My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber..FINISHED:)

[Rodann]

(Updated with finished pics in post #20)

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Well, we all know Obi-Wan's original (as in 1977) lightsaber is the best. It's the most mechanical looking, and LOOKS like a weapon/machine/laser sword handle. As much as I love the Graflex, it lacks that raw look of worn out grenades and heat sinks.:lol

Sooo.......I wanted a custom saber similar to Ben's. No other saber looks like his- especially the prequels- so it's pretty distinct and well, perfect. What if there was a similar saber in the movies? Other than Luke's which though similar, is too smoothly machined for somebody living in Ben's hut

So I set out to machine my first custom saber in what- 6 years?:lol To get it to look like Ben's but NOT look like Ben's is next to impossible. Right now, it kinda looks like a negative photo of his, and that's not what I was going for.

I wanted to move the clamp to the rear of the saber, eliminating the rear grip.....then move a shorter grenade to the middle, so I could have a shroud. Parks sabers did something like that about 10-15 years ago, and it was cool.

I machined the custom "5-block" grenade grip, and pommel (which is only two pieces), to get the mechanical laser sword hilt feel. And added the Graflex clamp and "incorrect" Obi emitter. But the shroud is killing it. Maybe it's because I'm not done with the windvane area. I may paint it black, and weather it heavily.

I don't know......any suggestions? I'm running out of steam. Everything between the emitter and grip is just temporary filler- I have it mocked up to visualize what I want. I'm going to do a windvane, but having a hard time being sneaky at work.

I'm not even sure if I like the pommel- looked good on paper, but........eh.

 

[Jamanticus]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

I like it! Lovely piece of work you created there.

 

[jme3]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Well, we see which one kitty puss approves of... :lol

 

[Rodann]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Thank you. I was going to add some "inner workings" details in the shroud, but there's surprisingly little room. It NEEDS a windvane! That's first on the list. Then, a neck, then maybe stacked washers peeking out of the shroud, then a piece between the clamp and pommel, then maybe remove that grip section that doesn't fit under the shroud yet.....then.....:lol

Oh I hate trying to do one thing a day at work........

Well, we see which one kitty puss approves of... :lol

I didn't even see him in there!:lol

That's Jasper....."Jabberoo" Or as we call him, Jabber the Hutt.

 

[jme3]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Cats are always cool with me. thumbsup Especially ones in tune with Star Wars! :lol

I didn't even see him in there!:lol

That's Jasper....."Jabberoo" Or as we call him, Jabber the Hutt.

 

[Apollo]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Jabberoo seems to be in a quandry....:lol

Looks good so far!!

 

[Rodann]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

:lol

If you could only hear him. He doesn't meow. It's more like a high pitched neutered howl, like R2 when he's scared!:lol Arooooooooooo!

Jasper mind trick.........

 

[jme3]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

I don't know what to equate mine to, but he's 19 yrs. old and seems to have just discovered that he has a "voice", and it's LOUD!!! Instead of the R2 "scared" voice, it's more like the Obi-Wan-scaring-off-the-Tuskens-howl... :lol

But this is definitely off-topic from your post. Very original saber there my friend. Good work! thumbsup

:lol

If you could only hear him. He doesn't meow. It's more like a high pitched neutered howl, like R2 when he's scared!:lol Arooooooooooo!

Jasper mind trick.........

 

[Rodann]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

....Not if my saber makes the same soun.........yeah okay it doesn't.

Tusken howl.....wow. That's a badass cat!:lol

Thank you. I'll probably have better pics soon, once I figure out what I'm doing. I found my washers, but they don't fit the 3/8-16 rod Might have to machine something.

 

[jme3]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

....Not if my saber makes the same soun.........yeah okay it doesn't.

Tusken howl.....wow. That's a badass cat!:lol

Thank you. I'll probably have better pics soon, once I figure out what I'm doing. I found my washers, but they don't fit the 3/8-16 rod Might have to machine something.

He's a teddy bear, really... :lol

Looking forward to seeing the results! :thumbsup

 

[Luke Warmwater]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

I really like the pommel on your custom.

