Dooku Hilt Progress

[Dark Navel]

Well,

Here's what I have so far.

Ohh...If someone can tell me how to attach the pic right in my post wwithout having to make it an attachment I would greatly appreciate it.


I hope to get this complete within the next 2 weeks or so. I still need to get Corbin's board to I can get rid of the annoying FOC blinking and so I can have the power up/power down effect.

I also need to get a blade (1" thin walled) and maybe the universal charger for the battery pack that I made (4-cell, 4.8V)

I just have to get the time to sit down and get it done but I'm a perfectionist and it has to be perfect. I also need to make a red switch that I will have to make that from scratch. I need to get my hands on a small piece of red poly or lexan.

Left to do:
1. Make the heatsink out of the copper washers so it fits inside the slight curve of the hilt.
2. Drill and mount the 3W red LED to the heatsink.
3. Finish sanding the PVC pommel part so the diamond grips sit flush and also paint it the metallic/gold color.
4. Make the handle mount with the correct grooves and cutouts for the grips.
5. Sand the bottom blade brace so it sits flush with the angle of the hilt.
6. Modify the pommel for the grooves, pre and chrome paint the pommel end and cap the top.
7. Make the pomell brace and sand it so it sits flush inside the pomell grooves.
8. Finish sanding the brass accent pieces.

I'm sure there's more but that's what I can think of right now. My wife is ready to kill me with the amount of time and $$ that I have put into this but I enjoy doing it.

I'm still debating whether to sell it on eBay but man have I sunk alot of time into this to let it go, it will be a tough call.


I'll keep the pics coming if anyone has an interest.

Ohh...If someone can tell me how to attach the pic right in my post wwithout having to make it an attachment I would greatly appreciate it.

DN

[Er Dan Gill]

Thats looking pretty good. What is the "claw" made from?

[sekrogue1985]

i will love to see it when it is finished i'd always found his hilt cool looking just something different from the usual stuff

[Darth_DevilGuy]

keep posting pics, should be interesting to see the progress on this one.

[Dark Navel]

Thanks guys...

The claw is made from billet aluminum, the body is 1.25" chromed pipe. The grips are real rubber with the diamond pattern just like the MR hilt.

I made more progress tonight.
1. The heatsink is complete as is the blade stop inside the hilt.
2. I made the brass "topper" mount flush with the curve of the top of the hilt.
3. The inside of the pomell is painted black in order to try to conceal the speaker better.

Trying to get everthing lined up so the lux and blade look respectable was a bear but I think I got it just right.

Right now my main goal is to get the pomell right. I am using conduit, (the only non-metal portion of the saber) and I am trying to see if chrome paint that is then clear coated will look good, or I may try to use aluminum tape and smooth it out and then polish it to a high gloss. I think I may have to take a trip on Monday to a supplier of mine and get real aluminum pipe that is thick enough so I can make the grooves in the pomell but find a piece that's not so thick that it won't accept the speaker. Again my main goal is to try to get this as accurate as possible.

Shrinking pics to the correct dimesions was tough as well but this hilt is almost identical to the original MR Dooku hilt. I must have at least 8-10 reference pics that I have been using. The tough part is going to be the grip area and the groove that runs along the sides and top.

If someone can tell me how to post the pics without using attachments I will be able to get better pics while the work continues.

DN

[Jay-gon Jinn]

To directly post the picture just type http :// www . image url here without the spaces, of course.

The picture should show right up in the post after you submit it.

[Dark Navel]

OK..I'm dumb and tired...So if the pic is in my pictures pull up the pic and type http :// www . image url here ??

Obviously wher it says "image url here" this is where I will put my pic name? How is it going to pull the pic from my computer??:confused:

[Lord Maul]

You need to upload the pictures to an picture host. I use www.photobucket.com

Upload the pictures to photobucket, and then copy and paste that url into the post.

[Dark Navel]

Ok makes sense..Thanks LM

[987654321a]

Its looking real good for a sinktube dooku. I like it! I was going to make a dooku but I didnt really like the style so I bought an MHS from Tim.

[xwingband]

For chrome paint, generally it sucks. If your expecting polished metal look you'll probably be disappointed. I think it's more accurate because the resin hilts they actual filmed with were rather craptacular.

[987654321a]

Didnt they chrome plate the resin hilts? I recall hearing that somewhere from the prop makers of the movies.

[Dark Navel]

Yeah..I really think a real auminum tube is going to be the pomell. I don't want to cheap out on this with the amount of time and $$ that I have already put into it.

[Dark Navel]

Need some help.

I don't have a drill press and I need to mount the LUX# to the heatsink that I made. Heatsink is made from copper washers that have been bonded with JB Weld. The washers are slightly offset in order to match the curve of the tube.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/heatsink.jpg

I guess I can mount it 1 of 3 ways:

Use copper screws to mount it to the heatsink
Use nylon screws that will have to be modified
Use JB Weld and glue it in place.

I will have to mount it offset on the heatsink as well in order for it to line-up properly. I am afraid that if I start to drill for either the copper of nylon screws I won't get them strait and it could turn into a mess.

Thoughts??

[Arm on Fire]

use thermal paste or thermal tape. Hey Dark navel where in Mass are you?

[Lord Maul]

Arm on Fire is right - use thermal paste. It will both help the heatsink function and it will secure the LED.

[Dark Navel]

Thermal paste..thanks...I guess I can get that at radio smack??

Fire, I'm in Springfield MA.

[Dark Navel]

Is thermal paste the same as thermal grease?? I need something to bond the LUX3 with the heatsink.

[Dark Navel]

Sorry...one more. Should i fill the hole in with either JB Weld or thermal paste or leave it the way it ts?

[987654321a]

You do not need to fill the hole with anything. Its fine as is.

And Thermal paste holds things together, Thermal grease just makes them slippery lol. Its good for gears that use lots of friction.


Also you dont need a drill press to drill holes in the heatsink. Just place your luxeon led on the area you want it to stay on, and mark 2 areas across each other and drill the holes with a regular drill.

Do it like so
The black part is the LED, the red arrows indicate where you should drill your holes.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l227/hydralics51/adf.jpg

[Lord Maul]

Try using the edit button instead of trippple posting Dark Navel ;)

[Dark Navel]

Sorry bout the triple post and thanks for the edit info.

Well I don't have a drill press and can't get access to one so I am apprehensive about using a regular drill. Been to a couple of machine shops round where I live and it's like pulling teeth for a favor. (Even been during work in uniform still I get the evil eye, maybe I smell bad or something)

Anyway, that's why I wanted to go with something that will bond the LUX to the heatsink without having to drill hole etc.

Will the thermal paste actually work as a "paste" and glue it to the heatsink or must I try to get it mounted with screws?

[Lord Maul]

Thermal paste is all you need. It'll hold the LED on solid. Xwing uses it to glue Rebels onto heatsinks.

[Dark Navel]

OK..Thanks again LM..I guess I'll be looking for the paste in the morning either at Radio Smack or at a local computer store.

[987654321a]

Why dont ya look on the last post of page 2. I showed you how to drill a hole in your heatsink. You dont need a drill press.


Edit- For the sake of looking here is my post. I guess you missed it

You do not need to fill the hole with anything. Its fine as is.

And Thermal paste holds things together, Thermal grease just makes them slippery lol. Its good for gears that use lots of friction.


Also you dont need a drill press to drill holes in the heatsink. Just place your luxeon led on the area you want it to stay on, and mark 2 areas across each other and drill the holes with a regular drill.

Do it like so
The black part is the LED, the red arrows indicate where you should drill your holes.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l227/hydralics51/adf.jpg

[Lord Maul]

Thermal past is easier for all concerned CD ;)

It's a lot less involved.

[Dark Navel]

Lord Maul, (or anyone else)

I went out a got a tube of Artic Silver 5 today. You state that this will essentially glue the LED to the heatsink correct? I read about thermal epoxies while researching this subject further.

