Hello hello! First build complete.

[hammer326]

Hey everybody!

Hammer here. I've lurked the forums for quite some time. I first finagled my way here from the great people at www.therpf.com in recommendation of this being the place to go to get started on a saber for my now paused Roan Fel costume, from the Legacy comics.

Needless to say, I soon happened across Jay-Gon's tutorial(which is masterful) and finally finished the job. This is a first build, and even I think it looks beyond terrible in ways, but here it is:

The parts are pretty basic- I simply ordered the build-your-own electronics kit with the 4 AAA holder, a 40" battle blade, and the hilt is entirely custom. Basic, once again, but custom.

This is the hilt, made from a scrap piece of 1" PVC, two couplers, and a spigot plug, not pictured here. The grooves were put in with a wood lathe, everything else quite closely adheres to Jay-Gon's instructions.
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Here she is all together. Painted with a Krylon fusion glistening metal paint, for use on outdoor metal furniture and the like, it did not quite get that polished look you get out of, say, the sink tube sabers. Not a catastrophe.

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And here it is downstairs at night. I feel like it's not as bright as it should be, but I didn't worry about it.
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Anyway, that's build 1. I must say I had a lot of fun figuring it out all out and you can't complain about the end product thereof That said, I had a few small gripes and plans for the future I'd particularly like feedback on, but please don't hesitate to advise on other matters too.

1: The blade tip- I ordered a bullet shaped one thinking it'd round off smoothly, but you can actually see the seam. Is that fixable? What blade would I want to use to look that extra bit more professional?

2: The hilt- If you guys didn't see that I already like white, I want to eventually make this a proper Imperial Knight saber. Would it be possible to erect something not entirely accurate, but very clean out of sink tube, or would you guys advise I order an MHS?

3: Sounds- yea, I want to get in on this action too. In short, I want it to make the ignition sound, the retraction sound, and most importantly, the idling/humming sound. I'd obviously be building a new hilt, so the extreme constrictions of 1" PVC would not be relevant. I would still however, ask to be pointed to any tutorials and/or request shopping lists of the cheapest, but more importantly, the most basic way we can go about this.

Thanks for your time guys, glad to be a part of this truly helpful community.

[Ty_Bomber]

Hey Hammer! Welcome to the forums. It is refreshing to see people do their research, start small and tackle their first build on their own, and considering I haven't seen you ask any questions, before, this is a great first build. Let's see what we can help you with for next time:

1. If you are referring to the seam where the tip meets the tube, it is more or less part of the deal when it comes to custom sabers, but there are a few things you can do to help minimize that. Having matching poly-c for the blade and the tip is a good place to start, (meaning the tube should be clear if the tip is clear, or transwhite if the tip is transwhite) and having a nice roll of diffusion material inside also helps even out the blade, which will make the seam stand out less. Dual diffusion with a shine through tip is, IMO, the best way to go. This means lots of gift wrap rolled inside to help the light reach the tip, a very tiny hole in the reflective disc to get light to the end of the tip while still bouncing some back into the tube, and a light sanding on the outside of tube and tip to help the light reach the surface of the blade. A good tutorial can be found here: http://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=14080.0

2.The IK is one of my favorite hilts, and you can definitely make one from MHS. Sink tube, while it is easier to shape, is actually made of brass, so cutting into it may result in shiny yellow bits poking out around the edges. VV makes a great IK from (mostly) MHS parts and a inner aluminium grip tube to hold the electronics, and provide black contrast against the polished aluminum hilt. I think the best way to do it would be a BH style 12, a blank 8" DF extension, and a pommel style 1. You could have Tim cut the opening for the grip for you, or make it yourself with a dremel and some files. Once you have a big gaping whole in the hilt, you will need the inner grip tube to mount your switch. Enter a 1.25" chrome sink tube. Sand the chrome off, prime it, and paint it black. It would look pretty darn close to the comic version if you can't afford a VV Imperial Knight.

3. For sound, you can look no further than the Nano Biscotti, available right here at the shop. It has an ignition, retraction, idle hum, and 8 distinct swings and clash sounds. It has a great default soundfont, but is configurable for custom sound fonts as well (including the popular IMPERIAL KNIGHT soundfont made by yours truly). It is very easy to wire, and very affordable.

I just threw together a cart with everything I would use for an Imperial Knight Saber, and assuming you can drill and tap the holes yourself, you can have what you describe for $185.85 (before tax and shipping). Not cheap, but certainly a great value for a replica. I am half tempted to build one for myself anyway.

I really hope this helps. Let us know if you have follow up questions!

