My Custom Lightsabers on the cheap…

[Canobi]

Great to see this thread again

I finally got round to making my kids sabres, but I stuck to plasic/pvc based materials for many reasons, but none of them cost more than £18 to make.

They use a torch style 12v 700mw lighting setup, with full contact polycarb blades which are removable so the hilts can be attached to belts.

Here's the first one to test glues and materials

A batch for my kids last Christmas (no photoshopping, this is what they reslly look like to a camera )

And finally one for myself (now experimenting with the MRfx boards which are a great fit, the one in this sabre is a Vader, though I need to change the LED from green to red now I have the right ones in)

Still need to develope my eye for design a bit, but I'm having a great time making them. Thanks for the inspiration

 

[savmagoett]

Thanks folks
Now that I have a Sith Costume I plan to make a version of the Monopol (the black one, second in the tread) that features a removable illuminated blade (and maybe sound). When I do I'll post the progress.

Good job Canobi :cool what do you mean by "full contact" polycarb blades?

 

[Canobi]

Thanks folks
Now that I have a Sith Costume I plan to make a version of the Monopol (the black one, second in the tread) that features a removable illuminated blade (and maybe sound). When I do I'll post the progress.

Good job Canobi :cool what do you mean by "full contact" polycarb blades?

Sorry, the term "full contact" is related to unprotected, no holds barred matial art bouts/competitions. The blades are high impact resistant polycarbinate and can withstand me and my mates havin a full on duel.

The only problems I've encountered with the sabres so far when grown ups use them is: a battery on one of them has a tendancy to pop out (a quick mod to sort that one), and the blade works its way out as your duelling on another (grown ups are banned from using that one :lol), the kids dont get these issues when using them, so it's all good :thumbsup

 

[thehashimoto]

Hi there everyone…
I've been following TRPF for a while and though I'd share my own stuff to have your feed back :$
I've always wanted to build lightsabers of my own design and for that I've been collecting many bits & pieces, either junk, secondhand trade or yard sale stuff and stored them by shape or eventual use.
When a Star Wars Flashmob was being organized in my city for the release of the phantom menace in 3D I thought it was the time to make some for my friends to have something in their hands for the occasion.
Considering the short time I had, the goal was not to make illuminated blades, but rather PVC tubes with fluorescent paint. That being said I added an effect with photoshop for the photos of the painted sabers, because, let's face it, it's so cool! :cool Also they look battle damage because I didn't have the time take the photos before the flashmob :rolleyes

At first I wanted to create a good looking lightsaber easily assembled from a very few, easy to find & affordable parts. The goal was to put together a tutorial that the average handyman could follow. So I went to the local hardware store and selected two main parts that fitted well together: a plastic bulb socket and a water pipe bend. When added a couple junk parts it looks like an Obi-Wan Ep4 lightsaber for less than 10$. I named it "E-27 Flex":
View attachment 83859View attachment 83860View attachment 83861View attachment 83862View attachment 83863View attachment 83864
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/savmagoett/My Custom Lightsabers/JediBlueSabertest2.jpg

After that I couldn't resist doing more, so from the same bend pipe I created a more "Sith" saber with parts from a champagne bottle stopper (that I've long planned to use for that) assembled by two knurled screw nut to a smaller (E14) metal bulb socket for the emitter, a brass lock for the switch and a internal part from a bicycle pedal-board for the end (I liked the fact that it's shape suggest an other blade could rise form there for a sneaky Sith thrust:angry). I named it "Monopol":
View attachment 83873View attachment 83874View attachment 83866View attachment 83867View attachment 83868View attachment 83869View attachment 83870View attachment 83871View attachment 83872
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/savmagoett/My Custom Lightsabers/SithSaberTest01.jpg

Finally during my quest for parts I found some other interesting ones. A brass plumbing connector at the hardware store, witch, along with a salvaged art-deco furniture handle, made a very cool emitter. At a secondhand shop an old plastic electrical torch for the hilt and a little zinc pitcher placed between the two. I named it "Torzin":
View attachment 83877View attachment 83878View attachment 83879View attachment 83880View attachment 83881View attachment 83882View attachment 83883
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/savmagoett/My Custom Lightsabers/OldJediSabertest3.jpg
Tell me what you think

How much for one?

 

[savmagoett]

How much for one?

Hello thehashimoto
You mean: "How much did it cost me to build one?" or "how much I would ask if I sell you one of those tree?" or even "how much I would charge for building another one for you?"

 

[IceTea1983]

You mean: "How much did it cost me to build one?" or "how much I would ask if I sell you one of those tree?" or even "how much I would charge for building another one for you?"

