Jimsiss’s Lightsaber builds

[Jimsiss]

Well it’s about time I finally got around to documenting my lightsaber builds I’m starting on. Started with a completely custom from scratch build and have also tagged on at least one flash gun build .

The initial scratch build has hit a wall at the moment, I’ve designed the grip and that’s it as I can’t decide how I want the emitter and pommel to look.

eBay to the rescue with my Presslite (and other random parts) job lot, this arrived today and was only £31 plus postage which was a steal. Two smaller Presslite Aluminium bodies with a bunch of parts that either go with them or have nothing to do with them, also one much larger chromed steel body that is unmarked but is just screaming lightsaber hilt. If anyone knows the make of this unit please let me know as I can’t find anything on it (only spent a few hours on research though).

So here is what I have so far. The scratch build will be built on my lathe (manual for most and CNC for some of the smaller items). I’m starting with Aluminium to get it going and probably remaking it in Titanium at a later date:








The Presslite job lot of goodies:

 

[Jimsiss]

Managed to finish stripping the flash gun (many more hours of searching and still no make for it).

Quite a few interesting features including the button which is just a spring loaded brass rod to make a contact inside the bulb holder. Might be possible to reuse or re-engineer it to press the button on the core, just seems to be a bit higher than I’d like so I’d either have to drill the body lower or make a remote button to activate the core.



Bulb holder is actually the perfect size to hold the blade but doesn’t have a way of gripping the blade. Might have to try and make a collet system to hold it without using grubscrews (hate using grubscrews to hold plastic plus it’s not very quick tool-less release).



Bottom cap is brass with a very thin and fine knurl to it and a bayonet fitting to hold it into the body. Nicely aged but very tricky to release with it being so thin, this might need remaking or modifying (seems so wrong to alter something so old but it’ll only end up in a box of parts I’ll never use otherwise).



I might use some of the old knurled thumbscrews from the random parts acquired with the flash guns, but I’ll probably end up making a lot of the smaller details in brass, phosphor bronze or Titanium (my favourite, majority of my work in my home shop is in Titanium and I can anodise it different colours too).

I might also raid the scrap bins at my work for interesting scrap to use too (CNC Turner by trade).