My Custom MHS Saber

[JMurphy]

That's a good point on mounting to the underlay, I'm just super reluctant to fiddle with the MHS parts too much because they are so hard to replace here in Aus, lol (If I stuff something up). If I can practice enough on some other parts, I may feel better about it, I sense a lot of trial and error in the distance.

I'm in the process of asking Arryck what he did, because he is currently going through a build using a mesh.

EDIT: FJK one of the plans was to mount it into the underside of the shroud, Iv'e even had he thought of mounting it in the middle of the triangle cut as well, if that makes sense.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

It would be nearly impossible to secure to the inside of the triangle AND make it look good. What you could try is to use your Dremel to shallow out an area on the inside of the shroud, so that the mesh piece will lay flat with the rest of the shroud. It will be tricky work though.

[JMurphy]

Yeah i'll have to see if I can get the right angles, I'd probably have to cut out the shroud overall to get into the right spaces a bit easier. Iv'e got a nice bank of things to try now though, I appreciate it SS and FJK!

[JMurphy]

Seeing that I was discussing the mesh placement problem with you guys earlier, check out this solution that Arryck gave me. He thought I could create a recess for the mesh by acid etching, SO SIMPLE, especially when I was going to be doing some etching anyway. Should be was easier than trying to use a dremel or sanding for the rest of my life.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

You'll have to see how it looks from the outside, if you're going to do the recess on the outside.

[JMurphy]

Yeah that's where some serious trial and error will be needed, etching on the inside would be quite the challenge as well, especially having the resist set up properly. Should be able to try some things when I get home in the coming days, I miss my build so bad! lol

[JMurphy]

Posting up a quick and rough render of how things stand now:



Should be home tomorrow to start some actual work again.

[JMurphy]

A bit more to update, I had a crack at some actual aluminium today! Unfortunately it isn't the right size so won't fit as a shroud but good enough for practice, and boy did I learn a few things!

First off here are some pics, along with a pic showing that I know how to use graph paper properly now (well almost I can't quite get those triangle shapes right :S









I figured after that very close call that I was making things a little too difficult for myself and so I stopped, (well ok like 30 mins after the close call). I only managed to get one piece fully cut after about 2 and a half hours, so I'm probably doing a few things wrong.

I have come to the conclusion that I won't be able to do the whole thing properly without a vice and workbench. The tool became wayyyy too jumpy when getting close to a full cut in the metal. Because I was doing everything in my hands I ended up not cutting the lines properly (e.g going over them a million times). It was way too difficult to keep the tube straight in my hand over long cuts, and some angles were pretty dangerous to attempt while working over my lap, as you can no doubt figure out thanks to my pants, lol.

I still haven't been able to get the flex shaft to work so I'll either have to call the suppliers or take it in somewhere (I seem to be missing the piece that screws the shaft onto the tool properly).

Finally I didn't use glue to hold the graph paper on the tube, only tape. Will glue really keep things in place well enough that the lines will still be there for easier sanding?

All in all a pretty happy but also a little disappointed I couldn't get through the whole thing. I think I lost about 4 disks in the process and a mandrel, thanks to the screw refusing to come off. I'll have to practice my line cutting before the real deal arrives but I hope a vice will solve most of my problems.

Thanks guys

[Silver Serpent]

I prefer glue sticks for adhering the template to the shroud. They don't soak into the paper and let it bubble up, they allow for limited repositioning, and they hold all over.

Definitely get a vise. You need both hands to control the dremel and get good lines. The piece will also cut much easier if it's held securely. Once you get the vise, and also get your flex shaft working, you should have a much easier time of things.

[JMurphy]

Yeah I 100% agree on both your points now!

Because i was super excited to get going again post-holidays and also on a tight budget, I wanted to see what I could do with what I had. Which included only the tool and my hands, lol. So yeah i'll be holding out for a vice, It was just way too hard to get the strength behind the tool on some angles, so yeah a vice will be fairly crucial.

Also, I might need some stronger wheels for the most part, apparently the ones I have are mainly for sheet metal.

Next time i'll be using two types of tape and glue, no precaution will be spared Hopefully can get that flex shaft working in due time as well.