Defined Vader ANH saber thread, lets nail this sucker!

[paul n]

Hi All!

Some one suggested creating a new thread to go over the details of both the ANH and ESB Vader sabers so I thought I'd give it a go. This thread will be about the ANH version. Many of the details are still undetermined and hopefully this thread will help us all figure them out. I'll try and update the info as we go along so the top post stays up to date.

http://www.printroom.com/EditAlbumPhoto.asp?userid=paul%2Dn&album_id=49424&image_id=11

OK, lets start with the Toughest part to nail down of this saber, the CLAMP!

Some where along the line the lever mechanism on the clamp was broken (most likely, any way) and the clamp was held together another way. It appears a bolt was used to tighten the clamp, however, when you look at the below pic, there appears to be something coming out of the hole and going under the lever (which as been reattached to the side of the clamp) maybe a piece of wire. To support the bolt theory, there seems to be the shadow of a slot on the top of the "head" of the disk on the side opposite the lever. Also to the left of the "bolt" you can see a small hole has been drilled, the purpose of which is unknown. There is a bubble strip in the clamp. The clamp is located at about 7 o'clock on the flash looking down the flash from the bottom and using the button assembly as 12 o'clock.

http://www.printroom.com/EditAlbumPhoto.asp?userid=paul%2Dn&album_id=49424&image_id=8

http://www.printroom.com/EditAlbumPhoto.asp?userid=paul%2Dn&album_id=49424&image_id=9

The GRIPS:

The grips are aproximately 3 5/8" long to about 3 11/16" long and are positioned in the ODD clock positions (1,3,5,7,9 and 11 o'clock)

http://www.printroom.com/EditAlbumPhoto.asp?userid=paul%2Dn&album_id=49424&image_id=5

The grips start right at the edge of the coin-edge of the end cap:

http://www.printroom.com/EditAlbumPhoto.asp?userid=paul%2Dn&album_id=49424&image_id=10

Oh, the clamp is about 9/16" to 5/8" from the ends of the grips.

There is a hole drilled through the Shroud just behind the thumb-screw and a D-ring, about the size of the one used on Lukes ESB saber, was mounted there.

Hope this helps, I'll try and put one of these together for the ESB version some time soon.

Now, discuss!

 

[Quest100]

Paul, you rule! This is exactly the info I needed! It was hard to go through that other thread. Thanks!

-Jon

 

[E.D.C. Studios]

Major detail on the clamp....


The side plates are not tapered, they are a perfect rectangle although the clamp itself still has the taper, this was a variation of the MPP clamp itself.

Paul I would not nitpick about the lever too much, no telling if it broke before or after filming, personally I am leaving mine intact, with a flat rivet head place on the opposite side represent that littel disc opposite the lever

 

[paul n]

Ageed Chip!

The purpose of this thread is just to collect all the known info in one place and to iron out some of the details.

My self, I'm gonna do what Cliff did with his MPP and just put a disk on the side oposite the lever and leave the lever it's self intact (the ESb is another think altogether though, but that's a whole other thread

). I've done the whole bolt thing and reatached the lever with a sheet metal screw and it looks rough that way, I want my saber to be nice and clean. Alot of people though, like total Movie acuracy, so this thread might serve them in ataining a higher level of accuracy.

~Paul

 

[Oohyeah KL]

WHich begs the question:

How can I get hold of one of those flat discs that go on the sidebar on the opposite side of the lever?

And how should I create the little dot that's beside it?

I also must say that I still think the Chronicles pic looks a bit distorted (like it's horizontally compressed, making it slightly stubbier), so if you calculated the lengths of the grips based on the diameter of the shroud, that might make it off.
How about calculating the grip length based on the length of the clamp along the tube? That way, it doesn't matter if the pic is distorted cos we're measuring along the same horizontal axis.

 

[E.D.C. Studios]

</SPAN><TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>Oohyeah KL wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>How can I get hold of one of those flat discs that go on the sidebar on the opposite side of the lever?
And how should I create the little dot that's beside it?</TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE><SPAN CLASS=$row_color>

I used a flat headed Rivet, just go to you local Harware store, they should carry them, there are sized perfectly.

Hmmm, maybe I should include this in my conversion kits???

As for the little dot, its probably a nick or scratch, I would personally leave it out

 

[gavidoc]

in regard to the broken lever.

I believe what you are seeing paul is the actual threaded rod on still attached to the lever and is going into the hole to keep the lever from moving around.

I don't have a clamp yet, but they either attached the lever thru the hole int he top or they screwed it on from the other side.

And yes, I'll be doing that to mine.

