Finished: Obi Wan Lightsaber - Crystal Chamber (Weathering via chemistry)

Luke the Belter · Apr 17, 2014

(The finished saber is displayed here:http://www.therpf.com/f79/obi-wan-l...-via-chemistry-211462/index2.html#post3348531)

Hi,

when I read through this forum, it seems, that the Obi Wan lightsaber has some fans these days :lol

My last build was an Luke ANH with crystal chamber (http://www.therpf.com/f79/vintage-g...-display-stand-206607/index2.html#post3220750)

After I was done with it, I got some advice from Sym-Cha for my next project.

Sym-Cha said:
wow ... indeed ... that's a nice display ... great job ... well done!

Next should be Obi-Wan's lightsaber or Vader's from ANH

Chaim

Thank you so far :thumbsup

So I decided to go with an Obi Wan ANH lightsaber. And this "all-real-part-thing" is nice, but to expensive for me. Maybe some day I'll find something vintage for this piece.

But for now...
I'll start with a grenade part and a booster from Russ. (I know, accuracy. But there are so many oppinions about that and for me it's fine this way. And the parts where available

)

The grenade part I started with wasn't weathered or colored.

I thought about paint or some gun blue coloring kits, but decided to do the burnishing all alone. I study chemistry, so there is nothing hard about it.

If you want to do it yourself, you need chemical gloves and some laboratory glass bowls
I used 1000 ml destilled water, 600 g sodium hydroxide, 10 g sodium sulfate and 10 g sodium sulfite. Because of the sodium hydroxide you can heat the water to 170-180 °C.
Don't heat over 180 °C because your steel parts will become brown instead of black.
Plunge the steel part in this solution for 15 minutes. Then wash the solution off with destilled water and wipe the steel part clean.
Repeat this once again.
After wiping the steel clean you have to dry it, clean it from flash rust und oil or wax it.

You will get some realy nice black steel parts.

This is what I got.

Next, I will weather the brass wind vane, I think it's a little bit too shiny.

If there is any progress I'll inform you and will post some pics.

Sym-Cha · Apr 17, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

You're very welcome Luke ...

nice grenade ... why did you opt for a black grenade as in a as-first-built and not a more rustic weathered brown ... since you do have that option, yes?

Chaim

Darth Lars · Apr 17, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Looks nice for an AFBB. That sounds like hot salt-bluing, just like the gun shop does it.

Luke the Belter · Apr 17, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Sym-Cha said:
nice grenade ... why did you opt for a black grenade as in a as-first-built and not a more rustic weathered brown ... since you do have that option, yes?

Thanks. You are right. It doesn't look like an ANH now but I like it

The problem is, if I'd heated the solution over 180 °C the whole grenade would be rusty brown. This would be too much. Maybe I can add some rust to two or three specific points on the grenade (acetic acid, will do...I think). We'll see. For now I like it all black :lol

Darth Lars said:
Looks nice for an AFBB. That sounds like hot salt-bluing, just like the gun shop does it.

I think you are right about the hot salt-bluing. I thought some instructions would be nice for everyone who wants to try it the original way

NeoRutty · Apr 17, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Luke the Belter said:
Thanks. You are right. It doesn't look like an ANH now but I like it The problem is, if I'd heated the solution over 180 °C the whole grenade would be rusty brown. This would be too much. Maybe I can add some rust to two or three specific points on the grenade (acetic acid, will do...I think). We'll see. For now I like it all black :lol

RUSTY BROWN!

Figure that's what I'll go for... not sure how I'm going to go about it yet, but this may be the way.

Hopefully buying from Roman this month, and check back here for some chem lessons.

Darth Lars · Apr 18, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Luke the Belter said:
(acetic acid, will do...I think).

I would advice against that. I managed to strip the bluing off a hot-blued scope using a solution of vinegar and salt. No brown rust - just grey steel.

I noticed later that you can make raw steel develop brown rust very quickly using chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite). I applied some on the scope, both on the raw steel and a portion that was still blue - and it affected the raw steel without harming the blued steel.

