Darkest knight
Member
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Show your custom Lightsabers!
- Thread starter GreenCircleCube
- Start date
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- custom highrepublic lightsaber
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AnubisGuard
Master Member
Very nice. Is it based on found items, or is it all from scratch?
BobasBounty
Sr Member
A bit of both. I like reusing/modifying existing things but I also build parts from scratch if I must.
Scott D
Sr Member
Big thanks to Peep and others (that includes a very nice non-RPF member on Ebay) for the very kind compliments. I'm hoping you can score a Peak or a King Sol very soon. :thumbsup
Finished one of two Heiland SOL custom saber projects today. This one went through a big change from the original concept.
I was going to make this one into another custom with a silver theme and a new Parks replica Graflex clamp. I've also been thinking about making a custom utilizing my stainless grips, but have them to be black (or at least darker) in color.
I didn't want to use paint, so I watched a few instructional Youtube videos where people have "blued" stainless steel by heating it up with a torch and dipping the part in wet coffee grounds. I tried it, but it didn't work very well.
In the end, I bead-blasted the grips, heated them up red-hot with a torch and dipped them in used oil. It made them look terrible, and that's when the inspiration hit.
Every custom saber that's ever been on my bench has looked like a "good guy's" Lightsaber. Why not make one that looks like a war-torn relic, like Kylo Ren's Lightsaber?
The "Bad Guy" custom Lightsaber was born. The Graflex clamp was kicked aside (not literally) and a beater clamp from a Peak 3 cell was used instead. Mini circuit board from my greeblie stash, D-ring from the Custom saber shop, (also cooked with a torch) shorty 2 cell Heiland shroud dipped in some very overused Aluminum Black and the Heiland tube was rolled around in it, too. The chrome plating had some pitting, so the AB affected those areas. No paint used anywhere.
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Peep Williams
Well-Known Member
So, I bought some things, and started a project.
During the long search for suitable vintage flashes to make into a saber I stumbled upon a couple auctions for Minicam flash guns. They were cheap and I had the itch. So I took a gamble on whether or not they'd be suitable for my intentions and bought a couple. I'm very happy with what I've managed to throw together so far but I've hit a bit of a road block in the build.
Here's where I'm at so far. The one on the left is pretty much what they are like unmodified. I'm happy to say I have a healthy pile of assorted parts to tinker with now.
Here's a better look at the flashes (and my progress) by themselves.
My dilemna is, the saber is simply too short. It needs something extra above that clamp/grip section to balance it out.
My current solution which is not perfect is to use the Minicam slave I got as a sort of extension of the tube. I'm not the biggest fan of this plan simply because I believe it adds TOO MUCH length. Ideally I'd add about an inch and a half to the overall length, not almost two and half inches like my extension is!
Until I figure out a solution to that problem I'll likely try to find a D ring to add to the bottom, and maybe stick some wires in the connector bits of the flash tubes.
But overall I'm so happy with my first lightsaber ever.
During the long search for suitable vintage flashes to make into a saber I stumbled upon a couple auctions for Minicam flash guns. They were cheap and I had the itch. So I took a gamble on whether or not they'd be suitable for my intentions and bought a couple. I'm very happy with what I've managed to throw together so far but I've hit a bit of a road block in the build.
Here's where I'm at so far. The one on the left is pretty much what they are like unmodified. I'm happy to say I have a healthy pile of assorted parts to tinker with now.
Here's a better look at the flashes (and my progress) by themselves.
My dilemna is, the saber is simply too short. It needs something extra above that clamp/grip section to balance it out.
My current solution which is not perfect is to use the Minicam slave I got as a sort of extension of the tube. I'm not the biggest fan of this plan simply because I believe it adds TOO MUCH length. Ideally I'd add about an inch and a half to the overall length, not almost two and half inches like my extension is!
Until I figure out a solution to that problem I'll likely try to find a D ring to add to the bottom, and maybe stick some wires in the connector bits of the flash tubes.
But overall I'm so happy with my first lightsaber ever.
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GreenCircleCube
Active Member
That looks nice! Nice simple and slick design!
LOVE the look of those grips, wow!
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Peep Williams
Well-Known Member
Thank you Sym-Cha. After much thought over the past few days I think I've come to the conclusion it's not the extra length that's throwing me off it's a combination of the fact that my Minicam tube is a little skinnier than a GRAFLEX I think, and the top end as it is is just a boring straight tube. I'll have to really come up with some way to break up the top of this saber. GRAFLEX sabers have the curved cut and detail at the top as well as the bunny ears and red buttons, those things all help to bring the emitter side of the saber together. I'll come up with something. If anyone has any ideas feel free to let me know!
For now I'll probably run a threaded rod through the entire saber to affix the extension tube to the bottom of the saber. I'll likely use a piece of aluminum tape to wrap the seam where the threads are between the extension and base.