Will it take some time for this to bond? Meaning, if I use the Artic Silver will I be able to start using the hilt etc or do I have of chance of dislodging the LED?

I guess coumpounds and epoxies are somewhat the same ans somewhat different so I wanted to check with others that have used this in the past.

[Lord Maul]

There will be a dry time for the paste...Look on the package, it'll tell you how long to wait.

[Dark Navel]

I guess this is the answer then:

"Due to the unique shape and sizes of the particles in Arctic Silver 5's conductive matrix, it will take a up to 200 hours and several thermal cycles to achieve maximum particle to particle thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach maximum conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on the heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) "

[987654321a]

That is not talking about how long it will set. If a glue took 200 hours to set, I would much rather go with drilling holes.

In fact its saying, if I am reading correctly, that for example, if you leave your led on (After this has set properly) for 200 hours, It cannot contain anymore heat and therefore will not be a good heatsink anymore until it cools down again.

[kiltedmikey]

I think what it was saying with the 200 hours is that it takes 200 hours before the Artic silver 5 with transfer heat from the LED(in this case) to the heat sink as efficiently as it can. Basically it will get better with age. But that does not answer the question of how long it takes to set.

[Lord Maul]

It'll say on the package. My guess would be a hour or two.

[Dark Navel]

Good old Radio Smack...Came in some kind of generic paackaging with not alot of info at all..Two hours is reasonable, thanks again.

DN

[Dark Navel]

Good news and bad news. My Lux will be cooler with the Artic 5...the bad news is the Artic 5 does not glue the LUX to the heatsink. (It's been on the heatsink for almost 2 days now) It looks like I will have to drill and tap to secure the LUX..oh well.

Progress update:
1. Red activator button almost complete.
2. The "hook" needed some major grinding and shaping from the dremel in order to match the curve of the hilt. Good thing I was wearing safety glasses and a mask...Looks like I just came in from an aluminum snowstorm.:lol:
3. Internal blademount almost complete.
4. Waitng for my delivery of the 1: OD blade and Corbins board.

Not much to show in the way of pics but once it really starts to take form I'll post em.

[Ghostbat]

Doh! I wish I had caught on to this tread a while ago.

No, thermal compound is not an adhesive, it's there to insure good transfer of heat from the component to the heat sink. Otherwise you would be gluing your CPU to your motherboard every time you put a computer together. While the stuff is somewhat sticky that's not it's actual purpose.

Yes you will still need to screw the LED down or otherwise affix it to the heat sink.

[Dark Navel]

Yup..I just placed an order and didn't get the nylon screws. I was going to just in case the compound didn't work. I dn't want to spend less than a buck for the screws and then pay $5.00 for shipping.

Went to the hardware store and the has nothing. I do have a couple of small copper screws but I will have to shave the haed of the screw so it doesn't contact one of the solder points.

Second time I placed an order and then forgot about something else that I needed.:mad:

[Dark Navel]

Update:

I got some more done on the hilt:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/dooku20808.jpg

Need to make the grip, finish the brass pomell accents, the red trigger switch, get a hold of a small piece of aluminum for the hilt, make the pomell connector and a bunch more things.

The biggest thing was that flippin hook. Just trying to get the hook to match the angle of the hilt really sucked but now I need to just wet sand, polish and install.

I am also waiting on the blade and Corbin board from Tim but that is going to be a while. I talked to Tim today and he said it could take of to 2 weeks to "build" the blade.:cry:

Well its getting there...As soon as I have more worth posting I will.

DN

[987654321a]

Lookin great so far. Keep it up. I especially like that curved sink tube.

[Hasid Lafre]

Dont use metal screws to hold the led to the heatsink.

[Ghostbat]

Dont use metal screws to hold the led to the heatsink.

Word! the wait for nylon is better than the wait for a new LED :)

[Dark Navel]

Made the LUX/heatsink screws from some nylon screws that I found with my other stuff. I had to modify them but they worked out well.

I did find a nice pice of thick walled aluminum that I will be using fo the pomell end.

I need some input/help. I need to make the following part that is circled and keep in mind i don't have a lathe and can't find anyone who has the time to make me one. Any ideas how I can make this from other parts? Keep in mind I do have a dremel:http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/dookuaoring.jpg

[Arm on Fire]

Hey, dark there is a pretty good blueprint of a dooku someone did at
http://www.sitharchives.com/
it may help, also i think 2 sinktube flange nuts facing each other would resemble the piece you want, but if you get stuck email me and i may be able to machine a piece for you
armonfiredesigns@comcast.net
us newenglanda's gutta stick togetha.

[Dark Navel]

I would have to get a cost from you on the maching of the part. This hilt is all metal...I would hate to have to resort to plastic but if I have to I have to.

This piece would have to fit around a 1.25" OD hilt and have to be made from aluminum so I could polish it to try to match the chrome finish of the other pieces.

How much would you charge.

Send me an e-mail etc. so we can talk.

[Arm on Fire]

sounds good.talk to you soon.

[Arm on Fire]

Dark , tried to e-mail you thru the forum profile and it came up undeliverable. you can contact me thru my e-mail posted above if you still need help.

[Dark Navel]

Had some parts machined...I think they came out awesome. Just got a pacage in the mail today that included Corbin's board and a blade...Slow going but it's getting there.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DOOKUPARTS002.jpg

[ti-el_terall]

Those look very well done! Whoe helped you out on those?

[Dark Navel]

That would be the gentleman with his arm on fire...LOL

[ArkaiHalon]

those do look good. Can't wait to see the rest.

[Dark Navel]

Update as of 12am this morn:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/dooku20808.jpg
It's getting there but it's a slow process. Hopefully I can get the wiring done tonight...after that I need to secure the hook and get rid of the gap between it and the saber. Need to finish the grip and that has been a real pain, not to mention the tiny wires from the Hasbro board coming loose and having to resolder them.:mad: Trying to match the LED with the blade was a real chore as well but that's good to go. All in all its just the little things that need to be tidied up and it will be done. ETA 1 week (I hope).

[Dark Navel]

Wrong pic::rolleyes:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/update22008.jpg

[Arm on Fire]

Lookin good so far dark, keep the updates coming....:)

[xwingband]

Yup, that's a lot of dedication. It's a shame you have to use a Hasbro though...

[Hasid Lafre]

Quick someone get this guy a CF.

[xwingband]

Quick someone get this guy a CF.

hah, I think that sounds more like a volunteering than a pass-off! :P

[Darth Lars]

Nice! May I ask, where did you find that grip material?

[Dark Navel]

I really wish I had a CF..I think if I spend a penny more though my wife will divorce me..Lots of $$ and a ton of time does not make her happy..Trying to balance out my time with my family and my hobby is tough not to mention working 48hrs a week and going to school 2 nights a week..OUCH! I wish I could say working 48hrs a week would help me in the $$ department but being and EMT in Mass. doesn't pay much unless you're a Paramedic. That's why I'm going to school but it won't pay off until I get my cert. and that won't be until 2009. I decided to get into a profession (medical) where I could do something good for others. I was in sales for almost 8hrs previously but the stress there was really tough...It paid very well but I had to make the choice to get into the field I love.

On another note I may try to see if there are any openings at Hasbro in the development department of you guessed it...the portion that designs the lightsabers. The main Hasbro plant is about an 8 minute drive from my house. It's a stab in the dark but I do have a BS in Business Admin. as well as a minor in Computer Information Systems. Who knows maybe I can land a job there and then do Paramedicine perdiem. I guess time will tell.

[Dark Navel]

The grip material took me about a month to find...Idecided to go with my ist thoughts. I took an industrial glove, that someone would wear when they strip paint, and cut out the palm sections of the glove. The only problem that I have is that they are bright orange.

Since we're on the subject I need help from you saber enthusiasts: I need to make these black. I have experimented with black permanent marker and flat black paint. The marker rubs off over time and the black paint cracks when I bend it around the tube. I guess I could bend it around the tube and then paint it but it still may crack and I don't want to clear coat them because they will be shiny. I want these flat black like the original Dooku hilt.

