Mpp clamp scratchbuild

[propmainiac]

Hi all
Sorry if this is considerd double posting .
needed an Mpp clamp to help move my Vader lightsaber heliand conversion along but was having a lot of difficulty finding one. So i decided to trymy hand at building one. Well got it done and I amazed myself! That dosent sound too hard.... Lol. Using my dremel drill and a bending brake I knocked it out in about three days. Used 22gauge steel for the clamp and lever. Aluminum flat bar for the side plates and litte bits of hardware from my garage. It does function just like a Mpp clamp. Just dosent tighten when you close the lever. I made the pin a litte off when I built the lever but i can turn the lever and tighten it that way. Best of all cost was zero! Here's pics any and all comments welcome.

 

[kermit]

I realize it's a little late, but is there any way possible you could provide any more explanation of how you made this? Also wondering if you'd be willing to make/sell me one

 

[propmainiac]

Hi
I have a build thread under Darth vader heliand saber conversion? Its been a while but i have more info and pictures there. Used 22 gauge steel. Bent it around a pipe 1 and a half inces wide. Made a paper template to give a better idea how to measure it. I made the upper portion where the bubble strip goes separately caus i couldnt figure how to make it one contiuous bend then solderd it on.

 

[Probe Droid]

Impressive!

 

[cayman shen]

Most impressive.

 

[propmainiac]

Thanks guys!
I think i missed my calling as a machinist. Lol

 

[cannibal869]

wow... scratch build? That's really quite impressive (as others have said)!!!

 

[kermit]

thanks so much for the insight! Might not have to buy one now, but did you just paint it and the finish looked good with the flash?

 

[propmainiac]

Yes i painted it with Krylon satin black. Still have the saber and now have a set of Roy's grips. I've had a couple of obi wan and Luke graflexes but this is the first Vader I've attempted. I used this particular Heliand because the slots look very close to the Mpp slots if you need any help or advice on building one you can pm me.

 

[MattBud]

Hi all
Sorry if this is considerd double posting .
needed an Mpp clamp to help move my Vader lightsaber heliand conversion along but was having a lot of difficulty finding one. So i decided to trymy hand at building one. Well got it done and I amazed myself! That dosent sound too hard.... Lol. Using my dremel drill and a bending brake I knocked it out in about three days. Used 22gauge steel for the clamp and lever. Aluminum flat bar for the side plates and litte bits of hardware from my garage. It does function just like a Mpp clamp. Just dosent tighten when you close the lever. I made the pin a litte off when I built the lever but i can turn the lever and tighten it that way. Best of all cost was zero! Here's pics any and all comments welcome.

Thanks for posting this and great job! I did an MPP clamp build using your instructions. Mine doesn't look at nice as yours but I'm happy with it.

I posted more pictures here and gave you a shout out: http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=232669&page=72

I still have a few finishing touches that I need to do, but here it is

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[Pedro]

Necro post here, but this is brilliant! I'm digging for info on MPP clamps and this is exactly what I need. So, when you bent the sheet around the pipe, what's the technique? Pliers? Clamp of some kind? Just grab and bend? Any heat required?

 

[MattBud]

Necro post here, but this is brilliant! I'm digging for info on MPP clamps and this is exactly what I need. So, when you bent the sheet around the pipe, what's the technique? Pliers? Clamp of some kind? Just grab and bend? Any heat required?

When I wrapped the sheet metal around the tube (I used a 1.5" plumbing extension tube), I tapped a hole into the sheet metal, which would end up as the hole that the pin passes through and a hole into the tube. Then I used a screw and attached the two. This way when I wrapped it was secure.

I did have to play around and make a few until I got the one that I liked, but the second time I tried I just wrapped it around without the holes and the screw and it came out almost as good as my final one. So it is definitely possible to grab and bend. I thought about using heat but I wanted to be able to use the grip and dexterity of my hands without gloves getting in the way of that. The smaller precision bends I had to make were definitely a lot harder. All I had to work with was a table vise as far as a mounted & stable clamp. I ended up using other flat metal pieces in conjunction with the vise to create the small bends. It just took a lot of patience and meticulous work.


The flat metal piece that wasn't within the clamp is what I would use to create the sharp bend that was used for the bubble strip holder on the clamp. I would hold that in place as I also pushed the metal down, eventually creating that bend.

Anyways I hope this helps. Feel free to ask for more tips if you need some help. I'm definitely not the most skilled person when it comes to metal work but I'll help if I can, and @propmainiac may have some better advice to give you.

 

[propmainiac]

Allways willing to help!