a white LED, so I just stuck with RED.

Cheers

Hasid Lafre
12-19-2007, 11:11 AM
you could ask do clo to make you a purple led stup, or you can get a p4 white led and use a purple filter. The p4 is an awsome led.

Darth_swarze
12-19-2007, 04:30 PM
honestly the best way to make a purple saber is with an atlas led and a filter, but u cant use corbins film only or the filter wont be powerful enough,use an ultra blade or polypropenol it looks the best

Hasid Lafre
12-19-2007, 06:35 PM
you need quite a bit of power to run an atlis and still only get minamul results.

Get a p4

Kamurah
12-19-2007, 06:50 PM
Gentlemen...I appreciate all the inputs....really I do....however....


It is going to be a RED LUXEON III. It is already installed. The end. :D


Good discussion on the purple ideas though :lol:

Darth_swarze
12-19-2007, 08:40 PM
Sorry but i have to continue this or atleast say this last thing, the atlas you can run on 7.4 volts or 9v,which isnt bad u'll need that amount if you put sound anyway, but many people count the atlas out right off the bat cuz they have never tried it with purple, the atlas filtered with any color is way brighter and looks better then the k2 filtered

if u use an ultra blade or somthing simillar, and you can only try like one or two purples with the k2 cuz its not strong enough, if you look at my profile under pictures you should see many atlas examples

you can make almost any color look good with the atlas...

the best and brightest purple is thriough the atlas.. check it out.

p.s. but dont use corbin film only cuz it will get over powered, if you do ant to use corbin film then combine it with polypropenol,either way just film only looks better to me.

RED will look better on your saber anyways cuz it will be nice and bright and go good with it

B5813
12-20-2007, 02:47 PM
It's safe to say we eagerly await the finished product. I'm going to start a MJ style grip I can swap on my current hilt and I'm not really really psyched about drilling/tapping 24 to 30 6/32 holes. I guess I'll see soon enough but are you using brass strips on the handle?

Hasid Lafre
12-22-2007, 03:39 PM
But the fact of the matter is this, do you have the space for the batteries and other goodies like sound boards and the like? prolly not. Thats why I mentioned the p4 cause it has teh same spects and requirements as a luxIII but cranks out more lumens.

It will look intresting in a red, I would of went with a redo for a slightly different look. I think red os look better than plan old red.

Its all about space and effecincy and in most cases a 7.4V demanding led isent bery effecent in most hilt cases.

Vargas
12-22-2007, 05:17 PM
freakin love it one of my fav lightsabers

DaJoQuim
12-23-2007, 07:50 PM
wow my friend that's a sweet saber!!

Kamurah
12-26-2007, 06:43 AM
Thanks again everyone for the kind words. I have finished her up...and will try to post pics this afternoon. I am very pleased with the way she turned out....BUT....I don't think I am willing to go to this much trouble / stress over a saber again...lol.

B5813: The strips are aluminum. I happened to find a seller on ebay selling a set of MJ grips (very odd and specific thing to sell, but it worked out because I needed them). I used those grips and an aluminum spacer kit sold here (the one used with the rubber grip set).

Activator box assembly is held in place via JB Weld, as are the spacers in the grips. Emitter is the luke emitter from TCSS, but I had to cut pvc to fit in the gap so the rubber strips would have a continuous surface to adhere to.

There is a separate blade retention screw, as the Graflex red button screw is not long enough to pass through the thick section of the emitter and hold a blade.


My next project is building a couple of dueling sabers for me and my son :D
Gonna do some Lux V's and no sound.....bare bones....built for functionality not style.

Kamurah
12-26-2007, 02:35 PM
Well....

Here she is....
Thanks again for all the comments!

http://homepage.mac.com/richlisagreen/.Pictures/IMG_7671edit.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/richlisagreen/.Pictures/IMG_7673edit.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/richlisagreen/.Pictures/IMG_7674edit.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/richlisagreen/.Pictures/IMG_7676edit.jpg

Lord Maul
12-26-2007, 02:39 PM
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n187/aluke_2006/Smilies/icon_drooling3.gif

Dude, that thing is freakin beautiful. You did a fantastic job with those grips. :cool:

Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie
12-26-2007, 02:41 PM
Very nice! Well done!

Your hard work paid off in a saber you can be proud of.

Darth Tollo
12-26-2007, 03:19 PM
BAM! That is how it is done.:shock:

Tom Starkiller
12-26-2007, 03:25 PM
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet dude! :D

ArkaiHalon
12-26-2007, 04:14 PM
That is a BEAUTIFUL

[ jedimindtrick ]

you will send me that beautiful saber

[ /jedimindtrick ]

Kamurah
12-26-2007, 04:25 PM
Guys...I am humbled by your comments. Thanks so much...it makes all the effort seem worth it when there are such supportive people here who truly understand and appreciate the work that goes into a hilt like this.

vortextwist
12-26-2007, 04:27 PM
very nice man! Looks awsome.

Zero Unit
12-26-2007, 05:16 PM
"I have not seen a saber like that since..."

Superb job there my friend, I love it, and I'm 500% positive that the recipient will love it too. :)

Hasid Lafre
12-26-2007, 11:34 PM
Man everyones building these awsome sabers latly and mine look like poo.

upgrade I must!

strengthofrage
12-27-2007, 06:12 AM
That is gorgeous... those grips really pop, must have been tough to do.

Simply gorgeous my friend.

Arm on Fire
12-27-2007, 08:23 AM
man that rocks!, one of the best looking mara jade's ive seen, the mix of mhs, parks and your own work is seamless, great job!

Jay-gon Jinn
12-27-2007, 08:35 AM
Very nicely done!

Ashron
12-27-2007, 06:59 PM
Sweet saber man. All i can say is wow.

Tom Starkiller
12-28-2007, 05:08 AM
Man everyones building these awsome sabers latly and mine look like poo.

upgrade I must!

Don't worry, you're ahead of me............ for now ;)

Hasid Lafre
12-28-2007, 05:49 AM
No man my friends basic 1.25" sinktube looks better than mine.

I must redo my hilt as soon as I can, Iam actually starting to hate it.

B5813
12-28-2007, 09:02 AM
Sweet deal that there were actual MJ handle strips to purchase/use. No doubt that alone took alot of the bite out of an already time consuming build.

Kamurah
12-28-2007, 09:29 AM
Sweet deal that there were actual MJ handle strips to purchase/use. No doubt that alone took alot of the bite out of an already time consuming build.

You can say that again :O

I couldn't believe my luck in finding those....the only problem was...once they arrived, I realized there were not enough of them to make the band continuous (obviously the MR version (or wherever this came from) has a smaller diameter than the TCSS hilts).

Luckily I had those spacers left over from an earlier project and they fit the bill nicely. They were not as long as the original grips, but rather than cut the grips, I just did the staggered layout you see in the photos. I used rubber bands (a variation on the hose clamp idea) to hold everything in place as I figured out how to arrange the grips.

For anyone wanting to try the metal grips on a hilt, I found the easiest thing (for me) was to drill holes with everything in place rather than drill holes first. Your mileage may vary on that one though....I do not have any kind of precision drill press, so this was a very "one-off" procedure.

B5813
12-28-2007, 12:00 PM
I agree with doing the drilling/tapping through the strip and handle at once. A nice, sharp center punch was an important tool for me to definitely center the holes in each strip. That's a damn nice saber you built... I've been liking the handle on this model for a while as is and yours is really nice.