Show your custom Lightsabers!

[Scott D]

I revisited a project from 6(?) years ago.

This is a very rare Peak Photo Products 3 cell flash. It's the only one that I've ever seen in the past 20+ years that is chrome plated and has a clear push button. I'm guessing it was a salesman's sample or perhaps these were made for store/window displays.

Anyway, it had Yodashouse ANH grips on it and I've been looking at it for years, not satisfied with the results.

I bought a set of the very nice ECO ESB grips from Roy, drilled/tapped 6 holes, and installed them this afternoon.

Now I'm happy with it.

So shiny! The circuit board is kinda rare, too. It has a bright gold plating. I don't remember who made it. I bought it in the early 2000s.

And a picture of it with another Peaksaber™ with the regular finish.

 

[AnubisGuard]

Now put a shroud on it.

 

[thd9791]

Don't let this flash go! It's beautiful, and I'm still kicking myself over losing a special flash years ago that I've never seen again.

I kind of want to make one of these with a luke windvane/emitter poking out the end.

 

[Webberley]

It’s been a while since I have posted my customs. I believe I posted 2 a few years back but I’ve never stopped noodling my custom saber collection. I have a few rules I build each saber by:
They have to be found parts.
They have to be cheap.
They have to look like they have existed for years.
They have to pass “The Tool box test” as in, if I put one into a box of real tools would they look like they belonged there.
They have to look like different Jedi made them.
They have to evoke the OT, EU, ST design aesthetic. Overly clean and ornate prequel sabers don’t do it for me personally. Though you can see design ideas pulled from prequel sabers in my stuff, just covered in rust and grime.

These aren’t my only custom sabers, just the ones I liked the best in my collection. As in they match the rules I set out for myself. They made my cut.

If anyone is interested, I can breakdown the build and history of any individual piece above. But be warned it’ll be a list of vague garden hose parts, biscuit tin metal, torches and vacuum cleaner tubes.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Those are great! It makes me want to build one again.

 

[vadermania]

Beautiful sabers! I like each one of them. And your list of rules is classic!

 

[Webberley]

Thanks, guys!

 

[Webberley]

Posting my previous customs really got my creative juices flowing. I ended up making four more over the last few weeks to add to my collection. 8 is probably my most “out there” design, the exposed wires don’t usually appeal to me but narratively I see it as a saber that has had panels taken off as if it’s has been refurbished. 11 is probably my most conventional saber. I was definitely attempting to evoke a graflex without straight up copying it.

 

[ComeradeDog88]

Here is the Vader ESB saber! All I really need are the grips and it should be done (the only thing that’s not entirely accurate is the size because it’s only a 2-cell heiland but it was in great shape so I had to buy it. I think it’ll look really nice as a display piece with a plaque to go along with it. Also I do know the clamp isn’t the correct one but I feel like I could include some elements from the ROTS saber as well with some textured chrome tape around the clamp. The shroud and the black part on the clamp came a little worn but to me that is free “pre weathering” which means less work on my end

 

[djcbooks81]

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Want! That’s a beautiful piece! I wish it was electronics capable with a copper neck. I think a new run would be popular.

 

[Canobi]

Well, the last 5yrs teaching myself the art of manual machining is finally bearing it's first fruit. Took a little while to get into the swing of hilt design but after much messing around, I finally came up with something I really liked.

Materials used are 316/304 stainless, low/medium carbon steel, brass in solid round and tube form, though I also used a small amount of aluminium but just for a couple of the internal components. Any steel parts will have a black chemical colour and anti rust treatment as it doesn't change the diameter of the parts like paint or powder coating does.

It has a bit of heft to it as a result of material choices and comes in at 800g but the weight feels good in yhe hand, rather than overly heavy and unweildy and after a little fine tuning, it's turning out to be well balanced.

I used a combination of interference fits, slip fits and hidden set screws as well as an eccentric twist locking system as a means to detach the whole front end as I wanted to reduce the amount of visible screws that would otherwise be required to keep everything as clean looking as possible.

With the above "clean look" remit in place, I opted to get creative with the audio port as a means to diverge from the usual hole or mesh arrangement, which to be honest, tends to break the illusion too readily. Personally, I think my solution looks pretty bad ass comparatively and there is olenty room for variation on the theme.

The business end of the hilt will host a custom 20mm diameter blade and tip, which I will also be making myself. I have the ability to turn balls tips but not bullet tips, so I am going to make a fixture for my lathe to do that as I have the materials on hand and its a pretty simple setup. I want the ability to turn bullet points as I have a rather unique idea for a gnarly sith saber I'd love to get stuck into later on.

 

[HMSwolfe]

Starting with my first real hardware build, was wondering if anyone knew of any (cheap, hardware store) found part that might make for a nice pommel.

 

[harrisonp]

There’s always the classic faucet knob. Otherwise there are chromed disks that I believe are also in the plumbing section that will give you a closed “graflex” type pommel.I have a PVC endcap that I slightly flattened/rounded in various areas on my Kyle Katarn inspired hilt and it also worked pretty well. Can’t really beat the price either

 

[HMSwolfe]

I bought one of those hole plugs initially, but wasn’t super taken with it. Didn’t see a wide variety of sink knobs, but it is a small store, and not in “maybe you’ll find something old” way. I’m heading back tomorrow, though, to pick up a few more things, and probably a metal cutting disk for a dremel, as I’m sure my wimpy Walmart hacksaws will not get through this nickel-plated brass sink tube.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Flea markets, particularly the ones where people can set up, as opposed to just vendors, is a treasure trove of junk for custom lightsabers. I've gone and just got anything lightsaber-y. I found a really cool piece, that I have no clue what it is, to use on a future saber pommel.

 

[ScourgiousJinx]

Along the same lines as flea markets are estate sales, some are online as well. I've found a lot of really great parts for sabers for beyond reasonable prices at them.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Oh yeah and auctions at houses, not at auction houses. My dad used to go to a lot of them so he would end up with buckets full of odds and ends that were in lots.

 

[HMSwolfe]

So, unless I find a good alternative in the near future, I think I'll end up going with the hole plug for the pommel. I've been doing some rough 3D work to get an idea of what I want before I start cutting. I'm thinking some kind of leather cord wrap for the lower grip. I'm still figuring out the top, though. I saw some hose attachments that might work. I've got the D-ring set near the bottom, pinning a strip of aluminum about an inch wide around the body. I'm considering looking for other little metal bits that could go around the aluminum strip to give it a bit more visual interest in the pommel. I'm getting worried they're starting to hate me at my local hardware place—every time I'm in there, I buy about fifteen individual little pieces that they have to look up by hand in their system.

 

[HMSwolfe]

Taking shape. Still refining the emitter.

 

[jusdrewit]

Beautiful work Wolfe.

Has there ever been talk of anyone organizing a hardware store custom lightsaber build project? Everytime I go to Lowes/Home Depot I get so tempted to start my own custom saber using parts found there, but I never do.