For now I'll probably run a threaded rod through the entire saber to affix the extension tube to the bottom of the saber. I'll likely use a piece of aluminum tape to wrap the seam where the threads are between the extension and base.
Sym-Cha
Master Member
I would leave those threads visible . . . perhaps even paint or give them 'weathered' black wash as an added detail . . . instead of hiding them behind a piece of alu tape ... now since those flashgun are thinner than a G R A F L E X you need to source some vintage parts which could be used as an emitter like the MPP shroud on Vader ... and like Vader's ESB you could run some red or coloured electric wires through those holes in the extension part. I see plenty of greeblies on your tabletop which could be used and added ... all you need is some imagination 
Chaim
Chaim
greatwazoo42
Master Member
You can find my collection of hilts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E55c6B0m__A
GreenCircleCube
Active Member
Those sabers look fantastic
3 CELL PO
Active Member
In the words of Stallone in Demolition Man, laying eyes on a Mustang? "Now there's/that's a thing of beauty." Nice. I'd Take it xD
3 CELL PO
Active Member
You gotta love this. Great shot, these saber parts galore, always good for a smile. Nice pieces, nice work.
3 CELL PO
Active Member
Nice. I bet what looks like a safety on the activator would actually be a booby trap like on Blade's sword (for those who saw that film), if not, little imagination is needed to what happens to other than the hand of the "Bad Guy".
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Scott D
Sr Member
I've been calling those levers a "safety" for around ten years.
Bad guys fight dirty and usually don't play it safe so yeah, probably not a safety on this one. :thumbsupFinished my other Heiland Sol a couple days ago. Pictures coming soon.
Scott D
Sr Member
Here's the other Heiland SOL that I've been working on. Syncronar 3 cell shroud, Parks replica Graflex clamp, Magnavox Odyssey2 circuit board, d-ring and textured tape from The Custom Saber Shop.
It's isn't anything that I haven't built before. The only major difference between this one and the one I built ten years ago this one are the grips. This one has eight, the one posted a few pages back has six. I considered painting the shroud and the grips black, but it would probably look a lot like a Vader saber. Happy with the way it is. I like shiny sabers.
A couple of future projects. After seeing RedButton's and Tim A's (D48thRonin) custom De Mornay Budd-based custom Lightsabers, I started hunting for one. This will be a no-brainer/very simple custom. (Grips, circuit board and d-ring) The long post will get chopped down, too.
The Peak 3 cell came from Ebay. The seller had it listed 3 different times. When he dropped the opening bid price and posted a couple better pictures, I couldn't resist and bid on it. It cleaned up very nice. The plating on the reflector mount is chipping at the edges, so I touched it up with a silver sharpie.
In one of his earlier auction descriptions, he said something along the lines of "If you want to see what this flash could look like, google image search "Peaksabers" and check out Scott D's handiwork on the RPF." :eek I almost fell out of my chair. I showed the auction to my wife and asked her if she wanted my autograph. :lol
The plan for this Peak is to make a "working" Peaksaber with a green blade and sound effects. The wife says I need to start building something different.
This is a "Grail" item and will not be converted. I've been waiting for one of these to show up on Ebay for many years. Wish the box was nicer, but oh, well.
I once owned a NIB Graflex 3 cell in the past, now I have a NIB Peak 3 cell, which I think is more rare. Not as desirable, but rare, in my opinion.
It's isn't anything that I haven't built before. The only major difference between this one and the one I built ten years ago this one are the grips. This one has eight, the one posted a few pages back has six. I considered painting the shroud and the grips black, but it would probably look a lot like a Vader saber. Happy with the way it is. I like shiny sabers.
A couple of future projects. After seeing RedButton's and Tim A's (D48thRonin) custom De Mornay Budd-based custom Lightsabers, I started hunting for one. This will be a no-brainer/very simple custom. (Grips, circuit board and d-ring) The long post will get chopped down, too.
The Peak 3 cell came from Ebay. The seller had it listed 3 different times. When he dropped the opening bid price and posted a couple better pictures, I couldn't resist and bid on it. It cleaned up very nice. The plating on the reflector mount is chipping at the edges, so I touched it up with a silver sharpie.
In one of his earlier auction descriptions, he said something along the lines of "If you want to see what this flash could look like, google image search "Peaksabers" and check out Scott D's handiwork on the RPF." :eek I almost fell out of my chair. I showed the auction to my wife and asked her if she wanted my autograph. :lol
The plan for this Peak is to make a "working" Peaksaber with a green blade and sound effects. The wife says I need to start building something different.
This is a "Grail" item and will not be converted. I've been waiting for one of these to show up on Ebay for many years. Wish the box was nicer, but oh, well.
I once owned a NIB Graflex 3 cell in the past, now I have a NIB Peak 3 cell, which I think is more rare. Not as desirable, but rare, in my opinion.
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