Any thoughts on how I can make these black and avoid the problems stated?:confused:

[Darth_DevilGuy]

you might be able to dye them somehow, don't know if rubber will take dye though...

[Malaki Skywalker]

Speaking of Dooku hilts, heres the one neophyl made:

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg305/MalakiSkywalker/dookufinished1.jpg

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg305/MalakiSkywalker/dookufinished2.jpg

[Lord Maul]

Pastor Jedi makes Dooku grips. I'd link you to his site but that'd be inappropriate. This Dooku is looking SICK

[Dark Navel]

Thanks Lord Maul..

Having some issues. I have the following wired up and all works, well somewhat.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/soundHasbromodcorbin2.jpg
Darth Fender was right about the main slider switch...It does work, but just like he said in an earlier post so I have to replace it with a push-button style momentary...No big deal. My main issue is the clash sensor. This sensor is soldered directly to the Hasbro sound board. Although I do get all sounds I don't get the clash sound, at all. Is there a positive an negative for the sensor? Could I have it wired backwards to the Corbin board? The board isn't really labeled but you can see a bit in the second pic.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/has2.jpg
Any help would be great!!

[Lord Maul]

You should ideally use two clash sensors. Using only one gives out funny signals and tends to not work.

[Dark Navel]

OK..I guess I'll have to get one from one of my daughters toys...Where would I wire it up?

[Lord Maul]

You wire one sensor to the hasbro board, and one to the Corbin board.

[Treadingwolf]

The grip material took me about a month to find...Idecided to go with my ist thoughts. I took an industrial glove, that someone would wear when they strip paint, and cut out the palm sections of the glove. The only problem that I have is that they are bright orange.

Since we're on the subject I need help from you saber enthusiasts: I need to make these black. I have experimented with black permanent marker and flat black paint. The marker rubs off over time and the black paint cracks when I bend it around the tube. I guess I could bend it around the tube and then paint it but it still may crack and I don't want to clear coat them because they will be shiny. I want these flat black like the original Dooku hilt.

Any thoughts on how I can make these black and avoid the problems stated?:confused:

If they are chemical resistant you may not be able to dye them, but you could try using black leather dye. You can get it from most any Lobby Lobby, Michaels, or Tandy Leather.

[Dark Navel]

Lord Maul..
I'm trying to grasp what your'e saying. The clash sensor is already soldered onto the hasbro board so keep that one where it is and get rid of the connections that I have in the diagram that go from the Hasbro clash sensor to Corbin's board. Wire a 2nd clash sensor to the 2 points on Corbin's board. Is this correct? Can I wire a switch onto the 2nd sensor like I have in my diagram so I can simulate a blade clash or am I better off without it?

Thanks for the info Treadingwolf...I'll have to give that a try.

[Lord Maul]

Keep the clash sensor on the Hasbro board where it is. Remove any connections between the Hasbro sensor and the Corbin board. Take the new clash sensor and solder it to the Corbin board. A momentary button would work here as well.

[Dark Navel]

Thanks LM...Well now I'm having problems with the LED. It goes on then shuts off, not sure if I have a connection problem somewhere if it's the DPDT slide switch or what. The DPDT is a momentary but as Fender said I have to switch it back and forth twice to get the sound to go, which it does but now the friggin LED goes on then off. I checked my connections and them all seem solid but there's an issue somewhere.

It's gonna stink if I have to ditch the Hasbro board and have no sound at all but I'm going crazy over this issue:cry:

[Dark Navel]

OK found out that the battery pack is not charging. Either I have my connection port wired the wrong way or the battery charger is not charging the batteries for some reason. I made a male connection for the charger this evening and everthing seemed connected well.

Can anyone see if I did something wrong in my diagram??

[Hasid Lafre]

Yeah when the led has a steady blinkg it means the corbin board is telling you to charge your batteries. I told you a while back that your origional diagram wouldent work cause you needed another clash sensor.

as far as the grip material is conserned I would get some stingray skin.

[Dark Navel]

You were correct Hasid...I guess I'll chalk this one up to being stubborn. Can you see anything wrong with my recharge port connection? As stated before, the batteries aren't getting juice from the charger and it's either my connection from the batt. charger to the recharge port or a problem with the connections between the recharge port and the boards somewhere.

[Hasid Lafre]

You prolly got the wires mixed up on the recharge port end

Check the wiring forum for teh recharge port info.

[Dark Navel]

If you take a look on page 7 you can see how I have it wired up...See any issues there? (I also looked on the recharge port thread and tried to match how in looked in that picture). Question: In the Recharge Port Thread it shows what looks like a broken connection between the black and green wires...Do I need to connect these two wires together somehow??

[Hasid Lafre]

Humm, When I did mine I skiped the kill key setup which is what the images that can be found in that topic. On mine I just put the boards and battery pack + to the right pin and -s on the bottem pin, the one on the left I left alone.

I think thats how I did it. Your batteries not taking a charge could be a couple of things like the charger isent set to the right setting or your batteries just wont take a charge anymore.

[Dark Navel]

I guess I will disconnect the recharge port tonight and see if it is the port, batteries or the connector that I made for the recharge pack. The batteries are new so I don't think it is that although I have been known to be wrong, from time to time..LOL

Thanks Hasid

[Hasid Lafre]

It could be that the batteries arnt setup to recharge in that fashion

[Dark Navel]

Is that possible with rechargable batteries, where they won't charge?? I use a Vision Peak 2 ac/dc peak detection charger with a 4 AAA battery holder from Radio Shack...I made the male portion of the recharge port from a 12volt charger that was used with an old bellsouth mobile phone.

[Dark Navel]

Anyone know where I can get either a small sliding or pushbutton DPDT momentary switch from? I am stuck because the switch I have is wrong. According to Corbin I need a DPDT momentary switch to control the 2 boards (The hasbro board and Corbin's board)

[Sethski]

Dark Navel, that's coming along really nicely. If I had a pile of cash I'd treat you to a nice CF, it certainly warrants it, it's on its way to looking amazing.

Re: the grip material and blackening/colouring it.

I'm not sure how durable it would be, but you can buy paints that are specifically for leather and ones for textiles/fabrics too. They might rub off over time, but they're quite flexible and less prone to cracking or flaking. I've used the fabric paints to do designs on leather jackets before and they've held up pretty well over the years.

It's just a shame it's orange. I'm sure if you hunt around enough you must be able to get the same thing but black??

anyway, good luck with it and keep up the good work ;)

[Dark Navel]

Sethski...Thanks for the info on the paint, I'll have to search around. I wish I had the $$ for a CF, maybe I'll hit the lottery tonight because right now it's up to $275 million:rolleyes:

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I'm sure that I have seen ping-pong paddles with a diamond cut pattern on the rubber. Have you tried that route?

I did a quick Google search and found this too:

http://www.algeos.com/html/products/alternativa.htm

I didn't look at the site too much, but it looks interesting.

[Hasid Lafre]

As for the switch you can use the SPDT push button the store sells. its a double position and is a momantary switch.

[Dark Navel]

Corbin said I had to use a DPDT momentary switch and to make sure the wires coming from the HAsbro board did not tough the wires that went to his board...So can I use a SPDT switch or a DPDT switch like Corbin said??

Now I'm confused.:confused:

[Lord Maul]

Don't listen to Hasid. Use a DPDT switch. That is what everyone has always used.

[Hasid Lafre]

Hes using a hasbro board so he needs a momentary switch maul and the only way to get a 2 circut momentary switch is a SPDT. I have never seen a momentary DPDT switch. EVERY DPDT switch Ive ever looked at was latching.

[Dark Navel]

I just ordered 5 of these:
DPDT momentary pushbutton switch
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/switch.jpg

[Hasid Lafre]

Correction, then them are the first DPDT Momentary switches Ive ever seen.

