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Thread: Graflex Sabers

  1. #11

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    Finally some electronics installed. Green K2 powered by the version 1 driver board. Thought the green would go good with the brass handle strips. Also installed a vibrating motor wired to the LED output. Graflex flash tubes aren't the easiest things to work with but they do look cool.





    Last edited by B5813; 09-24-2008 at 01:56 PM.

  2. #12

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    A group of us over at JSSDC had a contest recently. The contest was to design and build a saber which incorporated elements of the Graflex flash and showcased our talents. Every one of the contestants in this challenge pushed themselves to the limit and created their finest work. These sabers you will see from our contestants are some of the most innovative sabers I have ever seen. We over at JSSDC are trying to push the hobby of replica/custom lightsabers to new levels. Through challenges like the one we just had and will have in the future, we will do exactly that. Each of our members will post their own thread here on my section of FX-Sabers, and here is my entry:

    Hear ye, hear ye! Jon has come with the thunder. After countless hours of toiling, gallons of coffee drank, hundreds of hours of industrial music listened to, sketches drawn/revised/tossed/redrawn, a dead soundboard replaced at the 11th hour (Thanks Gravy), a gashed thumb, and a wonderfully understanding wife...


    I HAVE BROUGHT FORTH MY CONTEST ENTRY

    Lacking creativity for witty nomenclature, I have no name for this saber. This saber is comprised of the following components:

    1.5" OD 20 gauge sinktube (nickel plating sanded off, then polished back to 600 grit)
    1.25" OD 20 gauge sinktube (nickel plating sanded off then polished back to 600 grit)
    (2) 1.5" to 1.25" adapters (big shoutout to Randy at Arm on Fire Designs)
    (19) strips of brass comprising the grip of the saber
    MHS BH1 (modified)
    (2) 1.5" sinktube to MHS adapters
    Custom crystal chamber/battery pack/electronics cradle comprised of brass tubing and copper accents
    Ultrasound 2.0 board
    R/O Luxeon III (bin 2)
    A fair modicum of blood, sweat and tears

    On to the pics. It would be best if you were sitting down for this:


    My entry has been in process for many months, but I originally lost interest in the project until Eastern suggested a contest to showcase our talents. Here's the basic saber and the brass used for the grips.


    The strips cut to length (by Dremel) and trued so they are all the same length (by hand). Aside from the turning down of the MHS parts and the machining of the 1.5 to 1.25 adapters, nothing else on this saber was done with precision machinery. Just me and my anal-retentiveness and a Dremel or files. Good stuff, huh?


    The three main components of the saber. Goes together nice and tight and makes it easy to service, should the need arise.


    When you lay out all the components, a saber doesn't look like much, does it? Let's take a look at the centerpiece of the build - the crystal chamber.


    This is the assembled but bare chamber. I integrated the battery pack, crystal and soundboard chassis into on coherent unit. It's comprised of brass tubing and Nylon washers. Again, no precision machinery used here - just careful measuring and drilling.


    While I wanted to be able to show off "bling" with the crystal and such, I also wanted to make the guts as "clean" as I could, and to me, that meant hiding as much wiring as possible. I hate exposed wires. The back of my AV setup in my living room causes me great distress. Wiring here is run through the tubing to areas it needs to go to. Makes for a nice install, which we'll see in a minute.


    The cradle the soundboard sits on is made of clear styrene plastic, and is hollow in the middle, to allow the wiring of the 5mm LED for the crystal chamber to pass through unseen. The cradle is a structural component of the whole unit, and keeps things true and straight.


    The wiring for the speaker, switch, battery pack, 5mm LED were routed as needed and cut as short as feasible to reach the pads on the Ultrasound 2.0 board. I think this is a clean install.


    Designing the chamber/chassis the way I did, it allows the saber to be broken down in such a way that if you need to diagnose a problem, the board is easy to get to. Just another detail I thought was important.


