Help me restore my Icons Luke lightsaber

[erikstormtrooper]

Last year I got a good deal on an Icons Luke saber in need of some love. The saber has obviously seen better days, and I'm hoping to fix a few things. My goal is not to reach 100% accuracy, but I'd like to get this to a point where it makes an okay display piece.

I've tried to research this as best as I can. But I can't find much info specific to an Icons, I don't have a Graflex for comparison, and I've hit a wall. Can you knowledgeable people can give me some tips?

**CLICK PICS TO EMBIGGEN**​

1) clamp

The main problem with the clamp has to do with the screw. Notice the hole on one of the side bar pieces.



Right now, the side bar is inverted so that the screw can thread into the hole. The screw's not long enough (or too stripped) to thread into the hole when it's turned back around into the right position.



I'm not sure how the screw is supposed to connect to the side bar on the other side, and it seems like something might be missing. As it is, the screw won't tighten all the way, so the bubble strip continually slips out. Does someone sell a replica screw that will work? Or should I just replace the entire clamp?



About the scratches with rust on the clamp band, I can live with them (it will add to the "used" quality), bit if there's a way to minimize the rust that would be great. I've read that vinegar may be good at removing rust from the inside of rusted flashguns. Should I use vinegar here?

2) red button







I need a red button that will fit in this hole. It seems there's a non-thumbscrew version at graflexshop.com that might work, but they won't tell me what the diameter of the threaded portion is. Does anyone here have one of the graflexshop buttons? Can you recommend another?

3) bottom screw





I need a better bottom screw. But it looks like the hole in mine may be as wide as the head is supposed to be. Is this a common screw?

4) Ears



The screw/pin(?) between the ears is missing. I don't know exactly what the screw/pin is supposed to do, but I'm guessing it's supposed to hold the ears in place so they don't wobble. Right now, double-sided tape (gray in the pic) is holding one of the ears and emitter band together. Does someone sell a screw/pin for between the ears? If I can get that piece, will it hold things together so that I can remove the tape?

(FYI, I'm also hoping to rotate the clamp and d-ring around the other way for movie accuracy.)

That's it. Any advice you can give (or even general comments about how an Icons compares to a Graflex parts-wise) is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Djinn]

What is the story on that button anyway?

 

[Shingouki28]

Last year I got a good deal on an Icons Luke saber in need of some love. The saber has obviously seen better days, and I'm hoping to fix a few things. My goal is not to reach 100% accuracy, but I'd like to get this to a point where it makes an okay display piece.

I've tried to research this as best as I can. But I can't find much info specific to an Icons, I don't have a Graflex for comparison, and I've hit a wall. Can you knowledgeable people can give me some tips?

**CLICK PICS TO EMBIGGEN**​

1) clamp

The main problem with the clamp has to do with the screw. Notice the hole on one of the side bar pieces.



Right now, the side bar is inverted so that the screw can thread into the hole. The screw's not long enough (or too stripped) to thread into the hole when it's turned back around into the right position.



I'm not sure how the screw is supposed to connect to the side bar on the other side, and it seems like something might be missing. As it is, the screw won't tighten all the way, so the bubble strip continually slips out. Does someone sell a replica screw that will work? Or should I just replace the entire clamp?



About the scratches with rust on the clamp band, I can live with them (it will add to the "used" quality), bit if there's a way to minimize the rust that would be great. I've read that vinegar may be good at removing rust from the inside of rusted flashguns. Should I use vinegar here?

2) red button







I need a red button that will fit in this hole. It seems there's a non-thumbscrew version at graflexshop.com that might work, but they won't tell me what the diameter of the threaded portion is. Does anyone here have one of the graflexshop buttons? Can you recommend another?

3) bottom screw





I need a better bottom screw. But it looks like the hole in mine may be as wide as the head is supposed to be. Is this a common screw?

4) Ears



The screw/pin(?) between the ears is missing. I don't know exactly what the screw/pin is supposed to do, but I'm guessing it's supposed to hold the ears in place so they don't wobble. Right now, double-sided tape (gray in the pic) is holding one of the ears and emitter band together. Does someone sell a screw/pin for between the ears? If I can get that piece, will it hold things together so that I can remove the tape?

(FYI, I'm also hoping to rotate the clamp and d-ring around the other way for movie accuracy.)

That's it. Any advice you can give (or even general comments about how an Icons compares to a Graflex parts-wise) is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

For the side bar, I believe there is usually a square shaped nut that is crimped inside it, allowing the threaded rod to screw into it. I guess if you could find a regular hex shaped nut to fit inside it that should do the trick...I did it with one of mine

As for the red button/bezel, this guy sells them:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/King-of-Parts
I've ordered plenty of times from him and his coms are pretty good. You could try asking him about thread dimensions.

 

[Dann]

"EMBIGGEN" :lol

Dude, what the crap happened to that thing?!

Anyway, you can try http://www.graflexshop.com/ or http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Default.aspx

They have some parts that may help you out.

 

[modelcitizen]

get a good deal on ebay for a two cell and just switch the whole top half out and junk the icons for parts. in the end, cheapest and most painless...saberkits.com has some parts too but i ordered a glass eye, spring, and bulb and have yet to see it after a month. shipping cost more than the part.

 

[erikstormtrooper]

Thanks for the links. I'll look into them. But Graflexshop hasn't been very responsive so far.