If it's not too much to ask; all of the above? (just to have the bases covered, to use a sports metaphor)

 

[JaySee1983]

Hi there everyone…
I've been following TRPF for a while and though I'd share my own stuff to have your feed back :$
I've always wanted to build lightsabers of my own design and for that I've been collecting many bits & pieces, either junk, secondhand trade or yard sale stuff and stored them by shape or eventual use.
When a Star Wars Flashmob was being organized in my city for the release of the phantom menace in 3D I thought it was the time to make some for my friends to have something in their hands for the occasion.
Considering the short time I had, the goal was not to make illuminated blades, but rather PVC tubes with fluorescent paint. That being said I added an effect with photoshop for the photos of the painted sabers, because, let's face it, it's so cool! :cool Also they look battle damage because I didn't have the time take the photos before the flashmob :rolleyes

At first I wanted to create a good looking lightsaber easily assembled from a very few, easy to find & affordable parts. The goal was to put together a tutorial that the average handyman could follow. So I went to the local hardware store and selected two main parts that fitted well together: a plastic bulb socket and a water pipe bend. When added a couple junk parts it looks like an Obi-Wan Ep4 lightsaber for less than 10$. I named it "E-27 Flex":
View attachment 83859View attachment 83860View attachment 83861View attachment 83862View attachment 83863View attachment 83864
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/savmagoett/My Custom Lightsabers/JediBlueSabertest2.jpg

After that I couldn't resist doing more, so from the same bend pipe I created a more "Sith" saber with parts from a champagne bottle stopper (that I've long planned to use for that) assembled by two knurled screw nut to a smaller (E14) metal bulb socket for the emitter, a brass lock for the switch and a internal part from a bicycle pedal-board for the end (I liked the fact that it's shape suggest an other blade could rise form there for a sneaky Sith thrust:angry). I named it "Monopol":
View attachment 83873View attachment 83874View attachment 83866View attachment 83867View attachment 83868View attachment 83869View attachment 83870View attachment 83871View attachment 83872
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/savmagoett/My Custom Lightsabers/SithSaberTest01.jpg

Finally during my quest for parts I found some other interesting ones. A brass plumbing connector at the hardware store, witch, along with a salvaged art-deco furniture handle, made a very cool emitter. At a secondhand shop an old plastic electrical torch for the hilt and a little zinc pitcher placed between the two. I named it "Torzin":
View attachment 83877View attachment 83878View attachment 83879View attachment 83880View attachment 83881View attachment 83882View attachment 83883
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/savmagoett/My Custom Lightsabers/OldJediSabertest3.jpg
Tell me what you think

Very creative! Do your blades actually light up? If so how did you achieve that?

 

[SofaKing01]

Love the white one!

 

[savmagoett]

Very creative! Do your blades actually light up? If so how did you achieve that?

THX JaySee1983 & SofaKing01

JaySee I assume you did'nt read the post commentary completely, but that's ok here's the line you're looking for:
"Considering the short time I had, the goal was not to make illuminated blades, but rather PVC tubes with fluorescent paint. That being said I added an effect with photoshop for the photos of the painted sabers, because, let's face it, it's so cool"

(IceTea1983 I will answer you question, I just need time to think about it…)

 

[Aiden26]

Hello thehashimoto
You mean: "How much did it cost me to build one?" or "how much I would ask if I sell you one of those tree?" or even "how much I would charge for building another one for you?"

Do u hav any instructions or templates? Also can you help an amateur with the Lighting Electronics? I know what to do for the blade but I'm not sure about the light source, battery and button.

 

[Canobi]

Do u hav any instructions or templates? Also can you help an amateur with the Lighting Electronics? I know what to do for the blade but I'm not sure about the light source, battery and button.

You may want to read post #29 again, savmagoett photoshopped the blades for the pics. PM inbound as I can help you, don't want to hijack this awesome thread

 

[JaySee1983]

Do you have a parts list for your Obi-Wan style saber?

 

[Ejayisson]

THX JaySee1983 & SofaKing01

JaySee I assume you did'nt read the post commentary completely, but that's ok here's the line you're looking for:
"Considering the short time I had, the goal was not to make illuminated blades, but rather PVC tubes with fluorescent paint. That being said I added an effect with photoshop for the photos of the painted sabers, because, let's face it, it's so cool"

(IceTea1983 I will answer you question, I just need time to think about it…)

What do they look like without the photoshop added?

I may have to go to the hardware store and look around for parts to make one for my nephew now!

 

[savmagoett]

like crap! Seriously, it was just blue, green and red tubes. That fluorescent paint really looked like regular paint…