Help with a lightsaber please ?

Hi I'm new to this forum and to making props. So go easy please.
For my first prop I plan on making a lightsaber as it is cheap and easy.
I was hoping if anyone has any tips and or recommendations.
Thanks !
 
Google big yellow box, graflex templates, yodaman vader tutorial, playskool2000 scratchbuild, sinktube sabers, youtube how to build a lightsaber...

The easiest is to do is get a 1.5 in sink tube and dremel a graflex shape in that, then find a sleeve and something for grips, get a hole plug, and put on a d-ring picture hanger.
 
And the price to most compact advice and fastest tutorial in one sentence goes to...

Cayman Shen !!! :lol:lol:lol

Seriously, almost all you need to know is in C.S.´s post ;)
 
Hi I'm new to this forum and to making props. So go easy please.
For my first prop I plan on making a lightsaber as it is cheap and easy.
I was hoping if anyone has any tips and or recommendations.
Thanks !

first pick a saber you want to make. A saber like Luke's would be cheaper and easier than an obi saber.
 
And the price to most compact advice and fastest tutorial in one sentence goes to...

Cayman Shen !!! :lol:lol:lol

Seriously, almost all you need to know is in C.S.´s post ;)

I aim to please! Seriously, I went through a loooong love of scratchbuilding sabers. As I began earning more money, I was able to start picking up MR sabers and real Graflexes, and my efforts began to look a bit shoddy, but it was a lot of fun.

Finding an old torchier lamp will give you the exact right thickness wall for a graflex, but the things are a bugger to sand and most of them are steel so rust is an issue. Having to oil your Vader ROTJ kinda bites...

PVC fixtures come in a LOT of cool shapes and can be assembled and added onto and painted in some durable paint such as Krylon fusion. You can get generic covertec style belt clips for a song, and viola.
 
Building sabers really depends on the tools you have at hand. I'm not a big fan of sink tube type sabers. I will go the extra few $ to purchase machined parts from vendors like The Custom Saber Shop.

Sabers can be nothing more than a static plastic tube to full blown Graflex replicas with fully programmable sound and LEDs. Heck, my Graflex V can play my favorite mp3s if I want it to..

Steampunk Saber with CF4.0
200912251588_build16.jpg


Obi-Wan TPM with US2.1
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Qui-Gon Jinn with US2.1
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Old Jedi Zinn saber with MR sound and TCSS parts.
201011119107_build7.jpg
 
Yep, I was really happy how that one turned out. I cannot take credit for the external design but I did build the internal electronics chasis with crystal core. That saber was basically some hollow thin aluminum tubing that was well fitted and cut to expose the internals.

20091210125455_build6.jpg
 
yeah i use to make alot of sabers back a few years ago, most were anakin/luke based. Here was my basic recipe:

1 1/4 inch metal sink pipe cut to 9inches then have the graflex angle.

Get some 3/4 inch PVC and cut to around 8.75 inches. Wrap electrical tape in an even spiral pattern up and down the PVC pipe until you get a nice even thickness that will wedge fit inside the metal tube. Set aside.

Get 3/4 inch dowel rod and repeat the same process with the tape above and cut it the same length as the PVC pipe.

Now wedge fit the dowel into the PVC, and then the PVC pipe into the metal sink tube. Get a drill and drill a hole that will go through all three layers and get an activation screw that will serve as a button and as a secure screw to hold the wedge fit.

Then just get a 3/4 electrical conduit end cap and attach that to the back and whalah you have a nice even saber with a solid weight and feel to it. You might want to hit up blastech for some Luke/anakin grips.

Andy
 
Here are a few of my custom sabers... Sorry I don't have any templates but they might give you a few ideas...

This is my VERY first "hardware" lightsaber. Made entirely from sink tube and entirely with glue only... zero drilling or cutting. What's funny is the way that all the peices fit together, this one has about the strongest internal structure of them all!
img01941ei.jpg

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That's actually a wine bottle stopper used for the shroud.

This is my second one... built in 24 hours as a personal challenge
for the grips I used these self adheasive magnet strips you get at the hobby stores. Just don't display it on top of a tube TV!
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And this is my latest Hardware saber... all store bought items... glue, drill, and an angle grinder is all that was used. Again... all retail store parts. And the same magnet grips again. Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart are my best friends!
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This one is definately the most polished of them all. So just keep at it... and before you know it you'll be a full blown Saber Smith!

You definately have to share once you start building one! Welcome to the wonderful world of custom sabers!
 
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I really like The Custom Saber Shop parts. they have a wide variety of modular sections that can be assembled in a myriad of configurations.
the shop also has powdrcoating and cutomizing services to make their parts
even more customized. here are a few Ive built with TCSS
(clicky pics)

Then I got a better photo setup




 
Here are a few of my custom sabers... Sorry I don't have any templates but they might give you a few ideas...

This is my VERY first "hardware" lightsaber. Made entirely from sink tube and entirely with glue only... zero drilling or cutting. What's funny is the way that all the peices fit together, this one has about the strongest internal structure of them all!
img01941ei.jpg

img02036at.jpg

img02198wr.jpg

That's actually a wine bottle stopper used for the shroud.

