ANH Obi Wan Saber Project

With the clamp, you either have to allow for the inner tabs or you have to remove them so the clamp will sit flush when wrapped around a 1.5" diameter tube.

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OK I've crested the summit on the clamp - proved to myself I can make it work, though not without some effort...
--The bolt will need to be replaced with a shorter one - I cannot hacksaw it; just too small.
--Will need to make facsimiles of the boxes on either side of the clamp part
--The large screws will need to be re-cast, or cut off and glued on
--Will need to replace or enhance the PVC core; (get a longer piece; add a wood dowel inside) so the grenade and booster will attach better

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So...

Hacksaw Reynolds. Chop Suey...

Cut up what I have into component pieces. Separated all out except for the mower gear / booster.

And...

I am 90% confident that I can work in not only the plated pommel, but the metal Graflex clamp. Will take some ingenuity...

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Yes - that IS Ozzy...!

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My concern is that cutting apart the resin-cast Graflex clamp from the resin-cast booster will remove too much material; damage the fins of the booster.

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The only way to salvage the booster... Sacrifice the clamp section. Make the cut a little on the clamp side and then carefully sand it away until only the booster is left. But maybe cut of the top first. You might be able to reuse those bars.
 
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I'll be honest, the beige grenade looks the best, but the neck was cast with the windvane unscrewed, and it's missing some material. If you're able to drill straight through (small drill press or lathe) I would use the white neck, beige grenade and putty in the seam-line to smooth it out.

If not, go with the white one, best all around. You're right about chopping the booster, most saw blades take away like 1/16 or 1/8 or material. Now that I'm looking at all this, I remember I did projects like these but was stopped, because I really needed access to a drill press to run straight through everything. A dowel and some glue could hold everything together.
 
I'll be honest, the beige grenade looks the best, but the neck was cast with the windvane unscrewed, and it's missing some material. If you're able to drill straight through (small drill press or lathe) I would use the white neck, beige grenade and putty in the seam-line to smooth it out.

If not, go with the white one, best all around. You're right about chopping the booster, most saw blades take away like 1/16 or 1/8 or material. Now that I'm looking at all this, I remember I did projects like these but was stopped, because I really needed access to a drill press to run straight through everything. A dowel and some glue could hold everything together.

Yeah, am not able to get a perfectly clean and centered bore through all the parts.

Thus, ensuring all the cut surfaces are sanded flat and cobble together without being wonky will be a challenge.
 
Another idea I had, if you have a hand drill. Grab one of these or something, and use the V to find the center of the parts.
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Drill like a half inch in on both pieces and glue dowel pins to bridge them together. Better for glue/more surface area!
 
I've gotten some good flush cuts in resin with hacksaws, I rotate them after sinking 1/4 of the way in, rotate, cut, rotate, cut, etc. spiraling around and it usually yields better cuts than running straight through

There are little miter boxes for small parts, but I'm more of a "lets see if I can swing it" kind of person
 
I've gotten some good flush cuts in resin with hacksaws, I rotate them after sinking 1/4 of the way in, rotate, cut, rotate, cut, etc. spiraling around and it usually yields better cuts than running straight through

There are little miter boxes for small parts, but I'm more of a "lets see if I can swing it" kind of person

Was just going to ask about / propose using a hacksaw, thought being that it is about the thinnest blade I can saw with.
 
If you cut the ‘control box’ portion off of the resin cast clamp, you could just paint the cast clamp black and wrap a metal clamp over the cast one and not have to cut the booster (gear) away from the cast clamp.

If you cut the ‘control box’ off the resin clamp carefully enough, you could maybe salvage the cast resin sidebars and lever and after painting them silver use them to hide the screw or rivet you use to hold your current metal clamp together.
 
Here's where I am...

Found a shorter screw to hold the clamp, but still protrudes a bit; won't be fully accurate but oh well.

I'll add material to close out the clamp at either end with sold flat mating surfaces for the booster and grenade. And I'll fill the interior with buckshot and resin to add weight.

Then...

I forgot - I have molding and casting materials (and meager skills!). So first, I will try to make a cast of the booster. If that doesn't work out well, then I'll cut it from the cast clamp.


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Casting was a dismal failure.

So I'm making my own.

Had to search Home Depot a bit deeper to find the right sized tube. Thankfully, my LHS had the correct T-Track in the store, else I'd be ordering directly from Plastruct and waiting another week.

This is all prep and tests...

Will fill the open tube with lead shot and resin once the piece is installed with the threaded rod inserted.

This has got to be the most over-wrought, over-thought project I've ever done.


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