Han Solo belt tool question

[Risu]

Hey everybody, I'm planning out my pattern for a new Solo belt and I want to make it so that I can make the belts for others as well. Unfortunately, I don't have all the different belt tools used in each movie and therefore don't know exactly how to size the pouches. The biggest concern is the loop for the cylinder in ANH and ESB. If the sizing on that is off by just a little it either won't fit or will fall right out, so I was hoping somebody here with a complete set of tools could give me the circumference/diamater of the cylinders. Thanks for any and all help you can provide.

 

[micdavis]

Make the loop for the cylinder to fit the larger size, then others can wrap cylinders with tape to snug them up

 

[Risu]

The problem is that I don't have either measurement.

 

[lonepigeon]

The original ANH cylinder is .725 inches in diameter.
I just took my calipers to a correct vintage gas cylinder.

 

[Risu]

Excellent, thank you! I'd think the ESB cylinder is a bit wider, am I right?

 

[Sym-Cha]

Hi there RISU,

The circumference of my turquoise vintage gas cylinder is about 2.44 inches
or 62 mm which is slightly bigger then with lonepigeons diameter.
I hope this helpes you.

-Chaim

 

[Risu]

Thanks. Doesn't anybody have the ESB tool set?

 

[Corellianexports]

The ESB should be the same as the ANH.

I don't know of any one who has found the ESB "tool". I've only heard that it was an old TV tube, which I never found.

I machined my master based on the ANH Micronox cylinder, which is just under 3/4" in diameter or 3/4" minus 1/32".

If you need measurements on the power cells, just send me a pm. Good luck with your holsters!

 

[Droidboy]

Not to hijack, but does anyone make buckles.....and I just found a box of the gas cylinders at work if you need one. I don't know if they are right or wrong though.

Gregg

 

[Risu]

We're having several sets of buckles made for our run of belts, but we won't be selling the buckles by themselves. If you're interested in a custom made high quality Solo belt though, send me a PM and I'll give you all the info.

 

[DJb1138]

The ESB should be the same as the ANH.

I don't know of any one who has found the ESB "tool". I've only heard that it was an old TV tube, which I never found.

I machined my master based on the ANH Micronox cylinder, which is just under 3/4" in diameter or 3/4" minus 1/32".

If you need measurements on the power cells, just send me a pm. Good luck with your holsters!

I've been doing some visual (speculative) digging into the ESB "tool" a bit - and the closest match I've come across is a 3-pin male XLR plug. the pin size and shape pretty well match up, from what I've seen, but I can't completely confirm, as I don't know how it'd be disassembled in a way that exposes the pins and base, while maintaining the rest of the shape.

... I'll have to find a few busted ones to take apart to sort this out.

 

[Corellianexports]

Can you post a photo?

There's also the possibility that it isn't a TV tube at all, but a plug in for a musical instrument or microphone. I've seen some matches on ebay but as usual nothing 100% accurate.

 

[DJb1138]

Absolutely! I've attached a couple of screen grabs of the connectors I've been investigating online. The connector type is a 3-pin male XLR plug for a microphone - I was looking at the ESB photo references, and after a while the vacuum tube speculation didn't really make sense... The pins started to look familiar, and then I remembered that my dad had a handful of microphones (he used to host karaoke at a few places where I grew up) and the connector pin layout looked remarkably familiar.

My best guess, at this point (until I can get one to take apart), is that the ILM prop makers must've either cut a bit off of the plug shielding to expose the pins, or found a make/model of XLR plug that has shielding just around the pins that is removable in some way.






(Alcatel Amphenol AC3M, 3-pin male XLR plug - disassembled)

Pin size and arrangement (we've all seen this) of the ESB "tool" (top)

ESB "tool" (bottom) - I'm guessing, here, that most of the rubber bit that connects the plug to the mic chord has been cut off here. Unless my eyes are messing with me, I can almost make out a single, wide, hole in the dark bit where a mic/instrument cable might've run from... But that's just my guess...

 

[Davy Jones]

Nice detective work.
I was looking into the below type of connector earlier this year.

 

[Corellianexports]

This is the one I built a few years back. I found the top portion at All Electronics in SoCal. If I remember correctly it was from a vacuum tube. The bottom of it didn't fit in the pouch so I simply removed the top portion and connected it to a resin part.

It's got some great detail, but as you can see, it's not a 100% match and unfortunately, I only found the one part amongst hundreds of tubes.

 

[DJb1138]

This is the one I built a few years back. I found the top portion at All Electronics in SoCal. If I remember correctly it was from a vacuum tube. The bottom of it didn't fit in the pouch so I simply removed the top portion and connected it to a resin part.
View attachment 1042515



View attachment 1042516

It's got some great detail, but as you can see, it's not a 100% match and unfortunately, I only found the one part amongst hundreds of tubes.

What was the vacuum tube for (e.g. an instrument amp, radio, TV, etc...)? That's pretty close, I'd say.

 

[Corellianexports]

I found it in a box of various vacuum tubes and since it was the only three pin version I could find I was suspicious that it may have been a simple electronic connector of some sort. It was tossed in with the tubes, possibly by mistake.

And since the disk on the Han holster belt is from a microphone it's very possible that this part is also from a microphone.

 

[Davy Jones]

The ESB disc greeblie is not a real microphone part.
The 3-pin greeblie could have been from a number of things but I tend NOT to support the idea that it was deconstructed or modified from whatever it originally was.

 

[phillbarron]

Is it not?

The ESB disc greeblie is not a real microphone part.

Is it not? I thought it was the same MM65 mic but without the cup, making it appear thinner. What is it then?

 

[Davy Jones]

It's just a machined part which they made to look like the mic. They used it on Han's ESB belt and on Chewie's bandolieer.
Pictures of these from exhibits are out there somewhere.