Obi Wan, TPM saber brass bicycle valve adapter part DIY
I'm using a Presta valve adapter the same way that a bicycle valve adapter was used on Obi Wan's TPM saber but am not 100% sure what the thread size/pitch is that I should drill/tap. I'm thinking it's 8mm with .75 thread pitch. has anyone used this type of valve adapter in a similar way? If so, how did you mount it?
Last edited by B5813; 10-16-2008 at 08:27 PM.
Nevermind. Improvised and came up with a nice alternative method. For those who might want that Obi TPM type valve thing on a saber it's easy and pretty cheap.
Presta bike tire valve adapter(picked mine up at REI but online too for $1)
5mm, .5 inch set screw, thread pitch is .8
small led
Obviously cut the threads off the valve adapter. The inner threads of the valve adapter are 5mm with a thread pitch of like 1. The smaller pitch on the set screw of .8 allows you to screw it into the bottom of the valve adapter just enough to have it bite in tight. I used a small led(red here) and trimmed the ring at the bottom. I also filed it a bit shorter then placed it through the top of the valve until it hit the top of the set screw. When you're happy with it's mounting depth superglue it in permanently. Drill/tap a hole in the hilt using a 5mm, .8 thread pitch tap. I also used a countersink bit to enlarge/cone the top of the hole I drilled/tapped so that the valve looks recessed into the hilt itself and not end up sitting flush on the surface. Comes out looking alot like the one on the Obi Wan Phantom Menace saber.
Picture with the grey screw is my alterations:
Last edited by B5813; 10-16-2008 at 08:25 PM.
Very neat my friend, probably gonna use this on a future saber. This can be applied to just about any thumbscrew.
Perhaps leave the neck slightly longer.
Awesome idea, but just out of curiosity, why couldn't you just tap the saber for the thread already on the valve?
He didn't know what the thread pitch was I think...
Back on topic, that looks really good man. Can we get a shot of the whole saber to see how the valve goes with the hilt?
Aluke123 on every other forum - Old grumpy moderator here
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Yeah, the thread pitch on the valve itself was unknown and I didn't want to mess around with maybe buying the right size tap online the first time around.
Still, if you can find that information you might have something even better on your hands, because then you could light the LED. Thanks for the idea B5.
Jumping in a little late here, but I just picked up a few of those Schrader adapters myself. I dug around online and got three different answers for the outer thread size.
One site said it was .302" x 32 tpi. Another said it was a 1/16" x 27 NPT, and a third site said that it was 7.7mm x .794mm pitch.
I figure it's just easier to do exactly what you did, and just screw a set screw into it. If you can't find a 5mm screw, a 10-24 screw will fit in, but it will be just a little sloppy. You could use a dab of JB Weld to fill the gaps and hold it in. That's what I'll probably do.
It would be nice to be able to just tap the threads to the right size and screw it in, but I'm not spending a bunch of money on special taps, especially when I'm not sure what size it is, and might end up buying the wrong one.
That's what I said at the time. I was almost completely sure of what size was needed but... anyway, there's usually always more than one way to get something done.
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