New Elstree Studio documentary with discarded Graflex.

Ditto. What other reason for them could there be?

Well, we do have to ask what could they possibly have needed to secure at the bottom of the flash? The other thing I can think of is either the motor or batteries for a spinning bladed stunt.

If we accept the hypothesis that the Elstree was an aborted attempt at making a bladed stunt out of a real flash, perhaps this 3 cell bottom came off of another attempt? That could explain:

And why is it that no other photos or screencaps seem to show them?
 
Yes, my second thought on the purpose of the rivets/screws would be securing a housing for motor/batteries, but seeing that on what is clearly a hero prop is...incongruous!
 
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That was my third thought, but, upon a close-up look, they definitely appear to be screws/rivets, rather than wire/switch holes.
 
Are those mystery spots anything close to where stunt motor wires may work?

Are you thinking they used fasteners to plug holes drilled for motor wires? Yeah, that makes sense. Where did the wires enter the pipe-based stunt that was in the finished film?
 
What about an early, failed attempt to install a d-ring on the SIDE of the tube, instead of the bottom endcap? Doesn’t make much sense, but I suppose it’s a possibility. Just spitballing.

What more do we know about this photo? Anyone have the entire, uncropped photo handy, so we can try and get a sense of when it was taken, and where it fits in with the other publicity photos?
 
Yes it's from that same photoshoot.
These photos were taken before his belt was stolen and they seem to not have had any Graflex handles; resulting in the Holiday Special hilt that was also used for the photos where he is wearing a replica belt.
The pattern suggests to me someone probably stole this saber. I hope to see it someday!
 
Okay, here’s my attempt at sorting out the publicity photos.

There are these shots, which feature Hamill with a hairstyle that doesn’t quite match the one in the film. Looks like they shot him both with and without Fisher, wearing both his Tatooine and ceremonial outfits, and brandishing the Graflex, Tatooine rifle, and Leia blaster. There’s also a photo of Hamill and Fisher where the Graflex is swapped out for the Luke ANH FX stunt, but with the tip painted black, indicating that these photos may have been shot later in production, after the Vader/Kenobi duel. This is the session which gave us the toe pic and now the new photo which shows the rivets between the grips. The Graflex lever is sticking out, and the clamp is at 3:00.

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Then we have the often-used photos that appear to have been taken during production, possibly just before or during the Tunisia shoot. Hamill looks just as he does in the film. The Graflex still has the wonky lever and clamp positioned at 3:00.

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Then there are the cast group shots, which I suspect were taken after the production moved to England. The Graflex now has a closed lever, but the clamp is still at 3:00.

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Finally, there are the post-production Bob Seidemann shots. Post-facial surgery Hamill has yet another hairstyle, the replacement utility belt (but he also wears the stolen Stormtrooper belt in some of these shots), and was photographed with both the HOLIDAY SPECIAL saber and a Stormtrooper blaster. Shots of him in the poncho (both with and without the hat and goggles from Luke’s deleted introductory scene) and the X-Wing pilot flightsuit were also taken at this session.

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And, in the early 2000s, photos of the ESB Ranch saber were Photoshopped over the upper half of the HOLIDAY SPECIAL saber, probably to make good use of shots from this session (but with a more accurate hilt), where Hamill did action poses with the saber (something that he didn’t really do in the earlier sessions).

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That new photo showing the possible rivets appears to be from the same photo shoot as the toe pic photo.

If so, unless the Elstree discarded Graflex has 2 holes on the outside at the base then it wouldn’t be the same as the toe pick saber.
 
Yep. The photo is definitely from the toe pic session.

It seems pretty darn clear that the Elstree isn’t the toe pic saber or any other hero we know of. The half-knurl red button was enough to convince me of that.

And these newly-discovered rivets are located in the open space between grips that is lined up with the stamped “L” of the “G R A F L E X” on the clamp band. In other words, the side of the lower flash tube which faces the belt when hung from the belt hook. In a spot that seems to appear in virtually no photographs or screencaps of the prop.
 
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Anyone seen better quality versions of this (or similar) photos? They might help with the questions regarding the number or d-ring rivets, and the position of the bend in the bracket.
 
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I still think the toe pic bracket is longer/closer to center than the Elstree bracket. Possibly because the main hero prop(s) used a found part, while the Elstree bracket was crudely handmade to match.
 
We also know that the Elstree has a later Folmer bottom half (with patent number), but also the early-style, half-knurl red button, early glass eye, and early smooth pins.

The toe pic has the later full-knurl button, early Folmer glass eye, (apparently) Folmer smooth pins, and an unknown bottom stamp.
 
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