Done / Completed Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1 TPM Resin Cast Stunt Lightsaber

[MasterHurd]

PHENOMENAL dewy! I will be committing to one when I get my next paycheck!
If I got one with the threaded rod sticking out of the hilt as far as it can and you are using 300mm threaded rods by my estimation eyeballing it, that would mean the threaded rod would only be going about halfway down into the hilt, is that right?

If that's the case I'm curious Which you think would be better for dueling, the threaded rod running through more of the hilt and sticking out less or more of the threaded rod outside the hilt to "stabilize" the blade? I guess I'm concerned about the resin snapping below the threaded rod ( I have no idea how strong it is so I'm just curious.)
If you had access to longer threaded rods so it could run through the whole hilt and stick out as far as fits in your pressure pot that would be amazing. SO so excited for this man thanks for putting in the hard work and making all of our dreams come true! I'm even thinking about getting a second Starkiller maul and leaving more of the threaded rod exposed so I can maul vs Obi fight with my brother XD

 

[Dewy]

PHENOMENAL dewy! I will be committing to one when I get my next paycheck!
If I got one with the threaded rod sticking out of the hilt as far as it can and you are using 300mm threaded rods by my estimation eyeballing it, that would mean the threaded rod would only be going about halfway down into the hilt, is that right?

If that's the case I'm curious Which you think would be better for dueling, the threaded rod running through more of the hilt and sticking out less or more of the threaded rod outside the hilt to "stabilize" the blade? I guess I'm concerned about the resin snapping below the threaded rod ( I have no idea how strong it is so I'm just curious.)
If you had access to longer threaded rods so it could run through the whole hilt and stick out as far as fits in your pressure pot that would be amazing. SO so excited for this man thanks for putting in the hard work and making all of our dreams come true! I'm even thinking about getting a second Starkiller maul and leaving more of the threaded rod exposed so I can maul vs Obi fight with my brother XD

I’m not at home at the moment, but I believe I am completely out of 300mm rods, with a bunch of 250mm left. The resin is plenty strong, it’s really a question of weight distribution more than strength. The aluminum blades will bend/deform long before you have issues with the resin. The stunt blades are hollow, so a longer threaded rod protrusion doesn’t really do anything to “stabilize” the blade. Any threaded rod that goes beyond the threaded insert in the blade is just “dead weight” shifting the balance of the assembly. The stability of the blade is going to come from the threads themselves and how well the bottom face of the blade is seated/tightened against the emitter face of the hilt.

Don’t forget that a longer threaded rod protrusion means you’ll have to manually spin the blade over all those extra threads to install it.

 

[MasterHurd]

Put me down for one raw cast with a threaded rod! If they are made to order may I request the rod be halfway between the default offering and the max? If you already have some premade I'll take a "longer threaded rod protrusion." Thanks again, You're the man!

 

[derekwest1989]

Dewy, I sent you a message

 

[Dewy]

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update:

The company I work for was recently purchased by a much larger company, while this is generally a good thing, my workload at my day job has greatly increased as a result of this acquisition. As such, I have not had as much time to work on this project (or spend as much time on the RPF) over the last few weeks as I would have liked. Don’t worry though, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.

For those with confirmed orders waiting on a painted hilt, they are still in work! It has been uncharacteristically humid here in Los Angeles, and I don’t want to take any chances screwing up the paint. It looks like this weekend and next week should be more favorable weather for painting!

 

[kyrack]

No worries! I am sure it will be worth it!

 

[Dann]

So, I was thinking about what Dewy said about the longer the threaded protrusion, the more threads you’d have to screw the Stunt blade over.

I had always assumed that the blades were attached in a way similar to the method I’m using. I’ve got a couple short threaded sections of aluminum I can thread onto the rod, then slide the blade tube over those and tighten the set screws. This makes the attachment of a stunt blade MUCH faster than if the threaded inserts were permanently fastened to the inside of the blade tube.

