Tom's PCubed saber projects
- Thread starter thd9791
- Start date
This is a bit of a showoff post. I recently grabbed a new lever from someone who had a Starkiller V2 kit, and hand ground it to the shape I have seen on the prop. Bent the flip at the end to what I see too...
granted, the block that came with it was a mess, the threads just ripped right out... so i went to the hardware store and grabbed some square steel, and ground and drilled/tapped the matching threads. The Graflex blocks are rectangles, not squares.. so one side had to come down. click on the photo to enlarge it!
granted, the block that came with it was a mess, the threads just ripped right out... so i went to the hardware store and grabbed some square steel, and ground and drilled/tapped the matching threads. The Graflex blocks are rectangles, not squares.. so one side had to come down. click on the photo to enlarge it!
Heeeyyyu remember the warehouse saber?
I was never happy with my original paint job… and at this point I had a bunch of residual paint cans and I took a second look at them.
My VHT metallic gold caliper/engine paint looked exactly like the throne room/warehouse color all of a sudden. Dusty black near the bottom groove but all the same…
So after buffing off most of the paint, I started with some automotive primer. Happened to be dark gray.
Same color as the Zyna gray primer used at ILM back in the day but it’s rustoleum… and wouldn’t ya know…it looked really close to the original gray emitter!
So I gave the emitter another coat and left it alone. Next was some halliwax special heavy duty black and the gold.
The above is after some gaff tape weathering… then scrubby pad weathering…this paint is tough
I heated the coats with a heat gun, and when it seemed well cured I hit it with TS clear, really brightened up the color. It’s still a bit sticky.. I hope that’s just the clear coat doing it’s thing
Anyway, I added a D ring from my stash and grabbed one of my new blades since my old one was terrible. Still have to decorate it but…
I was never happy with my original paint job… and at this point I had a bunch of residual paint cans and I took a second look at them.
My VHT metallic gold caliper/engine paint looked exactly like the throne room/warehouse color all of a sudden. Dusty black near the bottom groove but all the same…
So after buffing off most of the paint, I started with some automotive primer. Happened to be dark gray.
Same color as the Zyna gray primer used at ILM back in the day but it’s rustoleum… and wouldn’t ya know…it looked really close to the original gray emitter!
So I gave the emitter another coat and left it alone. Next was some halliwax special heavy duty black and the gold.
The above is after some gaff tape weathering… then scrubby pad weathering…this paint is tough
I heated the coats with a heat gun, and when it seemed well cured I hit it with TS clear, really brightened up the color. It’s still a bit sticky.. I hope that’s just the clear coat doing it’s thing
Anyway, I added a D ring from my stash and grabbed one of my new blades since my old one was terrible. Still have to decorate it but…
Some screen tests with a new blade I banged out today. Took one of my unused blades that I already fit spacers into. I sloppily (to my standards) drilled (drill press) and tapped (dewalt power drill) for M4 grub screws that reach to the tang.
It took me two tries but I managed to cut another perfect sheet of reflective material. Word to the wise.. make your marks in sharpie on the back (lol) and slice it with a brand new xacto knife against an aluminum straight edge. It make take two passes but it’s much cleaner than scissors.
Anyway, I used some sale papers wrapped about a yardstick outside to spray my super 77, lay the antenna down, use the excess at the tip and yank it tight. I smooth it from the spine outward to both sides, up and down. It’s worked pretty well so far!
It took me two tries but I managed to cut another perfect sheet of reflective material. Word to the wise.. make your marks in sharpie on the back (lol) and slice it with a brand new xacto knife against an aluminum straight edge. It make take two passes but it’s much cleaner than scissors.
Anyway, I used some sale papers wrapped about a yardstick outside to spray my super 77, lay the antenna down, use the excess at the tip and yank it tight. I smooth it from the spine outward to both sides, up and down. It’s worked pretty well so far!