    Putting the body of the saber back together, the chassis can be pulled towards the rear and expose the battery holder and crystal chamber. I didn't want to see the crystal glowing all the time, but I though it was a neat way to display it. Kind of an example of "things are not always what they seem on the surface".


    Low-light photo of the saber activated. The crystal is tied to the main LED and flickers. It's a neat effect. I am disappointed in the small LED though. It's a Radio Shack LED, so the dispersion angle is narrow, making it seem dim if you view it too far off-axis.


    Shot of the saber with almost no light. Note the glowing of the blade from the "recharge port" holes where they would be on a Graflex? Aww yeah!


    Another shot in the dark. Even with the main LED on, you can still see the glow from the crystal chamber.


    Beauty shot.


    Another beauty shot.

    VIDEO:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5_Omyo3v58

  3. #13

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    Ok so here is my entry, I don't have a name for it though.
    It has some firsts for me. The crystal chamber (first time), CF V4 (first time), Gold leafing (first time), RGW used to give a purple blade with White clash flash and mid hilt mounted speaker.
    It's not exactly like my original design but really close. The important stuff stayed and reality made some minor changes to the exterior.

    So I give you ....... I got nothing.

    Crystal chamber



    Waiting for some skin



    Video 1
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpSkhYPcMOM

    Ready to serve.






    Size comparison to my Luke ESB Graflex.


    Final Video.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5etBp6HquHw
    Last edited by Lord Maul; 02-03-2009 at 11:44 PM. Reason: fixed picture

  4. #14
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    Default JSSDC Graflex Challenge - Fenderbender & Allaerra Secura

    Here it is:

    PERSEVERENCE

    Features:

    NO MHS Parts were harmed in the construction of this lightsaber. It is completely custom machined with the exception of the Graflex 2-Cell Head and the TCSS prototype adapter, thanks Tim!

    Arc Reactor Powercell

    Mid Hilt Crystal Chamber

    7.2 V LION Batteries

    Built-in Recharge Port

    Seoul P4 Blue

    US V1.0 (to be replaced by V2.1)

    Tactile Switch under Graflex Button

    Vintage Graflex 2 Cell Head de-chromed and polished (brass)

    Custom milled and lathed center section

    Custom milled powercell chamber, powder coated translucent gold

    Custom lathed pommel

    Here are the pics:

    The pieces ready for assembly



    The Pommel:



    Test Fitting the pieces prior to recharge port hole and cap screw.



    Here she is all finished!











    And now for the good stuff The Crystal Chamber:





    The Power Cell Reactor:





    Its like Christmas!







    The video:



    Hope you guys and gals like it, we had a lot of fun pushing the limits of what we could do. Thanks to Jon (Judgesabersmith) for hosting this awesome challenge and for bringing together the greatest bunch of crazy sabersmiths in the hobby. It really has turned into a think-tank for stretching and advancing this great thing we do. Thanks to Eastern57 for proposing this challenge and for dragging the best out of us kicking and screaming. Enjoy this and all of the other entries as we ALL put everything we had into them.
    Last edited by FenderBender; 02-03-2009 at 11:44 PM.

    If you're new, please take the time we all consider just as precious as you and READ!

    GET LATHED!

    Official BMF and LORD OF THE STRINGS

  5. #15

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    Nothing as cool as the preceding sabers in this thread but here's mine. I machined the parts myself. As you can see, I wasn't trying to replicate the graflex look exactly. NOTE: Not part of the JSSDC contest.





    Last edited by ARKM; 02-04-2009 at 10:37 AM.

    http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y23...0Saber%20Hilts

    From Wikipedia: "Internet Explorer slows down GIFs if the framerate is 20 frames per second or higher and Microsoft reports that Google Chrome and Safari also slow down some GIF animations."

