Well after several months my first foray into prop making is finally complete. I've been bitten by the bug and want more. But first things first, time to show off and see what everyone thinks. The graflex is pretty much the same as many out there, I still have a few improvements to be made like the bubble strip (Blastech version and is not the greatest likeness) and some final finishing. But so far I'm happy with the result. I also refurbished the clamp so the black lettering is consistent.
My finished piece
The authentic metal t-track has come up really well and it gives the empty saber a nice weighted feel. But I decided to do an interpretation of the internal details (crystal chamber/crystal chassis) but as something different - a no frills version, no lights and sounds, no out of place earth electronics, just a "for show" thing to enhance the beauty of this ancient weapon from a more civilised age. I got some inspiration for the basic design (ie what a saber needs to fuction) from the references in the visual dictionary but put my own spin on it. And all from junk out of my parts box. Some hard drives, old pc parts, some bearing races and other rubbish. Grand total $1.80 for the natural quartz crystals. Feel free to ask if you want specifics on the found parts. And for those who think they can't do this themselves, I don't own a lathe or any fancy tools, everything that was machined for this was done by hand or using the "drill in the vice" lathe. Pretty basic stuff and not to everyone's taste but I'm proud of my efforts so I hope you enjoy. I polished the brass to get a good finish but will let it tarnish naturally for the aged look.
And what it looked like beforehand
My finished piece
The authentic metal t-track has come up really well and it gives the empty saber a nice weighted feel. But I decided to do an interpretation of the internal details (crystal chamber/crystal chassis) but as something different - a no frills version, no lights and sounds, no out of place earth electronics, just a "for show" thing to enhance the beauty of this ancient weapon from a more civilised age. I got some inspiration for the basic design (ie what a saber needs to fuction) from the references in the visual dictionary but put my own spin on it. And all from junk out of my parts box. Some hard drives, old pc parts, some bearing races and other rubbish. Grand total $1.80 for the natural quartz crystals. Feel free to ask if you want specifics on the found parts. And for those who think they can't do this themselves, I don't own a lathe or any fancy tools, everything that was machined for this was done by hand or using the "drill in the vice" lathe. Pretty basic stuff and not to everyone's taste but I'm proud of my efforts so I hope you enjoy. I polished the brass to get a good finish but will let it tarnish naturally for the aged look.
And what it looked like beforehand
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