Looking to make a budget first saber in time for TFA, need help with parts

[The Nerd]

(I hope I'm posting this in the right place, I'm new to forums in general, feel free to go GRAAAAAAHHHHH if I'm wrong)

Hi!

As we all know, The Force awakens is coming out soon, and myself and a few friends are going along to one of the early showings (3.15 AM sort of early). We decided to go in costume, because what's life if you can't be a nerd sometimes? . Of course, going as noble Jedi knights, we cannot go without lightsabers! We're on a tight budget, and are looking to spend under $60 on this. We're looking to make basic sabers that

1. Light up (duh)
2. Have ignition and de-ignition sounds, and an idle hum if possible (nothing too fancy)
3. Are strong enough to use in a battle, and..
4. Look at least vaguely decent (and are made from metal except where that's dumb (no PVC if possible))

I've looked at a few videos, and from what I've seen, the main part of the hilt will most likely be plumbing pipe, but other than that I'm a bit stumped.

We have a good few tools on hand, but no lathes or moulding capabilities, and we've got decent experience with soldering and most of the other common manufacturing processes

If anyone can provide any help towards this, I will be very thankful, and I'm ready to answer any questions you may have.

(Free hypothetical milk and cookies to the first good answerer, by the way!)

May the Force be with you

[Silver Serpent]

If you're trying to build a saber below $60, you're going to need to build the hilt out of either PVC or sinktube. I know you don't want PVC, but see this thread for a full PVC build tutorial: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...l=1#post138540 A lot of the techniques there can be translated for a sinktube build.

You want sound as well? You will have to scavenge a sound board from one of those cheapy plastic sabers they sell at Walmart and the like. Even the entry-level board (Nano Biscotte) is out of your price point. This thread: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...w-DVD-Tutorial will give you the basics on how to wire up the budget boards with a high-powered LED.

[JediCarpet]

Sound at that price point is going to be difficult. The basic sound card here is more than your budget. I would suggest looking into old toy lightsabers (Kenner, Hasbro) to use their parts, but if you want to use a high power LED then you'll need to look for a tutorial about adding a transistor to it so you get enough juice to the LED. That'll probably run you between $15-$30.

For the hilt, look into sink tubes, as you said. I haven't looked into how people secure the blades inside the larger diameter tube so you'll have to look into that. If you want the heavy polycarbonate tube, you're looking at about $11, plus the blade tip $3.50 but you could save $3 going for the thin blade. That's not even including an LED (~$10), thermal tape ($1), heat sink ($9), wires, batteries, resistor(s), button ($2-$12)...

[The Nerd]

Thanks for the quick reply.
I can drop the sound if it makes it easier (which I guess it does).
That tutorial looks pretty good, so I'll have a go at that. I'm also thinking of swapping out the Luxeon I LED from that tutorial for a Luxeon III, would that be a bad idea?
As far as sinktube VS PVC goes, I guess I'll sacrifice my values (I kid, I kid) and go PVC. I might leather-wrap the hilt so it looks a bit cooler though.
I'll have to attempt finding the materials once I'm back in the UK (yes, I'm a brit), so I might send you a message or write another post once that happens

May the Force be with you.

P.S. Oooh, almost forgot - have your hypothetical milk and cookies

[The Nerd]

So, I'm looking at a PVC hilt, with, I guess, these innards?:
LED
Thermal tape
Heat sink
wires
batteries
resistor(s)
button (latching SPST?)
battery pack

and for the blade:
heavy polycarbonate tube
tip

anything I'm missing, or is that it?
also, can I buy all of these things (excluding the PVC) at TCSS, or will I have to outsource?
(sorry for the constant queries, but I'd like to have my plan all sorted out as soon as I can so I can present it to the other guys who are also going to be making identical ones (ish, we'll have a few Sith mixed in))

[Silver Serpent]

All those items are available in the store. You will also want a lens and lens holder for your LED. There are heatsink assemblies and adapters that are specifically designed for homebuilt (non-MHS) sabers. See here: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Bl...n-MHS-C15.aspx

You can save a little cost on your heatsink assembly with this tutorial: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...-for-PVC-hilts It won't necessarily hold your LED and blade as well as the above adapters, but it's a viable option.

[The Nerd]

I'm having difficulty finding the Luxeon 1 LED mentioned in Jay-Gon's tutorial. Do you think it would be possible to use one of these (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Lu...Star-P523.aspx), and if so, how would I need to adapt the circuitry?

MTFBWY

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

I'm having difficulty finding the Luxeon 1 LED mentioned in Jay-Gon's tutorial. Do you think it would be possible to use one of these (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Lu...Star-P523.aspx), and if so, how would I need to adapt the circuitry?

MTFBWY

'
Yes, those are acceptable. The tutorial you are referencing is years old and the Lux's mentioned are very obsolete. It would probably work the same, as the specifications should be very similar.