  6. #16
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    Default JSSDC Graflex Challenge - Eastern57

    This was my entry for the JSSDC Graflex Challenge:

    "FISHBONE"



    Specs (nose to tail):

    - LED string (red Makoto Tsai LEDs)
    - Vintage Graflex head (no red button or glass eye window, just came as the head)
    - TGS blade holder (no heatsink)
    - 8-32 threaded rods
    - 6mm ID aluminium tubing (from old airsoft barrels)
    - 1 1/2" x 1/8" clear acrylic disks
    - 4.8mm 120-degree LEDs (6)
    - Ancient Parks clamp (had it since '98 )
    - Brass screws
    - Tin switch shaft w/brass head
    - MR sound board
    - Blank PCB (for routing of wires)
    - Judco Low-profile latching switch
    - 4.3 miles of 28g ribbon wire
    - 2 CR123 (6v) Lithium batteries
    - Good speaker... not really needed...

    Super flat black camo epoxy paint.

    Minor weathering...

    Pictures? okay... :dft012:









    More detailed pictures:


    Center brass knob on control box is activation switch.








    Illuminated Pics:


    With flash


    Without flash





    Vids






    Progress vids

    Guts all laid out - shows routing PCBs and miles of ribbon wire



    On the bench "IT'S ALIVE!!!"




    eastern57

  7. #17
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    Here is my entry for the JSS competition
    Legend

    Basically, it's a What If saber. What if Obi-Wan had told Luke the truth about what happened to his father in the beginning. What if his motivation for becoming a Jedi was not revenge or "nothing left for me now" but to redeem his Family name, to redeem his father. To start down that road, he took his father's saber, that had killed Jedi, and redeemed it as well. This is the Legend of the Skywalker Saber. So it's over all a blend of ROTS, ANH, and ESB

    This saber is a lot of personal firsts. I've never done a crystal chamber or integrated chassis like this before. Not to mention, by simply removing the retention screws, and popping the switch off, the entire thing slides out in one piece.

    While, it may look like a simple conversion, it is not.
    It started as an MR FX Anakin ROTS. I removed the stock grips and replaced them with TCSS Luke ESB style grips. I then drilled and tapped the screw hole. Then I ground down the screws so that they sit flush and polished along the inside of the saber. No nuts holding them in place.
    Next, I took the TCSS Ani converson blade holder, and put two 6-32 rods in it. Then used my laser to cut a set of acrylic discs to act as a chassis.
    It's using a 5 mm green LED for the crystal chamer. The crystal is genuine quartz that I cut and polished myself. The entire chassis is bolted to the heatsink, with a small rubber grommet to help prevent heat from melting the acrylic. The sound board is a Luke ANH, which I removed the clip, and used a new ribbon to run the leads to the leds and clash sensor. Main LED is a seoul p4 white, with one of my viridian filters. The blade plug is a piece of aluminum bar stock, with a nylon washer to hold it in place, and a rubber tip to keep it from scratching the optics. It's held in place by the main retention screw. Power is provided by two trust fires, sound with the premium TCSS speaker.

    Thanks for looking.












  8. #18

    Default JSSDC Graflex Challenge - Arm On Fire

    So this is my official entry in the Judge Sabersmith Graflex Challenge

    I wanted to make it a dark side inspired graflex . So I reversed the color scheme and changed a few of the features around.







    The base of the saber is a 8” MHS style hilt section with a custom machined overlay, powder coated flat black. I wanted the look of the t-track grips, but because they are so damn uncomfortable so I decided to machine out the overlay to give it the opposite look but still have grips.

    It’s the coin edge pommel and speaker grill from TCSS, with a d-ring holder I made and a brass d-ring.



    I took a MHS #2 choke and drilled some holes and installed some brass rods to give it a little bling and add some color.






    The emitter is a MHS Blade holder #2 that I cut some grooves in.



    I cut the emitter shroud with the classic graflex S curve also powder coated flat black and attached it to the blade holder thru the bunny ears I also made. I also hid the blade screw in the bunny ears as well.



    I also made this custom blade plug for it , Jon and I actually came up with the design based off the ones that chaos over at TCSS made a while ago.



