Graflex (99% complete!)

[Novastar]

I'm down with that... nice saber Hasid!

Oops... sorry, I meant 3Quad5.

Lack of sleep + over-training + staring at 10+ soundfonts = woops....
O.O Sorrrry... lol

[Hasid Lafre]

Its cool mang.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

If you are looking for a cheap source of black leather, go to your local thrift store and ask the sorters to keep their eyes open for a damaged leather jacket that they are throwing out because it isn't good enough to sell. That's where I got the leather I used on the grip of my "Focus" saber. Double sided carpet tape, carefully applied, will hold it on the hilt fairly securely. Contact cement will stick it there forever.

[ThreeQuadFive]

Ok, I pulled off the electical tape and cleaned off the bottom of the hilt (had some residue still on from the normal grips for the graflex before).

I'm thinking if I have enough leather left over after making a pouch or two I'll wrap it with that (kid goat skin dyed black).

[ThreeQuadFive]

Done, sans a new blade retention screw (the graflex shop's drilled hole is stripping like crazy..not good).

Thats pleather wrapping for the grips.

[DarthHideous]

Looks good!
Don't let J-Lo see the tape, though!

Yeah, J-Lo is the president of the "Anti-Electrical Tape Society."

[DJMoonbass]

well in my opinion whatever you like to use for grips i support and i do think your project is very nice.. that said i feel electrical tape as a grip material isnt really what i wouldve done.. you do know tim/stryder(owner tcss) sells the ORIGINAL type grips for the graflex sabers as well as "o rings" or even a rubber sleeve wouldve been better(ever use plastic dip before) or have it taped and spayed with some nice hard "bed liner" material those are not the route i would go since they are permanent but they are just some options and idea's

you do what you like and hell i dont care if you made your saber out of a busted off broom stick.. your here and with every project you will improve but to me(just an opinion) the best sabers had a smith who took what he does best(playing to his strengths) and used them to cover the area's he's not so good at.. and most of all thinking outside the box is key.

some of us here know off the top of their head the formula to convert near every type of voltage input to whatever outputs you need.. some of us here can turn an aluminum rod into an rotj in 2 hours... some of us here can meticulously solder boards actually creating there own soundboards which are FAR superior to FX boards hell theres a guy here who builds rbg led's doing a technique called "Reflow soldering"(dont try that at home). now you can be good, you can even be great at most of them.. but noone can do it all, these guys/gals are great sabersmiths(best in the galaxy) but they dont do it all.. they simply play to the strengths they have and source out the rest.. if your good on the inside let someone else cover the outside or vice versa

but good build and maybe my 2cent can be helpful if not only to offer you a differeing viewpoint
~dave

nuff said.

[ThreeQuadFive]

LOL I hate t-grips

[Jedi-Loreen]

I don't like T-grips, either. I find them uncomfortable. So I agree with you there.

[FenderBender]

Looks good, DEFINATELY an improvement over E-Tape *shudders* There are so many alternatives to tape for a grip there is NO reason to ever use it. Shrinktubing over o-rings, or hell just by itself. Leather/pleather/? like you used is good too. I find the best thing to adhere leather and the like to a hilt is 3M weatherstripping adhesive. It comes in black and yellow is gooey as hell and hardens like rubber cement. Great stuff for T-grips too! Im NOT a fan of T-grips either, but on a Graflex I have to aquiesce to them as they just fit.