ANH Skywalker Lightsaber Scratchbuild (metal - PIC HEAVY!)

You're very welcome The14thDr ! I don't know that I could call it "DEFINITIVE" since they're not all 100% the same, but I could average the measurements I give or just list 4 different sets. That's a lot of time though. These little bits here and there have been fun however, so Who-nose ;) (that's a Dr. Who reference in case anyone thinks I don't know how to spell knows).

It would be fun to see if there are any drafting supply stores left and to draw all these parts up on a sheet of vellum and frame it. Now THAT sounds like a lot of work. Definitely not happening today though!

I have to find some better photos of the new Roman's Gen 2 Red Button and the new TGS Red Button and make a final descision on which one to purchase so that I can get started on my Obi-Wan Grafluki Lightsaber. TCSS finally got the Bunny Ears back in stock last night and I ordered it up right then and there! Which leaves the Red Button as the last piece I have to get.

Then I still have to finish drawing up my Chassis and finalizing my Crystal Chamber so that I can have all my measurements ready when I download Fusion 360 and start trying to make a model to have 3D printed to drop into my lightsaber.

Well, off to it then! Have fun making your Bulb Holder!
 
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I did make a start on the bulb holder yesterday, but after realising that the top of the emitter was completely incorrect, I had to put that on hold until I could get it fixed.

In the meantime, my 3D printed parts arrived!

This was the easiest way for me to accurately recreate the clamp lever with the skills and equipment available to me.

Using the blueprints on wannawanga.com as a guide, I created a basic model and had it printed in white PLA.
5b5e038582adbcd631af2e746c13e1e8.jpg


To make up for the lack of detail in my 3D model, I took a file to the lever until I got a more accurate shape. After an undercoat of grey acrylic, I painted the lever silver.

I wasn’t too interested in having it pivot, so I went right ahead and epoxied it to the side of the clamp.
99f27792c4faac7c28f2a09148ef667f.jpg
 
The print for my TFA-style glass eye arrived the other day. After sanding the whole thing to make it as smooth as possible, I glued it to the lightsaber before painting silver.
e038b0dcbac9a53348845622bcc4fee8.jpg


For the glass eye itself I used a 13mm-diameter acrylic gem, simply glued into place at the centre of the surround.
fb3d2824a114249e78f7588d5f4d4fcd.jpg


Obviously it isn’t perfect, but I think it will make a nice placeholder until I find something more accurate.
 
For the new-and-improved emitter, I built a simple frame consisting of a cardstock cylinder with a metal ring glued in the centre. To fill in the gap between the two rings, I used plenty of hot glue before painting the entire thing black.
ed9a8f044839d98df42a616bdf851137.jpg


I wanted the glue to be slightly bumpy and uneven, to give the impression that the emitter had slowly been melted and warped by the lightsaber blade through its excessive use during the Clone Wars.
b68ddb4cc4f91ba9c4318d45837fd771.jpg

eaefafd4944214bbb4d658c67ed341b8.jpg


Still not perfect, but I’m a lot happier with this than I was before.
 
The14thDr said:
For the glass eye itself I used a 13mm-diameter acrylic gem,
Click to expand...

Hey @The14thDr ! That'll work! Just sand off all the facets and polish it and it will look great!

p.s. Lightsabers don't melt... they melt other things. ;) But it's good that you're thinking of backstories for your lightsaber!

Are you going to add the screw between the rectangular cutouts?

And how did you get the concentric circles in the Glass Eye's Bevel?
 
Ridire Firean said:
Are you going to add the screw between the rectangular cutouts?
Click to expand...
Of course! Although with the PVC pipe being directly behind where the screw needs to be, I’m reluctant to be drilling any holes around that part of the lightsaber, so instead the plan is to just glue a screw head into place.

Ridire Firean said:
And how did you get the concentric circles in the Glass Eye's Bevel?
Click to expand...
I wish I could say that was intentional, but it’s really just the print lines where I didn’t sand the the inside of the bevel properly.
 
I finally made a start on the bulb holder! :D

Using @Ridire Firean’s measurements, I cut out three strips of aluminium. I filed the first two to create 3 tabs which I bent up at 90 degree angles.
2f69db923464941ada9ffeb7294288cc.jpg


I then curved the three strips around a paint bottle lid that luckily had the same diameter as the bulb holder on a real Graflex.
f3b86a459fa00bc8f3a57d5a5b44b7a0.jpg


After assembling the the three pieces with epoxy, I attached the bulb holder to the inside of the lightsaber shroud.
c7747b2f541546df619b0cfd3e615ecd.jpg


Aside from a couple of small details, this prop is now complete! I’ll be sure to take some more photos over the next couple of days, in the meantime I’d love to know what you think!
 