I have no idea what happened to this thing. The seller said he got it from a dealer, and that it was used as a belt hanger. There are small holes drilled in the endcap, and there appear to be some guts inside (including a large spring). I tried to see if I could open it up and get a good luck at the inside, but I didn't want to risk making things worse. All this gave me the impression that this was converted into an EL with sound at some point. I guess the black button was used as the switch.

For the side bar, I believe there is usually a square shaped nut that is crimped inside it, allowing the threaded rod to screw into it. I guess if you could find a regular hex shaped nut to fit inside it that should do the trick...I did it with one of mine

Won't the tension in the clamp just pull the hex nut out of place?

get a good deal on ebay for a two cell and just switch the whole top half out and junk the icons for parts. in the end, cheapest and most painless.

Unlike the Graflex, the Icons seems to be all in one piece, so I don't think this will work.

 

[modelcitizen]

use the ebay 2-cell for your pin, screw, and clamp then. you could hardware store all the parts excpt for the clamp parts. you might be out of luck there. also your emitter ring is trashed. you might be able to squash it back into shape it's supposed to be riveted on one end to the ear part so when you squeeze the ears together, it widens the ring. yours looks stretched out. the pin is the pivot point. when it's working right, it still kinda flops around but the ring is a tighter radius.

 

[Calaeryn]

I have an Icons Luke saber (I have all 3 actually) and its in pristine condition. Would pics of mine help you?

 

[Darth Detroit]

I have the top part of the bottom screw if you want it. LMK:unsure

 

[erikstormtrooper]

also your emitter ring is trashed. you might be able to squash it back into shape it's supposed to be riveted on one end to the ear part so when you squeeze the ears together, it widens the ring. yours looks stretched out. the pin is the pivot point. when it's working right, it still kinda flops around but the ring is a tighter radius.

That's good to know. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll see if I can bend it back into shape. Maybe, in lieu of a real pin, I can find a finishing nail and bend the sharp end so it stays in place. I might stiil have to go with some minimal double-sided tape to attach the emitter ring to the ears.

I have an Icons Luke saber (I have all 3 actually) and its in pristine condition. Would pics of mine help you?

Yes. That would be great. Thanks. A head-on shot of the emitter ring and ears would be nice.

And if you feel comfortable taking it apart, I would love to see pictures of the clamp screw and side bars, especially the inside of the side bars. But I totally understand if you don't want to unscrew the clamp.

 

[erikstormtrooper]

I have the top part of the bottom screw if you want it. LMK:unsure

So this would just be the head of the screw? Hmm... I think I need a full screw, since it seems to be the only thing holding the black plastic piece in place. Thanks though.

 

[frightzone_4_you]

To remove the rust & prevent more rust use a metal polish... I have used a brand from Germany: FLITZ, good stuff.

 

[Funky]

Honestly, the Icons will rust. A Parks replica is more accurate IMHO but it won't rust, so you can handle it with no worries.

 

[Crimsonnaire]

Here are a few close-up shots of the Icons Skywalker.

I don't see why you would have any problem replacing the slidebars and lever with either replicas or real ones. Or if the threading is still good on the bottom slidebar, you might be able to just swap the lever with a longer screw.

As for minimizing rust, I imagine a light coating of oil should do the trick. But it's crucial that you don't handle it with ungloved hands for long periods of time without being able to clean it. The rust spots are bare steel exposed, as opposed to the common brass and aluminum replicas.

With the emitter ring, it's missing the rivot that's tension held. As far as I know, the Icons rivot is an exact duplicate of the real one, so if you can get someone give you the diameter of theirs off a caliper, you should be able to make a substitute relatively easy. (Sorry, I don't have a Graflex-based replica; only the Anakin ROTS.)

 

[Calaeryn]

Here are pics of mine...sorry, I dont want to take the clamp apart.

 

[modelcitizen]

let me know if this blurry picture works for you.
there is a block with a threaded hole crimped into the inside of the sidebar. this is real graflex yours may be different. you can modify a screw as has been said. you can hardware store something similar to the threaded block and modify it to your ends as well. solder a nut in there or something. what have ye to lose.

 

[erikstormtrooper]

Thanks for all the pics guys. They really help.

I'm in the process of scrounging hardware stores for a few parts. I still haven't found a good replacement for the bottom screw.

For the pin between the ears, I found a nail from a picture hook pack. I figure I'll have to bend the back end and dremel it off, leaving a little bent nub to keep it in place. Can anyone recommend a better way to keep the nail in place?

It looks like the sidebar piece I have is too small to fit any kind of nut in there. So I've contacted a few people who make clamp replicas to see if I can purchase just the sidebars and screw.

I also took the plunge and opened the saber completely up to see what really was inside. Here's what I found:


On the other side of the circuit there's a spring inside a plastic blister. There's a red LED somewhere in there too. And the batteries were starting to corrode, so it's a good thing I took them out!

 

[CeSquared]

It looks like the sidebar piece I have is too small to fit any kind of nut in there. So I've contacted a few people who make clamp replicas to see if I can purchase just the sidebars and screw.

I've got a Graflex Reborn clamp lying around if you're interested.

 

[tingjunkie]

Can anyone recommend a better way to keep the nail in place?

Why not a little dab of superglue? I've heard of others doing this just to keep the bulb socket/rabbit ears from moving around.

 

[erikstormtrooper]

I've got a Graflex Reborn clamp lying around if you're interested.

PM sent.

Why not a little dab of superglue? I've heard of others doing this just to keep the bulb socket/rabbit ears from moving around.

I'd prefer something a little sturdier. I might occasionally wear this as part of a costume, and I'd hate to lose the whole ear & emitter assembly because of some glue.