Luke Skywalker lightsabers project

[Jerome]

So this is my first build thread here. In the footsteps of the great lightsaber prop builders, I follow. I was inspired by some of those who had built one or more of the Luke Skywalker trilogy lightsabers, so I did some research on how to go about doing this. All those who have built Graflex sabers before me have in some way contributed to this project. I am reminded of alessandra, Sym-Cha, clutch, thegreatgalling, amongst others whose threads I have followed on the intracacies of the Graflex prop.

It started late last year with me buying this Rylo ROTJ in the junkyard (pics clickable). This is an impressive piece of solid aluminium in itself. The only thing I swapped out was the tri-ring for one with a thicker gauge.




Then after acquiring a couple of vintage Graflex flashes on ebay, the first one I built was the ESB. This has Blast-tech grips, TFX Studios d-ring and more recently, a slothfurnace clamp card with the gold traces. I have scottjua to thank for his awesome skills in helping me solder the silver on the thin traces. The photo may not have caught the right light but it's there and resembles the accurate two-tone circuit card. The hilt also has a second real red button from an extra 2-cell I have, mylar tape on the lettering and the beer tab removed. I opted with the rubber grips as I plan to convert this to a LED saber one day, so I thought the grips will be more comfortable.




Which leaves me with this, the ANH to build. The remaining Graflex 3-cell that I have is the more pristine of the two. Again I have scottjua to thank for helping me source the GINO plastic t-tracks, and also a rebelscum bubble strip. I also have a real Exactra bubble strip (pictured below) that I picked up in the JY, and a Blast-tech d-ring.




So a few things to consider.

T-tracks:
What's the best way to trim the t-track? Will a sharp exacto knife work? Or a saw of some kind?
What's the best way to attach them; I've read about superglue, epoxy, hot glue, and VHB tape.

Bubble strip:
I'll probably go with the real vintage Exactra bubble strip, and use the rebelscum strip in my Obi-Wan when I have all the parts from Russrep. Again what's the safest way to trim the strip? This particular job has me worried as I don't want to accidentally snap it.

D-ring:
The one from Blast-tech is too small, and I don't have the skills to fashion one out of sheet metal like what Sym-Cha has written somewhere. So I'm looking for another source of accurate D-rings.


Well here's where I'm at, an almost complete set of Luke trilogy sabers.

 

[scottjua]

NICE NICE NICE! The ESB looks great! That Rylo hero is awesome, and I know the ANH will be sweet as well when you're done.

Can't wait to see it all complete. When I have all mine, I'm going to have a stand that fits all 4.

Don't forget you'll need a Luke V2 at some point. ^_^

 

[Robiwon]

Very nice collection of sabers my friend! They all look great. I would suggest a razor saw for trimming the bubble strip. Like this one. You can get these at any hobbyshop. I have a set and they are a life saver. The miter box will ensure a straight cut.

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/PROD/hand-saw/XRM3-75320

They should work just as well on your t-track too. For adhereing the t-track, double sided automotive tape is what I used on mine, the thin clear stuff.

 

[pfillery]

I made the d-ring on mine using Sym-Cha's tutorial. I have some materials left over and would gladly consider building another couple by commission if needed. We aussies must stick together.

This was my final result for my ANH d-ring:

Nice collection.

 

[Jerome]

Robiwon: thanks, that sounds like exactly what I'd need. Just doing some searches, looks like I'll have to order one on ebay from the US. Why is it so hard to find anything in Australia? (or as inexpensive)

pfillery: thanks for the offer! That sounds good, I'll PM you. I've got a few other places to enquire about so let's see what happens.

 

[scottjua]

On trimming the rebelscum bubble strip... or original vintage one, I used the a sheet of sand paper, and did it slowly by hand. I think. I will use my belt sander on the next couple though, as its easier to hold evenly and less pressure is required that way.

That miter box exacto thing looks awesome though. I'd love to try that out.

 

[Jerome]

Hey scott, you just used sand paper and slowly ground down the sides of the bubble strip? Wow that's hard core.

I'm about to order the mitre box set and some Novus from the US. Can't find that stuff here locally (at the same price anyway, and that's including shipping...).

 

[scottjua]

pretty much. Put the sand paper on a flat surface, and worked each edge.

But next time, its belt sander for me.

