My Christmas miracle booster

[Panaflex]

I've been building a vintage parts OB1 for some time and have been down to the last two nearly impossible parts to find; the booster and the balance pipe. Many an hour has been spent on the Bay, endless gun sites, flea markets, antique stores, phone calls to gun dealers in various states etc.

While it seems like a long time, many others here have been looking for these parts even longer. I owe a debt to many here for their help and sharing of knowledge to help me get this far.

A shout out to Mugatu in particular for pulling many a rabbit out of his hat. He's a great guy and big part of what makes this community such a pleasure.

And now some pics!









It's a beauty, as clean as I've ever seen (in pictures). I'm debating the weathering process. My build is pretty weathered to begin with and this thing looks nearly unused. It's been fired through but looking at the inside, I'm amazed at how shiny it still is.
I'll post more in my build thread as I move forward.

 

[veektohr]

I think that will fit in my stocking, feel free to send it on over :angel

Congratulations!!

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

A true beauty.

 

[mugatu]

It was all the fault of thd9791. After he got his, and right from under my nose, I was inspired to redouble my efforts. And then...magic and a bit of luck showed up.

That set truly is spectacular!

 

[Solos blaster]

Nice!

I applaud you guys who don't settle and go for the real deal(s) for your props. Other than my real Graflex(which still needs to be upgraded from it's Blast-tech kit), I just haven't had the drive to go after real parts. I love my RE Obi, and I could see myself try to get all real parts, but I just don't have the determination for it. The only other things I see myself searching and building is a firing broomhandle mauser DL-44(with mostly replica parts), with a real m19/32 scope, a Kobold and maybe if I was reaaaally lucky an MPP.

 

[thd9791]

Excellent piece! Was there a lot of oil on yours? Mine was/is saturated in an odd smelling oil that gunks up at the bearing.

 

[Sym-Cha]

So ... what are your intentions with that booster bearing and ribs on the flash hider section? Will you follow in thd9791 footsteps?

Chaim

 

[Panaflex]

Thanks guy for the well wishes on this lucky find.

Mugatu, Yeah, Tom's got a lot to answer for. Now I can tell my wife this is his fault!

Tom, There is a good coating of oil which causes stuff to stick to it. I'm thinking a mechanic's degreaser or just plain gasoline will do the trick. After weathering it, I'll probably use some museum wax to coat it. What did you use?

Chaim, Turns out that this is the two piece version (booster + flash hider only) I wouldn't need to drill out the center like Tom did if I decide to do that.
That said, I'm not sure whether I should use Tom's clever lead or not. Still weighing options...
Thoughts?

 

[Scott D]

The flash hider would look right at home on a Buck Rogers style ray gun.

Great score. :thumbsup I'm another one that can't find the determination to go 100% real parts for this saber. I guess Roman spoiled me with his replica.

 

[teecrooz]

The flash hider would look right at home on a Buck Rogers style ray gun.

Great score. :thumbsup I'm another one that can't find the determination to go 100% real parts for this saber. I guess Roman spoiled me with his replica.

You could always stop by and check mine out. It would either jumpstart your search or allow you to get your fix without spending the time and money to track it all down.

Ben, the flash hider looks great. I would keep it all as is.

 

[Serenity]

That's a beauty. I especially love the real ones because most have those sharper fins; none of the reps have been able to completely nail that yet.

 

[Panaflex]

You could always stop by and check mine out. It would either jumpstart your search or allow you to get your fix without spending the time and money to track it all down.

Ben, the flash hider looks great. I would keep it all as is.

Thanks man,
So you think it's better to do no weathering? I was considering the gun bluing method where you get that white powdery look in between the fins. I figured it would be reversible but I may be wrong on that...

If I use the flash hider as a spacer, I have to cut it down. I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it even though I have no other prop use for it at this point...

 

[thd9791]

Tom, There is a good coating of oil which causes stuff to stick to it. I'm thinking a mechanic's degreaser or just plain gasoline will do the trick. After weathering it, I'll probably use some museum wax to coat it. What did you use?

Chaim, Turns out that this is the two piece version (booster + flash hider only) I wouldn't need to drill out the center like Tom did if I decide to do that.
That said, I'm not sure whether I should use Tom's clever lead or not. Still weighing options...
Thoughts?