I still dont see why a SPDT switch wouldent work. Everyone alwase suggested I could use one of them instead of a dpdt.

[Dark Navel]

I need to figure out how I can et the groove in the middle of the pommel, the groove that goes right underneath the drilled hole.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/dookupommel.jpg
I can use the dremmel, not a problem but I the groove will then be rough cut....So basically I need some advice on how I can make that groove smooth and shiny once I do make it...Sandpaper, fine grit and somehow gut it the a small screwdriver to get into the groove without hitting any other part of the pommel?

Suggestions??

[thejedilestat]

i would say use the dremmel then use sand parer followed by a buff pad that should work

if the buff pad dont work u could always take it to be chromed

[Dark Navel]

Thta's what I was thinking...It must cost a lot of $$ to get things chromed even though they're small. Where would I even look to go and get that done?

[Hasid Lafre]

I wouldent do anything to compramize the work of the pommel unless I had a pro do it.

[Dark Navel]

Update:

I think I am going to take Hasid's advice and not modify the pommell where the small groove lies in line with the brass accent. I am now waiting on the switches to come in from Canada. These are push button style DPDT momentary and will be hidden underneath the red activator switch in the pommell end.

Whats done: The electronics are pretty much good to go except for the switch that I just mentioned. The grip portion had to be cut with my dremmel and took a long time to get it right. I was thinking of cutting the small groove that is in between the upper and lower portion of the grip but I may just etch it to give it a similiar look. Right now I'm too afraid I will slip up and mar the grip section if I attempt to cut it. The blade that I received from TCSS was good with a double wrap of Corbin's film but the red LED wasn't bright enough so I have approx. 5 feet of polycarb film in there as well. I also had to put a blade stop in the curve of the hilt and glue that in but it's done.

What's left: Get the switch complete as stated. Finish the curved end near the pommell and the pomell itself. (I need to connect the two parts with aluminum square tube and run the speaker wire through it to the speaker.) Finish the accent piece that runs down the pommell and then connect to the bottom of it. Paint the curved portion that is just before the pomell the metallic silver color and mount the brass accent rod. Mount the "ring" that lies in front of the grip section and also the small ring that wraps aroung the bottom of the emitter. Drill and tap the "hook" and mount it.

I wish I could have finished this sooner but I am swamped with all kinds of stuff. This saber was very difficult to build but I guess that's because my aim was accuracy to the one used in the film.

The only thing is that I wish I had a better sound card than the Hasbro. Anything would be better but I guess the Hasbro is better than nothing. If anyone has anything better and would like to unload it cheap let me know:-(...you would think that being an EMT and taking care of ill and critically ill patients would pay more, but it doesn't. I guess my reward is helping others out in thier time of crisis. Anyway, I'll try to get some updated pics out later on today...(Being that it's now 1:45am Tuesday morning)

[Dark Navel]

Here's some pics as promised. Just a note I still have to polish it once completed so forgive the smuges, glue etc.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/prog1.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0070.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0078.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0076.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/withblde.jpg

[Sethski]

Coming on nicely there! This going to be fantastic when it's done - well worth the time and effort and skill that's gone into it. Look forward to seeing it all come together ;)

[Madcow]

Maybe I missed it, but how did you do the elbow near the pommel end? Is that plastic? PVC?

Looking good!

[987654321a]

Wow, you have come a long way from just a sink tube to this! Its looking great man! I cannot wait to see you slap an LED in that sucker and power it up!

[Hasid Lafre]

I thought where the grip went was a slight bend.

[Darth Zecks]

Looking good Navel, I might have to do a Dooku saber one of theses days. How much time do you think you've put into this?

[Dark Navel]

Sethski: Thanks!
MC: No plastic except for the part near the pomell and where the blade firs into the emitter. Used a vac tube instead of a sinktube. Thanks for the compliment!
987654321: The electronics are good to go except for the DPDT momentary switch and the installation. Coming in from Canada and it's been almost 2 weeks.ugghh! Again, thanks for the compliment.
Hasid: This hilt is almost identical to the real deal. I used a MR pic and scaled it to get the most accurate measurements. If you look at Dooku hilt pics you can see that once it's together it will be just like the original...Tough to see since its in pieces right now.
Darth Zecks: This was the hardest hilt to make...Even though I've only done a handfull, the amount of time on this one was enormous. I would estimate, once completed, I will have spent over 200hrs. (guestimated)

[LeMoel]

Hey im really impressed, the dooku hilt looks great and looks hard too. one thing i would suggest what alot of people dont do authetically is use the right type of paint, with your activator i would re paint it to something more acurate, maybe red acrylic paint would look the best go to

www.caswellplating.com/ vht/vht_quality.htm

look at the vht acrylic quick coat "fire red" would look identical to for the activator cuz urs right now is kind of a ruby red

and why are you ordering things from canada the dollar is higher then the american right no lol

[Dark Navel]

LeMoel,

I must have 30 diferent reference pics of this hilt to go by. Indeed the toy sabers appear to have a red acrylic type color but if you look at the MR hilt the activator is almost a transparent red. In the pics that I attached previously it does appear that the switch is somewhat of a ruby red but its not that bad when you look at it in real life.

Here is a pic of the MR Dooku switch:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/mr-dookuaotcsaber13.jpg

[LeMoel]

yah no wat you are 100% when it comes to theMR, sorry for confusing you but im my star wars book of the actual one they used for the movies its not a transparent red,and the hilt part isnt as chrome as much as the MR. but i guess its up to you either way,eitherway will look nice.

check out the picture from my book

[Dark Navel]

I think I'll keep the switch the same but after looking at my visual dictionary again it does appear as though that the power cell is a mix between a metallic silver and gold color. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

[LeMoel]

yeah your right, as i look at my dictionary it does appear like a metallic gold/silver hmm thats gonna be hard to hit, does anyone now there paint colors out there so he can hit this color perfectly or close??? its for the power cell

almost just loooks like a rough metallic silver to me.

no prob man, but either way you do it will look realistic, just depends how picky you want to be, keep posting those pic's look really authentic...

I hope i didn't miss this question through the threads but what blade do you plan on using?

ultra,corbin,tims?

[Dark Navel]

I think I am going to blend the paint myself. Experimented with it tonight using mostly metallic silver and a couple of drops of metallic gold. It looked pretty darn close if not right on. The blade is 36" in length double wrap Corbin film. After debating whether I wanted the coring effect with an ok light dispersment or adding 6' of polycarbonate wrap (celophane) I decided to go with the second. Wow what a difference...That blade is a nice even red and I'm using a 3 watt LUX. I may upgrade to a Cree or a Seoul P4 and use a red lens because the specs in lumens are insanely bright.

[LeMoel]

when you say red "lens" do you mean red filter?

[Hasid Lafre]

Iam guessint thats what he means, or he has a source for a actualy red led lense.

[LeMoel]

yeah he probly does mean filter,# 106 primary red lee filter makes the best red,ive tryed lee and rosculux filters and that is still the best one.Hmm i dont think a red lens would work that great if it is what hes talking about cuz i thuink it would fade...

if you need to order u lee filters i would do right away cuz sometimes it takes a little time to come in " swatch book"

/Users/shaunlemoel/Desktop/atlas.webarchive

this link should help you, its ho the atlas led looks filtered with red. this is the atlas filtered alone

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237/huskerbrewdad/Lightsabers/ratlasonly.jpg

then next to the 3 watt

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237/huskerbrewdad/Lightsabers/rboth.jpg

[Hasid Lafre]

One of ervs first sabers used a white led with a blue lense and it had pritty good results.

[LeMoel]

hmm thats interesting, does that mean a purple lens would also give good results?

do you or anyone have that picture of ervs saber with the blue lens? if you couldyou send it to me or tell me where to go to see it anyone?

my email is youngmetal_attack20@hotmail.com

[strengthofrage]

I think I remember Xwing or Nova saying that even though the lumens on a P4 are around 200, using a filter will cut it in half... I could be wrong.

