Show your custom Lightsabers!
- Thread starter GreenCircleCube
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- custom highrepublic lightsaber
Thank The Maker
Jr Member
I found this thread about 6 months ago and was truly inspired by all the awesome sabers on display here, I'm especially fond of the OT Flashgun style sabers.
After reading 100+ pages I got the itch and have been slowly collecting old flashguns and other bits to create a few of my own. Nothing is finished yet but I've started to work out a handful of designs using the bits I have acquired. I've decided that I'd really like to install electronics into all of these at some point so I've opted to build them with that in mind and avoid using treaded rods etc to ensure I've got space for everything to fit inside one day.
Anyway, to the light sabers.
This saber is built from a Zeiss Ikon Flash gun. I'm thinking I'll just add this simple Aluminium flat bar for the grips and I'm using this Heiland shroud.
The green card is from an N64 cart although I'm hoping to find something I like more to swap it out for. This is quite a long flash gun and the activation box is huge. I like to think of this as my version of Darth Plagueis's lightsaber as the bulk of the thing reminds me of how Sideous had commented that Plagueis's was "unwieldy".
This saber developed slight differently from the rest. I was given a cheapo YDD saber which I decided to encase in something a bit more OT feeling.
The bottom was a random flashgun I got in a lot on eBay, whilst the top is a mixture of pvc pipe and an old Minicam shroud (which has been coloured black in photoshop, I think this is the way I'll go though). The activation box is just a bit of aluminium track with an LED calculator bubble strip. I put a length of copper underneath to give it the colour, which I like a lot. There is a screw underneath the bubble strip and one of threaded grip bolts is longer to connect directly to the YDD saber inside and hold everything securely. The Switch on the saber below is lined up with the small button near the activation box which simply presses the button inside...low tech but it works. Sliding the shroud off reveals a charging port.
This my personal favourite saber. It's a minicam flash which I've managed to fit a MHS emitter to. I had to file down a coupling piece to slide inside and screw the emitter into. The pommel is from a Force FX Lightsaber Construction set. These grips are rough and just held on with blu-tac right now but I plan on making a new set (probably a bit longer) and keeping them bare aluminium to maintain the all silver look.
This is an ultrasabers Apprentice which I got for £15. I thought it was pretty boring and all I've done is add some o-rings and a few greeblies to the emitter section which I took from the flashgun used to make the 2nd saber. I also painted the button red and applied a stick on clear rubber foot thing to emulate the Graflex red bubble...ish. Not very in love with this one, want to improve the emitter greebie and possibly swap the pommel one day. This has a blue LED but no sound.
My last saber is a Minicam Jr Flash. It's a much smaller saber and is currently set up like the Evan Piell ones I've seen around (minus any grips)
Not really sure where to go with this one but I wanted a Padawan saber in the collection so this is my starting point.
I'm not rushing to complete any of these and to be honest I really enjoy the process of acquiring new bits and watching them come together organically but I'd love any ideas how to finish some of these off.
TTM
After reading 100+ pages I got the itch and have been slowly collecting old flashguns and other bits to create a few of my own. Nothing is finished yet but I've started to work out a handful of designs using the bits I have acquired. I've decided that I'd really like to install electronics into all of these at some point so I've opted to build them with that in mind and avoid using treaded rods etc to ensure I've got space for everything to fit inside one day.
Anyway, to the light sabers.
This saber is built from a Zeiss Ikon Flash gun. I'm thinking I'll just add this simple Aluminium flat bar for the grips and I'm using this Heiland shroud.
The green card is from an N64 cart although I'm hoping to find something I like more to swap it out for. This is quite a long flash gun and the activation box is huge. I like to think of this as my version of Darth Plagueis's lightsaber as the bulk of the thing reminds me of how Sideous had commented that Plagueis's was "unwieldy".
This saber developed slight differently from the rest. I was given a cheapo YDD saber which I decided to encase in something a bit more OT feeling.
The bottom was a random flashgun I got in a lot on eBay, whilst the top is a mixture of pvc pipe and an old Minicam shroud (which has been coloured black in photoshop, I think this is the way I'll go though). The activation box is just a bit of aluminium track with an LED calculator bubble strip. I put a length of copper underneath to give it the colour, which I like a lot. There is a screw underneath the bubble strip and one of threaded grip bolts is longer to connect directly to the YDD saber inside and hold everything securely. The Switch on the saber below is lined up with the small button near the activation box which simply presses the button inside...low tech but it works. Sliding the shroud off reveals a charging port.
This my personal favourite saber. It's a minicam flash which I've managed to fit a MHS emitter to. I had to file down a coupling piece to slide inside and screw the emitter into. The pommel is from a Force FX Lightsaber Construction set. These grips are rough and just held on with blu-tac right now but I plan on making a new set (probably a bit longer) and keeping them bare aluminium to maintain the all silver look.
This is an ultrasabers Apprentice which I got for £15. I thought it was pretty boring and all I've done is add some o-rings and a few greeblies to the emitter section which I took from the flashgun used to make the 2nd saber. I also painted the button red and applied a stick on clear rubber foot thing to emulate the Graflex red bubble...ish. Not very in love with this one, want to improve the emitter greebie and possibly swap the pommel one day. This has a blue LED but no sound.
My last saber is a Minicam Jr Flash. It's a much smaller saber and is currently set up like the Evan Piell ones I've seen around (minus any grips)
Not really sure where to go with this one but I wanted a Padawan saber in the collection so this is my starting point.
