On a kind of related note, I've redesigned my Obi assembly system and simplified it as much as possible. I had done a number of different ways of assembling these, including Romans cage, a 3/8 rod and a 5/16 carriage bolt adapted to 3/8-16 in order to fit Romans spacers and others out there. I liked the cage but disliked that I couldn't align pieces exactly how I wanted and that I couldn't use the booster bearing with it.
But a little bit of looking showed me that you can get 10 inch carriage bolts, and the entire length of my threaded rod assembly for the saber was exactly 10 inches. I decided that simple was better, and turned my adapter down on the lathe to fit inside the grenade neck. The 3/8 rod fits snug inside the neck, but the 5/16 is slightly thinner, so there is some wiggle room. This means the BP can sit slightly off center. So I machined the new version with a small shank that extends into the grenade stem in order to keep things centered nicely.
So for the sake of simplicity, now I have a single 10 inch 5/16-18 carriage bolt, and a single piece aluminum adapter holding the entire thing together. The last step was to put a few turns of painters tape around the adapter in order to make a snug fit without damaging either part.
I'm considering doing a run of these new adapters to simplify Obi assembly for people if there is any interest, but either way hope you guys like my new solution!
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Count me in !!