 

[paul n]

</SPAN><TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>Oohyeah KL wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>I also must say that I still think the Chronicles pic looks a bit distorted (like it's horizontally compressed, making it slightly stubbier), so if you calculated the lengths of the grips based on the diameter of the shroud, that might make it off.
How about calculating the grip length based on the length of the clamp along the tube? That way, it doesn't matter if the pic is distorted cos we're measuring along the same horizontal axis.</TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE><SPAN CLASS=$row_color>

I did actually, that's how I know the pic on PoSW is a little off. When I calibrated the size of their pic to the width of the tube, the length of the clamp was off. I tried using the clamp as a guide and got 3 11/16". I then scanned in the same pic from my Chronicles book and calibrated the size to the tube width again and the clamp measured up exactly correctly this time. I then re-checked the grip measurments and got 3 11/16" on the outer grip and about 3 5/8" on one of the inner ones. The pic above is correct.

The grey dot is a small hole next to the "disk".

~Paul

 

[paul n]

Gav, I don't think so, the part protruding out from under the lever is smaller than the diameter of the hole. If the item was the original rod it should be the same size. if you look at the hole in the top of the lever, it's iether a screw ther or a continuation of the same object.

I'm wondering if the disk is a bolt or just an anchor for a peice of wire thats holdiing the clamp together, kinda like the wire holding the gear to the clamp on the Obi' saber? (just a side note, it definietly a bolt on the ESB version)

~Paul

 

[SithKnightM]

How were you able to make such good zoom-in's on those images?
Well, I would like to say that the length of the MPP clamp is longer than that of the Icons version, and so that's a detail that we should not overlook.
Also, this type of MPP has only one ridge on the shroud, not two, as some of the other versions has.

Regards.

 

[paul n]

I scanned them in at 300x original size and worked with them and shrank them from there

~Paul

 

[Oohyeah KL]

EUREKA!!!!!

I think I figured out quite possibly how the clamp was done.

OK, this is my theory:

The clamp was broken, in that the rod was broken, so they discarded the rod entirely.
Now, they've got to hold the clamp together somehow, so, I think what they did was this:

They got hold of a roughly 1" long nail-like rivet (with a flat head top, which is what you see on the other side), hammered or screwed it through the original hole through the 2 side bars, and then bent the end of the nail/rivet so that the clamp stays shut!!!!

So the flat head disc you see on the other side is the head of the nail/rivet, and that wire-like thing you see next to the lever is actually the end of the nail/rivet!

Then they just stuck the lever on!!

So Paul, when you said, "let's nail this sucker", you subconsciously meant it literally!!!

Anyway, it sounds right to me, and as Spock would say, that is only logical!

 

[SithKnightM]

I see. Can you tell me how I can use the free image-hosting service over at the printroom.com?

Regards.

 

[paul n]

KL, that ain't a bad theory at all!

Hmmm. I wish we had better pics.

Opinions any one?

SithKnightM , you have to go sign up for the service and fill in some info. Making a gallerie is really easy. They alow you to browse your own files and selct the image right offf your hard drive then you just click send (or what ever it says) and it copies the pics off of you hard drive on to their server. Every thing has to be in jpg. format though no gif.'s.

~Paul

 

[TOKI]

Oohyeah-

I think you hit the nail on the head.

If you look at the hole on the lever (and I do beleive that is what it is) the grey area you see is a continuation of the nail you see coming out of the hole on the clamp. Then notice that the lever has the same orientation of the nail as it comes out of the clamp. It runs in the same direction, kinda slanted up. Just as if the lever were stuck on right on the nail.

Arthur

 

[SithKnightM]

Thanks for the reply. I have already registered and am now at a point where I need instructions on how to develop a gallery. All the options seems to point toward an "album," which you can create.
Can you tell me how I can create a gallery?

Regards.

 

[paul n]

Another thing, the "disk" is much duller (like a carpentry nail would be) than the side bar. I've seen movie stills where you can even tell it's duller. Your theory is amking more and more sence. I'm thinking that when they went to give the ANH saber a make over for ESB (I think they used the same exact flash for both aNH and ESB versions) they looked at the nail and wen't "yuck" and replaced it with the brass bolt that's seen in ESB. This also helps back up my theory that there's no lever at all on the ESB version, it was probably glued to the nail (assuming that the nail theory is correct).

I can't wait to hear what my fellow Vader obsessies think, Gav'? Chip? Chris?.

~Paul

 

[Oohyeah KL]

Toki - yes, I saw that too!!

THe more I look at this pic, the more it looks like the end of the nail coming out from the sidebar hole, bent around the side bar, and with the lever stuck onto the end of the nail.
And yes, you can even see the end of the nail through the hole of the lever itself, as Toki pointed out.

Well, I'm glad you guys are liking the theory!!! It's not everyday that I go, "EUREKA!!!"

And if that's really correct, I think I might actually do it this way, as it would be relatively simple... hmm....

 

[Fatherless One]

Sorry guys,

Just had to say WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!

Fedex have just delivered my two lamps, I'm off to the hardware store to get some of your Scotch tape KL, I'll be examining this thread very closely over the next hour or three.

Happy days!
Alan.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I would like to hear more about the clamp position. I still don't buy that it was intentionally set at the 7 o'clock position.
Does anyone have an ICONS Vader saber (ducks thrown crap)? Even though they aren't entirely accurate, I would think something big like the clamp was put on in the correct position.