[hammer326]

Hey Hammer! Welcome to the forums. It is refreshing to see people do their research, start small and tackle their first build on their own, and considering I haven't seen you ask any questions, before, this is a great first build. Let's see what we can help you with for next time:

1. If you are referring to the seam where the tip meets the tube, it is more or less part of the deal when it comes to custom sabers, but there are a few things you can do to help minimize that. Having matching poly-c for the blade and the tip is a good place to start, (meaning the tube should be clear if the tip is clear, or transwhite if the tip is transwhite) and having a nice roll of diffusion material inside also helps even out the blade, which will make the seam stand out less. Dual diffusion with a shine through tip is, IMO, the best way to go. This means lots of gift wrap rolled inside to help the light reach the tip, a very tiny hole in the reflective disc to get light to the end of the tip while still bouncing some back into the tube, and a light sanding on the outside of tube and tip to help the light reach the surface of the blade. A good tutorial can be found here: http://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=14080.0

2.The IK is one of my favorite hilts, and you can definitely make one from MHS. Sink tube, while it is easier to shape, is actually made of brass, so cutting into it may result in shiny yellow bits poking out around the edges. VV makes a great IK from (mostly) MHS parts and a inner aluminium grip tube to hold the electronics, and provide black contrast against the polished aluminum hilt. I think the best way to do it would be a BH style 12, a blank 8" DF extension, and a pommel style 1. You could have Tim cut the opening for the grip for you, or make it yourself with a dremel and some files. Once you have a big gaping whole in the hilt, you will need the inner grip tube to mount your switch. Enter a 1.25" chrome sink tube. Sand the chrome off, prime it, and paint it black. It would look pretty darn close to the comic version if you can't afford a VV Imperial Knight.

3. For sound, you can look no further than the Nano Biscotti, available right here at the shop. It has an ignition, retraction, idle hum, and 8 distinct swings and clash sounds. It has a great default soundfont, but is configurable for custom sound fonts as well (including the popular IMPERIAL KNIGHT soundfont made by yours truly). It is very easy to wire, and very affordable.

I just threw together a cart with everything I would use for an Imperial Knight Saber, and assuming you can drill and tap the holes yourself, you can have what you describe for $185.85 (before tax and shipping). Not cheap, but certainly a great value for a replica. I am half tempted to build one for myself anyway.

I really hope this helps. Let us know if you have follow up questions!

I am psychotically overdue with my immense "Thank you." Straight into my responses:

1: As my main issue, I see that it indeed does come with the territory somewhat. It, however, seems so much more apparent in my blade than, say, these stock pictures: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/LE...-OD--P155.aspx

I will get more pictures of mine for further diagnosis. Could it have anything to do with my 40" blade? Obviously that's the longest one possible, hence light has farther to travel. Or perhaps my LED? I'm running 4 AAA's with a resistor, which is about as bright as I'll get if I understand correctly. Worst case scenario, Is there another blade I should be buying to keep things a fair bit more professional, or is that not likely my problem?

2+3: Great answers, thanks again. I built a hilt mockup on the website builder, it's definitely the look I'm after. I almost wonder if there's some kind of low profile corrugated hose I can plug that hole with as opposed to more aluminum. Will look into this later, it's the last of my problems. The Nano Biscotti also sounds promising, that's one thing instantly off the to-do list


So in short:
The blade tip issue: have yet to try cellophane stuffing but will. Anything further on that, greatly appreciated.
Barring any possibility of fixing that, I am taking recommendations on more realistic battle blades with softer tips, I am pondering a Corbin as next build I also desire the "extend/retract" light effect to go with the sound.

On that note, exactly what is needed electronics wise to accomplish that? in addition to the "build your own electronics kit" I will order once again for next build, unless you recommend another course of action.

Lastly: MHS blade holders: Is it basically just "pop in, tighten screw" like my DIY one? is it also the blade holder that holds the LED? in a PVC saber like mine, it just sits behind the blade because there's no room for it to go anywhere. MHS hilts obviously have much more room inside, hence that last debacle.


Sorry for the barrage haha, thanks for all the help thus far!

[Ty_Bomber]

I have seen people use corrugated hose on IK sabers before, and I wasn't impressed with the results. It warps easily, and isn't ideal for securing the electronics you will have in the hilt.

Corbin Blades are nice, but you won't really need a special blade to get your ignition/retraction effect. The NB will handle that for you. A 40" blade is pretty long (I am 5'10" and I use 32-34" blades, depending on the hilt. Also make sure your tip has a reflective disc to help bounce light back in, it will help immensely.

For adding cellophane, refer to the link I made in my first post. It is a very thorough tutorial. Another thing that you can do is chuck the blade up on your wood lathe (provided it isn't too long) and run some fine grit sandpaper down the length, to "frost" the blade.

I would recommend against AAAs in the future. The leds we use run optimally off 3.7V, which is the standard voltage of the li-ion batteries that have become the standard today. Using AAAs takes up more room, drain faster, and send too much voltage, which requires a resistor (an extra part). Plus Li-Ions are rechargeable, which will save you money.