[Dark Navel]

I could see it cutting in in half especially if using a dark color: red, purple, blue etc. Wonder how it would do with a yellow or amber filter...not that I am going to use anything but redbut just out of curiosity.

Anyone know what the lumens are for a normal red LUX III?

[Hasid Lafre]

A 240 lumen white with say a green filter will bring it down to around 140 lumens or so. Thats the guestimation nova came up with.

But for the blue lense pics there in the gallerys somewhere.

[Roshen]

as soon, as my P4 comes in i can get some photos of yellow.

[LeMoel]

a standard red three watt is 140 lumens is your going to basically get the same with a p4 (240 lumens) and a filter, but however if you compare and filtered p4 and a red luxeon then the red luxeon over powers it and and the top of the filtered blade fades or gets over powered, look at the picture example with the green, and thats with the atlas which is 282 lumens thats why i use atlas led, its the only led that is high enoiugh for a bright filtered blade and its not too too bright to make the blade white at the hilt. So with the atlas you wold have a 170-180 lumen filtered red.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237/huskerbrewdad/Lightsabers/gboth.jpg

[LeMoel]

Oh ya i forgot that i have a yellow filtered picture with a 272 lumen atlas led,and some other to give you guys an idea of how much lumens you lose.

Now all of these picture are with a very bright new apple mac computer flash,so it would be ever brighter in person

all pics used with ultra blade( with lee filters)

first picture is (oklahoma yellow)#767 page 130"looking forward to making a saber with this bright color".

2nd picture is (Magical Magneta) #795 page 70 " i feel this is the best mace windu purple and best purple period which ill be using for my first saber soon.

3rd is (sky blue) #68 nice R.O.S. blue

4th is (red) "not sure which red i used but i thought it would be good to post for the dooku saber"

5th is (jas green) " its really up close to the computer so the flash kills it but its really bright"

[LeMoel]

6th is (silver/white) wi lights on too ,not filtered)(very bright) same as do clo's saber

7th is (deep purple) which i think was a failure and too dark to be filtered,but ain't too bad i guess

8th is (millenium Gold)#778 page 119 makes a great orange.. " is actually really bright but being up close to the computer kills it a bit".

9 th is (medium purple)with lights on. " roscolux filter" not a bad purple little dark in pitch black.

10 th "just for the hell of it" i thought i would show you my experiment with 10-11 uv leds(like do clo's "7" led saber) " i feel like UV isnt really purple majorly, its more of a blue with a tad of purple in it and it isnt really that bright...

the reason i did all this research is because before i make my first "realistic" saber i wanted the best purple and the best way to view evertything.. so i just have made little test sabers... but now im getting ready to make my own out of a aluminum tube which is goign to be purple(magneta purple). so there ya go, let me know what you think of the colors peace:cool:

AND By the wayi emailed erv and he never used a "blue lens" he said all it was ,was a lens with a blue filter on it..

[xwingband]

IMO filtering is a bad idea. For saturation of color it will not be the same. There are very few colors that look good IMO through filtering, yellow and purple.

[strengthofrage]

I saw your Ani conversion with the P4 (i think it was a P4) and a purple filter on youtube, it looked pretty good Xwing. Marsupial's yellow filtered saber looks great too but I think that is a Cree.

[LeMoel]

Yeah x wing does make a good point , it just depends what you want, i want to work with all colors so im going make my "dueling" sabers filtered i think and if i make a quigon or some replica i'll use a rebel or a luxeon....

xwing you know those REd GREEN Blue leds, how do you ajust the color figuration on one to say make purple or some different color?

but i dont think they have made any with enough "lumens" or at the right price to make a good purple or different color have they?

[felix142]

Forgive me if you answered this and I missed it. What did you ultimately go with for "painting/staining" the grip material? Also, what was the manufacturer of the glove?

B.

[Dark Navel]

They are Mr. Clean stripping gloves and I am using a flat acyrlic based spray paint for now.

[Dark Navel]

Here's a quick question. Why does it only take a week to get supplies from France and well over 2 to get a product that is a couple of hundred miles from where I live? I live in Massachusetts and I ordered some DPDT momentary switches from Ontario, CA and it takes this long???

YUP..I AM FRUSTRATED!

Have to put the finishing work on hold because a lot of the placement of the electronics are going to be determined by the placement of this switch.

I's almost done though. I did manage to seperate the grip sections, top and bottom and they came out pretty good. I am glad because I was just going to etch the section but now it will look more like the original hilt. Finished up the curved section whee the trigger will go and also added the bracket that attached the trigger section to the pommell. Hopefully I'll be able to get this done in the next couple of day but I have a major paper dur for paramedic class and I have to work a 24hr shift on Saturday so these might hamper progress.

Here's a quick pick, (The top portion of the grip is drying under the electrical tape (JB WELD)):
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0081.jpg

[LeMoel]

LOOKING GOOD man niice, you might want to try E 6000 in the future instead of jbweld, just cuz its easyier to work with cuz its clear, and less messy.:idea:

for the long shipping its usually because of the shipping method you choose, and if there isn't any others you can choose then there isn't much you can do.

the france one probly has a better method. but i cant feel too sorry for you cuz everything i order is from the u.s. and it all usually takes two weeks, and i live at the bottom of B.C. canada and im just ordering from washington st. so ya its dumb but its how it is.. but different companies are better than others, if i were you i wouldnt go through Canada right now because of the equal dollar... on my side of things im loving the equal dollar hehe

i color of the power cell good job :p

[LeMoel]

hey "thejedilestat" I really don't appreciate what you said, I have lots of relatives in ontario. All because DarkNavel is has had trouble with one company isn't a reason to call people from ontario Lazy specially when theres people on this forum from there.... and it isn't going to help dark navel or anyone by making a post like that, so use your head next time and dont waste a post thank you.:mad:


on the other side of things yeah dark navel I wouldnt go through that company anymore... I have a good idea tho how about you give me the website and i'll see if theres anything im interested in , then if i buy something we will see how long it takes for mine to come in, cuz i live on the whole other side in British columbia so if i get it sooner then we will know for sure that they have crappy American shipping haha:cool:

[Hasid Lafre]

Lets not turn this into a fight.

Looking good, when you gonna have a compleated looking hilt for us to drool at? :P

[Dark Navel]

Hasid,

Lot's of things going on right now. I am still waiting for the switches (It will be 3 weeks Saturday since I ordered them but the supplier told me if I don't get them by then he's either going to send me a double order, qty. 10, or refund my money). Until I get the switches I'm stuck on installing the electronics. The 2-part grip section and grips should be complete within the next couple of days. I am tring to convince the wife to get a MR soundboard via the SW-616 from Radio Shack but that may or may not happen since I have already sunk well over $200.00 into building this and that would be just another cost. I also have a 20 page paper due Wednesday for Paramedic school so I need to get that done and I'm also working a 24hr shift on Saturday which will hamper progress. This has been taking a long time and to tell you the truth I'm getting tired and need to get this done but I'm committed in doing so.

All in all it's been a fun but VERY tedious project and I'm debating wheter to sell it via private collector or e-Bay if there is interest but I'm still not sure. It's hard to let something go when I have put so much time and effort into this hilt.

Anyway once the switches arrive it should be completed by next week or sooner. If I get the MR board I will have to install that with the help from these forums but that shouldn't take long.

So if anyone has an interest in it shoot me a pm or e-mail me.

DN

[Dark Navel]

So here's my dilema:

I need to figure out a way to activate the switch which is a DPDT switch where the plunger o the switch is springloaded. The plunger must travel to the bottom, inside the switch, and activate the quick contact in order to turn the saber on. The red switch is going to be on the bottom of the power cell just like the MR Dooku saber. I was thinking that I dril a small hole in the switch and put a small post in it. When I push it the small post that I made will hit the plunger and then activate the contact therefore igniting the lightsaber.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/switchquestion.jpg

Should I put a small spring underneath the red switch as well in order to return it back to its original position and put a piece of metal on the bottom of the red switch to keep it in place??

