Tom’s ESB Hero Graflex from Vintage Parts

thd9791

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I’ve been collecting parts for this build for a long time. The Kobold clip came from the damaged Flash I used for the severed hand saber. I found an extension board on the bay from overseas.

I finally picked up a graflex with a camera kit last week (and it’s been through the ringer)

today i sculpted some of that awesome T strip from Malaysia wth a Dremel. It takes such a light touch! I filled in any over cutting with a little smear of apoxie sculpt.

A little satin black krylon and flat krylon clear coat and they shape up quite nice!
 

Attachments

  • 2C65AED0-1C5D-403D-896E-016CB2555E45.jpeg
    2C65AED0-1C5D-403D-896E-016CB2555E45.jpeg
    1.4 MB · Views: 223
  • E020B888-1397-455F-9C76-A226D2A4E441.jpeg
    E020B888-1397-455F-9C76-A226D2A4E441.jpeg
    1 MB · Views: 280
  • 58A3E4BA-6947-481E-8BBE-9B5FFAA22AC7.jpeg
    58A3E4BA-6947-481E-8BBE-9B5FFAA22AC7.jpeg
    590.2 KB · Views: 229
  • A1B89863-E496-4BE4-9467-FDB62B6AF7DF.jpeg
    A1B89863-E496-4BE4-9467-FDB62B6AF7DF.jpeg
    935.2 KB · Views: 237
  • 47578A53-57F1-49B4-9E39-4C89C04D87D2.jpeg
    47578A53-57F1-49B4-9E39-4C89C04D87D2.jpeg
    669 KB · Views: 203
  • A188B6A1-2112-41C7-8B78-DC50AD92702C.jpeg
    A188B6A1-2112-41C7-8B78-DC50AD92702C.jpeg
    482.3 KB · Views: 214
Hey thd9791 ! Those look GREAT! It looks like you sanded the bottoms a bit too. Did you use the sandpaper on a pipe trick?

And did you leave the bottoms unpainted so that the glue/tape will adhere better?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks everyone! I actually hit the bottoms of the track with a sanding drum. They came out a bit sloppy underneath, it was helped by a half round *needle file*, but really the important part is that only two parts touch the graflex and that would be the edges. They all have a bit different glue channel! In the end they work basically.

Heres the camera and card!
and I painted the whole thing. I was going to leave the bottoms untouched but there was an edge that risked flaking off if touched wrong. I wanted a full sealed coat
 

Attachments

  • BF7A5E63-45D3-4022-BC1C-A4956D6715D6.jpeg
    BF7A5E63-45D3-4022-BC1C-A4956D6715D6.jpeg
    1.6 MB · Views: 212
Looking good, Tom! Can't wait to see it done! :)

I wanted to 1) thank you a million times over for bringing these to the community

2) tell you that the thickness of the base is identical to GINO's track. The width is 1/32 less and the height is nearly identical as well. Other than the shape and lack of a glue channel ... this is REALLY close. (Gino handled and worked with props from the archives I think and that's why he designed such thin track. Roy and Todd's are a bit thicker and feel less fragile, albeit less accurate to obsessive geeks like us)

I'm using e6000 on them right now. They slide around and won't set as quick as epoxy so I electrical taped them to the flash overnight. :) the silicone glue should take the vibration of a drill better than epoxy. so excited!
 
Turns out a Romans clamp doesn’t leave the top or bottom loose, and my real one left the top loose! I redid the grips in rustoleum enamel flat black and satin clear...the krylon versions left it tacky.

also, I finally cut up that extension card. A few strips of packing tape keeps it snug. Waiting on some screws and rivets :)
 

Attachments

  • 2F3EA44C-5CAD-4322-A0D4-3419BD89E471.jpeg
    2F3EA44C-5CAD-4322-A0D4-3419BD89E471.jpeg
    1.8 MB · Views: 244
  • AD221336-D653-4478-8FD6-34A161F8810A.jpeg
    AD221336-D653-4478-8FD6-34A161F8810A.jpeg
    3.2 MB · Views: 223
I know this has probabyl been discussed a million times, but what's the generally accepted RPF stance - screws or rivets? And if screws, what kind of head? I've seen star and phillips head.
 