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The14thDr said:
I finally made a start on the bulb holder! :D

Using @Ridire Firean’s measurements, I cut out three strips of aluminium. I filed the first two to create 3 tabs which I bent up at 90 degree angles.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180117/2f69db923464941ada9ffeb7294288cc.jpg

I then curved the three strips around a paint bottle lid that luckily had the same diameter as the bulb holder on a real Graflex.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180117/f3b86a459fa00bc8f3a57d5a5b44b7a0.jpg

After assembling the the three pieces with epoxy, I attached the bulb holder to the inside of the lightsaber shroud.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180117/c7747b2f541546df619b0cfd3e615ecd.jpg

Aside from a couple of small details, this prop is now complete! I’ll be sure to take some more photos over the next couple of days, in the meantime I’d love to know what you think!
Click to expand...
Can we get a shot of the whole thing in all it's glory?

Sent from my Z982 using Tapatalk
 
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jjohnson916 said:
Can we get a shot of the whole thing in all it's glory?
Click to expand...
Sure thing! I’ll be posting lots of beauty shots either tomorrow or the day after, depending on when I get the time (or if this dull weather holds off long enough to get some decent photos in the natural light!)

Tan Djarka said:
Pretty cool. I tried to do those little bends on the two side pieces, but whether I did before or after putting the curve in the metal, it turned out bad:cry
Click to expand...
Trust me, it wasn’t easy. I did the little bends first, but then as I was curving the metal I had to curve a small section at a time, then hammer the tabs back down, then curve the next section, and so on. It took about an hour altogether just to do the two side pieces.
 
Hey The14thDr ! What happened to the teeth/knurling on the toothpast cap in the part of it that's pointed towards the bunny ears? I never noticed that section was missing teeth there.

Congratulations on completing your first lightsaber build! Just imagine how cool your next one will be. I'm looking forward to seeing it!
 
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It has been a great build and really impressive for a first one, I would suggest that you could sandpaper the tube , the card clamp and the emmiter clamp , that could add to the look even more, the sanding has to be perpendicular to the tube and in just one direction , I understand that may be with some item already glued it could be difficult. Otherwise, I'm amazed.
 
Wow, I never expected so many people to be interested in my little old build!

rwe626 said:
Turned out great @The14thDr ! The lines on the clamp really sell it.
Click to expand...
propmainiac said:
Great job!
Click to expand...
Thanks guys, it really means a lot!

Ridire Firean said:
Hey @The14thDr ! What happened to the teeth/knurling on the toothpast cap in the part of it that's pointed towards the bunny ears? I never noticed that section was missing teeth there.

Congratulations on completing your first lightsaber build! Just imagine how cool your next one will be. I'm looking forward to seeing it!
Click to expand...
The problem with the toothpaste cap I used is that the “knurling” only goes around 3/4 of the circumference (I just tried to keep that out of the photos if I could help it ;)) But I’m keeping my eyes peeled for a better alternative. Things seem to be progressing much faster on my TFA/TLJ Luke lightsaber, and I’m already trying to decide what my next project might be (maybe a prequel saber?)

propmainiac said:
Building these can be addicting!
Click to expand...
Tell me about it! If I had the time or resources, I’d have a whole library of scratch-built lightsabers by now! ESB Graflex, TFA Graflex, ANH Vader, ANH Obi-Wan.... the list goes on.

Tan Djarka said:
Looks great. The only thing I'd suggest is rotating the clamp a little so that the activation box is just a bit above center (like the real deal). Other than that, it's one fine saber.
Click to expand...
Awesome, I’ll do that right away. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

Fabian 71 said:
It has been a great build and really impressive for a first one, I would suggest that you could sandpaper the tube , the card clamp and the emmiter clamp , that could add to the look even more, the sanding has to be perpendicular to the tube and in just one direction , I understand that may be with some item already glued it could be difficult. Otherwise, I'm amazed.
Click to expand...
Great, thanks for the advice. I’ll be sure to try that at some point this week - it might help improve the finish on the tube and make this look even better sat on my shelf.

d8c9cb7a26fd3735eb069088e76e9f68.jpg
 
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