New to Lightsaber Building

[Malak Stormrider]

Hi,

I'm really new to building a lightsaber. I'm interested to know (and maybe I missed the explanation somewhere) exactly how do I go about securing my LED blade to the MH saber hilt and have it be combat ready. I haven't built the saber yet, I just want the facts before I begin.

Any help and advice would be appreciated!

Thanx

[jedipadawan777]

My advice would be to get a complete blade (so you do not have to worry about diffuser film etc) and you will need to drill holes (by services) in your blade holder to secure the blade with some screws.

[Halowinter91]

Or he could save the money and drill the holes himself. If he has the right tools to begin with.

[ArkaiHalon]

To answer the question, The blade is secured in the blade holder by means of a retention screw. 8/32 or 10/32 are the preferred size/pitch.

A hole is drilled and then tapped in the blade holder to match the chosen screw. You can have Tim do this for a service fee, or you can do it yourself if you have the tools, or purchase the tools from Tim. It takes less than 5 minutes to it yourself. I encourage you to do it yourself, as Tim is not going to fully assemble your saber to ensure it's lined up where you want it.

Before some of the other's blast you, use the search function. this question is asked at least once a month.

And Welcome to the TCSS

[Malak Stormrider]

thanx alot!! This actually helped a great deal!!

[Halowinter91]

Question, do I need to do any soldering for the electronics?
And if so, how much is a soldering tool?

[Jedi-Loreen]

Here's a question for you:

Did you bother to do any reading before you asked that basic question?

Try going down to the Tutorial section and reading the "How to build a basic LED hilt" tutorial, you will see that indeed, you do need to solder the electronics together, how else would you do the wiring?

If I sound snippy, sorry, but we seemed to be getting a crop of very lazy newbies here lately who don't want to look for any answers themselves and people are answering the same questions over and over again.

[LordMasoch]

Question, do I need to do any soldering for the electronics?
And if so, how much is a soldering tool?

Yes, soldering is an essential skill that is very useful to learn. A soldering iron can range in price anywhere from probably $20 or so for a basic uncontrolled iron, to upwards of $1000 for the top-of-the-line temp. controlled station that can make you breakfast in bed.

If you've got a bit of money to spare, and are looking for something that will last a lifetime, look at Weller brand. Specifically the 'industrial soldering stations' they offer. VERY good product, and they won't break the bank too horribly (probably around $300 or so). Plus, they last FOREVER. Mine is probably 15 years old and still going quite strong.

Another option for a good soldering station is Hakko, though it's hard to find tips from anywhere else but them. A basic soldering station with them is around $100.

[annon]

Also, you should read up on soldering as much as you can. It's not hard (I learned when I was 12) if you do it right. Safety first and all that...

[Halowinter91]

Alright cool thanks. But money is an issue. I'm spending a fortune on gas because I drive 64 miles everyday to school and back. Then my car insurance costs me $152 because I'm a 17 year old male! And then I'm saving for college and for when I move out into an apartment with my girlfriend next summer.

So, I'll look at the $100 one first.
Now I wish we never had a garage sale for all of my great grand-dads stuff many years ago. He had so many tools that could be helping me right now. Clamps, soldering iron, dremmels, etc.!

And for safety, trust me, I stick to the rules like Gorilla glue. I'm the Rifle shooting team commander in my NJROTC unit, and I'm always yelling at the under classmen who are breaking the rules for shooting. Like this: holding a loaded rifle so that it points at a group of people while talking to the person next to them. And stupid stuff like that.
Monday, I actually have to start teaching the shooting clinic. I'm excited.