blade retention for a dummy

**TheCheeker** · 07-21-2007, 02:07 AM

well i've been cruising the shop and the forums for a few weeks and have decided to give this saber building thing a shot. before i dive into drilling holes in my blade holder for retention i was curious if anyone has any suggestions when working with the MHS blade holder style 3. with all of the grooves in it i'm not sure how easy it will be considering that i've never done any drill and tap work. my only other question at the moment is just cosmetic. i'm trying to find o-rings that fit the little grooves in the blade holder. is there a specific size that i should be looking for or do the o-rings sold in the shop fit well?

any help would be very much appreciated

**Lord Maul** · 07-21-2007, 09:48 AM

the O Rings in the shop will work fine for the grooves...CD can give ya suggestions with the emitter #3, he's used them before

**vortextwist** · 07-21-2007, 10:08 AM

they should if their not too thick,

**Jedi-Loreen** · 07-21-2007, 11:00 AM

I just put together a saber for a friend that used blade holder #3. You just need to drill your hole in one of the grooves, it's not that hard.

I wouldn't drill your hole till you screw the blade holder on, with the heat sink between it an the hilt, to see exactly where you want the blade retention screw to be. I like to put my retention screws in line with the switch, but you might want it on the side, or opposite the switch, it's up to you.

And don't put your hole too low in the blade holder, the higher, the better but not right at the very top.

When you tap the hole, after you've drilled it, once the tap starts to "bite", only go 1/4-1/2 a turn, then carefully back it out and clean it and the hole of metal shavings. Repeat this procedure till you are all the way through. Run the tap at least 1/4" out the hole, to make sure you've cut the threads all the way through, don't stop when you see just the tip of the tap come through. And use some lube, I use WD-40, because it's what I have on hand.

Once your hole is compeletely threaded, you will probably need to sand the inside of the blade holder a bit in that spot, so it doesn't scratch or gouge up your blade when you try inserting it, since there will most likely be a bit of metal from the hole sticking out.

**TheCheeker** · 07-21-2007, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by vortextwist

they should if their not too thick,

yeah thats what i'm worried about. i took a trip to home depot yesterday and picked up some that just looked right because i didnt have the piece on me and when i got it home they fit perfectly on the ribbed extension piece with the wider grooves but they were a little too thick to fit in the blade holder grooves. i was just worried that if i get the ones sold here they might also be too thick.

Originally Posted by Jedi-Loreen

You just need to drill your hole in one of the grooves, it's not that hard.

thank you for all your information loreen. so i just have to drill IN a groove and not between grooves and i should be ok?

**Jedi-Loreen** · 07-21-2007, 12:05 PM

It would be too hard to try and keep your drill bit between the grooves, it will naturally want to go toward the grooves.

**vortextwist** · 07-21-2007, 12:35 PM

you might be able to use the handle of a screwdriver to push them in, I did that with my maul when I added orings to it.

**TheCheeker** · 07-21-2007, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by vortextwist

you might be able to use the handle of a screwdriver to push them in, I did that with my maul when I added orings to it.

well i just tried that and can't seem to wedge the rings into the grooves. they're too fat. i did notice that the package i bought has a couple thinner rings in it and they fit the grooves perfectly but it looks like they're just a touch too big. are there any tricks to shrinking an o-ring? i've read some stuff about making a small ring fit something a bit too big but i wonder if there's a trick to making one a bit smaller.