TFA Graflex Research (That's a Graflex, right? Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)

cjchiu said:
Although the PropShop replica just seems to have a logo-less clamp....
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The film version seems to be logoless as well.

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That said, I doubt you could manufacture a licensed product. Though, Roman seems to do it. Does Graflex not care or do they just not exist anymore/have a copyright on it?
 
They don't exist anymore. JJ wanted the Graflex to be recreated like the original, so instead of making them from scratch like ROTS did, they converted original Graflexes. Why they chose to manufacture a clamp cover over just using some mylar or textured tape-- who knows!
 
SethS said:
They don't exist anymore. JJ wanted the Graflex to be recreated like the original, so instead of making them from scratch like ROTS did, they converted original Graflexes. Why they chose to manufacture a clamp cover over just using some mylar or textured tape-- who knows!
Click to expand...

It makes sense to me. They probably wanted to have the shine and texture of real metal rather than a glossy tape! I would care!
 
Mylar tape would be so easy to spot these days with everything in HD. The clamp cover makes the mod a little less noticeable unless you're really scrutinizing things.
 
TheIronGAMING said:
Do you have a pic of the TCSS grip profile? Haven't seen one photo of the profile.
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Here's the profile:

IMG_20160823_195617.jpgIMG_20160823_195806.jpg

It's completely rounded on the bottom, no glue channel, BUT, it's rounded in a larger radius than the 1.5"diameter Graflex body, making the edges rise up off the saber body, much as they do for grips that have a glue channel. The curve looks more like a 1.75" radius.

I suppose you could remove the thin adhesive that comes on the tcss.com grips and replace it with something much stronger that may pull the sides down, but I don't think it would keep them down.

So though the tcss.com grip bottoms are curved, they are not curved perfectly to fit the Graflex body.
 
For brass, try some Birchwood Casey Blue or Brass Black. If you don't have those available locally, you can always try vinegar (and salt) with heat, but it takes a little longer.
 
Last edited:
Easy-off oven cleaner darkens brass too. Basically anything with ammonia will do it. Brass Black does it the fastest though.


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Kenzie C01 said:
Does anyone have good ideas on how to weather the brass pins and connectors for this darker look? http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160824/a05cc470ab95d23690a563e220d3b8d1.jpg


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Click to expand...

i have had good luck with a vapor bath of vinegar

i weather my stuff with a rubbermaid container. i place a object in the container, and then fill around the object with vinegar, leaving the object sticking out of the vinegar. i then rest the item i want vapor bathed on the object sticking out of the vinegar and close the lid. i usually check in a hour or so. with brass you can watch it with in minutes

below you can see i used a purple cap off a allergies bottle to keep my clamp out of the vinegar

IMG_5529.jpg


i have to double check but i believe this is what it looked like after 4 hours

IMG_5596.jpg
 
Thanks for all the help. My 2.0's clamp lever came damaged, is there a place I can get the rectangular washer bit, and the clamp lever and threaded rod?


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I would first talk to whoever you bought it from. Product should not be delivered damaged and should be replaced by the seller....
 
cjchiu said:
I would first talk to whoever you bought it from. Product should not be delivered damaged and should be replaced by the seller....
Click to expand...

I bought it a couple months ago, and have modified it. I'm not sure TCSS can replace my clamp at this point. But, the clamp lever did come damaged, and the little washer binder it has been bent since I got it, not sure when.
79ef96e8c933cb4dd4b7e5feb279b2c2.jpg

It is functional, but the notch taken out of the bottom bothers me.
455d4ac4d39f728e7198a39cc8d0c882.jpg

Here's the washer. I think I may have done this by tightening the clamp to much, some of the nickel plating even came off.

Lastly, the little pin that connects the level to the rod is misshaped. I noticed this a few weeks ago. Not sure if it came like this, but I can't see how I could've done it.
0daa621f2005cf6983868bf4329fd5ab.jpg

It's hard to see, but it is crooked in hole of the lever. This makes the lever squeaky, and if I loosen the clamp and take it off, sometimes I can push it back, but it always sticks up diagonally like this again eventually. This is kind of frustrating.
 
Kenzie C01 said:
I bought it a couple months ago, and have modified it. I'm not sure TCSS can replace my clamp at this point. But, the clamp lever did come damaged, and the little washer binder it has been bent since I got it, not sure when. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/79ef96e8c933cb4dd4b7e5feb279b2c2.jpg
It is functional, but the notch taken out of the bottom bothers me. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/455d4ac4d39f728e7198a39cc8d0c882.jpg
Here's the washer. I think I may have done this by tightening the clamp to much, some of the nickel plating even came off.

Lastly, the little pin that connects the level to the rod is misshaped. I noticed this a few weeks ago. Not sure if it came like this, but I can't see how I could've done it. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/0daa621f2005cf6983868bf4329fd5ab.jpg
It's hard to see, but it is crooked in hole of the lever. This makes the lever squeaky, and if I loosen the clamp and take it off, sometimes I can push it back, but it always sticks up diagonally like this again eventually. This is kind of frustrating.
Click to expand...
Yeah, mine too. The latest batch was damaged. I'm replacing my clamp with Roman's. Mine has major scuffs (unbrushed) sides on either side of the clamp, the lever is a bit damaged, but I replaced the washer with the one from my Hasbro ANH Skywalker saber. I got mine from Parks, but they all get them from the same place. TCSS did the right thing of selling them a bit cheaper because of it.
 
Kenzie C01 said:
Does anyone have good ideas on how to weather the brass pins and connectors for this darker look?
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Click to expand...

try this at your own risk

tales I have heard from back in my military medals/badges collecting days, apparently, one of the artificial/accelerated method of aging various metals would be to bury them in mud for a few weeks.

apparently it was a method favored by counterfeiters to pass off replicas as genuine.

but I am not sure if you would really want to risk it for something as small as those pins............
 
Hey guys, I've 'finished' my vintage TFA saber :D I used the Graflex 2.0 grips as potentially temporary options to make it look different from my ESB. I also went with the Maz box saber, again to differentiate. I accidentally cut the grips half a mm shorter than Roy's calculated dimensions but ended up with the grips looking much further than half a mil from the end than the movie saber, so I'm not sure what happened there:

IMG_1270.JPGIMG_1271.JPGIMG_1272.JPG

Not quite sure why the RPF upload decided to rotate the images there...

Here it is in all its screenshot comparison glory :D

TFA1.jpgTFA2.jpgView attachment TFA3.jpg

Thanks again to Roy for his screen accurate parts kit :D
 
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