Thoughts?? I need your help.:confused:

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

re shipping 'delay' to Massachusetts from 'nearby' "Ontario CA"

The "Ontario" in CANADA would be postal system designated as Ontario CAN <-note the terminal "N"

Ontario CA <- note no terminal "N", might be Ontario CAlifornia - yes there IS an "Ontario" in California.

To further confuse things the top level Web domain for ALL of Canada is .ca...therefore if you type in "ontario.ca" in your browser you'll get the Canadian province of Ontario...but apparently the US city of Ontario, California also uses a .ca in its address: http://www.ci.ontario.ca.us/

So it IS confusing and I've had packages misrouted to California when I forget the "N" on the mailing address lol

Are you sure you didnt order parts from California?

In any event good luck with your Dooku hilt...MTFBWY

[Dark Navel]

Yup, got them from Canada not California..Anyway the seller is going to send me 10 free for the shipping problem. Anyway I still need input on my switch question...

ANYONE??

[LeMoel]

SWITCH:

I would go with the second which was the metal, the spring could break easily or bend the wrong way, i think the metal is more concrete, but i couoldnt tell you how exactly to do it tho:neutral:

[Dark Navel]

Almost done:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0084.jpg

Have to glue the grips on and coat them so the paint stays...Lucily they should still stay relatively a matte finish. I have to glue the pommel on, finish the switch activator, glue on the small ring that is near the base if the emitter
and in stall the electronics (Which is done but has to be mounted inside the hilt. Not to mention buff and polish the heck out of it.

The next set of photos posted should be the completed Dooku Hilt.

DN

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Wow thats amazing...well done!

[Malaki Skywalker]

Very NICE! :cool:

[Sethski]

Looking brilliant!

And re the switch? I'd imagine that a solid post connecting/extending the switch button to the plunger would be a better idea than a setup with a spring - I agree with LeMoel that there's less chance for things to go wrong that way.

[Drichar Deis]

SHINEY! WANT IT! GIVE IT TO ME! Please?
ha ha!

[Dark Navel]

Thanks for the compliments...Once completed and buffed to perfection you may see it on eBay but I'm still debating on whether to let it go or not. I'ts going to be a tough call but for the right price I just may sell it.

[ArkaiHalon]

It is a thing of beauty. after all the effort and time, I don't thinkyou should sell it.
You should give it a good home in a display cabinet. But that's if it was up to me. please keep us updated with the final assembly photos.:grin:

[Sethski]

I'd certainly consider fairly splurging on it if I was cashed up at the time :D

[LeMoel]

WOW great job, don sell it, post pictures of it all over the internet then charish it and display it at your house

when are you going to put the blade in?

[Dark Navel]

I plan on finishing the switch, and installing the electronics tonight...Actually I'm working on it right now but I decided to take a break.

The paint for the power cell had to be retouched and the grips are painted, protected and in place.

Left to do: Install the convertech knob, install the switch, install the FOC switch(still trying to figure out where to mount that and glue the small ring onto the emitter...Then finally it will be done.. If it's not done tonight it will be done before class tommorow night, I hope, LOL.

I must admit, it looks good.

[Hasid Lafre]

SIIIIICK!!!!!!

Yeah after all the time and effort and the Iam quite sure you spent what on what! kinda things keep it.

We dont have many awsome custom replicas on the forums, we got ambos obi tpm, we got madcows quigonn, and various others but nothing as sweet as this.

[Stinky Bantha]

Neophyl made a pretty awesome Dooku hilt, not sure on the accuracy, but to the untrained eye it looked pretty spot on.

[Hasid Lafre]

Does he still have it? I thought he made it for someone else thou?

[Dark Navel]

Need some help: I tried installing the AAA battery pack and I think the length of it will be too long. I need something smaller like a short lithium ion or coin type batteries and it needs to be 4.8volts or enough to power the led and not fry the hasbro sound board.

Things are so tight inside I thought I would have enough room but I don't thinh the battery pack will fit not only because of the inside diameter but also because of the wiring inside. I need something shorter than the length of the AAA's.

I have Corbin's driver as well as the Hasbro board powering a LUX III. I have read that Corbin's board can limit the power going to the LED but I want to make sure I dont fry the hasbro board. I know that board sucks but that's all I could afford. So could I go with 2 lithium's and not fry the boards?? I have also read that the Hasbro board can't take more than 6 volts or it will fry.

Thinking maybe two 3.7 volt lithium ions and resist it somehow so it will only give 6 volts instead of the 7.2volts that usually go with 2 lithium batteries...Electrical stuff is not my strong point, at all!!, so I need help on how I would resist the battery pack (where to put the resistor) and what resistor I would use.

HELP!

[Hasid Lafre]

You could get a regulator for the hasbro board and then you can use say the 7.2V liion pack that tim sells.

[Sethski]

Lithium Ion CR123A batteries come as 3V rather than 3.7. They'd still be a bit over that fully charged, so don't know if you'd still need a resistor, but it'd be a closer match (voltage-wise) if they'd fit (size-wise).

Good luck - I'm excited about seeing this finished lol :mrgreen:

[Novastar]

Very gorgeous hilt!

With a saber like that... I hate to be a "let's wipe the slate clean" kind of guy, but... I would scrap the idea of trying to tie together a bunch of boards, and look to go for a Crystal Focus next time it is available... or even search for one on Ebay?

Additionally, you might go for some kind of Force FX driver. It would be worth it with such a nice hilt.

I will say this. Any Force FX driver can be powered with a single 3.7v Li-Ion 18650 cell (or any model number, 14500 or whatever). It is enough to get a very bright saber, believe me.

Granted, would 4.5v or even 5v drive more current through? Certainly... but... you don't really need to if you go with a Luxeon III (1A max cont. current), or an LED looking more for 700ma.

I think it would save you space... wiring... headache... and the whole "wire this board to that, etc.".

BUT... all that being said--if you are DEADSET on doing a Hasbro in combination with the Corbin board, and stuffing it all into a smaller, curved hilt offering less room... I don't see a problem in trying two 3v Li-Primary cells with 6v.

Remember: it's only 6v with NO LOAD! In other words, when you wire those cells to the boards + LED... the actual voltage will drop. Now it's true that those 3v cells (as 3v + 3v = 6v) will initially begin more like 6.4v... but again... that is with NO LOAD.

Finally... pushing the Hasbro board with 6v is a worthy venture. If it kills it someday (or right away)... big deal. $10-$15, right? :)

[Dark Navel]

Thanks for the help Nova..I went with 2 3.0volt lithium-ion rechargables. I will have to order a li-ion charger from Tim since the one I have only does ni-mh and ni-cad. Looks like they are charged to the peak so that's good.

Stay tuned as I am going to finish the hilt tonight.:D

[Dark Navel]

Update:

Thank God but it's done...Just need to polish her up and get it ready for your review.

Pics should be posted no later than 10:15pm EST.

:D:D:D

[Dark Navel]

Here are the pics:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0108.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0107.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0106.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0109.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0110.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0111.jpg

Thank you to all that gave me your suggestions and expertise in order to construct this hilt. A special thanks to Arm on Fire for making a couple of the custom parts.

Now I can go back to living my life upstairs instead of in the basement.:D

[Lord Maul]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n187/aluke_2006/Smilies/icon_jawdrop.gif

DUDE!!! That thing is the definition of badass. FANTASTIC work DN :cool:

[luis rojas]

I have only one word: BRAVO!
Excelent masterpiece

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Well done! That saber is absolutely beautiful!

That one should definitely go in next year's calendar.

[Stinky Bantha]

Absolutely gorgeous! Hats off!

[xwingband]

If you sell it... give a shout. That's purdy!

