Vader/Luke Shared Stunt help needed

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Cool. Can't wait to see. I have all the parts needed except for a Kobold ring, but I can snag one at Blast-tech any time. I just bought some countersinks at Harbor Freight last night so that I can properly install the hex bolts....i hope.

Oh, and I sense some members twitching. You should change the title to, "Vader/Luke Shared Stunt help needed." I agree with Gino in that we should really start identifying this saber correctly now that we know the ESB MPP was most likely also the RotJ Hero saber.

 

[cayman shen]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

To bend the tabs, I inserted a dowel to back the saber, then GENTLY pushed them down, after a few soft taps with a ballpeen hammer to get them started. I didn't need pliers or anything.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

I gently tapped them with a rubber mallet. Apparently this doesn't work. Dont try it.

 

[GINO]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Oh, and I sense some members twitching. You should change the title to, "Vader/Luke Shared Stunt help needed."

Awesome idea!

I agree with Gino in that we should really start identifying this saber correctly now that we know the ESB MPP was most likely also the RotJ Hero saber.

Most likely?
It most definitely was. Anyone who says different might as well defend the motorcycle grip theory on the obi-wan saber.

.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Anyone who says different might as well defend the motorcycle grip theory on the obi-wan saber.

You mean it wasn't!?!?

 

[GINO]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

:lol

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Thread named changed,

 

[jason1976]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Ok sorry about the delay. I was up for almost 24 hours the other day (hence my grumpy post the other day. Sorry about that.) and then I've had a lot of other stuff going on. Anyway's, enough with the excuses, and on with the pics.

But, first a little explanation of that I have going on with this saber. A few years ago, a member here (I'll leave his name out incase he doesn't want to be4 bothered to do more, but I hope he will speak up for his own great work. ) Wass doing the MPP cut outs on Chrome sink tubes for folks. It was a nice alternative for people like me how wanted an MPP, but had little mone, and few tools, and no experience/talent. So I order one (I have two Larbel MPP's now) Anyway's, since I wanted one of these saber for my collection as well, I asked him if he would be willing to do the cut outs for this saber on a sink tube as well, and he was very, very, kind, and di it for me.

I received my saber ?blanks? from him, and they looked great, but I had so far to go, so I kind of set them aside. And over the years I've accumulated the parts to finish it.

Unfortunately, I tried to buff up the fish on the frunt half to make it look chomey like on the movie prop. (the originaly chrome had picked up more of a brushed finish) Well, after a few blunders, and going back and forth, between a real mirror polish, and something a little more brushed, a few times, it's left little of the original chrom on there. It looks ok, but in the right light, is definitely has a brassy/goldish tint to it. But I may take a little silver rub-n-buff and rub it over that part, and buff almost all of it back off. (I haven't had a lot of luck with that stuff on other material, but on these brass sink tubes, I've had great luck getting them to look very shiny/chromey silver looking again.)

As for the bottom half. I did my little salt water experiment on it once, and it looked perfect, but I messed it up (as is pare for the course with me) so, I had to do it over again........ and then over again. Where it is now, isn't an where close to as nice as it was the first time, but it's just going to have to do for know.

You may wonder how I got a graflex (now know to be inaccurate. ) end cap on a sink tube, or how I get the hex bolts to set even close to right in a tube that thin. Well, I I first drilled holes that lined up with the ones in the outer tube, in a 1.25 sink tube. The wholes in this tube were just big enough for the threaded part of the blots, where as the wholes in the outer shell where just big enough for the widest part of the heads of the bolds. I used Polly washers (those white nylon rings that you use in pluming work.) to hold the 1.25 pipe dead center in the outer tube. Because the difference in the size of the tubes is exactly the same size as the tapered part of the head, on each bolt, the bolts set in the wholes, as if they were counter sunk into a thinker tube.(well sort of, anyway's, :lol) I put nuts on the back of each bolt. (except for two that the I count reach, and the nuts wouldn't fit, (so i jb welded them in.) then I JB welled a 1.25 washer in another Polly washer. JB welded that into the bottom end of the saber, and then JB welded the Fake Graflex glate on to the bottom (plate provided by the very nice member who cut the tube up for me. : ) ) But what that's not all, just to make it that much more sturdy, and hefty, I used my secret weapon, I got a couple packs of hot glue at the dollar store, melted them down in a old pan (OUT SIDE, AND THE PAN WAS ONE I ONLY US FOR THIS KIND OF THING) into one big runny pile of snot looking stuff, and funneled it into the saber. Now none of the stuff up to that point is going anywhere. (even if the glue is week, there is one solid shaft of it in there, around ever bolt, nut, and nook, and crany. ) Yes there is a seem around the base by the Graflex plate, but I can cover most of that with grips. and maybe some gold/brass rub-n-buff.

Blast-tech grips, and D-ring assembly. Resin shroud, Graflex inside parts, and control box, ball ketch. Hardware frount D-ring assembly, and I just cut a center new band for it from another sink tube. etc. etc. You get the idea.

She may not look like much now, but I'm confident that with some more work, some paint, etc. it will look ok.

Now on to the pile of parts that it currently is.

Oh, it doesn't show up in these pics, but the lower, brassy ,part of the hilt, has a brushed/streaky look like what I'm seeing on the real prop. I just sanded it in the right direction with really course sand paper, before I put it in the salt water.

I'll take more pics when I'm done, or closer to it anyway.

 

[dcarty]

Re: Vader ROTJ saber help needed.

Cool progress thread Jason! I've always had a soft spot for this warthog of a saber--I've built several in the past and am working on another one currently.

Looking forward to more pics

Dave