The LV ( Luke and Vader ) Shared Stunt Lightsaber
- Thread starter thd9791
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v312
Sr Member
check that video with Roger Christian in the archives
Hmm I’m only seeing shots from the back?
v312
Sr Member
Maybe you are looking at a different video ... this is the one I had in mind (around 0:24s):
v312
Sr Member
I know this ranch saber thing is getting off topic, but there's no reason to believe that something was hammered in, it's just the pin missing.
These two pictures are enough to see that there are holes on both sides and that the original brass insert is still there.
I've butchered more than few graflexes, and some of these brass inserts are really loose and will fall out when you remove the pin. But other are pretty tight and you actually have to hammer them out with a rod. So they hold the bunny ears in place just fine ( maybe not for dueling though).
Edit: What I mean is that if the insert is there you only need to hammer or crimp the tabs on the body a little against it and everything will stay in place
These two pictures are enough to see that there are holes on both sides and that the original brass insert is still there.
I've butchered more than few graflexes, and some of these brass inserts are really loose and will fall out when you remove the pin. But other are pretty tight and you actually have to hammer them out with a rod. So they hold the bunny ears in place just fine ( maybe not for dueling though).
Edit: What I mean is that if the insert is there you only need to hammer or crimp the tabs on the body a little against it and everything will stay in place
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It's definitely going to help with the LV saber if we get hints at what they did to prep graflexes! I completely... completely forgot there was a little tube in there. I have only ever destroyed the pin trying to get it out so I think I didn't pay much attention when I was jusrt so glad to get the hole clear
Do you have any pictures of one of yours? The wampa cave saber looks like theres a head larger than the hole where the pin was. I'm hoping there is something there,,,
Just checked the bonus feature presentation…
It’s definitely not the original rivet holding on the bunny ears and appears to be a simple hollow brass rod in place of the original rivet.
The center post / tube that normally forms the central link between the two ears, and the sleeve for the rivet, is not long enough to serve as a method to securely hold the bunny ears on in this fashion. I speculate that this hollow brass tube was trimmed and glued into the center post / tube in order to securely keep the ears on.
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I went ahead and replaced the bunny ear rivet on my ESB Graflex stunt with a hollow brass rod like we apparently see on the Skywalker Ranch Graflex…
Since we see these ears come off and on with these stunt hilts, I think it logical to assume that they may have used hollow brass tubes to replace the original rivet, like we see with the Skywalker Ranch Graflex. It may be a leap in logic, but I’m going with it.
Since we see these ears come off and on with these stunt hilts, I think it logical to assume that they may have used hollow brass tubes to replace the original rivet, like we see with the Skywalker Ranch Graflex. It may be a leap in logic, but I’m going with it.
I’m going to check my reference in an hour or two, the bottom might be solid. I’ve been looking at rivets or something because they could have “spread” the brass on top a little
It looks great though!
I finally remembered what this reminds me of! Anakin Starkiller let me try my hand at a Star Trek Phaser kit a long time ago. One part involved pressing a ball bearing into a brass tube, mushrooming the end, trapping a rod looping around it.
At first it looked like the tip of this was spread like that, just flanged out a little.
I don’t think that anymore though. It’s poking out a little in the public icons photos, and less in the video. Maybe it is a tube… haven’t seen the bottom fully yet
At first it looked like the tip of this was spread like that, just flanged out a little.
I don’t think that anymore though. It’s poking out a little in the public icons photos, and less in the video. Maybe it is a tube… haven’t seen the bottom fully yet
I believe that you may be describing the brass posts that are typically used to mount terminal connectors.
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So, I experimented with the bunny ears yesterday. It’s true, the original brass tube cannot extend beyond the bunny ear tabs unless it’s slid up or down, maybe that’s all that’s in there, but ITS TOO BIG TO FIT IN THE GRAFLEX TABS
I’m not kidding, it’s purposefully bigger than the flash tube holes. The rivet is the correct diameter to pass through the Graflex tube holes, and the brass tube is a bushing or spacer.
