1.25 sink tube Qui gon Tutorial

[Pullo]

Firstly this is my first tutorial so forgive any mistakes. :)

I wanted to build a Qui Gon jinn style saber but I still wanted it to have a smaller diameter handle, all of the other sabers I have built are sink tube and I came up with the following idea.

A 1.25 sink tube forms the base of this saber, cut to size, I compromised a little on the length of the saber to get a compatible looking diameter, my first attempt would have looked too "stocky". The overall length of the saber is about 11' 3/4". I cut the sink tube to size and drilled and tapped the 1.25 sink tube adapters to take the 8/32 round head bolts.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/Image013.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/Image014.jpg

Next was to make an overlay to look like the ridges on the prop. I searched the internet but couldn't find a template so I marked out my own on a sheet of printer label that I had printed a grid on. I studied all the pictures of the prop I could find to copy a shape for the template. I then stuck this on a 1 1/2" black plastic waste pipe. This overlay would cover the sink tube but not overlap on the adapters at either end.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/Image016.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/Image018.jpg

Added Blade holder 18, Pommel 7 and pommel insert 7, and sent them of to be powder coated. The switch is a black slide switch brought from my local electronic store (Sorry Tim !) this would be set between the top ridge of the handle, just below where the red thumbscrew would sit. both positions are marked in the photos above. The outer shroud was cut from a piece of 1 1/2"
aluminum pipe given to me by an ariel installer. I did have to grind down the interior of the pipe and the outside of the rear sink tube adapter to get it to fit but if you buy the aluminum sleeve that Time sells you won't need to do that. I downloaded a template from the inter-web and printed it again on to some sticky label then set about it with the dremmel. to remove the sticky paper after I had finished I soaked it for about half an hour in luke warm soapy water. Then sanded the shroud with a fine wet and dry and finally went over it with some metal polish.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/Image010.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/Image008.jpg

With the main body back from the power coaters I cut a rectangle for the switch and drilled a hole to take the red thumbscrew, put the filed, sanded and finished overlay into place (the following pics don't show the plastic overlay in there finished state,) and then the thumbscrew holds it in place via a nut on the inside of the tube.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/quibuild002.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/quibuild001.jpg
you can see where I had to grind down the sink tube adapter to fit the shroud, Electronics were added, sorry no pics, got a bit carried away and forgot to take any. You do have to remove the plastic shroud to solder the switch in place. Because of the inside diameter of the sink tube adapters being only 1 inch you can't fit a battery holder through them, this means I have to remove the whole adapter to change batteries a recharge port is Ideal, sadly i didn't have one, but I will probably upgrade later. My speaker is on the end of my Battery box and it doesn't sit inside the pommel. shame but i do need to remove it for the batteries. To assemble the main body, remove the rear adapter and slid down between the jaws of the shroud until the first ridge of the plastic overlay lies alongside the swept back curves of the shroud, when it is in place push the adapter back into place and add the securing bolts. I put two on top and one underneath through the covertec, which is why it is not in the correct place.

and that is it.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/qui004.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/qui008.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/quibuild006.jpg

Hope this is of some use.

[Sunrider]

Well done. Way to make the simple saber look great and easy.

[Jedi-Loreen]

"Easy? You call that easy?" :p



That looks like a lot of work cutting out that plastic sleeve. But it came out nicely.

Nice little tut. But yeah, would have liked to have seen your electronics set up.

[Sunrider]

Not that im trying make light of anything. Some of the sabers around here seem to be much more complicated. This hilt looks really good for what 5 or 6 parts.

[Jedi-Loreen]

I count 7. For the hilt. ;)

[Jagahati]

I didn't realize sabers where classified by the number of parts used in their construction.

Anyway I like the PVC "Middle shroud" I didn't know that the 1.5 waste tube would overlay a 1.25 sink tube that nicely.

Very nice looking saber and a good tut on how you did it. I would think that doing a movie-replica saber would have its own set of challenges since you are much more "locked in" to the design.

[Jedi-Loreen]

He doesn't say that the black plastic waste pipe is PVC. Black pipes are often ABS.

[Kal El Rah]

That came out great, excellent work and a great saber.;):cool::p

[Pullo]

I would think that doing a movie-replica saber would have its own set of challenges since you are much more "locked in" to the design.