Generally, for ESB it's thought black or tarnished screws were used in Norway. I think they got shinier as filming went on. I think a replica used rivets and it started something. Even the fighting stunt sold through a Christie's auction had black Phillips heads, pan head to be precise

I should also say the Kurtz sabers also have rivets. Rivets holding down t strip that resembles nothing from any movie and that might have been dressed much later for auctions.
 
Last edited:
After drilling the holes, turning the screws I got from Roy in there and popping the rivets on, I spent some time sourcing some vinyl mirror tape! Here are some shots next to my “less” fragile and ongoing projects, and the ol’ Piano tuning supplies. oh the pop riveter was so strong the rivets pulled the graflex endcap outward, making the kobold hover on one end. I took a wooden dowel and used it as a buffer to hammer the kobold down, and thus flatten the endcap!
 

Attachments

  • DA4AC31B-5DD2-4D31-87A4-B69817EAE8AB.jpeg
    DA4AC31B-5DD2-4D31-87A4-B69817EAE8AB.jpeg
    976.3 KB · Views: 202
  • E064216E-F2FC-4E34-88A4-94424ECE5CD9.jpeg
    E064216E-F2FC-4E34-88A4-94424ECE5CD9.jpeg
    884.7 KB · Views: 221
  • 8DA0A687-CFCD-4A1B-9AD2-3DE53675B0BF.jpeg
    8DA0A687-CFCD-4A1B-9AD2-3DE53675B0BF.jpeg
    474.5 KB · Views: 213
  • 84BDE853-C0E7-4DED-9113-72073DA4A894.jpeg
    84BDE853-C0E7-4DED-9113-72073DA4A894.jpeg
    283.1 KB · Views: 213
  • 153EFE8C-BECF-46DD-9431-66E885133076.jpeg
    153EFE8C-BECF-46DD-9431-66E885133076.jpeg
    376.2 KB · Views: 205
  • 181735F2-69E7-4369-9EF3-0E6BB9ED7126.jpeg
    181735F2-69E7-4369-9EF3-0E6BB9ED7126.jpeg
    1.2 MB · Views: 212
  • D3C5E632-67EF-445D-AADD-87C4ED4986B8.jpeg
    D3C5E632-67EF-445D-AADD-87C4ED4986B8.jpeg
    727.6 KB · Views: 228
  • 2B239B56-340C-45D1-AD3D-95E57ADAE107.jpeg
    2B239B56-340C-45D1-AD3D-95E57ADAE107.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 224
Hey so I updated this saber a bunch. Found a better real clamp and stuff...

I also ripped off these grips. They NEVER cured well. So I unscrewed the screws, slipped a plastic putty knife under there and peeled the e6000 off!

I could thankfully use the original holes (replaced the screws with self tapping vintage electronics screws) and managed to trim a set of wannawanga grips one by one to match the existing holes.

I did this using a grinding stone bit to eyeball the hole location, sinking it through. pausing to drill the hole, and opening up the notch afterward.
20191025_123359.jpg
20191025_123439.jpg
20191025_123514.jpg


The grips were a tad too long, so I actually trimmed the "tooth" as an experiment. It worked
20191024_184103.jpg


20191025_123602.jpg

And then more glue...
 
Thanks man!

I left the real kobold in place too - here are some shots before the xacto trimming of glue
655A56B6-8E59-4CBD-B9F2-6EE43E2A4357.jpeg

also slid the grinding stone against the ends of the t track and it left some of them slick and smooth!
E3A37627-11E6-4EDF-A24C-2B99A0A26FC4.jpeg
69481A60-EC06-4DBC-BF4A-7DCDDD5953B9.jpeg
3C31FF3F-094B-4D50-B0C3-66B3077F8136.jpeg
AF0060E2-1768-4F28-84E2-88730FFA8050.jpeg
EFFC4753-5074-4BA5-B1D0-BB2B0B977C61.jpeg

They are these type of screws.

32B0F465-7371-4FEA-8266-3D1DBF024141.png

Got them from the TI calculator used for the x wing keypad. Have not been able to ID this type of thread, but they are in a lot of old electronics as their plastic case screws
 

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top