The Tor (Thor) - Rare Swedish Flashgun Lightsaber Build

TheDragonWhelp

New Member
Hello there!

I'm a newly registered member from Sweden and a long time Star Wars fan, glad to make your acquaintance!

The reason i registered is because i've come over a very interesting flashgun which appears to have been manufactured in Sweden around the 1950s. It's called "Tor", which is the Swedish name for Thor, god of thunder. The name itself is a bit fun since the Swedish word for 'a flash' and 'lightning' are the same, "Blixt". I've been unable to find any indication of a manufacturer , or any information at all except for this page: http://www.samlarkameror.com/blixtar.htm, which is obviously in Swedish, although there is no further information than what i've just said. There are however some picture of another example, which differs in that the clamp appear to lack the two screws which my flashgun has. I also lack the reflector at this moment due to some complications on the sellers part, however, i will have that as well soon.

But without further ado, i present to you, The Tor!
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The nameplate and only button, might be hard to tell the colour but the button is black. Notice also the little lightning-bolts around the name.
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The very interesting, and beautiful clamp on the right, as well as the reflector-holder-thing up on the left.
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Clamp detail.
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I adore the shape of the clamp, very unique.
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Two small screws hold the clamp to the body, these do not thread into the body itself, so the clamp may be repositioned anywhere on the body.
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The bulb holder, or in our case, the emitter!
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The very clean bottom.
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Small openings, similar to what most flashguns appear to have.
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Disassembled.

I've been thinking a lot about how to convert this into a lightsaber, and seeing as it shares many similarities with the Graflex, i'm thinking of going with a similar d-ring, rubber-grips and circuit-board approach. However, i do not wish to mimic a graflex and use the same kind of parts, but instead find similar parts that goes well with the general aesthetic of the flashgun. I've already found a kind of all-round rubber strip with a sort of E-profile that i might use. It's going to be fun to see what i can find and what fits! If you have any ideas yourself, please let me know!

/TheDragonWhelp
 

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I dig it, that's pretty cool. I also agree that I wouldn't try to make a Graflex copy. I'd rather see someone do a complete custom lightsaber than just stick Graflex lightsaber parts on it.
 
It's amazing what some rubber tracks can do for that lightsaber look.
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After scouring through all the options available to me without ordering from abroad, i settled on this "all-round strip" which was available in one of the Swedish hardware store chains, "Claes Ohlsson".
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There was two versions of the black one, a 10mmx5mm or a 15mmx8mm version, i opted for the smaller one, as the circumference of the saber body is almost exactly 12cm, i'd be able to fit 6 strips with 6 one centimeter gaps in between, which makes the saber look very symmetrical.

As for the next part, does anyone have any experience removing this kind of metal tag? I'm still torn between if i should remove it or cover it up somehow. The thing is that the rivets holding it in place are quite asymmetrically aligned and might look weird if removed, unless i cover it up, in which case i might not need to remove the plate at all. Any thoughts?
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Att du fått tag på en tor blixt är rätt imponerande! Välkommen!

I traslate for our english speaking freinds
That you found a tor flash is qite impressive! welcome
 
Either leave the TOR tag on ... or see if you can access those rivets from the inside with a file or dremel to be removed ... for me it's not distracting at all ... I'd leave it on :)

Chaim
 
After scouring the internet for anywhere to acquire a proper d-ring on this side of the world i was left rather disappointed. So i decided to make one myself with the limited tools at my disposal. The ring itself was quite easy to find, most tailoring shops carry a supply of them. However the rest was up to me to figure out. I got myself a sheet of aluminum which i cut with my discount dremel, which was a lot easier than expected. However, don't think i'm the most popular neighbor after this...
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My metal-cutting setup. Notice the shades i used for eye protection, very efficient for protecting of eyes, less so for seeing what the hell you're cutting.
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Ended up with quite a nice piece after some cutting, bending and sanding!
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I got two different D-rings and opted for the more brass one, as it goes quite nice with the screws on the side of the clamp, and the silver one was too shiny.

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Attached to the pommel. I didn't get any picture of me trying to make the holes, which might be for the better, as it was quite a chaotic process. I did NOT have the proper tools for the job, so i ended up using a screwdriver and a hammer to make the holes, and don't ask me how, but it worked out quite well in the end. Again, not the happiest neighbors, but a happy lightsaber.
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On the saber!

It's coming along quite nicely, next part will most likely be trying to grebblify the strange thing above the clamp, got some ideas which i will post as soon as i can try them out! However, i'm still very unsure about what to do about the tag, i do like how it looks, but i wish to make the saber work in-universe as well, for use in the Rebel Legion and therefore i don't want any earth-text happening. Ehh, hopefully something comes to mind!
 
Nice flash, and welcome to the forum!

I'd leave the name badge on as well. Maybe you could cover it with some kind of shroud like the Holiday Special saber has. That would add more shape to your emitter end too.
 
Nice!

You thought ahead to the emitter end at all?

I've been thinking a lot about that yeah. However, the more i look at it the more i like the very clean emitter end, so i might actually end up not doing much there at all. But we'll see, maybe i find something that just fits perfectly!
 
Yeah, ScottD's Peak lightsabers (similar to the Thor and Heiland) leaves his ends shroud-less and they look lean and mean. I wish there were was more variation of legit shrouds out there-- but there's really only the two Heiland versions. There's tons that people have designed for 3D printing with a variety of designs-- but I have yet to see one that doesn't take it to the Nth degree or conversely look really plain.
 
Yeah, ScottD's Peak lightsabers (similar to the Thor and Heiland) leaves his ends shroud-less and they look lean and mean. I wish there were was more variation of legit shrouds out there-- but there's really only the two Heiland versions. There's tons that people have designed for 3D printing with a variety of designs-- but I have yet to see one that doesn't take it to the Nth degree or conversely look really plain.

"Lean & mean" is what I've thought, as well.

The Peaksaber™ is like a Corvette and the Graflex and Heiland/MPP are like Cadillacs.

Good work on the d-ring. :thumbsup Making it yourself is can be better, sometimes. This is one of those times.

Update: I still want a TorSaber. :)
 
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There are also these little chub minicam shrouds. I got one in gonna try out on the Peak. Can usually find them for $10-$15
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OHH! WANT!!!!

I've never seen one of those. Every minicam I've spotted in the wild just had a black rimmed top.

Trade me for a Graflite? They are worth a lot. I hear they make lightsabers out of them!
 
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