 

[thd9791]

A sanding drum on a rotary tool can work wonders too, you only need to have a light touch and treat it like a sculpture rather than a job. (if that makes any sense)

 

[Margh]

nice work

 

[Jerome]

Alright, I've been working on the ANH saber so this project is now complete.

I bought one of those mini mitre boxes and hobby saw as suggested by Robiwon. The X-acto brand works well.

For the Exactra bubble strip, first I masked off the under side of it. Then I put it in the mitre box and carefully sawed the ends off. This provided good control and kept is still while I was sawing it. After that, I used 120 grit sandpaper to sand the bottom down so that it fits in the clamp. I progressed to finer grit until it was the right height, then polished it with Novus #2.

For the t-tracks, I used the mitre box as well to cut the ends off, and this gave them straight even cuts. I then turned the tracks on their sides and used the 45 degree angle to cut the angled ends. I cleaned up the cuts slightly with a nail file and blade. Of course you can simply cut them by hand if you're going for the "rushed prop" look and not too concerned about getting all the cuts straight and even. It was just easier for me to do it that way and I like a bit of symmetry.

The t-tracks have a small channel on the under side, but don't fit the contour of the Graflex tube exactly. To make them fit better, I wrapped a bit of sandpaper around the tube, then sanded each track down underneath. This provided more surface area for the track to adhere to the tube, and also roughed up the bottom a bit for better adhesion.

I thought about several ways to attach them, but ended up using Loctite superglue as it was easier to control and was rock solid when dry. I used the template from partsofsw.com and just worked my way around the tube.

I also received a more accurate D-ring from thegreatgalling (thanks!) and drilled and tapped a hole on the end, attaching it using a button head screw. And here it is complete, an almost perfect replica of Luke's first lightsaber from ANH. It is much more comfortable to hold than I thought. Once attached, the t-tracks actually feel quite good in my hands and are lower profile than the rubber grips on my ESB. The hard plastic t-tracks give it that authentic feel, and the crystal clear Exactra bubble strip completes the look.

 

[Jerome]

Double posting in my own thread, but I wanted to show the family shot:

(I'm using a different top for the ESB hence it has the beer tab. The other one is getting gutted for electronics)

 

[scottjua]

WOW! Great Job man! Seeing that done, it makes me REALLY want to get to my own personal Graflex builds and use those Gino grips. I think I'm also gonna pick up one of those miter boxes. It looks too helpful NOT to get one.

What a beautiful collection man. Now you just need a V2 and it'll be complete!

 

[Barrister]

This is beautiful. This project is the reason I found this board in the first place. It is awesome to be reinspired.

 

[Jerome]

Thanks guys. And Scott, I don't know about a V2. I mean, it's essentially the same saber as the hero. It's not like he had two sabers in the movie, and if I had to pick the definitive one, I'd go with the hero since it looks much cleaner and was the one shown up close in Vader's hands.

That and it usuallly comes in threes - one saber per movie for the Trilogy collection. But then again, technically, his saber in ESB is the same one as in ANH... hmmm....

 

[thd9791]

beautiful!

 

[Sym-Cha]

Excellent ... well done young padawan :lol

-Chaim

 

[Flagg]

All three of those look great. the Luke ESB has always been my favorite of the sabers and sadly I have never made or bought one. Congrats on a fantastic build!

 

[pfillery]

Nice work Jerome. Good to see some other Aussies here with a passion for making stuff from other stuff:lol

I thought about doing an ESB but would need to buy another graflex to do it (did buy one cheap on ebay but it never arrived so wasn't meant to be).

I will soon have a completed shared Luke/Vader stunt saber from ANH as soon as my grips arrive, and halfway through making a ROTJ Vader inspired saber from my junk bin (because I needed something to do while parts were gluing on my stunt). Soon we will have enough Aussie sabers to stage our own rebellion (or start our own empire - whatever floats your star destroyer I guess).

Great collection, so.....what's next.

 

[Jerome]

pfillery, I think your builds are much more hands on than mine and involve more found stuff! Like those metal t-tracks you fashioned for your own ANH. Mine just involved putting together a bunch of stuff from various sources.

I was just looking at your shared stunt project, that'll be interesting, don't think I've seen anyone do one here.

What next? More saber projects. Currently converting the ESB to have electronics, and then later on hopefully building the Obi-Wan ANH from Russrep parts whenever he gets round to machining the parts in his next run!