3D Printed Lightsabers
- Thread starter Cad110
- Start date
Thanks, they have taken a good six months to be this good. I started out, just modelling what I liked but the more you get sucked into it, the more accurate you want things to be!
I’ll send the download links to you separately and would love to see your progress. Let me know if you have any questions.
Originally, I bought a kit from Etsy but saw lots of ways to make it better. It was the purchase that started my Saber print journey and I’ve been working on this one every now and then. There’s still a few pieces to refine before I share it but would be happy to when it’s done.
danvader
Well-Known Member
Hamilton Props on Etsy offer some great kits which are pretty close and you can get a lot of STL files on MyMiniFactory or Thingiverse to print yourself but few, if any will be screen accurate. Once my Kenobi New Hope is refined a little further, I may offer the files for all my hilts online for a small fee. This will be after I’ve finished two projects underway (a Rey blaster and a Solo DL-44) so roughly mid Feb.
Dr Jones Sr
Sr Member
Not a printer myself, I bought this 3D printed kit off Etsy, but I've been experimenting with various ways of painting it to get the look of some of the Original Parts sabres seen in that thread. (I can't bring myself to do the super-shiny tap, I prefer it rusty to match the rest of the sabre.)
Here's my current look- I've repainted this same sabre a number of times, but for now this will have to do for next weekend's Con.
Just now I tried this trompe l'oeil approach to the bubbles, which are solid.
Here's my current look- I've repainted this same sabre a number of times, but for now this will have to do for next weekend's Con.
Just now I tried this trompe l'oeil approach to the bubbles, which are solid.
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Firstly, the emitter and grenade section look really good! I don’t always start out to create a super shiny hilt as it depends on what model or period (episode) your going for but I think for the best realism, you have to get a model looking brand new before you age it. I’ll usually make sure parts are well sanded and primed first to give a solid base. A final sand before two coats of gilding wax (ebony, then silver leaf), then buff to a new looking shine. It’s a cheap method and one that give fantastic results.
At this point, I’ll sometimes use a rotary tool with a pointed sanding head to lighting mess up the surface (this helps create scratches and scuffs) or you can apply a few dabs of superglue where you want erosion. Make sure it’s ‘super dry’ and then start to apply a rust coloured acrylic paint over the glue. Wipe away excess and re-apply. Repeat with some light black coats too, for some gritty touches.
Don’t over do this hard weathering too much. A little here and there works best but try to think about places that would naturally weather over years and heavy use.
Hope this provides a little help.
At this point, I’ll sometimes use a rotary tool with a pointed sanding head to lighting mess up the surface (this helps create scratches and scuffs) or you can apply a few dabs of superglue where you want erosion. Make sure it’s ‘super dry’ and then start to apply a rust coloured acrylic paint over the glue. Wipe away excess and re-apply. Repeat with some light black coats too, for some gritty touches.
Don’t over do this hard weathering too much. A little here and there works best but try to think about places that would naturally weather over years and heavy use.
Hope this provides a little help.
I’ll have to check but it’s pretty fine. Around 0.2mm I think? It’s a quick printed part, around 11 minutes.
I’ll check for you tomorrow morning when I’m back at the workshop and confirm full settings. I use the same for the entire model.
The details aren’t as sharp as the digital model when printed and I did have to sand the cone top but your probably correct at 0.1mm
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danvader
Well-Known Member
Your settings will be important for obtaining a good result. Thank you Cad110 for sharing your knowledge with us !
I’ve checked the settings on my Ultimaker S5 and all parts were printed to a Layer height of 0.1mm.
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danvader
Well-Known Member
Great, thank you for these information Cad110 !!
Do you kwow the printing speed and nozzle diameter of your printer ?
The print speed is 70mm/s and 0.4 nozzle
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