[eastern57]

You know that cartoon where the guy wolf sees the girl wolf?
and his jaw drops open and his tongue shoots out and his eye bug?

Yeah, that's me right now.


OUTSTANDING WORK!

[BhujangiJedi]

Back to the basement with you! More sabers! MORE!MORE!

That's some fine work.

[Madcow]

Great work.
Thanks for taking us along!

MC

[psab keel]

And MR said it couldn't be done! Ha!

Absolutely perfect! The best Dooku I have ever seen. And the best part is that it has light and sound!

WOW!

[Sethski]

OMG! You've totally done it! That is absolutely effing fantastic! Amazing job! You should crack open some bubbly or something lol...

Words can't get across how impressed I am with this, I'm utterly gobsmacked by it's goodness, and it's not like I don't see a lot of awesome sabers on the forums here.

You should treasure this, it's off the scale of echelons of goodness.

Thanks for sharing the build process of it as well...


...oh, and if one distant day you want to sell it... well, count me among the peeps who'd love to buy it! But I think you should definitely hang on to it for at least a while, if not for good... and be sure to pick it up and swing it around and feel pleased with yourself as often as possible :mrgreen:

[987654321a]

Top notch work brother! That looks really great!

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

AMAZING!!!

Somebody needs to send this thread to Master Repl...errr I mean Hasbro...so they can see that a GREAT Dooku saber CAN be made and maybe they'll give us what we dream of...

...which is one exactly like THIS saber.

*drools with envy, and surely not the only one to*

CONGRATULATIONS you've set a new high mark in saber coolness!

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Great looking Dooku, Dark Naval! Well done!

[LeMoel]

I am speechless, it looks so authentic that it looks like Master replica did it, but even better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what kind of blade did you use? poly p/ corbins film?

[Malaki Skywalker]

VERY NICE! :cool: Hope to see some more sabers from this one i do. :)

[Arm on Fire]

Amazing, simply amazing :) Dark, you are truly a driven man to take on such a project , especialy for your first. Hope to see more from you .Exellent work, take a bow ,you deserve it. :)

[chaos]

Thats beyond excellent, theres not really much more I can say!!

[Eandori]

Fantastic looking saber. A hilt that nice DEFINATELY deserves a Crystal Focus board :)

[strengthofrage]

Incredibly done DN, just incredible! I second what Madcow said earlier, thanks for doing the progress thread, it was very cool to see this come together :)

[Dark Navel]

Thanks a lot for the compliments...I feel a bit better knowing that I did a good job in your eyes and I really appreciate it. I figure that I have over 200 hrs of custom work, including trying different products that didn't work well and didn't make it to the final saber. As far as $$ goes, let's say close to $300.00 my cost, again putting into consideration the costs for the parts, the little dremell parts to make it, etc...you get the idea.

Again, thanks for the compliments...They actually made me laugh outloud a couple of times.

To answer the question posted by LeMoel, the blade is about 34", polycarb with tip and a double wrap of Corbin's film from the TCSS store..of course. Inside that I rolled 6 feet of celophane to get the even dispersment of light inside the blade.

I need some advice...

I bought two 3.0volt lith-ion rechargable batteries to power this since the 4 AAA batteries wouldn't fit. I need to purchase a Lithium-ion battery charger that will charge these. I talked to Tim and he's not positive if his lith-ion charger will work since it charges in increments of 3.7 volts.

I made a battery pack where one battery is soldered on top of the other so I am looking for a universal charger. I need a relatively inexpensive solution that will work since I have already gone over my "allowence" from my wife.

Can someone tell me if Tim's will work or if you know of a similiar solution?

[Blazemann]

Here are the pics:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0108.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0107.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0106.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0109.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0110.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/t1made/DSCN0111.jpg

Thank you to all that gave me your suggestions and expertise in order to construct this hilt. A special thanks to Arm on Fire for making a couple of the custom parts.

Now I can go back to living my life upstairs instead of in the basement.:D


Awesome! BTW, I quoted your pics so that people who just now read this topic, don't have to flop through pages trying to find it!

[Dark Navel]

Thanks, much appreciated!:D

[Stinky Bantha]

As opposed to reposting the pics, you could just edit the title to have the page number with pics of the completed hilt.

[Dark Navel]

Any thoughts to the battery question/charger question that I posted earlier?

[sfer1]

Looks absolutely fantastic!!! :shock:

[LeMoel]

Universal battery charger ??

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NC8WJ7EJL._SS500_.jpg[/SIZE]

[Sethski]

It looks like that is just for NI-Mh from the "product features" bit of info.

http://www.amazon.com/Rayovac-Universal-Battery-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B000A0IL9C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1206719214&sr=8-1

I've been looking, but I've only seen chargers that charge the individual 3V CR123A batteries - the ones for battery packs all seem to go in steps 3.7, 7.4, etc, as I'm sure you've already found.

Is it possible to rig some sort of holder/connector/sleeve to connect the batteries in the limited space you have without soldering them?

[Dark Navel]

Yeah,

thats what I'm thinking of doing go with the cr123 holders and then get a charger...I wouls have to gerry rig the holders so I could have 1 battery on top of the other, a stick pack.

I think that may be my only option. Unfortunately Tim's universal charger only charges in 3.7volt increments and after chatting with him he's not sure if it will work.

I may have to go with a 3rd parties 3.0volt cr1213 batteries and charger.

[Hasid Lafre]

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!

[Dark Navel]

OK folks after much debate I am thinking of selling it...Yup. I am thinking of designing a new hilt and I really want the CF board. I know that this is not the place to sell things so I will be taking purchase prices for those that are interested.

Please send me an e-mail at t1made@verizon.net. If folks are way out of the ballpark then it will hit e-bay for what I think it's worth..Based on my costs and the amount of time building it.

X-wing and Sethski have dibs since they had an interest but is open for other bids.

Let me know.

[xwingband]

Prepare for a flood of e-mails and such. I said my offer, but I think there's probably more willing to shell out the $$$$. I've already got unique sabers out the wazoo so I won't feel like I lost.

[CybKnight]

To bad I don't have any more cash left, after buying my Obi-Wan LED.

This look awesome.

[sekrogue1985]

wow nice it looks great man

[Dark Navel]

Thanks again for all of your kind words...Well, I just sold it and I know it's going to a good home. A member on the Fx-Forums purchased it for $$ and a couple of sabers.

One of the sabers will be the Parks Obi AOTC but I will have to modify it with an LED and install a soundboard in it. I have an MR soundboard from the FX construction set that I plan on using and then use the diagram that Arm on Fire used on his latest creation. The one thing that's going to be tough is where to make the sound come out of the saber. I don't want to drill into the pommel but I am trying to figure out how I will do it while hiding the holes for the sound to leave the saber.

[eastern57]

Thanks again for all of your kind words...Well, I just sold it and I know it's going to a good home. A member on the Fx-Forums purchased it for $$ and a couple of sabers.



holy cow, money and sabers? plural? can't say I blame him, that thing was ridiculous, but I would've thrown in a first-born or two...

[Dark Navel]

:lol:LOL!! Too funny...Yeah plural. 1 Parks AOTC Obi and a Darth Vader ANH Master Replica. I had another bid A LOT and then he had to bow out...Then I had 2 more bid A LOT but I wanted the Parks and I know that the winner is A HUGE DOOKU fan..I wanted it to go to a good home. I need the $$ but it HAD to go to someone that would cherish it.

[Sethski]

Really glad that this worked out good and is going to a an appreciative home for a decent amount - especially as I 'd gotten carried away and realised I couldn't afford to follow through with my initial interest :oops:...

Re the sound in the Obi-Wan, Yoda (/Meridian) at FX-Sabers has done some decent conversions of Obi-Wan TPM/AOTC hilts and integrated hidden discrete sound somehow - although he's not really explained how he's achieved this, it's gotta be worth PMing him for ideas?

