There's machined metal, and there's what I can afford. Luke's light saber from Jedi.

Chrisisall

Sr Member
I got a very nice 3D printed light saber kit from Crossfire Props on eBay for a totally reasonable price.
Sanding... my favourite thing... ;) It's a given.
Major cat issues will slow this project down, but it may turn out well.
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Excited to see how this pans out!

If you'd like any advice, let us know! We've got a few tricks up our sleeve for composite prop finishing :D
 
You can get a decent machined finish by laying down a good gloss black (my go-to is Rustoleum's Professional Grade -- it's made with ground up ABS dissolved in suspension, so once it's cured you've basically coated the thing in smooth ABS plastic); then paint with the best fine-grind metallic paints you can find. They're getting harder to find, now, but my personal fave is still Testors airbrush Metallizers. I'd have to experiment with others that are available. I change up the order of operations by putting the sealer down first and, while it's still tacky, spraying on the metallic coat.

Once it's all cured (sniff it and it doesn't really reek of paint fumes any more), stick a dowel in the emitter end, chuck it into a drill, and, while spinning it, burnish it with Scott's shop towels or 0000 steel wool or 1000-grit polishing film or a buffing wheel. Spinning it grains the finish while polishing it, so it ends up looking like it's been shaped on a lathe. It can take some trial and error as a new technique, so I'd definitely recommend practicing first.
 
I had no clue the gloss professional had ABS in it!

I was told by Jedifather that for resin (and 3D prints I guess) focus on your surface before painting. A good spray filler primer or automotive primer can be wet sanded down to have a smooth as glass texture. Then, when you paint, you're painting on a smooth surface... cause those print lines will show no matter what you paint it with

If you use Rub n Buff... its a wax, not a paint, so it goes on at the very end. Also can be sealed by rubbing it or buffing it very well so it heats up a little

Rustoleum 2x aluminum finish is a nice quick-curing silver spray paint. It's not chrome, its a satin metal color... think the Bespin Security Guard Blaster or something. If dusted on gently, the layers dry within 5 minutes of eachother
 

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