Regal minimalism (first build)

[orcinus]

Hokay! The parts are finally in.



Awesome machining and finish, i'm really really impressed!





Of course, had to do a test fit right away:



All the hole positions line up when everything's screwed in!
TCSS, you rock!

Got just three problems (i know they probably sound silly, but any help would be appreciated):

1) Can't unscrew the AV switch and indicator LED retaining nuts - they're firmly stuck... tried with a wrench, some rags and pliers, no go. Please don't tell me the threads are reverse...

2) Any ideas on how to clean the lube out of media-blasted surfaces? It shows up really well (as dark greasy patches) and wiping with a rag or tissue doesn't do a very good job of it. Would isopropyl alcohol work?

3) The red acetal thumb screw's edge interferes with the blade holder #16 flare edge when screwed in to engage the blade - you can screw it in, but barely... The easiest solution i could think of was to put the thumb screw in a drill chuck, spin it up and sand a slight bevel to the interfering edge with a piece of sandpaper or a file. Any better ideas?

[orcinus]

To answer myself...

1) My palms are red raw, i had to fix the threads with a file, i can't feel my fingertips, but the damned AV switch nut is finally off. Ditto for the LED. The accent LED retaining nut was actually not stuck that much at all, my fingers were just too numb from the AV switch to give it a proper tug.

2) Isopropyl alcohol and a soft handkerchief seem to do the trick, although even gentle rubbing seems to take some of the aluminium off the media-blasted surface. The finish is pretty sensitive. Not sure if that's going to end up a good thing (nice weathering) or a bad thing (ugly weathering).

Two additional questions:

4) I've got one of these http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Re...ator-P113.aspx and an M6x0.75 tapped hole. The LED housing fits fine, but there's quite a bit of gap between the LED bezel and the hilt. Any ideas on how to cover it up? I'm thinking a rubber gasket would be the easiest way out, but not a very pretty one. Washer wouldn't work for obvious reasons.

5) I've also got an SPST momentary switch (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SP...itch-P641.aspx) and a tactile switch ring (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MH...ring-P896.aspx) - i'm not sure how you're supposed to get the whole thing inside with the switch in place. The only way i've managed to is by deforming the bottom of the ring and bending it inwards (so the whole thing looks like a pretzel), then maneuvering the switch in its hole, and then (arduously) straightening the ring out again while trying to keep it from rotating inside the hilt. Is there a smarter way i'm missing?

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Switch #22 is usually a press fit operation, no ring necessary (at least in my case).

[orcinus]

Hm. I've tried gently pressing it in for a test fit.
It seemed to have gone all the way in, but plopped into the hilt when i've tried activating it.

Should i press it in more firmly once i wire it up?
I was hesitant to apply any significant amount of force, because of the disclaimer ("The switch is somewhat fragile...").

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

If Tim did the hole for you, it should be a very tight fit - but once you get it in all the way - it might not come out (so prewire it first)

[orcinus]

Hahah, good point.
Was just thinking "wait, no, stop, don't try pressing it in before you wire it" when i saw your post.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

The one I had used has a QD on it, because I knew that once I installed it, it's not coming out of the hilt again. If you look up my Illustrious build, you'll see the switch in it.

[orcinus]

Makes perfect sense.
Thanks for the tip!

[orcinus]

Another dumb question - this time not directly hilt-related, but didn't want to open a new thread...

I've noticed in some of the build videos that people often have the AV switch LED pulsating steadily (i.e. not mirroring the power LED) when the blade is powered on.
Is that with it wired to one of the accent LED pads? Or to the dedicated battery power ON pads on the Crystal Focus?

[Scarecrow]

It's the accent led pads. The power on led will stay on once you pull the kill switch. You can set up your accent parameters on the sd card.