Build log: Jaden Korr's Arbiter

Hey Sabersmiths! I think I might have a problem, I just can't manage to stop building! Especially when I'm stressed, I gotta forge a new weapon to kill my demons. I havent really tried my hand at a replica saber yet, and Jedi Academy is one of my all time favorites, so lets journey together through my attempt at making Jaden Korr's Arbiter.

Source from the game: Attachment 15740

Very delicious rendering I found on deviantart:
Attachment 15741

I'm planning on using blade holder 19, a 9" double female extention, and pommel style 4. The emitter and grip shrouds are going to make or break this build, so I gotta use the MHS sleeve material, that stuff is the best. I've ordered some Aluminum Black for the rear sleeve and pommel, and instead of weathering the rest, I think I'm going to shine the non-blackened pieces to as nice a polish as I can muster.

I have a pico crumble dark wired up from a previous build, so I just need to not screw up the shrouds and bang out a chassis.

Here is my shroud sketch. Im a big fan of graph paper, i believe if i draw it ten times from ten different angles, my chances of screwing it up ~should~ get smaller.
Attachment 15742

ROUGH CUT with dremel cutting wheel. Fun fact, i dont have a workbench. But since sabers are hollow tubes, what i do is run a dowel through the piece im working on and clamp the dowel to my fence. Crude? yes, but it beats accidentally crunching a shroud in a vice.
Attachment 15743

(A word of advice from one padawan to any others reading this: aluminum splinters thrown by your Amazing-New-Works-Like-A-Charm-Carving-Bit WILL stick to oily sunscreen. Go with the long sleeve shirt and save yourself the oily, sharp painful cleanup. Seriously, probably pulled 7-10 splinters out of my arms and hands, went through my gloves like i wasnt wearing them. Thank The Force for safety goggles.)

CLEAN CUT with dremel carving tool and fine sandpaper drums. I usually finish my flat surfaces with my mouse sander and dull any edges with microfine sandpaper (the 5000 grit stuff thats not on paper as much as its on kind of a soft sponge).
Attachment 15744

WASHED and ready to finish. I cant completely finish the rear grip until my Aluminum Black arrives next week, so ill be biting my nails until that comes in. As for the emitter shroud, i need to take some fine paper on my mouse sander and buff out a couple of dremel slips (still a bit of a n00b, i am), but im ~extremely~ happy with how these have turned out.
Attachment 15745

I cant wait to get my main parts from Tim, and i cant wait to have this one finished. I better work on that chassis to get my fix in the meantime...

That's quite doable. I wonder if maybe the top bubble shroud should be just a hair lower, though, so it doesn't hit the side of the blade.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jenny

That's quite doable. I wonder if maybe the top bubble shroud should be just a hair lower, though, so it doesn't hit the side of the blade.

---

Honestly, i have no idea how to bend the shroud material into that half dome anyway. I was thinking id just skip it, and stick with something that looks like a sharper graflex. Does anyone have ideas for how i could try that bent "half-dome" end?

Seems to me that you could repurpose the lid from a metal drinking bottle/flask.

Attachment 15747

Maybe something like this?

http://www.sharpeproducts.com/store/...-on-cap-1-pipe

Google "dome end cap small". Maybe something will turn up.

Ambitious, but very doable.
Looks like you're on the right track here

Well, ive made a ton of progress. That steel dome turned out to be WAY thicker than i realized, and i think it was a little too heavy for something like epoxy to hold, especially if i want to fight with this saber. And that got me thinking: how to attach whatever i can get to simulate that dome. I knew I wanted to screw it on, something about this saber just tells me it wants to be a solid chunk of war metal. So i could either stick to an inaccurate shroud or i could i try to innovate the way you smiths do.

I had originally planned to not use sink tube, i wanted to avoid the "toyish" look. But i did mention in my first post i wanted something i could polish Shiny and Chrome (WITNESS ME). So I went to Orchard supply, my go-to for parts and inspiration and i found a sink tube that bends rather sharply. Sharp enough, i thought, that maybe i could make it work if i put my shroud template in the right spot. I was back on track.
Attachment 15781

Honestly its probably my new favorite shroud. Its perfect, with a blade in it it just barely rests against the outer wall. Nice and gentle fit. I might have to shave a little off though like Jenny said. We'll see. I finished the edges and inside of the curve with a little of my extra Aluminum Black.
Attachment 15782

SPEAKING OF ALUMINUM BLACK. What a roller coaster of emotions that stuff is. I really didnt want to paint my lower grip shroud. I was super happy when my three little bottles of BCAB arrived, but i ignored a part of the instructions at my own peril!! I cleaned my parts with acetone, not degreaser. I dont know what the difference is, but in my happy little noob brain, acetone is a great prep for spray paint, so why not for this? The finish was not even, some patches werent blacking at all, and i got impatient. I then commited my second sin. I dumped all of my BCAB into a cup and dunked my pieces. And left them there... Way too long. I practically cooked them in the stuff, it was STEAMING. I freaked out a little.

Long story shorter: the acids ate away at some of my aluminum, so i had to sand them down and try again today. Gaze upon my shame.
Attachment 15778

So this time, i followed DIRECTIONS (what a concept), and picked up some degreaser, a fresh roll of shop towels, and got myself some patience while i was out too!

I applied the BCAB with a folded shop towel, one very manageable coat at a time, i buffed off the white residue with a fresh wet towel. (I was actually stuck on the white residue issue until i read Slothfurnace's Obi build where he used Aluminum Blue and got the same residue. He said he pressure washed it off and kept applying coats, so i buckled down and used some elbow grease. Thank you Sloth!) I think they turned out perfect.
Attachment 15779

I blackened my lower grip shroud, my pommel style 4, and the disk for my MPS insert 12. Its a New Republic saber, of course it needs a D ring! To quiet the clanking and clicking of the ring, i wrapped about three or four layers of electrical tape around the flat part of the ring. It can still move, but i have to basically force it. It looks good, centered, and wont clang during a duel.

Heres a test fit with a spare main body and blade holder i had lying around. These are definitely not the main handle or blade holder im sticking with, they just happen to have the right dimensions for an accurate mock up for scale.
Attachment 15780

I am very pleased with what i have so far, and i cant wait to have something finished to show you all.