This lightsaber is beautiful. Any chance of posting the specific things you used? i would love to build something similar but dont really know what parts to get.
 
wow... thanks man. But beautiful??? It was my very first attempt. I remember being about 16 years old and buying some sink tube at Lowes but I never got around to turning it into a lightsaber.
Fast forward about 10 years later and I'm at the hardware store on a mission! I managed to build this one using only 2 part epoxy glue. I used zero power tools. At the most I think I used a razor blade to cut a particular part.
I am actually very flattered that someone wants to replicate my design. I want to say thank you but instead I'll just stay humble and say... good luck with your build man... and you BETTER post pics of the results!

To be honest... the parts description I will be able to list but as for the insides... I'm just going to have to make some educated guesses, it's been about 4 years since I built this thing.

Here is the first pic to start....

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1) The pommel is actually a water sprinkler head bought from the local Home Depot. I didn't modify it at all. Just used some rubber O-rings and epoxy to secure it to the inside of the main body tube.

2) The main body tube is a chrome sink tube from Home Depot. It is a 1 and 1/2 inch tube, 6 inches long.

3) This metal "patch" is something I found at the local craft and hobby supply store. It has an "aluminum" finish and is very thin. I bought it from the Scrapbook supply isle. I just liked it because it had little holes punched all around the perimeter and it looked like rivets.
I took this part and held it against the sink tube while I rolled it, like a rolling pin, across the top of my desk. That put the correct curve to it and I used epoxy to glue it to the surface of the sink tube.

4) 1 and 1/4 inch chrome sink tube from Home Depot... 6 inches long. I think I used rubber O-rings and Epoxy glue again to hold the two together. I also think that there was some way that the sprinkler head attached itself into the smaller sink tube... but I don't remember for sure. And there's not much of a way to find out since the whole thing is glued together.

5) This part is one of those "special" parts that you only come across a few times. It is the dark lens that covered a Play Station 2 Multimedia Remote Control infrared emitter section. Seriously... I had a remote that I wasn't using, took it apart and pulled the "lens cover" that goes over the infrared LED.

6) This part would be even harder to find than #5... it's the SHOULDER peice off of a little plastic Anime model robot that I bought at Walmart YEARS ago. I don't know what else to say about it. I don't remember the name of the toy and have no way to track it down. But I DO remember that it was a "shoulder joint" or "shoulder pad" from that toy robot.

7) Another small metal "patch" just like the one mentioned in item #3. It's just smaller, but they came in the same pack.

8) This is a Brass fitting that looked to me like a control knob. I think it actually came from the "CREATE YOUR OWN LAMP" parts section at Home Depot. It's the area where you would get parts to build your own lamps... it's usually on an endcap.

9) This little rubber "knob" actually came from a garden hose I bought at Walmart. It was mounted to the rear of the garden hose sprayer attachment and actually has the words "FLOW CONTROL" stamped into it with little arrows pointing to either side. One of the best found parts for that saber. FLOW CONTROL... Are you kidding me?!!??!!?

10) This little black "webbed" "collar" came from a smoke detector. Seriously... you take a smoke detector apart and there is a radioactive chip in there that is protected by a plastic shroud. You'll mistake it for a speaker if you don't know what you're doing. But I took the black plastic cage that surrounded the radio isotope and cut it up a bit... and glued it to the sink tube.

11) 11 is the emitter section and will be described below...

EMITTER SECTION...

img02198wr-1.jpg


A) This is a "Wine Saver" sold at CVS drug store. It's on an end cap and has a white rubber plug on the end of it. Pull the plug out with a pair of pliars and there ya go...

B) This brass part is the end tip of a garden hose sprayer. I just twisted it until it came right off.

C) On the end of the brass hose tip... I glued the end of a CD Rom drive on. It's the part in the center that grips the CD. I just pulled it off and glued it onto the brass bit.

That's about all I can think of in the way of parts.
Again, I'm just completely flattered that you want to go back over my build and re-create something that I brought into the world. Makes me feel Shiny if you catch the meaning.
All else I can say is that if you're going to glue things to Chrome Sink Tube, you need to use some sandpaper to scruff up the surfaces to be glued. I actually like to use a dental pick, bought from the dental area of the drug store... it really lets you get a nice deep gash into the metal that is just wonderful for epoxy glue to get a hold of.

Good luck to you on your build... welcome to the board... and feel free to PM me with any specific questions you may have on your build. And for sure... be sure to post pictures of your creation for us!

Take care.


And here's the rest of the images...
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Well... let know if there are any questions.
Adam
 
The Custom Saber Shop stuff looks pretty cool...good place to start if you want something a step above hardware.

I started with sink tubes and hardware from Home Depot. But I was never really satisfied with the results, so I bought a small lathe. I'm a bit limited in terms of what I can do with it, but I'm pretty creative when it comes to achieving the looks I want. Here's a couple pieces of my work. I machined all the buttons and covertec knobs as well. I'm available to make parts or full sabers if anyone's interested.

The Apocalypse incorporates a blade kit and sound module. The pic of the blade lit up is completely unaltered.
apocalypse00.jpg


The Avalon is probably my best work, incorporating almost every one of my techniques (except maybe knurling) in some form.
avalon4.jpg
 
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