:lol at your earlier comments.

Honestly, I'm going to spray some WD-40 on the threads so they stay pristine. (Booster to Bearing) The outside I think I'll clean and add a layer of Krylon matte clear. Call me crazy but i handle these a lot. I did the same with my Grenade and it stopped the rust completely. I'm able to handle them no problem, and I'm less worried about environmental factors.

I would say... Only do this if you are a) willing to sacrifice the cool looking FH for the saber being REALLY 100% parts. and b) willing to spend hours sawing with a hacksaw and stuff.

If you do go this route, I recommend cutting high off that second ring. My clamp seems to sit a tad too high, almost touching the first set of grenade frag after the bottom rim, maybe more material will push the grenade higher, maybe not. The Flash Hider rings do seem to be the things keeping it in place though.

 

[Panaflex]

:lol at your earlier comments.

Honestly, I'm going to spray some WD-40 on the threads so they stay pristine. (Booster to Bearing) The outside I think I'll clean and add a layer of Krylon matte clear. Call me crazy but i handle these a lot. I did the same with my Grenade and it stopped the rust completely. I'm able to handle them no problem, and I'm less worried about environmental factors.

I would say... Only do this if you are a) willing to sacrifice the cool looking FH for the saber being REALLY 100% parts. and b) willing to spend hours sawing with a hacksaw and stuff.

If you do go this route, I recommend cutting high off that second ring. My clamp seems to sit a tad too high, almost touching the first set of grenade frag after the bottom rim, maybe more material will push the grenade higher, maybe not. The Flash Hider rings do seem to be the things keeping it in place though.

Great tips Tom!

I like the clear coat idea after a mild cleaning. Still on the fence with the FH but I'm taking notes on what you did.
IF I cut it down, it'll be on a band saw with a special metal cutting blade. My impatience tends to result in hasty, sloppy work so I resort to power tools.

One issue I have is that I can't get the FH and booster to thread all the way together (see pics). I guess they need more cleaning and WD40. I wouldn't want to cut the FH until they sat flush.

Other views on the whole "to cut or not to cut" are welcome.

 

[OdiWan72]

Congratulations on that beauty!!!
The booster section is the only thing missing to complete my all-real parts Obi ANH saber, so I envy you

And yes...mugatu is a great guy :thumbsup

 

[mugatu]

Thanks, Markus. I've still got my eyes peeled for more!

 

[Panaflex]

Congratulations on that beauty!!!
The booster section is the only thing missing to complete my all-real parts Obi ANH saber, so I envy you

And yes...mugatu is a great guy :thumbsup

Thanks Markus!
I appreciate it and know how lucky I am. That's fantastic that you have the balance pipe already! Good on Ya'!

 

[Edraven99]

Personally I'm on the "do not cut" for the flash hider.

The "ribbing" does not add any additional support for the clamp; all you need is the very bottom of the flash hider or an actual booster bearing. The bottom ring (with the holes) on them is the exact same diameter as the grenade and so the clamp just goes over top of them. It's the internal threaded rod that securely connects everything together anyways.

Just buy a replica booster bearing off of Roman and keep the flash hider as a display piece...

P.S. Congrats on the booster! She's a beauty! For some reason it was the hardest part for me to track down in my build :-s

 

[Halliwax]

very nice find, the community here is awesome. this is what makes this hobby so much fun, its also nice to know people still help one another out. very nice team work guys!

 

[Panaflex]

Personally I'm on the "do not cut" for the flash hider.

The "ribbing" does not add any additional support for the clamp; all you need is the very bottom of the flash hider or an actual booster bearing. The bottom ring (with the holes) on them is the exact same diameter as the grenade and so the clamp just goes over top of them. It's the internal threaded rod that securely connects everything together anyways.

Just buy a replica booster bearing off of Roman and keep the flash hider as a display piece...

P.S. Congrats on the booster! She's a beauty! For some reason it was the hardest part for me to track down in my build :-s

Yes, ultimately I've decided not to cut it up. I'm going a different route altogether now. Many thanks for the well wishes and opinions guys!