Electronics wise, read the Nano Biscotti manual a couple times. You will not only get a great breakdown of list of parts, but wiring diagrams, troubleshooting advice, and lots of knowledge on how all these things work together.


Blade holders have a LED module that locks in place when you screw it onto another MHS part. No screws necessary (except for blade retention). Lol.

You're asking all the right questions. Keep it up and the build will be great!

[hammer326]

I have seen people use corrugated hose on IK sabers before, and I wasn't impressed with the results. It warps easily, and isn't ideal for securing the electronics you will have in the hilt.

Corbin Blades are nice, but you won't really need a special blade to get your ignition/retraction effect. The NB will handle that for you. A 40" blade is pretty long (I am 5'10" and I use 32-34" blades, depending on the hilt. Also make sure your tip has a reflective disc to help bounce light back in, it will help immensely.

For adding cellophane, refer to the link I made in my first post. It is a very thorough tutorial. Another thing that you can do is chuck the blade up on your wood lathe (provided it isn't too long) and run some fine grit sandpaper down the length, to "frost" the blade.

I would recommend against AAAs in the future. The leds we use run optimally off 3.7V, which is the standard voltage of the li-ion batteries that have become the standard today. Using AAAs takes up more room, drain faster, and send too much voltage, which requires a resistor (an extra part). Plus Li-Ions are rechargeable, which will save you money.

Electronics wise, read the Nano Biscotti manual a couple times. You will not only get a great breakdown of list of parts, but wiring diagrams, troubleshooting advice, and lots of knowledge on how all these things work together.


Blade holders have a LED module that locks in place when you screw it onto another MHS part. No screws necessary (except for blade retention). Lol.

You're asking all the right questions. Keep it up and the build will be great!

I see. What exactly did you say was used for the inner grip on this design?

Regarding the cellophane wrap, I have a whole bag of unused cheap drop cloths for painting- would that be usable? If not, is there somewhere I can go to get a roll of this stuff? Would Home Depot carry it for some reason, or even art stores as Ive heard? Im unsure what it's actually used for(outside more important uses like making blades look kickass), hence I'm a bit unsure where to look.


Sandpaper on the blade- frosting it would help huh? I was worried about what that would do to it, I guess it's worth a try assuming the cellophane fails.

This is my last big debacle on THIS build before I start erecting a proper shopping list for the next. Thanks again for the great input!

[Ty_Bomber]

The inner grip can be found here: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/1-...-tube-P83.aspx

Alternatively, you could shop for aluminum tubing in similar dimensions if you don't feel like working with brass.

Cellophane wrap is very easy to get (most online retailers will carry it). Most come in rolls of 40in x 100ft, which is pretty much perfect for our applications, although you only need about 6 ft of the stuff. Tim also sells blade film, which is similar, and can be found here: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Blade-film-P197.aspx just make sure you get a quad wrap.

[hammer326]

The inner grip can be found here: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/1-...-tube-P83.aspx

Alternatively, you could shop for aluminum tubing in similar dimensions if you don't feel like working with brass.

Cellophane wrap is very easy to get (most online retailers will carry it). Most come in rolls of 40in x 100ft, which is pretty much perfect for our applications, although you only need about 6 ft of the stuff. Tim also sells blade film, which is similar, and can be found here: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Blade-film-P197.aspx just make sure you get a quad wrap.

So does the sink tube go over the MHS, with the grip shape cut in it, and that ribbed surface is machined in the MHS, and then simply painted black?

Thanks for the info on the Cellophane wrap, I'll track some down.

[Ty_Bomber]

Not in this case, no. The MHS 8" extension would be the outer sleeve, and you could cut the hole in it. The sink tube would slide into the MHS piece and serve as a grip.

But forget sink tubes. It just occurred to me that you already have the perfect material on hand for the Inner grip tube: PVC. You can machine the grooves on your wood lathe (which you wouldn't be able to do on aluminum or brass pipe) and it can double as the chassis for your electronics, so your saber will be super, super durable. All you need is some kind of gloss black paint to disguise the PVC and you should be golden. You will still need to make a hole in the MHS extension to reveal the grip tube (which can be done with nothing more than a dremel and files, though a hack saw would help), drill and tap holes for the screws to secure the PVC tube, and a blade retention screw. It would be very easy, and cheap.

[hammer326]

http://www.amazon.com/Sparkle-Wrap-C...pr_product_top Just wondering if this'll work fine for the current blade project and/or what kind of stores might have it; would love to just go pick it up somewhere while I'm out this week. Thanks!

[Silver Serpent]

That gift wrap is perfect. I usually pick mine up at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. Any place that makes floral arrangements might also have some for sale.