ESB Bladed Stunt Graflex Lightsaber "The Core!"
- Thread starter thd9791
- Start date
Holy crap Tom!! That’s bright! That’s the Chinese fabric?!
Mouse Vader
Sr Member
Really nice. What's your light source?
Thanks guys!
Not kidding, it's a cheap Samsung phone with the camera flash on while I record video. That's it. There's sunlight behind me from the covered window too.
It's hard to tell but this is a very skinny pole, a little less than 16mm at the base and maybe 7mm (guessing on that one) near the tip
Not kidding, it's a cheap Samsung phone with the camera flash on while I record video. That's it. There's sunlight behind me from the covered window too.
It's hard to tell but this is a very skinny pole, a little less than 16mm at the base and maybe 7mm (guessing on that one) near the tip
Mouse Vader
Sr Member
It's very effective non the less, I'm presuming it's because the flash is so close to the lens.
I get the same effect from my golf stick - just under 16mm at base & 8mm at tip but you wouldn't think so looking at this pic.
This shot really freaks me out. How skinny are we talking here..
Pic 1&2 I'm looking right at the graflex socket trying to see the base of the blade.
I'm also wondering if there's a ratio going on - what we see is 1/4 wider than the bare blade for example, an angle from reflection that makes it look wider than it is
Pic 1&2 I'm looking right at the graflex socket trying to see the base of the blade.
I'm also wondering if there's a ratio going on - what we see is 1/4 wider than the bare blade for example, an angle from reflection that makes it look wider than it is
Mouse Vader
Sr Member
Mostly I think it's just glare - the camera is working out an exposure for the whole view & relatively small areas of extreme brightness will be excluded hence they come out highly over exposed & appear larger, what I find intriguing is that seems more pronounced in the tip compared to the base.
I was going through that scene the other day frame by frame & there's weird stuff going on, I'm not at all convinced the blade is real for all of it - that is some of it looks added in post production - preliminary rotoscoping & possibly a non retro-reflecting surface.
I was going through that scene the other day frame by frame & there's weird stuff going on, I'm not at all convinced the blade is real for all of it - that is some of it looks added in post production - preliminary rotoscoping & possibly a non retro-reflecting surface.
Mouse Vader
Sr Member
Had a look at my V2 blade under illumination again last night, this blade thickness ids defo a camera thing as the taper is quite claer to see with the naked eye.
Just to show off, here's a short vid I did with a strobing light source. Interesting but not right.
Just to show off, here's a short vid I did with a strobing light source. Interesting but not right.
I'm considering disassembling this one, or building a new one with less bolts.
First off - it looks like the "upper socket metal plug" theory of the ROTJ Vader Stunt saber might be correct, if this is the same prop, pre-vader decoration.
Look at the 2 pin socket facing us. The upper part is light colored.
and this detail made it on screen too. Zoom in. Can't be a coincidence right? Thats EXACTLY where the seam line is for Socket parts #1 and #2
it even possibly shows up here
and here (split socket above, black bolt below)
Are we seeing the line of a split socket here?
I'm guessing this is the top of another cylinder of metal, taking place of the upper socket, maybe an inch or less thick
On the Vader ROTJ this would only leave the middle piece left - they removed the lower section and placed a longer core in place, with more bolts.
in ESB, since they had both red buttons in place, I'm guessing the lower 2/3 sections were in place, like mine.
First off - it looks like the "upper socket metal plug" theory of the ROTJ Vader Stunt saber might be correct, if this is the same prop, pre-vader decoration.
Look at the 2 pin socket facing us. The upper part is light colored.
and this detail made it on screen too. Zoom in. Can't be a coincidence right? Thats EXACTLY where the seam line is for Socket parts #1 and #2
it even possibly shows up here
and here (split socket above, black bolt below)
Are we seeing the line of a split socket here?
I'm guessing this is the top of another cylinder of metal, taking place of the upper socket, maybe an inch or less thick
On the Vader ROTJ this would only leave the middle piece left - they removed the lower section and placed a longer core in place, with more bolts.
in ESB, since they had both red buttons in place, I'm guessing the lower 2/3 sections were in place, like mine.
I actually made a 3/8" dowel stunt blade, just for fun, a few weeks ago. Even turned down the base of the dowel and added a steel sleeve. The core is secured with the big flat head countersunk bolt (either M6 or M8, I can't remember), and the little slotted screw between the sockets. There's a little 4-40 grub screw that you can access through the beer tab hole.
The replica Graflex halves I've had for YEARS, now. For the life of me, I cannot recall who made them! I plan to send it away to be plated, eventually.
The replica Graflex halves I've had for YEARS, now. For the life of me, I cannot recall who made them! I plan to send it away to be plated, eventually.
Drew Baker
Sr Member
I doubt we'll ever know, but a red button doesn't need any where near the internal clearance that a glass eye does. A solid core wouldn't have to be very much smaller than the Graflex ID for there to be space to get a button threaded in solidly.
Dann that looks so cool! I LOVE your placement of the bolts and screws... much better than what they seem to have done
This is true, I meant that the ROTJ MoM saber clearly has the core up against the hole and they put a greeblie there instead. the ESB stunt must have had something different. Any idea what that would have been? like how much clearance do we need to get a red button in there? (I know its more than this)
Drew Baker
Sr Member
I can't find any good visuals of that clearance in the saber. The flash used to take the pictures just flattens everything.
I just measured the thread depths of three buttons as 2.6mm, 2.75mm, and 2.54mm. The metal of three tops all measured 1.24mm thick. That would leave 1.3mm in the best of those cases. If that were split between space inside the flash and the button being left unscrewed on the outside -- 0.65mm each -- would that be plausible?
Is the tolerance for your core smaller than that? I could get a button in tight (though not flush) over my core, but it's 3d printed PLA, so not nearly as solid as your metal core.
I like this..
I'm going to have to pop out my tire valve to try it, I have a feeling it won't be enough to hold it, the tolerance of my core and the wall of the flash is smaller than a sheet of paper but I need to try it because I might be wrong. I'll report back!
I'm going to have to pop out my tire valve to try it, I have a feeling it won't be enough to hold it, the tolerance of my core and the wall of the flash is smaller than a sheet of paper but I need to try it because I might be wrong. I'll report back!
Drew Baker
Sr Member
Nice, Tom. And thanks! I also hadn't considered the upper button being affected by the top plug. Good thinking!
Speaking of the top plug, I just noticed this. It looks to me like we can see the plug in the rectangular hole, which is usually hidden by the shroud:
Thoughts? Am I making it up?
I dont think you're crazy - i noticed the same thing earlier
I would make sense... converting it for use in jedi... just put more bolts in.
now.. i'd believe it more if the cores had a flattened side under the button. a milled flat spot would probably allow the button to screw in. I just dont see that in the glass eye hole here
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