I don’t remember the way the real ones were attached, but I feel like I remember seeing a “making of” segment that I want to say showed Nick Gillard replacing bent blades during a training session. It’s been years since I’ve seen that segment, and I can’t recall if it actually shows him attaching the blades.

Anyway, here’s a couple shots showing my method.

 

[MasterHurd]

That makes a lot of sense Dann, idk which way is "accurate" but I especially like how on yours you have two aluminum inserts, one by the base of the threaded rod and one on the top. Seeing as all the stunt blades I've seen had two set screws I imagine they had one really long insert or two like yours.

I am curious, Dann, is it sometimes difficult to get the set screws to line up with both inserts? I would think the inserts may spin on the threads a bit as you slide the tube over. I can't really see through the masking tape but it looks like you have drilled and tapped holes in the inserts that the set screws in the blade go into. If so, do they go all the way through to the threaded rod? I wonder if that would help keep the whole blade from unscrewing itself but possibly damage the threads. Thoughts?

 

[Dann]

No need to tap the inserts, I just tighten the set screws directly onto the inserts.

The blade tube doesn’t make the inserts turn much really, if at all. It just slip-fits over them. No difficulty lining anything up.

I guess I originally thought that the real blades were a slip-fit over the threaded rods themselves, and that the set screws were just tightened directly onto the threaded rods.

 

[derekwest1989]

Can I sign up for a raw unpainted casting without the rod?

 

[Halliwax]

Dewy I replied to the PM did I do it right or did I lose wifi during it being sent?

 

[Dewy]

Dewy I replied to the PM did I do it right or did I lose wifi during it being sent?

You’re all good! I’m just behind on getting castings out!

 

[Dann]

Just finished painting mine!

I used some kinda janky grey primer, some barbecue black and Tamiya aluminum in the can. Also some clear red and some brassy gold stuff. I’ll probably do the button and the valve over again with different colors, but these work, for now.

I almost sprayed some dullcote over it, but I decided against it. It’d likely take too much shine out of the aluminum, so I think I might set up the airbrush and do some nicer aqua clear or something. Or maybe I’ll just leave it as is. We’ll see.

 

[MasterHurd]

Looks sick! I'd say leave it without a clear coat and let the paint chip a bit as you handle it, let it look used.

What green did you find for the blade?

 

[Dewy]

Just finished painting mine!

I used some kinda janky grey primer, some barbecue black and Tamiya aluminum in the can. Also some clear red and some brassy gold stuff. I’ll probably do the button and the valve over again with different colors, but these work, for now.

I almost sprayed some dullcote over it, but I decided against it. It’d likely take too much shine out of the aluminum, so I think I might set up the airbrush and do some nicer aqua clear or something. Or maybe I’ll just leave it as is. We’ll see.

Looks awesome! Really cool to see these out in the wild!

 

[Dann]

I think it was a neon Krylon. It was at Lowe’s, and I literally just bought it the other day, so it’s available. It goes on pretty thin, so I primed the tube lightly before painting it.

Thanks again, Dewy! It sure is fun to swing this thing around. I gotta be wary of ceiling fans, though!

 

[Dewy]

A base coat of white helps the fluorescent colors really pop!

 

[Dewy]

I have three painted commissions in work, the long threaded rod one is for xsaenz the other two are for non-RPF members:

But here is what I have been dealing with every day. The only times the humidity MIGHT be low enough to paint are when I’m in the office.

 

[thd9791]

Yupppp!

I just did a base coat of sandable rustoleum primer, some 800 grit sandpaper… and then plain old rustoleum satin black. In order to get in all the tiny corners I ended up putting a thick coat on (now it looks dipped!) but thankfully it ended up more glossy than dull. The silver duplicolor is going to go on nicely

Dann i love the paint job you did. Very clean masking job too - looks like the freaking prop

 

[StevenBills]

I think it was a neon Krylon. It was at Lowe’s, and I literally just bought it the other day, so it’s available...

Is that where you got the aluminum tubing as well? And was it ever mentioned what thread size the rod is?