 

[Interceptor6]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Love the pommel as well!
The shroud needs a smaller windvane inside the bevel, it currently leaves too much of the neck visable. Short grenade looks killer!

 

[Rodann]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Thank you for the compliments on the grip and the pommel Strangely, I'm disappointed in the pommel, but I don't know why. Maybe the studs are too big. Or too square.

I just made the small grooved neck piece under the emitter today, and started a windvane. Not the windvane I had in mind, but beggars can't be choosers It's HARD eyeballing stuff at work while trying not to get caught!LOL The ring needs to be thinned out and cut- I just slipped it over the vane to mock it up. Again, everything in the neck area is just a mock up to keep the saber together. Still having trouble visualizing this one.

I tried painting the shroud to see what it would look like. Not sure I like it, but it's only paint. I'm having fun trying to get this sucker just the way I want it, though I also added weathering to the inside of the emitter.

OMG I miss my lathe........ I'm having to mill the round parts at work from square stock. If I had my setup in my old garage, I'd have been done by now!

And I added my original design. It's close to my drawing, but just doesn't look as good.:lol

 

[Rodann]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

.......oh good grief it actually looks better without a sleeve over the windvane.:lol Now I gotta decide.

 

[Luke Warmwater]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

I think the first time you whack it the blades are going to bend. It does look cool though.

I had this funny thought today: What if Obi-wan built his ROTS/ANH saber a little on the overpowered side, knowing it was going to get lots of use in the Clone Wars, and the windvane was a fan to keep the emitter cool?

 

[Rodann]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Nah, the blades are 4mm thick.:lol

I always thought of the windvane as a heat sink, but then they made Luke's all plain and boring Like the ep3 versions of Anakin and Obi-Wan's.....plain and boring.

I remember old technical drawings of the sabers that called the windvane a focusing or lens assembly. Hard to buy that with the blades all visible and such.

 

[Tan Djarka]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

I suspect I'm a bit late to the process, and I don't know that it's even possible to make the adjustments, but here's my take on it:

Don't take this the wrong way, but the design seems a little unbalanced and perhaps somewhat unworkable in real world terms. The activation box by the pommel?

Personally, I'd move the activation box up to the bottom end of the shroud and have the "frag body" style grip extend from the clamp to the pommel. That way, with a frim grip on the, err... Grip, it would naturally place the thumb on the activation strip.

But that's just what I think.

 

[Jamanticus]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Don't take this the wrong way, but the design seems a little unbalanced and perhaps somewhat unworkable in real world terms. The activation box by the pommel?

Yep, unworkable. While you're at it, completely remove the control box from the Obi ANH saber as well. It gets in your way when you're wielding the thing and makes the saber very hard to handle.

Pfft, so silly with this stuff not working in our real lightsaber-ful world.

 

[Rodann]

Re: My custom Obi Ep4 style Lightsaber

Yep, unworkable. While you're at it, completely remove the control box from the Obi ANH saber as well. It gets in your way when you're wielding the thing and makes the saber very hard to handle.

Pfft, so silly with this stuff not working in our real lightsaber-ful world.

:lolExactly. Plus, that's intentional. (He don't know me very well :lol) Always was. I've always liked gripping the sabers backwards- not that I could fight with one, but half my customs had activation buttons near the pommel, or had large "arm guard" shrouds near the emitter for keeping the pommel in front.

So when I'm holding it, the blade extends up my arm and behind me. That way, you could spin either way. Hard to block. It's so boring and predictable holding it like Qui-Gon. Think Darth Maul, but without the front blade.:lol

 

[Rodann]

Well, it's done! A little heavy on the weathering, but until I have some brass to replace certain parts, since it's all aluminum, it will have to do

Besides, it's no more weathered than some mercs' shotgun in a certain Vin Diesel movie :lol


I added the endpiece under the clamp (just before the pommel). the windvane shroud, the whole neck piece under the main shroud, a Parks clamp that I weathered (never understood why Ben's wasn't), and circuit board. Now my real Graflex clamp can go back on my Luke ANH!:lol

She may be monochromatic, but she's purty! And most importantly, I'm happy with it