Luke the Belter · May 27, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Darth Lars said:
I would advise against that. I managed to strip the bluing off a hot-blued scope using a solution of vinegar and salt. No brown rust - just grey steel.

I noticed later that you can make raw steel develop brown rust very quickly using chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite). I applied some on the scope, both on the raw steel and a portion that was still blue - and it affected the raw steel without harming the blued steel.

Thank you for the advice Darth. I’ll think about it.

Last week I received the last parts I needed for my Obi Wan lightsaber from Roman.
Now I have:
1x Sink knob (Roman)
1x Graflex clamp (Roman)
1x hollow clampspacer (Roman)
1x Bubblestrip (Roman)
1x Booster (Russ)
1x Grenade (Russ)
1x Transistors (Russ)
1x Emitter (unknown)

Here is a picture from everything I have now. Just to show how it could be if I’d assemble everything right now.

I used the hot salt-bluing solution from above to blacken the booster.
Then I went into weathering the windvane. It was too shiny, too golden. So I weathered it with a 10 % sodium sulfide solution. I’m really happy how it turned out. It’s not too dark but it isn’t too shiny either.

Some pictures of the windvane assembled to the grenade part and the emitter.

And a picture without flashlight.

At this point I thought about the crystal chamber and how I could manage to build one.
I disassembled a computer hard drive to see if there were some parts I could use. And as many people before I found that the plate holder could be used as a nice crystal holder.
I assembled the lower half of the saber (the threads of romans pommel and clamp spacer fit the booster threads just fine) and fitted the plate holder together with other parts and a crystal into the hollow clamp spacer.
Some pictures to show you how it may look.

Feel free to comment and tell me your opinion.

Sym-Cha · May 27, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Vey nice indeed ... well done

... so where does one find that 'plateholder' part in old PC hardware exactly or did you add other parts to complete the crystal chamber perhaps? And with that kind of crystal chamber perhaps you can add some vintage cotter pins and 'cosmetically' make them appear as if they have function through the 'graflex-clamp' and bend to the booster section, as seen in the Chronicles pictures, yes?

Chaim

Luke the Belter · May 28, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Thanks Chaim,

you are right about the crystal chamber. There are still some parts missing. It has to look more futuristic, when it is done. It was a part fitting test at this point.
I will add some wires and metalpins later on.

Sym-Cha said:
so where does one find that 'plateholder' part in old PC hardware exactly or did you add other parts to complete the crystal chamber perhaps?

I took the parts out of a harddrive. It is a so called plateholder. This thing is holding the memorydiscs and includes an electromotor.

You can disassemble everything and will get the parts you can see in the picture below. I pulled out the electromotor and got a hollow plate/crystalholder.

Lots of people had used the innards of an old computer to build crystalchambers. When I disassembled the harddrive I just understand it.

Sym-Cha · May 28, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Thanks ... well I looked at my old harddrives ... could not open them since I still need some of the data on them to be transfered, however I can't imagine it contains this part (highlighted on your picture) due to it's height when compared to the graflex clamp where it has to fit?

Unless that's the electromotor you mentioned? And does every old PC has one ... yeah you've guessed right I'm not a computer geek :confused

Chaim

Luke the Belter · May 28, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Sym-Cha said:
Thanks ... well I looked at my old harddrives ... could not open them since I still need some of the data on them to be transfered, however I can't imagine it contains this part (highlighted on your picture) due to it's height when compared to the graflex clamp where it has to fit?

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz258/Sym-Cha/09-2_zps8eb141f7.jpg

Unless that's the electromotor you mentioned? And does every old PC has one ... yeah you've guessed right I'm not a computer geek :confused

Chaim

Ah, ok...no it's not from the harddrive (that would be nice).

Tthis part is the "hollow clamp spacer" which Roman produces.
The electromotor is the part in the middle with the copper wire.
I only took the five parts in the middle of the picture out of the harddrive.

Hope this is of some help for you

Sym-Cha · May 28, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Hi Luke,

Thanks that clears that up for me indeed.