The only way I can think of that you could get sound holes incorporated that you actually don't see is if you had the holes above the pommel/below the cut through grip area and actually underneath the outer metal sleeve, with that ground/machined away a bit on the inside so that the sound could get out from under the silver outer sleeve at the bottom of the black/silver grip area.

I don't know if I explained that very well, if it doesn't make sense but you'd like to know what I mean I can make a sketch.

Anyway, enjoy the new sabers and the $$$ - will some of that be set aside for Crystal Focus by any chance? :D

[Hasid Lafre]

Or you can save your pommel and get ace to make you a new one with sound holes.

The hidden sound hole idea is nice but my brothers ultrasoudn graflex is barly, well I can hear it but its nothing compared to the lukerotjmr, and then his cfmhs you cant even tell any of them other sabers hes got are on from teh sound cause you cant hear them.

[Dark Navel]

Sethski: I was thinking on the same lines as you were but Hasid actually brigs up a good point. Maybe I could get somone to custum make a pommel with holes. Only thing is it would have to be anodized black.

Hasid: You also brought up a good point in the sound may be muffled> I do like the idea of a custom made pommel. I guess I could ask Ace or Arm on Fire. Arm has done some great work for me in the past but I'm not sure if either would anodize it and I know Arm is busy right now working on other projects. I guess I will ask them.

If anyone else is interested please let me know. I would also need some boring work done so the emitter could accept a 1" polycarb blade and I also need a custom LED/heatsink mount. I may also need to do additional mods to the pommel but it wouldn't be that difficut if you have the right tools to do it.

It looks like the smallest width inside is 1 1/8 inches. I know the MR soundcard is 15/16" so that would fit. Maybe 2 cr123 lithiums to power it but I guess I will need 2 700 buckpuck so I don't fry anything. I only fooled around with the internal guts this evening (just got it today) and I will need to get some accurate measurements to see if it will all fit.

I wish I had a micrometer to get some accurate dimensions.

[Sethski]

Fair call with being sure the sound comes out good - an awesome hilt with sub-par sound would be a real shame.

A custom pommel would be good - it's not as if tidy sound holes in the bottom of a saber particularly mar it aesthetically. Plus - if the pommel comes apart, I would guess it's only the main piece which is a pretty simple shape that would need to be made - you could reuse the pieces that fit onto it - so not a big expense, hopefully?

[darthnerdold]

You bet I'm a Dooku fan! Yes, people... I bought it. I see you put up that new sig I made you.

[Dark Navel]

Yup...The sig looks great!!:D

[Roy's Blues]

Darth Navel,
I don't suppose you would make some empty Dooku hilts to sell?

/FXsabers refugee....:-P

[Darth_DevilGuy]

Darth Navel,
I don't suppose you would make some empty Dooku hilts to sell?

/FXsabers refugee....:-P
yeah, the making of this thing was epic, pretty sure it's a one of a kind.

[Red Five]

What were the grips made from? Were they gloves? Thanks in advance.

[Dark Navel]

Yup, one of a kind..
In response to the grips please read through the posts in this forum and you will find a couple of topics about the grips that I made.

[samurai_rob]

one word - AWESOME!

[Darth66]

Hello Dark Navel , very cool dooku saber - im looking for one for a future dooku costume do you think one of these could be commisioned from you, if not maybe a static hilt version? pm me at Hobbs_rudy@yahoo.com thanks :)

[Sairon]

Hello Dark Navel , very cool dooku saber - im looking for one for a future dooku costume do you think one of these could be commisioned from you, if not maybe a static hilt version? pm me at Hobbs_rudy@yahoo.com thanks :)


Holy thread revival Batman! And sorry Darth66 but commishoning on the boards is not alowed.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

Looking great so far. Can't wait to see it finished.

[JediMasterDak]

Lol Rhyen, he already finished! http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=4028&page=18 Scroll down!

[Rhyen Skytracker]

Wow, I am more tired than I thought. lol Looks Awesome. Great job. Can I have it? lol

[Lord Dottore Matto]

See this is what happens when a n00b does not read and necro's a thread. First off, no SOLICITING either way. Secondly, this saber is not to be toyed with as it is a delicate display piece that can easily be ruined by someone without the technical skill to work on it.

Lessons here:

1. n00bs- read the friggin' forum rules.
2. If you do ever figure out where to go to buy a custom saber, NEVER take it apart and try to "upgrade it" because YOU can't!

:evil::evil::evil::evil::evil::evil::evil::evil:

[Barmic Rin]

Back down child. Back down.

[xl97]

you may not like the 'way' LDM commented..but it has truth..

If you buy something you dont understand.. dont mess with it.. or read.. or BOTH!..

and LDM is a highly respected, "AND" helpful member.. show him you've tried to learn and gve effort..and he will bend over backwards to help someone..

dont mistake that...

[Barmic Rin]

"The reason the Hasbro board broke was because I took the bottom piece in the wrong fashion."

#childish giggling#


Some free advice dude, don't start fights.

Voice a disapproval or problem in a civil manner, or keep it to yourself. I have never heard of LDM being any less than totally agreeable with his business attractions, and I and MANY others consider him a good friend.
If you have an issue with someone, PM them and talk it out.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Let's all just agree to stop this and let it go, or Tim will have to lock this thread.

Nobody post anything here. Like Barmic said, take it to PM.

[Malaki Skywalker]

If you were trying to upgrade it yourself, its at your own expense, I think the point LDM is trying to make is that it is a WASTE to see great work FUBAR'd

Lets leave it now.

[Darth_DevilGuy]

I never did mess with the saber. Right when I took it out of the bow, it was in a very fragile cosmetic condition. The claw piece fell off within the first hour. The reason the Hasbro board broke was because I took the bottom piece in the wrong fashion.

I love LDM's work, but when he becomes arrogant about it like right now and calls me an idiot because I accidentally broke the soundboard of a cosmetically frail saber hilt, I will not show respect to him.

you don't understand, that saber was/is a work of art, your amongst a bunch of people who REALLY admire it, you broke it by mishandling it, you're going to get flack for that, you've earned it.

It's as if you had a sketch done by Picasso, but you wanted to see it out of the frame, and in taking it out you ripped it in half, and then decided to show up at the Louvre to take offense when someone bemoans damage to the priceless one of a kind piece.

My advice is to stop talking before sabersmiths start blackballing you, because they have plenty of customers, I talk to them all the time, and none of them wants to work for someone that will abuse their products, consequently they'll watch for things like this and put the offenders on a no-sale list.

If you end up on enough of those your only recourse will be to make your own, which can be a fulfilling endeavor, but if you can't figure out how to unscrew a pommel cap without breaking the soundboard, you may find yourself getting frustrated.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Let's all just agree to stop this and let it go, or Tim will have to lock this thread.

Nobody post anything here. Like Barmic said, take it to PM.

Quoting myself, because apparently no one is paying attention.

Let's just drop it and stop posting before things get ugly.

[Darth_DevilGuy]

Quoting myself, because apparently no one is paying attention.

Let's just drop it and stop posting before things get ugly.

It took me awhile to write that I'm at work here, didn't see your post but mine stands.

[Dark Navel]

A thank you to Darth Devilguy for last statements. Let me make myself clear, Nerdhold, if you want to start bashing what I did on that saber I will be glad to post the pics and the e-mail messages that went back and forth between us. I will make it known what I did to repair what you broke and what I did to repair your mess at ZERO cost to you because I was sickened when I received the hilt back from you.

Don't start a war my friend and tarnish my name because I have enough ammo to win the war via pics and e-mail.

I am not going to start a bash session here but I REFUSE to have my name tarnished or egg thrown in my face. It ends here...

[dgdve]

uhmm.. ok guys chill.. were (mostly) adults here.. but i think... someone, ldm, lori, tim, anyone CLOSE this thread.. this isnt what i sign on to see...

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Nerdold and I have spoken and there will be no more negativity forthcoming. He and I have dropped it in the name of "detante".

Move along, there is nothing to see here.;)