Attachment 15297 Hope you dont mind, I wanted to get a better idea of what your saber might look like so I took a crack at it.
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Attachment 15297 Hope you dont mind, I wanted to get a better idea of what your saber might look like so I took a crack at it.
Oh you are awesome! I don't know if I should paint the shrouds black and leave the saber aluminum. I do know that I want that color contrast, and Silver, Black, and Red. You have some talent.
This morning I began brainstorming on the Crystal Chassis:
Attachment 15299
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After Easter Dinner, I began to put the plan into action. This is my first MHS build, as well as my first chassis build. I have read a lot of your posts, and this was my design based on a lot of things I have seen you all do:
Attachment 15301
Underside with wiring channels:
Attachment 15302
In the MHS Windowed Extension:
Reveal Side:Attachment 15303
Underside in window: Attachment 15304
Saber with crystal chassis onboard:Attachment 15305
I also got the recharge port threaded. It was a bit of a reach, but getting my recharge port near the hole, sticking the kill key in was clutch in getting it to begin threading.
Attachment 15306
That was a job. I get to order my electronics at the end of this week, payday. Until then, I'll be working on the shrouds to get them right. Then to make a decision to paint the shrouds black, or the saber body black. I'm leaning towards painting the shrouds black, and leaving the saber polished aluminum. Its so pretty as is.
I'll gladly accept all feedback. I do have a lot of neatening up and trimming/sanding/polishing to do.
Tom
Began rough fabrication of the shrouds tonight after work. There is still a lot of touch up work and fine tuning to do on them, but the general shape is there. It is asymmetrical, which is fine. I wanted it to look rough and dangerous, because the hilt itself was rather plain being my first build.
Drawing Patterns on paper to transfer to taped TCSS Shroud Material
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Patterns Cut Out on Standing Saber:
Attachment 15309
Transferring patterns to TCSS shroud material
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Emitter Shroud Rough Cut Out, needs detail work still:
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Hilt Body Shroud Cut Out, needs detail work still:
Attachment 15315Attachment 15316
Untaped Shrouds in very rough form:
Attachment 15317Attachment 15318
12 Dremel Cut Off Wheels later...... I don't think a dremel with a cutoff wheel is an ideal tool for this endeavor, but its all I had. Seems to me a bandsaw with metal blade would come in handy. PS, if you do this with cutoff wheel, wear 2 pairs of safety glasses. Very dangerous dremel work, and any slight movement off cut while the wheel is plunged would cause the wheel to shatter and scatter. I only had 2 wheels shatter, the rest just wore down to nubs cutting through the material. I have a lot of shaping, sanding, and smoothing to do. My intention is to drill, tap, and thread this material for 8-32, and use small set screws to secure it to the hilt. I may use some decorative hex bolts to add more surface texture/greeblies. Will have to cut them off flush inside of hilt. I am making progress.
Once I finish these shrouds, and determine my mounting techniques/locations. I will tap all my holes, mock up the saber, make sure I'm happy, then break it down and paint the shrouds black. I changed my mind on that deal. I think the contrast will be more interesting leaving the saber aluminum, and painting the shrouds black. Pommel and Emitter will be a weathered/scorched red. Not shiny, dull. The contrast of this saber will be silver, black, red, and brass inside crystal chamber. That is my color profile.
Once I finish painting and re-mounting hardware, I'll be ready to finish the Crystal Chamber off, and install my electronics package. I worked some more on the crystal chamber today to work out my crystal clamping mechanism. I'm waiting on the 5mm RGB to figure out how I'm going to work out illumination to the crystal. After I get the crystal installed with the 5mm RGB, I'll add some more decorative mechanical features in the crystal chamber.
Again, as always, feedback welcome. Good, bad, and ugly. I'm trying to learn here.
PPS, I'm going to add a small micro tactile switch forward of my illuminated AV switch to serve as the Aux Switch on my setup. I will cut it down to just above the hilt. I'm going to use the tactile switch holder inside the hilt to maintain switch position. There is just enough room between the threads at the top of hilt and my AV Switch to cramp that in. I had contemplated a PLI and switch box 1 on this saber. I'll save that puppy for later, perhaps on my next MHS build.
for my next MHS build, I want to build a solid chassis, perhaps even with a crystal chamber, that you can remove the body from. I'll either have to mount my switches on the chassis, or get them forward of the chassis, more towards the emitter. Plans.
Tom
You might try the reinforced cutting wheels for your Dremel. They last longer and are less prone to shattering. They're a good bit thicker, so you may not be able to get them into really tight angles.
Yeah, I had some, but had used them up on other projects. I was working with what I had. I appreciate the advice, and in the future, I'll make sure I have more of those in my inventory for this kind of task.
I have lots of sanding/smoothing to do.
Tom
Preliminary shroud painting, beginning to see contrast plans. Still have a couple more coats to go on emitter shroud. Still have to paint the pommel and bladeholder, and then weather them. I also haven't firmly attached points yet of shroud where they go over the crystal reveal extension. I may do that tonight. Using 8-32 set screws for that. Also thinking about using graflex red button or graflex glass button on emitter for blade retention. Don't know if its deep enough to pass through the blade holder and shroud.
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Tom
Thinking of changing the name to Mako, and making some kind of jaws sound font for one of its fonts. The thing looks like a shark, the more I look at it. Probably why I shaped it the way I did. I'm a diver, around sharks a lot. I love sharks. I guess that aspect of my life made a Freudian slip onto my saber! Mako. That is this saber's name!
Waiting on parts.
Tom
Latest photo. All switches, recharge port, is wired and ready to go. Waiting on some parts, and ready to button this thing up. I have to make the chassis too, but that won't be too bad. I already have it laid out. Need some parts to finish it! I might need clocking washers (size 1) too. Still waiting for stock on that.
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