Obi wan booster bearing and weathering.

[propmainiac]

Hi allLooking for the last few peices to finish my Obi saber and have some questions for the Obi experts out there. Is the booster bearing a nessasary part on the saber, is it seen or a hidden part?Also how much weathering should be on the saber? Is the grenade section supposed to be rusty looking or just a dark roughed up painted look?

 

[Edraven99]

Hi allLooking for the last few peices to finish my Obi saber and have some questions for the Obi experts out there. Is the booster bearing a nessasary part on the saber, is it seen or a hidden part?Also how much weathering should be on the saber? Is the grenade section supposed to be rusty looking or just a dark roughed up painted look?

No... The booster bearing is not a necessary part of the saber... it's covered by the clamp. However, that said, in the Chronicles pictures, you can see what appears to be a wire securing the clamp on the edge that connects to the booster. It's speculated that it could be a cotter pin, which on some pictures of the booster can be seen being slotted through one of the holes found on the booster or a flash cone.

 

[HeartBlade]

The bearing is not a necessity although I like it for two reasons 1) you can add the cotton pin which seems to be part of the tunisa model and 2) good replicas of the booster do not include the bearing so it is additional proof that your bearing is real.

Im assuming you are talking about a real parts booster. I just has to be black, not really rusted. I personally wouldnt do too much to it as it should be fine as it is.

 

[teecrooz]

As they mentioned, not a necessary part. Using a bearing also changes how you attach the grenade in most cases. I do have some replica bearings left should you want one.

I like my booster with very little to no rust. Same with the grenade. I seriously doubt the original was as rust covered as many interpret it to be. I have rusted a few to age them and get pitting, but remove most of the rust itself as it comes off on anything that touches it. I doubt Sir Alec would have put up with the constant staining it would have caused to his hands.

 

[HeartBlade]

I suppose it comes with what you want in the end. It a more "realistic" perspective, the saber was more likely to be rusted and pitted due to the years it was in existence in addition to the fact that it was stored in Tatooine. I dont know its weather conditions but given its desert environment that is open to sand storms, pitting was most likely inevitable. Barney Stinson also said the greatest samurai let his sword rust in his scabbard. Not really true since samurai kept their weapons clean but the idea of not fighting falls in line with Obi's philosophy as a jedi and he may have let his saber rust from non-use.

As a prop, it does look really pitted in the pictures but probably not rusted.

 

[Romans Empire]

Weathering is very much a matter of taste, and interpretation...

There are a couple different shots of the screen used prop that show different coloring on the grenade. Brown & black.

The black grenade, I believe, is the tunisia photo. Even the windvane neck appears to be black:


The browner looking grenade is from the death star scenes, but this one was the "electronics" version. I imagine they had several grenades. Not sure if any were painted.

 

[thd9791]

but this one was the "electronics" version. I imagine they had several grenades. Not sure if any were painted.

View attachment 454725

Can you clarify what the "electronics" version is?

 

[Romans Empire]

This was the saber used for the dueling scene w/Vader. In some scenes you can see a wire running out of Obi's sleeve into the hilt. You can also see the booster has been replaced with a black cylinder that has a "activation" button.

 

[thd9791]

I thought you knew this already! - That actually is incorrect. Alec used 2 types of props: The hero prop and the lathed, cast and hollowed out stunts; More specifically, the V2 and Shared Stunt that Luke used later on.

What he's holding right there is either the V2 or Shared Stunt in it's original form! Rings instead of a grenade section, detachable pommel and spinning emitter head.

In the photo above, that I asked about, he is holding one of the hero props. Anything with a grenade or balance pipe was just a belt hanger, and not a fencing prop.

I went a little picture crazy...sorry! In the compilation pic, you can see the different prop he is holding when it is lit.

 

[Romans Empire]

I thought the one with the blade looked familiar!!! :lol I noticed the pommel and the long lever on the clamp, but never noticed it only had rings w/o cuts like the grenade. Pic 3 added to my collection! Nice.

 

[Sym-Cha]

In fact by holding the emitter section of the stunt inbetween his thumb and fingers Alec Guinness could regulate a little the speed of the spinning blade ... since the whole emitter top moved around



Chaim

 

[thd9791]

In fact by holding the emitter section of the stunt inbetween his thumb and fingers Alec Guinness could regulate a little the speed of the spinning blade ... since the whole emitter top moved around

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz258/Sym-Cha/Ben OB1_zpsp4kwygtz.jpg

Chaim

I remember my jaw dropping at this fact. As a kid I always noticed him really choking the top of his lightsaber and just figured it was "one of those jedi things" when really he was trying to keep the sticks from breaking!

As for this bearing, it makes so much sense to put some of the muzzle brake behind the clamp too, as it would just screw to the bearing right? I just am thrown that theyd take a hack saw to that thing. I do remember seeing darkness behind the clamp holes, so I would assume (at least for the chronicles shot) the support for the clamp wasn't 1.5 inches wide.

From Chaim: a pic - is the bearing in there?

 

[Edraven99]

As for this bearing, it makes so much sense to put some of the muzzle brake behind the clamp too, as it would just screw to the bearing right? I just am thrown that theyd take a hack saw to that thing.

Hacksaw to what?

 

[Sym-Cha]

To this :



To seperate the flash-hider from the booster bearing :



However I'm not quite certain that someone used a hacksaw to take the flash-hider of mine?



Chaim

 

[Edraven99]

Hey Chaim,

The flash hider (first two pictures) and the booster bearing (last picture) are two different parts and were used interchangeably on the AN/M2.

Odds are that they didn't take a hacksaw to anything and just used the booster bearing.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Yeah ... as far as I know ... the propsdepartment took the OB1 apart after filming and returned whatever military part was borrowed from Bapty ... in one piece without any adjustments ... so no hacksaw was used to destroy any parts during filming Curious ... how then is the flash-hider connected to the booster bearing?

Chaim

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

The booster was a heat sink at the end of a maching gun barrel. The bearing either has a flash hider, or not, as needed and is interchangeable.

The 'chrome hole' version is for when a flash hider is not needed.

 

[thd9791]

Lol yea sorry. There was a theory that some of that flash hider was cut to length and the thin part between the rings slid into the grenade. Never mind haha did NOT know there were bearings without flash hiders attached, that's neat!

 

[Ridire Firean]

I do have some replica bearings left should you want one.

I didn't realize there were replica bearings. Are they accurate? i.e. chromed? And were they made by Gun-folk or Star Wars-folk?

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Someone here on the RPF made then, I don't remember who. Great replicas, not chromed.