Chaim

Luke the Belter · May 28, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

You are welcome.

and if you don't want to open your harddrives because of the data

... I bought mine on a rag-fair for 2€ (2.7 $).
Now that I know what is inside those harddrives I'll keep my eyes open.

Lukas

enrico · May 29, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

great lightsaber, looking forward to see it once has been completed!

The Schlitzie · May 29, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

I was hoping you would be assembling another saber.

:thumbsup

Luke the Belter · May 29, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

enrico said:
great lightsaber, looking forward to see it once has been completed!

Thanks Enrico.

The Schlitzie said:
I was hoping you would be assembling another saber. :thumbsup

I promise you htat I will do an ESB Luke saber after this project

I'm just looking for a Graflex which I could get under 300 $.

Sym-Cha · May 29, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

That might be a task in itself to find a graflex under $300 ... try looking at 4 x 5 graflex camera's as well ... I have two of those already ... with 3 cell flashguns

Chaim

James Short · May 30, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Luke the Belter said:
Thanks Chaim,

you are right about the crystal chamber. There are still some parts missing. It has to look more futuristic, when it is done. It was a part fitting test at this point.
I will add some wires and metalpins later on.

I took the parts out of a harddrive. It is a so called plateholder. This thing is holding the memorydiscs and includes an electromotor.

View attachment 331005

You can disassemble everything and will get the parts you can see in the picture below. I pulled out the electromotor and got a hollow plate/crystalholder.

View attachment 331003

Lots of people had used the innards of an old computer to build crystalchambers. When I disassembled the harddrive I just understand it.

Great tip!

Also looking forward to seeing how this build progresses

ataru72ita · May 30, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

Luke the Belter said:
Thank you for the advice Darth. I’ll think about it.

Last week I received the last parts I needed for my Obi Wan lightsaber from Roman.
Now I have:
1x Sink knob (Roman)
1x Graflex clamp (Roman)
1x hollow clampspacer (Roman)
1x Bubblestrip (Roman)
1x Booster (Russ)
1x Grenade (Russ)
1x Transistors (Russ)
1x Emitter (unknown)

Here is a picture from everything I have now. Just to show how it could be if I’d assemble everything right now.

I used the hot salt-bluing solution from above to blacken the booster.
Then I went into weathering the windvane. It was too shiny, too golden. So I weathered it with a 10 % sodium sulfide solution. I’m really happy how it turned out. It’s not too dark but it isn’t too shiny either.

Some pictures of the windvane assembled to the grenade part and the emitter.

And a picture without flashlight.

At this point I thought about the crystal chamber and how I could manage to build one.
I disassembled a computer hard drive to see if there were some parts I could use. And as many people before I found that the plate holder could be used as a nice crystal holder.
I assembled the lower half of the saber (the threads of romans pommel and clamp spacer fit the booster threads just fine) and fitted the plate holder together with other parts and a crystal into the hollow clamp spacer.
Some pictures to show you how it may look.

Feel free to comment and tell me your opinion.

I like You crystal chamber very much, it is wide and clean look like off the shelf instead of being invented!!! Corgrats dude! I would make just some little additions of tubing and greeblies!

Regards,

Alberto

Jedi Reali · May 30, 2014

Re: Obi Wan ANH Lightsaber Prop / Weathering via chemistry

I love seeing the techniques people use to weather their pieces, so thanks for sharing. I've mostly read about ways of changing the color and finish of a piece, but what I've seen less of is people actually inflicting physical damage to a piece, by way of dents and scratches. And the Kenobi ANH saber in particular is rife with some serious wear and tear. It seems logical to inflict these details before weathering so they don't reveal the clean metal beneath the altered metal. Does anyone have any good tips or techniques for banging the crap out of beautiful metal replica parts and not having it look like it was just dinged with a hammer? The base of the emitter above the wind vane is particularly chewed up on this saber. Short of feeding the part to my pet T-Rex I'm not sure how to approach this, especially given that I don't have multiple throwaway pieces to practice on before smashing into those prized parts that'll one day make up the centerpiece of my saber collection.

Finished: Obi Wan Lightsaber - Crystal Chamber (Weathering via chemistry)

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