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Thread: First Saber Build - Or the continuous do-over

  1. #1

    Default First Saber Build - Or the continuous do-over

    Hello folks,

    I started posting in the welcome to the forum thread but when I explored the forum a bit more I discovered there is a whole forum section devoted to build threads so I am re-posting here plus adding an update.

    My idea for my first saber was to use a sink tube type shroud and also to use wood to add accents to the build.

    I began the build by using a 1.25" sink tube as my base. I then drilled out a 7" piece of cherry wood so that I could insert my sinktube into it. Once epoxied in place I turned this down on my lathe so that the cherry-sinktube had the same outer diameter as your typical MHS part, thus allowing me to insert it into a 1.5 sinktube.

    I also decided I was going to use walnut accents for the outside of the 1.5" sink tube. These went through several variations but this is what it looked like originally:

    7K7g8Ym.jpg

    I got from the store MHS conversions for the 1.25" sinktube and used a pommel and emitter in either end of the sinktube. I then cut the 1.5" sinktube in such a way that my cherry tube would show through the cuts. The first time I did this I made 2 different windows and both were pretty small:

    vI8ELM5.jpg

    I did not like the look of these at all. For one thing they were difficult to keep perfectly symentrical and the more I played with trying to get them there the less definition was maintained. For another I felt they didn't lend a the proper feel to the lightsaber. I then tried dramatically expanding the cuts and also tried using larger pieces of walnut:

    fn3MsO5.jpg

    This was a disaster and eventually I decided to just start over on the 1.5" sinktube.

    I purchased another sinktube and cut it open. Unlike the first time, this time I limited myself to a single "window". This allowed me to not have to worry about symmetry as much. I also changed up the emitter section cut just a little bit adding a change in angle of the sinktube.

    Z0T4LFK.jpg

    I also cut some more walnut and turned it down dramatically thinner on my lathe.

    This is the effect:

    db9gNH1.jpg

    Still I did not like the overall look. It was definitely better then what it was, but it wasn't .... lightsabery enough. I had been trying to preserve the handle like nature of the lightsaber as much as possible so that frankly it would be comfortable to hold. It was around this time that I finally realized that I really am going to need to add some more layers to make it look like a proper lightsaber. I took some of the cutouts from the previous tube and cleaned up the edges and laid them out on the walnut and got already a much better effect:

    IpHFj9N.jpg

    8M08pQr.jpg

    This brings me up to current.

    I will definitely be adding some metal ontop of my wood to give it a proper lightsaber like effect. Though I will likely use different pieces then what I have shown there. I am having a lot of fun figuring out how to make this thing happen so it will likely go through several iterations.

    As far as the electronics go, I will be using a tri-rebel b/b/w led at least 1 (though maybe 2) 18650 batteries, a sound card, a recharge port, and a photon green blade. I toyed very seriously with the idea of putting in a crystal chamber (and even bought some calcite crystals) but ultimately I do not have enough room to make it happen. If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts I am definitely open to them. Thanks for looking.
    Last edited by minorhero; 01-01-2017 at 08:33 PM.

  2. #2

    Default

    Found & following!


    Naasad Tal - A.K.A. Chris S.
    My Saber Build - http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...from-MHS-parts

  3. #3
    Jedi Initiate hapki's Avatar
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    I've always wanted to integrate wood into a hilt design. I hope you'll keep us posted on how it turns out.

  4. #4

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    Progress! Well, of a sort. I have maintained the integrity of this thread title by once more starting over. Hopefully 3 times is the charm.

    I have ditched my cherry tube and sink tube setup all together. Instead I am making use of a stainless steel 1.25" bicycle seat post tube. I had this bicycle tube laying around (along with a steering tube and gear tube) for a wooden bicycle build that never got off the ground due to logistical issues. At this point I don't see anything wrong with turning them all into lightsaber parts.

    I made my initial cut on my bicycle seat post at 12.5 inches. I installed some rubber 1.25 washers and held them in place with a little super glue. Here is how that looked with the pommel currently slip fit over the end of the tube.

    (note I also decided to upgrade my pictures from my cell phone to my "real" camera)

    t80JHeV.jpg

    Once the superglue setup I punched holes in leather I bought at a craft store, let it soak, and then stitched it over the handle. This took a while as 1) I have never done this or anything like it ever before, and 2) it was difficult heh. The leather I purchased was quite thick. Videos I have seen of others doing leather wraps involved much thinner leather but I wanted the effect of the thicker leather. I now know why folks use thinner. When stitching the leather does not draw together super evenly overtop of the thick rubber washers. I may end up re-doing this and using a different method.

    This is what it looks like now:

    7Nu7zX9.jpg

    As you can see the stitched end pulled in slightly with the tightening of the artificial sinew. I am thinking of covering this up with either a wooden or metal ring. (yes wood is still going to be in the mix on this build) Here is how it looks with a scrap piece of sink tube put over the end:

    epA91Cz.jpg

    One thing I really wanted to do with my previous build is include a crystal chamber. I frankly did not have the room. Now with this new hilt I planned from the start to include one and I am making it happen. A few weeks ago my wife was getting rid of some old costume jewelry and I rescued this medallion off of her:

    ifrB3j2.jpg

    After grinding/cutting away the outside to make it fit it looks like this:

    HM9Yw09.jpg

    Here is the basic idea for my crystal chamber. The crystal is light green calcite that was chiseled to rough dimensions by me and a hammer, then ground to fit on top of that sink aerator.

