agreed that thing is amazing!
Printable View
agreed that thing is amazing!
I'm usually not a fan of printed chassis. But this my friend, is on another level! I'm looking forward to the completed build!
Who says you can't turn plastic into metal? Not this guy. I got the midas touch.
Still have the end cap to do and a little more weathering. I may add some verdigris as well, not sure yet. But here she is...
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/5nBOV6.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/nNY1bg.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/DuNfmF.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/wu3vOy.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/fl76e4.jpg
And for all the skeptics out there, no it's not paint. Yes it's really metal.
https://youtu.be/92s7I1pcadc
Dude...i wish you could see my face right now...my mouth is not closing.
That is a work of art! It looks like it was pulled from the dirt of Tython, or from the ruins of the Jedi temple, etc,etc you get the point lol It looks absolutely amazing, cant wait to see how this one turns out when completed :D keep up the awesome work!
Holy crap...I'm not sure my mind can be blown any more than this.
Mind blown!!!!
I'm gonna need to know how you did that...cuz that's a game changer.
That's why I keep changing my chassis design due to rigidity issues
Wow!! That's coming along nicely. If I sent you some chunks of plastic can you make me some gold bricks.
That. Is. Awesome!
dang. plated even? that is fantastic.
hmm.. or is it foiled? cant tell. looks great either way man.
Nice work! What's your process?
That's coming on nicely. Gonna be an awesome reveal. Excellent work as always sir! :mrgreen:
NICE WORK! Love the special sauce, tuned out great!
Like a shiny new (actual copper) penny!
Thanks for the kind words all. I'm really happy you guys like it! Trust me when I say those photos don't do it justice.
As for process or what it is etc., thats one of maybe two things I'm not going to outline in this build. It was a lot of research and experimenting, so I'd rather people do the work to figure it out. A magician has to keep some secrets right?
Probably, but I doubt they'd be worth their weight in gold ;)
Work on the core continues.
For now, I am focusing on the crystal chamber part. Specifically the piping and little accent pieces. I'll give an update on the actual crystal set up in a later post. If you remember from an earlier post, I decided I was going to give some coiled wire a try to see how it looked and I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.
PREPPING THE COILS: This is a pretty easy process but does take some getting used to and a steady hand.
- First, you select the size rod you need for the desired coil ID. If you want to get super crazy with spacing and planning you can take the diameter of the wire you are coiling, multiply that by 2 and add that to the ID and you have your coil's OD.
-After you've selected the rod you want, chuck it up in your Dremel or hand drill. I chose the Dremel mounted in a vise, it's a little easier this way.
-Once your rod is in the Dremel, stick the end of your wire between two of the jaws of the chuck and bend it toward you. Then grab the wire with your forefinger and thumb and hold it firmly, but not too tight with your forefinger up against the rod. Make sure your Dremel or drill are on a low setting.
-Turn on the Dremel/drill and as the wire coils on the rod, move your hand along the length of the rod. Go too fast and you'll get gaps in the coils. Go too slow and the wire will begin to coil backwards over itself. Gaps are much easier to fix than overlapping. After a little practice you should be able to get some nice coils made.
Below, you'll see I've done several different sizes in varying colors.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/OOkWn9.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/DhXJvt.jpg
PREPPING THE ROD:
To create some depth and interest, I decided to give a selection of the piping some bends.
-First cut your rod a bit longer than you need as bending it will take some of that length away. And, you can always trim the ends once your bends are in place.
-Then, bend as desired with your chosen tool. I use a wire bending jig that I picked up at the art store for maybe $7, but you can use anything you like, like pliers, table, etc. If you want precise angles, you can use 30/60 and or 45/90 triangles to help out. I chose to freehand.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/GF7VRW.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/KM8iOo.jpg
Once these two steps are done, all you have to do is slip the coil on the rod and you're good. Some twisting may help when going over the angles in the rod. In this pic, you'll notice some little bits and bobs I picked up at the art supply. I used these in place of the little scale hardware I had planned. I ended up dropping and loosing a few and they're not cheap, so I went another route which you'll see below.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/oF79oS.jpg
Some of my coils, especially the brass, were a little too shiny for my liking. I chose to weather them a little with some Rub 'N Buff.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/shFB2M.jpg
Here are a few pics of some of the pieces installed. I planned ahead and placed divots in the models so that everything can be sandwiched between the two chamber ends. This way there is no gluing/etc. and everything can come apart nicely if needed.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/1PO1TD.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/AB9wbO.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/aEPMuQ.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/1moPoP.jpg
Here you can see where I'm using some of those little jewelry pieces. You can also see I painted the inside of the board case to match the exterior. This way it looks uniform, but the interior remains non-conductive.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/aEPMuQ.jpg
And last, just a little peak at the led module which came in yesterday. It fits so snug I can ditch the set screw I had planned.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/Tw3HrK.jpg
Now I'll be cutting my crystals to size and figuring out some mounting hardware for them and the leds. Stay tuned!
once again, im in awe of the beauty of your work. I cant imagine it getting any better but im only guessing that you are no where near done with this, so really looking for each and every update :D
It's the little details that set a good saber apart from a great saber. You have a LOT of little details. I'm very interested to see where this ends up. I'm sure it'll be amazing!
Beautiful work
Stunning darth_chasm!!!! It looks absolutely amazing man!!!
That wire coil technique turned out very well. I'll be looking at using that for future builds :)
DUDE!!!! Everything has already been said but as always, I'm loving your work. I suspect you have more time available to you than my wife and kids will allow me. ;) My progress is slow, so your continuous updates and quality work are annoying. LOL ;)
AWESOME! :mrgreen:
Thanks guys. Forgot to mention that my hilt parts are on the way...can't wait to see the awesome job I know Tim and Ace have done!!
By all means! It'll be nice to see the idea in different set-ups.
Hahah... Admittedly, probably too much time on my hands. Recently, my days have been split between job hunting/interviewing and saber building.
Your chassis is looking absolutely stunning. I feel a little bit ghetto with my PVC and sculpey methods of planning, but I do love watching your updates here nonetheless. You continue to inspire!
Not going to say anything in this post. I will let the work of TCSS speak for itself!
The only pic I have left :(
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/rjfSWg.jpg
Wow, that hilt looks absolutely incredible! Kudos to Tim and Ace. Now I'm doubly looking forward to receiving my customized parts :)
That is black chrome powder coating, right?
That is gorgeous!! Love that design DC :mrgreen:
No, just the lighting here. Just the plain aluminum for now.
Beautiful hilt...awesome chassis...I can't wait to see this one completed!
Updated the post with another pic on a dark background.
Ok that's awesome. I really dig that
Will you have a not-round blade coming out of your not-round emitter?
I believe it is round (looking down on it) but its curved when you look from the side.
Looks great btw, cant wait to see the finished product. Really like the look of the hilt.
^^ This :)
Goofed on a couple of pieces totaling 0.25" in miscalculations, so reprinting those two pieces. But...having the extra pieces allows me to experiment a little with some patina.
Any opinions? I rather like it and I am going for something very old looking, so this seems to give that impression.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/OA5oqV.jpg
Looks old/weathered and tarnished to me!
So I say good job!
this style of weathering actually HELPS the 3D printed finished IMHO.. usually I'm not a fan of the 'bumpy' finish from most 3D parts.. (better than layer/lines though!)
I think that gives the desired effect quite well. Although I tend to cringe when people do heavy weathering :P
That looks fantastic, Chasm!
that looks real good. I like that patina look on it. can't wait to see the finished product!