My first saber

[Black_Arachnis]

I discovered the world or custom sabers a little over a year ago. I tried to talk my wife into letting me purchase the parts to build an MHS saber, but being the way she is when it comes to money (a bit of a tight wad) she made the remark, "can't you make one out of pvc?" Not thinking about what she said when she said it the challenge was on. So I did my research on economy boards that many of you awesome sabersmiths have posted. Kept watch for sales and Hasbro toy shop had the vader ultimate fx sabers for $20 each I bought 2. So then I just saved up until I had enough to buy the pvc conduit and parts I needed. I read pretty much every how- to on pvc sabers and wiring econo boards in TCSS forums. When I was ready I ordered my LED and components and the blade from the TCSS store. So while I was waiting for the package I started to take a part the vader blades and found that the board in it was one that no one had wired up. I thought to myself good thing I bought 2. I so after comparing my boards to the pics of the ultimate fx boards on the site I found the similarities and was able to start to wire it up. I started customizing a battery pack for 3 AAs since that what the Ult. fx used. So since my inside diameter of my pvc was one inch I had to make the hilt a bit on the long side. Once the LED stuff got here and I was able to measure overall length I found I still didn't have enough space and with the hilt already the same length as a bastard sword hilt I did research on what other kind of battery I could use in place of the AAs, and found that I AAAs. So I went on a search to find a compatible 3 AAA battery pack which I found in a cheap LED flash light. All I had to do to was solder the wires to it and a fix it so it didn't slide around in the hilt. The only other real snag I hit was when I realized I ordered the wrong switch. I needed a momentary switch not a latching like I ordered. I was checking out local electronic stores and having no luck. That is until i was replacing the button for doorbell. I got looking at it and thought this might work. So I went to wal-mart the next day and bought a cheap door bell button without a light. When I got home I wired it up and it worked. I just needed to mod my design to work with the new button. That's more or less how it came about. I don't really have a name for it though I kind of call it "big bastard" because its equal to a bastard sword. The LED I ordered was a rb, rb, w tri- lux, because I was going try and keep an LED on when the FOC flickered the the LED off, but because it required a momentary switch my idea didn't work. so I wired all 3 LEDs to different pads +pads it doesn't have the same effect as the string does for power up and down but you can see the tones change on power up and down which I think is cool. Now that its finished my wife is totally impressed and is all for me making more. So I am going to use up some more of the pvc and use that other soundboard and then I will make me a MHS with a nano board. Before I forget a big thank you to all you sabersmiths who posted the wiring pics and made the TCSS Youtube vids they were a big help to this noob.

So here is my first saber














Here is the board wired up

[Silver Serpent]

Nice work. Nothing wrong with a PVC saber at all, and you made a fine one.

[Starwinder]

No doubt it's a nice one. Congrats!

[JakeSoft]

That's a nice one. You did a good job with the paint. It's very convincing, hard to tell it's not metal. I especially like the holes you drilled in the emitter section that makes it look like a heat guard.

[Drawcut]

Very nice. I wouldn't know it was PVC unless you told me.

[darth_chasm]

Pretty sweet job!

[Black_Arachnis]

Nice work. Nothing wrong with a PVC saber at all, and you made a fine one.

Thanks. No there is nothing wrong with a PVC saber. For those of us with out access to metal shops, it allows us to create some unique hilts. I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out myself.

No doubt it's a nice one. Congrats!

Thanks!

That's a nice one. You did a good job with the paint. It's very convincing, hard to tell it's not metal. I especially like the holes you drilled in the emitter section that makes it look like a heat guard.

Thanks. The paint is a chrome automotive paint. It's the best I have seen so far. It give it the look of aluminum. It took me a while to find a pattern of dots to use for that.

Very nice. I wouldn't know it was PVC unless you told me.

Thanks. That's what I was going for.

Pretty sweet job!

Thanks!