    Its got a red –orange lux 3 run off a ultrasound 2.0 .





    Video

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2kS9WSK6Zg

    well that’s it, that’s my entry, sorry no crystal chamber, no chassis, I think they are cool I just dont like them in my sabers . I'm really happy with how it came out I really love this design and I hope you do to . :dft012:

  9. #19
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    Dual Power Lightening-Crystal Graflex with Reverse sound.

    The specifics:

    TCSS Graflex replica
    Ultrasound 2.0
    Lux V BIN 2 Cyan
    2 HO aqua LEDs
    1 HO RGB LED (attached to flash/clash for lightening effect)
    TCSS HO speaker placed in Reverse-sound orientation
    Dremel-fu aluminum crystal chassis
    LDM custom Powdercoating flat black
    Copper crystal core with recessed Recharge port/kill switch
    See-through ventral Graflex "Glass-eye"
    Crystal (Crystalier-rainbow crystal) pommel with "lightening effect" & standard crystal (Crystalier-cyan crystal) chamber.

    Okay, on to the videos:

    First is a general video of the finished build:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxUslsQIQ8A

    Next, close up vid of the crystal chassis pre-installation:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FkdsB9FnNk

    Finally, my somewhat vain attempt to show the lightening effect:

    http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/l...t=100_0139.flv

    Here are the finished hilt pictures:

    pommel end:



    Emitter & side views Check the cyan showing through the "glass-eye"):







    Dual-crystal chamber:













    Finally, In-build Pictures:

    Started here:



    Planned out & executed some dremel-fu!:





    Here is the initial orientation of parts:



    Now, let's plan out the copper "crystal-core":













    Gotta create the reverse-sound/LED/Bladeholder module:







    And fit it to the crystal chassis:







    Test fit it (again) in the graflex:



    Solder that "touchy" US2.0:





    First "fire-up!":



    Custom tactile switch:



    Completed crystal chassis:



    First assembled "fire-up":



    Finally, the newly assembled saber with it's design sketches:







    For those of you who don't think that these 7 million pictures were enough, here is the album LINK
    All n00bs READ these first (PLEASE)!!!:1. LDM's Basic Saber-build Step-by-Step Tutorial 1A. Maul's Saber Dictionary 1B. THREAD INDEX 1C. Econo Sound Diagrams
    TCSS the #1 Part supplier of LDM customsabers!

  10. #20
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    Default JSSDC Graflex Challenge - Obi-Dar

    May I present to you,

    "Starkiller"


    Here's what went into it:

    -aluminum tubing from Online Metals
    -copper tubing from my personal supply
    -copper leaf accents on grip
    -TCSS 1.25" blade holder
    -TCSS red button, glass eye, and brass pins
    -premium speaker from TCSS, mounted mid-hilt, facing forwards
    -custom pommel and switch guard
    -red Lux III
    -Crystal Focus 4.1
    -quartz crystal, lit by 5mm red LED, two 5mm LED bezels
    -two Trustfire batteries


    Here are two pictures from early in the build, just to give and idea of the structure. The copper tubing goes all the way to the beginning of the s-curve.


    In the second picture above, you can see the first version of my crystal chamber. I didn't like where the forward washer sat. Here's the re-worked version. I had to do some heavy modifying to the heat sink, in order to make it a part of the crystal chamber, but I love the way it turned out.



    Here's the CF, nestled happily in its new home.


    Here's the finished saber.



    Close-up of the crystal chamber. The speaker is facing forward in the middle of a 2" resonance chamber between the battery pack and the LED that lights the crystal. Here you can see the sound holes I made to let the sound out, just behind the rear washer. It works pretty good like this. The sound comes out the pommel end too, and I get really good resonance.



    A closer look at the emitter end. The blade retention screw is the black set screw in the bunny ears, behind the button head screw.




    Here is a view of the pommel, with a low battery LED mounted in one of the holes.


    Here it is lit.


    I hope you like it. It was a challenge to build, but I had fun doing it.


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