Graflex hardware saber

Thank you both for the compliments! I wasn't happy with the way this was looking but feeling better about it now. Tan...did you look on the site I posted for the retaining nuts? Only a couple of bucks and says there in stock.
 
Yes, that's where I got the idea. I'll keep that in mind as a last resort. I prefer to find things in the "real world" vs. online. Support your local retailers and all that.
 
Oh, that's not mine. That's the 14th Doctor's thread. I've got most of the bends down, I just have yet to add the holes and lines to any of my clamps.Usually I just put a 1/2" strip of chrome mylar tape on it and call it a day:p
 
I just "finished" a clamp with the holes/slot and lines... Sort of. Everything was fine until I got to the bends that hold the bubble strip/edge connector. I bent it too much, and it broke on the bend. Initially I thought I'd pitch it, but thought better. I cut off the broken bits and will use it like one of Roy's (wannawanga.com) clamp covers, so it's not total loss.

Update: I salvaged the first attempt with an "inner" clamp made of flashing. Also, I managed to fabricate two more clamps, this time without breaking anything. One was based on the template in the other Graflex thread, which proved to be a bit small to close properly around a 1.5" tube (but I've got another saber onto which that'll fit nicely). The second one is just about right. The folds to hold the card aren't perfect, but they'll do.
 
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I just attached TFA style grips and a hardware Kobold clip to a vintage Eveready flashlight standing in for a Graflex bottom. I hate rivets and will not be using them for sabers ever again. It's Allen head screws from now on.
 
hardware kobold clip you say? :)

Rivets are very peculiar, did they crush the plastic grips at all?
 
hardware kobold clip you say? :)

Rivets are very peculiar, did they crush the plastic grips at all?

It's basically an aluminum C-channel. It doesn't have the curved and stepped detail of the top of a Kobold clip. The first two I made were cut from shower door parts, but then I made a few more folded from sheet aluminum (and fouled up as many and threw them straight into the trash).

The grips are from some modified black plastic H-channel I found (presumably for joining two 1/4" sheets of wall panel). I cut off one side of the H, creating the T profile we're looking for. The base is a little wide, and the fin is a little narrow, but it looks okay mounted on the saber. I used ? short rivets, and luckily they didn't deform the grips at all.
 
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Hello, not much happening with the build. Waiting on some parts. Found a price I'm using for my clamp but need a little help. I can't seem to find the measurements for the small area between the sidebars .closed clamp and open clamp. If anyone has this I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks
 
Hey propmainiac ! Do you mean the gap down the middle that you see looking down inbetween the two Clamp ends with the clamp card removed? It's roughly 1/8", but it varies from GRAFLEX to GRAFLEX. I forget where but I posted up some photos with measurements last year or the year before in a thread somewhere here on TheRPF. This would be an easy answer if Photosuckit hadn't gotten greedy. The measurements may have been about the inside measurememts of the LEGO HANDS portion of the Clamp, but the pictures show the variences of the gap too. I redid all of the photos as uploads here, you just have to find them.
 
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Thanks! Reason I'm asking is I purchased a clamp from a Luke fx saber. Just the body none of the fake sidebars and lever peices. It's metal but there's no upper portion to stick a card into. Are these fx saber parts larger diameter or sized the same as a graflex? I'll have some fabricating work to do on it as far as making sidebars and adding a peice to fit the card into. Was gonna make my own clamp but this was a good price and had the details I wanted. No graflex logo but I'm going old school with textured tape around the clamp.
 
Hey propmainiac ! Hmmm, I have no idea. I'm not familiar with the Luke FX saber, do you mean the Force Fx Series from Hasbro? If you get a piece of 1-1/2" pipe and wrap the clamp around it, and if you have a 1/8" gap at the bottom where the clamp ends come close to one another it should be right on the money.

Took all day and had to Google my picture's name, but here's that pic...


I was correct too, it was the measurement between the LEGO HANDS part of the Clamp...
attachment.php


O.K. I just Googled and found this image from saberproject.de for what you may be talking about...
02.jpg
https://www.saberproject.de/en/sabe...versions/hasbro/lukeskywalkeranhwrbconversion

If this is what you have, I'd hazard a guess that it was 1-1/2" tubing and that you'd be good to go if you could fill the gap with a block of something or other. It shouldn't be too difficult to bend up the LEGO HANDS portion of the Clamp and attach them to your Luke FX clamp.

Good Luck on your build!
 
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Yeah that's it. I'm skilled enough to come up with something. Im hoping the Gap is not real wide and I can make it look good. It will be here tomorrow.
 
Hey propmainiac ! See how dark the gap gets in my photo when there's a Clamp Card present! Just paint, or use black plastic, to fill the gap. Clear or smoked plastic might even give you some neat "Below the Clamp Card Effects". Even a piece of metal would look good I'd bet. Then make thinner clamp bars to account for the larger gap size. Toss your (think square root sign + LEGO HANDS) clamp card holder in behind the clamp bars and VOILA! you're done.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
 
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Hi all.....
Received the fx saber clamp yesterday. Tested it out this morning and it fits good. The tabs that are bent up at the top of the clamp close together. No Gap at all. This clamp is bigger than I thought but it will work. Bought a lever from a fellow member and with a little work I think I can make this work as a functioning clamp. No inner tabs on it so I'll have to figure out how to make the two halves of the saber stay in the clamp. I'll post pics later
 
I may slide a peice of PVC between both halves. Then use screws in the slots that are cut in the top and bottom. Then fit the clamp over the saber body.
 

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