Vader/Luke Shared Stunt help needed

[jason1976]

So I'm finally trying to finish up my Vader ROTJ saber. (the one with all the Allan bolts.) And, when I looked at all of my photos, it looked like the part under the grips, was very dark, and kind of brassy, or something, but not chromey/shinny like the front half. However, after I got well on my way to making mine look like that, I went back to POSW, and saw that in the exhibit pics over there, that section, doesn't look very dark, or brassy at all. In those pics, it doesn't look as shinny as the first half of the saber, but it looks, like a gray finish. (like steel, aluminum, etc.)

 

[scarf man]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Got an example of the difference?
I think it looks like scratched to heck dusty chrome.

 

[ob1al]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Isn't it just the bottom section of an old 3 cell?

 

[scarf man]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

I think we all have assumed that for years.
Wasn't this made from an ESB stunt graflex?
Sorry Jason, looks like more questions than answers.
Ask Brevin din shay, he has a good grasp of this particular saber.

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Well I don't have any pics to post right now, but I'll post the link to the POSW page for Vader's ROTJ saber.

http://www.partsofsw.com/dvjedsab.htm

The two pics at the top of the main page for this saber, have what looks to me to be a brassy looking in that section, or maybe very rusty, but not at all like a "white" metal, like chrome, or aluminum, to me. (especially the top one.) If you go in to the section with more pics from an exhibit, it does kind of look like scuffed up chrome, or even just a very weathered bottom to a 3 cell. But, Even the pic of the Luke ESB stunt they have up for example over there, has some very dark spots between the grips.

 

[ob1al]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

I think those dark spots are holes from the rivets the Luke ESB saber had.

The brown residue is probably old glue.

 

[scarf man]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Looking at the pics, I'd say discolored epoxy.
Some of that may be the chrome worn off and the brass showing.

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

I think those dark spots are holes from the rivets the Luke ESB saber had.



The brown residue is probably old glue.

Well I wasn't really talking about the 2, or 3 very dark, round, spots, I mint the whole section under the grips, looks brown/rusty/brassy/dirty/ish.

 

[ob1al]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Ah, sorry I picked up the question wrong.

Well, wasn't there a theory that the top half had chrome tape applied over it? I seem to remember that from a while back. Not sure if that's correct though. That, plus lighting/wear and tear could possibly explain the difference in colour?

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

I guess it could be glue, or epoxy.

Doesn't it just figure. I'm doing a hardware version of this saber, and up until last week, that section was chromed, but since I thought I looked like very old brass, I sanded off all the chrome in that section, and scuffed it up, and now I'm aging the brass to as dark as I can get it. Now, I find out that it probably should be that way.

Oh, well, I should have posted this a week ago.

 

[cayman shen]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Check the archived threads section. There are several threads about the DV saber where all this is discussed in the customary obsessive, exhausting detail!

 

[DARTH SABER]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

This is just my theory but - The body of a graflex is basically brass with a white metal plating. When i made my ROTJ vader I sanded down a portion of the bottom half of the graflex which exposed the brass just a bit...>The brass eventually turned brown after a while, so I'm guessing that the "rusty brown" on the bottom half of the original ROTJ saber might be the exposed brass .

Here's an image of my replica just to give an example -

Here's a comparison photo -

Top one is the original, bottom one is the replica -

Im pretty sure the discoloration is due to the exposed brass.

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

This is just my theory but - The body of a graflex is basically brass with a white metal plating. When i made my ROTJ vader I sanded down a portion of the bottom half of the graflex which exposed the brass just a bit...>The brass eventually turned brown after a while, so I'm guessing that the "rusty brown" on the bottom half of the original ROTJ saber might be the exposed brass .

Here's an image of my replica just to give an example -

Well, at least I'm not the only one that sees it. That's just what I was thinking when I sanded down that section of my chromed brass tube, that my saber is made of. It's weathering very nicely, and will be a brownish like yours.

After reading the early post, I was thinking, of putting chrome tape, or something over that section, because it didn't sound like anyone else was really seeing that brownish look to that section, but to be honest, accurate or not, I really like that brownish, old played with look. It looks like years of use, and holding the grips section, has worn off the finish, and weathered it up.

 

[DARTH SABER]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Well, when you first sand down the chrome the brassy is going to look very "goldish"...Try handling it several times a day and it will eventually turn brown.
Or you could lightly wipe some Aluminum Black on it until it darkens to the desired color.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

My ROTJ Vader is one of Obi1kennys replicas that he assembled and weathered for me.

The main body is not a Graflex but turned from a piece of aluminum. When it arrived from Ken it was perfect except the lower section was all silver and didn't have the pre-grip holes. The grips were already on so I drilled the holes I could see around the grips.

Don't laugh, but I actually used brown and yellow crayons and 'colored' in-between the grips for the color and then brushed on Elmer's glue on top between the grips to simulate the dried epoxy look. Elmer's dries almost clear and I mixed a little Elmer's wood glue that dries a little yellow.

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Well what I do, and am doiong for this project, to age brass, is rap it tightly in some paper tows, wet the paper tows, and squeeze out the excess water, and pack it down tighter to the item, and then put the whole thing in a air tight container for about a week, or so. (it you mask off the areas you don't whant to weather, with painters tape, or duct tape, those areas wont weather.) So in a a week, or so, my freshly sanded Brass, should look very old, and brownish, like it's been around for years.

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

When your installing the front D-ring assembly, after you've bent down the tabs on the Graflex that held the "ears" witch whole does the bolt for the assembly go through on the real prop. (For example, the whole in the tab closet to the front end of the saber, or the whole in the other tab, or does it go between the two tabs. etc. )

 

[Jedi Reali]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

I believe it goes right between the two tabs, possibly having to drill out a bit of the tab ends. I'd love to see how your brass aging turned out Jason!

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

When your installing the front D-ring assembly, after you've bent down the tabs on the Graflex that held the "ears" witch whole does the bolt for the assembly go through on the real prop. (For example, the whole in the tab closet to the front end of the saber, or the whole in the other tab, or does it go between the two tabs. etc. )

In between as far as I know. But BE CAREFUL BENDING YOUR TABS! They snap very very easily. I had to glue one back onto mine. Thank goodness that whole area gets painted black.

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Mines a hardware saber, so I didn't have to bend my tabs, they were already laying down.

I don't have much to show yet, but I'll poste pics, in a day or two, of where I'm at.