I spent all this time machining a beautiful rivet out of brass rod (with metal files on a drill press) only to find out the diameter of the bunny ear holes and the graflex tube holes are different.
For now I have a brass (long) threaded screw in there, same diameter as the rivet. With the original brass tube.
I’m not kidding, it’s purposefully bigger than the flash tube holes. The rivet is the correct diameter to pass through the Graflex tube holes, and the brass tube is a bushing or spacer.
I spent all this time machining a beautiful rivet out of brass rod (with metal files on a drill press) only to find out the diameter of the bunny ear holes and the graflex tube holes are different.
For now I have a brass (long) threaded screw in there, same diameter as the rivet. With the original brass tube.
So, on the OTHER end of the saber I made some headway.
It looks like the endcap is screwed up on Dagobah. For sure it's screwed up in the 90s during the Magic of Myth tour, and that means most likely it was during Jedi filming. If IronDestinyProps doesn't mind, I took his photo of a recent project, cropped the real prop comparison and boosted the contrast to show what I see.
I have always seen a very thin rim around the endcap. That is.... underneath what I will call the "kobold plate"
So in essence... I see it in layers
1) Thin Graflex wall and filled endcap space
2) Kobold Plate and a washer? near the center
3) Kobold D ring and possibly the original rivets, lathed down
I have never been able to fathom how the wall could be so thin. The Graflex itself is almost 1/16" in thickness and then today.... an idea struck me. Where is the graflex wall thinner? Why... where it's milled for the endcap to sit! I sacrificed a 2 cell bottom to learn about the cross-section myself. Sure enough, I found a lip thinner than T track.
At this point the Graflex started to look like the DV6 but I couldn't find the seam-line of the endcap and wall!
so I dropped one of my metal files, handle down in there, and whacked it with a wooden mallet. The cap fell out.
I almost think they put the endcap back in place. Maybe upside down? Maybe the hand-cut "kobold plate" is the original endcap but flipped? I'd love to hear people's thoughts
It looks like the endcap is screwed up on Dagobah. For sure it's screwed up in the 90s during the Magic of Myth tour, and that means most likely it was during Jedi filming. If IronDestinyProps doesn't mind, I took his photo of a recent project, cropped the real prop comparison and boosted the contrast to show what I see.
I have always seen a very thin rim around the endcap. That is.... underneath what I will call the "kobold plate"
So in essence... I see it in layers
1) Thin Graflex wall and filled endcap space
2) Kobold Plate and a washer? near the center
3) Kobold D ring and possibly the original rivets, lathed down
I have never been able to fathom how the wall could be so thin. The Graflex itself is almost 1/16" in thickness and then today.... an idea struck me. Where is the graflex wall thinner? Why... where it's milled for the endcap to sit! I sacrificed a 2 cell bottom to learn about the cross-section myself. Sure enough, I found a lip thinner than T track.
At this point the Graflex started to look like the DV6 but I couldn't find the seam-line of the endcap and wall!
so I dropped one of my metal files, handle down in there, and whacked it with a wooden mallet. The cap fell out.
I almost think they put the endcap back in place. Maybe upside down? Maybe the hand-cut "kobold plate" is the original endcap but flipped? I'd love to hear people's thoughts
IronDestinyProps
Active Member
Now that is a very interesting and plausible theory! Perhaps for the purpose of installing the internals in the Graflex, the prop department knocked out the stamped bottom plate and did like you did using an adhesive and two new rivets to re-secure the Kobold clip and plate.
OR...
Could we merely be seeing a thin lipped Folmer bottom on the real prop?
OR...
Could we merely be seeing a thin lipped Folmer bottom on the real prop?
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I’ll tell ya, I get the feeling the thicker lip of the INC was just a stronger connection… an upgraded design. The Folmer lips were still at least 1/16” give or take a little.
The rim I see in these exhibit photos is… grabbing calipers….1/32 or .8 mm, give or take a little. It does more closely match the material left over around the milled lip lol
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