    5hGzNzH.jpg

    The crystal is being lit by a white floral light. Incidentally, anyone ever use floral lights as accent lights on a lightsaber?

    I then drilled the aerator and the madallion to make room for some copper tubes. Here is the effect:

    7Rz7Guw.jpg

    GpwhZpk.jpg

    I will secure all of this together once I am happy with its placement. But generally speaking this is the basic look of the chamber. The window into the chamber I am still working on. The micromesh screen from the aerator is going to be a "Grill" of sorts on the window into the crystal chamber. I plan to drill a 5/8" hole as the viewport. This will be the only view into the crystal chamber which makes it really easy to control the scenery since I do not need a "complete" crystal chamber with top and bottom that looks good. I only need the middle since that is all you will be able to see. What I want to do is come up with some way of creating a curved clear "window pane" that will be flush with the outside of the tube and also be sturdy enough for dueling. So far my only idea has been to use epoxy to create the window. The problem is that I need something to form the epoxy into the correct shape, and anything that I have that does that will also get stuck to the epoxy. So far the best I have come up with is tape. The adhesive on the tape releases when you remove it and gets stuck to the epoxy which creates a very cloudy surface. This is what that looks like on a my much abused test sink tube as lit from within by a floral light:

    tgmQhb1.jpg

    And that brings me up to current. I plan to use wood accents to make a button guard and also at least one ring for the leathered area and possibly 2. I will also cut apart my steering tube to get bits of metal I can adhere to the tube to provide layering. Blade holder will be the 1.18 OD holder from the store which should fit pretty perfectly into my seat tube. Last night I thought of trying silicone parchment paper as a potential form for the epoxy. If it works I will update here

  5. #5

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    Looking good! I've actually lost track of how many times I changed my design & continue to change things on my build (I actually just repositioned my chassis again yesterday)

    Really like the ingenuity behind your crystal chamber...I have seen a couple sabers that used a bit of blade material for a window, it'd be very strong & durable.

    Looking forward to more progress!


    Naasad Tal - A.K.A. Chris S.
    My Saber Build - http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...from-MHS-parts

  6. #6

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    Some more progress, not much but a bit.

    Using the same method as before I cored out some walnut and turned it down on the lathe to form end pieces for my leather section. Not sure how I feel about them right now. The front walnut end piece may end up acting as a guard for my switch as well. I worry that they increase the thickness of the saber too much.

    Here is what it looks like right now:

    xceju3H.jpg

    sgxPjhK.jpg

  7. #7

  8. #8

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    Progress once more... Well sorta of progress.

    I was very concerned about the stitching I did previously on the leather handle. The leather just was not pulling together over the rubber washers properly and the more I thought about it the more I realized the stitch I was using was just plain wrong. So I started over, again! ;P

    I cut the sinew and removed the rubber washers. Then I cut the old punched holes off the ends of my leather and punched new holes. I didn't think I had enough leather to do the handle the same way so I cut my leather into 2 equal parts so that they could be restitched back together on either side of the handle. Due to the leather being stretched around the rubber washers, the leather bumps over the washers was preserved to some extent even though the washers are no longer there.

    Here is how it all looks now: (note the pictures look similar but they are showing opposite sides of the hilt and the 2 different stitch jobs)

    Pab3l97.jpg

    pgAO6ck.jpg

    If you look closely you will notice that the ends do not meet up perfectly. This is due quite frankly to inaccurate hole placement in the leather. My plan is to add very thin wooden rings on either side of the leather. These will be considerably smaller then my previous attempts so hopefully they will not seem so gosh darn out of place on the hilt. The more I remake this hilt the more I am coming to realize that less is more. Sticking a piece of wood onto the hilt that is a 1/4" deep and covers an inch or more of linear length just makes the whole thing look bulky and ungainly. I need to make very low rising protrusions closer to 1/8" and small in size. Or at least that is my current idea.
    Last edited by minorhero; 01-07-2017 at 07:49 PM.

  9. #9

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    Stitching leather ain't easy! It also stretches in ways that aren't necessarily easy to compensate for.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by jbkuma View Post
    Stitching leather ain't easy! It also stretches in ways that aren't necessarily easy to compensate for.
    As it turns out you are quite right. I am hoping that by adding the wood rings to either side of the leather I can either shepherd the leather ends so they become even, or at worst, overlap the leather ends so my unevenness is hidden from view. I will do more work on that today.

    In other news I can confirm that epoxy does not stick to silicone parchment paper. Also silicone parchment paper does not provide a seal against epoxy. This means I can likely make my window pane using epoxy but it also means I need to cut a perfect circle of parchment paper to cover up the window (or as close to a perfect circle as I can manage) since it is the tape that provides the seal against epoxy dripping through. I also found out that at high enough heat (such as sustained blasts from my heat gun) the epoxy will have a chemical reaction (either on its own or in relation to it touching the tape/parchment paper) and it will bubble and turn yellow. So When using my heat gun I need to be pretty easy going or I will destroy quite a lot very very quickly. Fun times! ;P

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