Yeah that is the toughest part, you are tied into a set design, and I was very aware that it had to be resonably close to the prop for it to be accepted for what it is intended to be. However having said that I see all of the areas that I couldn't match the original in, I know that the top of the handle should be flat, the cut outs on the bottom are in the wrong place as is the covertec clip. But I designed this build to be "Off the shelf" as I have no lathe or machine to work with and I am very happy with how it turned out.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

I think the innovation used in this shows a willingness to use what is on hand and an amazing power of imagination and ingenuity... My hat goes off to you sir!

Just looking at it i thought it was a conversion at first until i did some reading...WELL DONE!!! :D

*stands up and claps wildly*

[cardcollector]

Awesome! This is to cool!

A few questions,
Do you have another copy of the overlay that you could post? OR if not, what grid size is it? 5 or 4.

Where did you buy the Waste pipe? It doesn't look like it went all the way around the tube, does it?

Very nicely done thanks for sharing!

[Pullo]

A few questions,
Do you have another copy of the overlay that you could post? OR if not, what grid size is it? 5 or 4.

Where did you buy the Waste pipe? It doesn't look like it went all the way around the tube, does it?


I made the grid on ms paint, here is one of the "spares" I did, you may need to scale it up or down to suit.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/ridges.jpg
Also this was very useful
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/lumeron/copiedandprinteditoutat173or175.jpg
I shortened this one slightly when I used it, best thing to do is print them off and play around with them to get the scale right. i think I read somewhere that the prop is 11 1/4 inches, so mine is slightly longer to compensate for also being slightly thicker.

The Pipe only goes about two thirds around the sinktube section, the red Thumbscrew keeps it in place. If it went all the way around the pipe I couldn't fit it into my shroud, but the Sleeve Tims sells may be bigger, so you may have more luck. The pipe is 1.5 inch drainage pipe, I got from a "Wickes" hardware store. But I'm in England so I don't know what your hardware stores are called. Good luck.

[Matt Thorn]

I think the innovation used in this shows a willingness to use what is on hand and an amazing power of imagination and ingenuity... My hat goes off to you sir!
You took the words right out of mouth. Specifically, the words "innovation" and "ingenuity." I've thought of using a PVC or ABS pipe for a Qui-Gon hilt, but I don't think it would ever have occurred to me to make this sort of sink-tube/waste-pipe hybrid using such simple tools. (Although, as Joleen noted, it sure doesn't looks easy.) I have always assumed: good Qui-Gon hilt = sophisticated lathe and milling work = big bucks. Very resourceful, and a very nice saber. Thanks.

[FenderBender]

Well done man! A great blend of ingenuity and hard work. Exactly the kind of member that drives the hobby forward. Great tutorial too! You should be very proud of this saber, it is awsesome.

[Jedi-Loreen]

You took the words right out of mouth. Specifically, the words "innovation" and "ingenuity." I've thought of using a PVC or ABS pipe for a Qui-Gon hilt, but I don't think it would ever have occurred to me to make this sort of sink-tube/waste-pipe hybrid using such simple tools. (Although, as Joleen noted, it sure doesn't looks easy.) I have always assumed: good Qui-Gon hilt = sophisticated lathe and milling work = big bucks. Very resourceful, and a very nice saber. Thanks.
Who's Joleen? :rolleyes:

:-P

[Shadar Al'Niende]

I was wondering the same thing Jedi Loreen.... ;)

haha!

[Matt Thorn]

Who's Joleen? :rolleyes:

:-P
Umm.... Joleen is Jedi Loreen's evil twin sister who appears only after I've had a couple of beers. :oops:

[Jedi-Loreen]

LOL.

It's ok Matt. As long as you remember later what my name really is. ;)

[MakillaGorilla]

at the beginning of this tutorial, you showed that you sandwiched the sink tube on either side with identical pieces of piping that you connected with the 8/32 round head bolts. What kind of piping or pieces are those? I don't recognize them. I'd like to attempt this myself but I don't know what to search for. :?:

[Matt Thorn]

at the beginning of this tutorial, you showed that you sandwiched the sink tube on either side with identical pieces of piping that you connected with the 8/32 round head bolts. What kind of piping or pieces are those? I don't recognize them. I'd like to attempt this myself but I don't know what to search for. :?:
I think you're referring to the MHS to 1.25" sink tube adapter (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MHS-to-125-sink-tube-adapter-P396.aspx). It allows you to use MHS blade holders and pommels with a 1.25" sink tube. A great piece to have if you want to work with the narrower sink tube.

[MakillaGorilla]

yep, thats them. The store has so many choices and products I haven't really seen that its easy to overlook something. Thanks!