Building a gift for a child - help requested

[Jonitus]

I need some help/advice/ideas.
Kari and I are in the midst of picking out gifts for our wedding party. Kari’s oldest nephew, who is a very precocious 9 year old, has always wanted a lightsaber. He has, thus far, been the owner of a few Hasbro sabers, but nothing like the sabers you and I build. Kari suggested that I build him one for his gift from his new uncle (me).
Where I need help is in the design of the saber. Now, much as I like the kid, he can tear just about anything up. He can break the unbreakable. Whatever gets built will have to withstand some serious potential for abuse.
I am basing the saber on a 1.25” sinktube, utilizing one of the TCSS 1.25” LED/blade holders. I want to incorporate a MR soundboard in the saber. Power will come by way of a removable battery holder with alkaline batteries. It will be secured so it requires tools to remove. I will fix the blade into the socket so it cannot be removed. The only other major consideration is that the saber be BLUE. The kid loves blue. Oh, this also has to be done on the cheap. No MHS parts or custom machining. We’re talking champagne taste on a beer budget.
Help me come up with a saber meeting these requirements that will meet the needs of a 9 year old, be sturdy and long-lasting, not be too bulky or cumbersome, and still look cool.

[Jouster]

Well, the first thing that comes to mind, for some reason, is the screws that you would use to build this saber. If you're trying to child-proof this hilt, I would suggest using allen head screws. The reason for this is because if the kid is anything like how I was at his age, he would try to find a phillips or standard head screwdriver and take the hilt apart, in order to see how it worked I would think that trying to find the right size allen head wrench would be a little more difficult for the little guy, since it seems such things are less common than a regular screwdriver around the house. Just a thought...

In addition, if I wanted to make a cool, cheap hilt, I would just use a large pvc pipe overlay, with cutouts to act as grips. I don't know how much more complicated you'd want to go than that, since anything extra would probably just get broken off. Maybe use black as the base color, then do a stencil type of motif in some other color by using masking tape ( i.e. a dragon wrapped around the hilt -- just to get across my idea) with a clear coat to finish ? I have found that automotive spray paint formulated for vinyl interiors works very well. I used it on my first hilt, and the stuff hasn't come off at all (I used the DupliColor brand).

Jouster

[Jay-gon Jinn]

You could do something like these, Jon:










Those are built exactly like you describe, and I got them done fairly cheap.

[Jonitus]

Good ideas everybody!

Jay, my pipe cutter can't track straight enough to make rings around a saber like your's obviously can. Wish it could.

Take a look at the link and tell me whether or not it would be too "busy" for this project. It would be easy enough for me to build, pretty much as-is, but I wonder if it would be worth the effort.

http://members.aol.com/ctlawmore/ob1.htm

[ArkaiHalon]

If the kid is half as el destructo as I was at 9, I wouldn't do that obi saber, it's gonna get mangled . I like the idea of using pvc overlays for the grips. that way ,worst case, you can cut a new one if he breaks it. But I'd say keep it as simple as possible.

Also, I've got a spare joe jedi obi style emmitter in my garage that you are welcome to if you want it.


And congratulations on the pending nuptuials.

[Darth Leximus]

I'm just finishing up an Obi style saber like the one you posted. I would not recommend it for 9 year old, especially if they are destructive by nature. It's just not the most solid design and it would need alot of additional anchoring and securing to be youngling worthy. I like the PVC idea, start him simple and then if he can manage to take decent care of that one then maybe you could work on a more complicated project together in the future.

[gundamaniac]

That Obi-Wan saber is NOT something you want to give a kid who's as destructive as you describe. As nice as it looks...you're going to weep when you see what your nephew does to that hilt.

You could try something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiqR417_D0I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn9qlwvtIGk

These are really reeeeeeally basic sinktube sabers that Novastar was planning on using for his padawans in BOP III. Being sabers that Novastar was using, you can bet they were made to take one helluva beating, and these ARE sabers that were meant for little kids to use and bash around. The only concern for you would be, probably, making the hilt look a little more flashy if you wanted to and securing that sinktube endcap so that your nephew can't just unscrew it and rip out the wiring or something. You could even use Jaygonn's method to add some decorative rings and engravings to the hilt to dress it up or something.

[Jonitus]

I put forth the hardware Obi-Wan for the fact that he would know whose saber it was, and that I know I could build it around a single 1.25" sinktube and shore all the joints up so they would be sturdy. I would use PVC for the grips, and the battery holder would be secured to the pommel and would slide out on a cradle so his father could change batteries for him.

If it's a no-go, then I'll make other plans. I'd like to sort out parts and get things started on this saber this weekend if at all possible.

[gundamaniac]

If you really want to do the Obi-Wan, please remember this- use a full-length 1.25" sinktube base (which it sounds like you're doing), and NEVER trust glues or epoxies of any kind to keep all of your overlays together, always ALWAYS screw them in place! You should have a secure saber. My concern is more with your nephew dropping the saber than anything, which is why I recommend a simple design so you don't cry when you see all the dents and scuffs put into it. Though, it IS a nice thing you're doing here, making a nice hilt for your nephew...so...your call.

You may want to still consider a trick Novastar uses, which is putting thick rubber o-rings and gaskets onto the blade and pommel so that when the hilt is dropped, it minimizes teh chance of the actual metal hilt hitting the ground as all that will touch the ground is rubber (because the diameter of the rubber sections will be greater than the diameter of the metal hilt itself). That way, you can probably still make a nice looking hilt (just remember to take into account the rubber when you design the hilt!) and still have it be pretty durable for drops and throws.

[Jonitus]

Admittedly, I am a bit out of my element. I am accustomed to building for adults who take better care of these things than a child would. I have to unlearn what I have learned and built it for function rather than form.

This is why I suggested a hardware-based saber - I would be crushed if he dinked up a MHS hilt. A sinktube hilt...not so much.