I'm not rushing to complete any of these and to be honest I really enjoy the process of acquiring new bits and watching them come together organically but I'd love any ideas how to finish some of these off.
TTM
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Wow that's gorgeous! If you are thinking of doing a run of these in the future, I'd for sure be in.
SB
Darth Chasm
Active Member
Here's another build. This one made from scraps. Static for now but planning on a simple electronics install.
I think I need some shroud or emitter parts. These are the flashes and things sitting around waiting for a custom build, just haven’t had the creative spark in a while..
I have also been dying to pull the trigger on getting a Leitz or Leica flash bracket. There’s a trapezoid 2 inch block with a curved back that would make a great clamp box.
I have also been dying to pull the trigger on getting a Leitz or Leica flash bracket. There’s a trapezoid 2 inch block with a curved back that would make a great clamp box.
Ridire Firean
Sr Member
Joek3rr
Master Member
They are! One is anyways. For the glass eye I used a bezel from an Ultrasabers, it was lower profile and I liked the look better. The biggest issue is trying to keep them center. But I imagine I could whip up something on AutoCad if I wanted to.
Ridire Firean
Sr Member
I have two of the same emitters that you have here, one I've already drilled and tapped to accept a replica Red Button, and the other is waiting to see what I decide to do with it. The bummer part of the drilling/tapping is that the threads on Red Buttons (REAL or replica) are too short and they don't completely fill the hole... which means light escapes through the threads.
I've been dreaming up ways to either have a bead welded onto the emitter to emulate the bump and then filing it to shape. Probably the easiest solution, but I can't weld.
Or milling out an indentation the correct size of the bump, and then filling it in with an aluminum rod, and then filing and milling and tapping it to accept a working Red Button. The downside to this is that the indentation, if centered over the existing hole, would borrow through the inside edge of the emitter lip. Which isn't too bad, as I've drawn up a blade plug in Fusion 360 that would cover that gash. This I could do, but it's a lot of work.
OR, I could recreate the emitter in Fusion 360 with the necessary adjustments (the bumps) and then have Shapeways print it in aluminum. Which might work, but then what to do about threading it? The threads MIGHT print, but if they didn't come out well enough to work, that'd be an expensive mistake. If I printed it unthreaded but thick enough to be threaded, then I could have it threaded somewhere, but where?
Well, enough day-dreaming, off to figure out some resistors!
I made a pommel today. A Focus telescope was my inspiration (green, cone shaped, with two black and silver adjustment rings)
and i have pieces of camera lenses, a busch flash, and an electron microscope lab in here.
Endcap is an internal plate from the Busch. Graflite Military main tube... decided to.forgo the x wing detail
I'm thinking a heiland shroud?
and i have pieces of camera lenses, a busch flash, and an electron microscope lab in here.
Endcap is an internal plate from the Busch. Graflite Military main tube... decided to.forgo the x wing detail
I'm thinking a heiland shroud?
harrisonp
Sr Member
You’ll have to excuse my terrible “on the carpet” photography. This is my 1.25” sink tube build, heavily inspired by Qu Rahn/Kyle Katarn’s first saber. It’s a bit of a hack job with that second momentary switch but it fits my personal taste for the cobbled together post purge hilt designs.
I've show this one before, my one full FX custom saber. Add some finishing details to it finally.
The emitter and neck are from TCSS, hacked and mounted into the top of a minicam flashgun. The clamp is from a Canon X. Thumbscrews and button are also TCSS. Blade plug is Korbanth. Grips are some etsy TFU Starkiller metal rips, and took the guts out of the minicam endcap to thread a D-ring through. Chrome tape on the clamp, and a bubble strip I painted with a translucent yellow to match the LEDs.
The emitter and neck are from TCSS, hacked and mounted into the top of a minicam flashgun. The clamp is from a Canon X. Thumbscrews and button are also TCSS. Blade plug is Korbanth. Grips are some etsy TFU Starkiller metal rips, and took the guts out of the minicam endcap to thread a D-ring through. Chrome tape on the clamp, and a bubble strip I painted with a translucent yellow to match the LEDs.
Attachments
Tan Djarka
Master Member
Here's a recently completed custom job. The activation band needs some final detailing.
A view of the emitter. It came with four holes below the flange. I resisted the temptation make them recharge ports.
A view of the emitter. It came with four holes below the flange. I resisted the temptation make them recharge ports.
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How have I ever missed this thread?!? 121 pages of awesome to go through now.
here is one I've been working on.... OT-inspired non-Canon design (Not finished yet)
here is one I've been working on.... OT-inspired non-Canon design (Not finished yet)
here is the last one I finished, Vintage canon Y heavily modified flash tube, Roman balance pipe and booster, old plumbing and lamp parts brass neck and modern variation armitage shanks handwheel. Pretty proud of this custom Obi Wan lightsaber, might be for sale soon enough though as I try not to collect custom sabers.
HMSwolfe
Master Member
Do idealized canon lightsabers count here? I’ve always liked Luke’s second lightsaber, but felt that the Hero was lacking detail, and that the clamp on any lightsaber is typically too big to comfortably wield. So I modeled and printed this one. I’ve been working on finishing it with Rub-N-Buff, so we’ll see how it goes.
Edit: this is obviously a work in progress shot of the model, which was then further refined after a test print that’s going to my brother.
Edit: this is obviously a work in progress shot of the model, which was then further refined after a test print that’s going to my brother.
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this kind of reminds me of a blend between the V2, Hero and V3 props. It's neat! And FWIW I think it counts
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