Unlimited Run TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run! NOW SHIPPING

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

Will it be possible to wire up those LEDs, or will they have their legs snipped off? I'd prefer mine unsnipped, if possible!

The LEDs will arrive intact, and can be wired up. I just snipped those ones because they kept getting caught on stuff in the shop, and only had them to make sure the threading worked.

PS - I have another update coming. I spent the whole day in the shop today running grips in the milling machine, while the machinist caught up on a week of phone calls and prepared more raw Delrin for machining. While there, I made a little 5 minute video documentary of everything entailed in making grips. It will probably be a yawn to most people, but I know some of you smiths and gear heads out there might dig it. Just gotta edit everything together.

 

[Mah-Al Thorn]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

Thanks, TriCloudWalker. That's good to know. I was going to say that I can't wait to get this, but in fact I CAN wait to get it. So I will say instead that I very much look forward to getting it. Good luck with the remaining chores!

 

[Son of Skywalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

TWhile there, I made a little 5 minute video documentary of everything entailed in making grips. It will probably be a yawn to most people, but I know some of you smiths and gear heads out there might dig it. Just gotta edit everything together.

Looking forward to it :cool

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

So like I said earlier, on Thursday I went to the shop to help speed the process along. We have about 570 grips to mill, and at 5 minutes of cutting time for each two grips, that's 24 solid hours just to do the TOP of the grips. Since this machine shop is a one man operations and he needs to sleep and eat, and work on other jobs on his other machines to help pay the bills, I offered to run grips all day, so that he could attend to some other things that needed to get done.

So mostly out of sheer boredom and lack of wi-fi in the shop, I decided to document most of the process in machining the tops of the grips.

First we start off with raw blocks of acetal, which have been cut down in a giant saw from 10 foot strips of the stuff. It comes out with the ends covered in fuzzy schmutz:

Which I then run across a belt sender real quick:

From that point, you can watch the process in this video I made:
Click this nifty little hyperlink right here in blue.

By the end of the day, I had all of these done (about a third of them had been done by my machinist a day or so before):

But that's only about 33% of all of them. We still have all of these to do still:

That's one of the reasons this takes so long sometimes. And if a tool breaks in the middle of it (for instance), he has to wait a day or two for a new one to be made. Larger companies can keep a stock of them on hand, but a small one man operation like this usually can't afford to, as they can sometimes cost anywhere from $50 - $300 each.

Oh, and he did a test cut on the bottom of one of the grips to figure out how much to remove to keep the grips a screen accurate height, and how much of a lip to make for the overlap on the pommel. It's not perfect yet, but you can get a sense of what it will look like all put together:

 

[tnaig001]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

if anyone drops out, give me a holler.

I'll be happy to fill in the gaps

 

[upandatom]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

Sometimes I get frustrated that this run has taken so long, but when I see an update like this, especially the video, I realize the run is taking a long time for all the right reasons and I don't mind waiting for such a great final piece.

It's easy to forget that the longer this run takes, the more of his own time Trid is putting into getting these sabers finished for us. Thanks for shepherding this run the way you are man, it's much appreciated.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

Thanks! And I'll probably be putting in quite a few more days at the shop to help speed things along.

 

[seelsa73]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

any decision one way or another on that possible second run?

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

any decision one way or another on that possible second run?

I won't be making any decisions until this one is finished and shipped.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

Quick update: My machinist just called me the other day and told me he had to get a stint put into his heart for one of the arteries that turned out to be 95% clogged! He's okay, and they caught it before there was any kind of heart attack. He's on his feet now and is starting back up production in the next day or two. I'll be in the shop running machines with him as often as I can, to help catch up. Sorry for yet another delay. :/

 

[ComedicHistory]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

Just read through most of this thread and I'm definitely down for a second run of these if that ever happens. You've kept people up to date and you've uploaded plenty of pictures along the way. So if you do end up doing another run you have at least one customer already :-D keep up the good work, can't wait to see someone post a pic of their completed saber!

 

[E-Wan]

Any updates?

 

[MooMooEgg]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

Just looking at the progress of this thread makes me appreciate the design of the saber that much more. thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[AMP]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

Day 688 bump.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

ANNOUNCMENT:

I will be at Philadelphia Comic Con this weekend with one of the sabers. If any of you are going and want to see the progress first hand, stop by table 2402 (Capital City Jedi Knights) and ask for Aaron. I'll have prints of the screenused saber that you can use to compare details to if you like too.

RUN UPDATE:

Ok, the machinist ran into a small recovery complication and needed an extra week to heal from surgery. He's back full time on these. The grips are now completely finished. All the extra material has been milled off, and a small notch with a radius has been cut into one of the ends so that it slightly overlaps the knurling.

Here are some of the last few getting their notches:

Then they get deburred on a piece of Scotchbrite:

Here is a set of grips installed into one of the sabers:

And a beauty shot:

He is currently programming the milling machine to start work on the aluminum section of the control box, and then the top section where the row of LEDs go.

 

[modelcitizen]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

would it be possible to leave the sound holes not cut out of the endcap on mine? i'd prefer it blank and one less step for you.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

would it be possible to leave the sound holes not cut out of the endcap on mine? i'd prefer it blank and one less step for you.

All the electronic compatible cores already have the holes cut. None of the solid display cores have the holes. You get both cores with your saber.

 

[modelcitizen]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

darnit. ok then.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

darnit. ok then.

OH WAIT!! I forgot...I found one yesterday that he forgot to cut the sound holes in, but still had the hollowed out stuff for electronics. Do you want that one (assuming he hasn't drilled it)?

 

[modelcitizen]

Re: TridCloudwalker's Anakin AotC Lightsaber Run!

yes sir. much obliged.