Yoda VD lightsaber discussion

Whew! Well, I reckon I could stand to turn them down a touch more. Maybe I'll just leave 'em as is. I mean, .264" is pretty close.

I did forget to tap them, though! What is it, 4-40 for the inner threading?

Oh, and who had the oil pans? I can't find the PMs between myself and the other fella!
 
As near as I can tell, the internal thread size is 3-48. I measured the TPI by hand because my thread gauge only went down to 40 (and it was not as fine as a 2-56 tap I had), and came up with either 48 or 50 TPI. The latter doesn't seem to be a standard size. And the screw diameter varies between 0.09 and 0.096 (the end that was screwed into the brass fastener is worn down more), putting it closest to a #3. It's a strange one.

Sjanish has the grips, pans, and wheels, and he's got a post up in the first or second page of the Junkyard.
 
Thanks for all your help! That does sound like some weird threading. I always assumed it was 4-40 for some reason. Oh, well. That's the smallest tap I've got!
 
Threaded rod and nut from inside, or a screw from inside.

So that you have threads poking out of the hilt. Then you just thread the PEM nut on.

You may have to cut down the screw or rod, because you only need a few threads exposed to put the nut on.
 
How does one attached the silver nut that's right under the brass screw?

Threaded rod and nut from inside, or a screw from inside.

like Dann said ( my names dan as well :p ) threaded rod works best. i noticed while looking at photos it looks like brass rod. lucky for me, when i bought my praco on eBay it was in a lot of vintage flashes and probably the only reason why i scored it for 22 bucks. along with the praco came some random flashes, this one here i took out one of the brass connection towers and lucky enough, the thread on the other end fit my pem nut so thats how i locked it in
yoda11.jpg


the crappy part about my build is the pem nut.. i have the right nut BUT there was a pervious screw there to hold the pracos plastic mid band up top. when i looked at most pictures it seems like the pem nut needs to be lower on mine... i oblonged the hole but couldnt go as far as needed because the nut isn't big enough to cover the larger hole.. so i was stuck being able to move it MAYBE 1/16th lower.. to me it doesnt look right but hopefully no one will pick it up
pracojet1.jpg



yoda12.jpg
 
Actually, isn't that the EXACT right spot for the PEM nut? Look again at the photos of the real hilt... I'll add one to this post in a sec...

889ecc7e299c06dfbc9e37b1aba28431.jpg

70754cba40f9d51496edb95baae041d3.jpg
 
Yeah, mine are in the wrong spot. Unfortunately, I drilled those holes in my Bolsey flashes years before I saw these photos.

It's not so big a deal, though.

And I think you're right, Dan. It does look like a brass rod or screw.
 

Yeah, mine are in the wrong spot. Unfortunately, I drilled those holes in my Bolsey flashes years before I saw these photos.

It's not so big a deal, though.

And I think you're right, Dan. It does look like a brass rod or screw.

where the heck did you find those pictures?! i was going off the pic's on post 15. dang i feel a lot better now! :$ the scariest part so far was drilling for the flash side knob. or i like to call it the safety switch

red%20circle.jpg



my praco did not have this safety switch, so i had to rob a bosley of it, then drill my own hole. i used a hand moon file, and filed the inside of the safety switch so that it would fall out of the bolsey, and i could use the bolsey for something down the road. then i used tape and maked the location on the bolsey and thankfully the praco had the same reference mark i started with on the bolsey and i transferred it.

yoda3.jpg


this bottom picture is showing that i need to move the dot over another 1/8th of a inch.
yoda2.jpg


i dont have a picture, but i doubled checked this measurement before drilling by placing the flash in a 90* elbow of aluminum angle iron. lined up the top hole near the emitter and followed the edge of it to the black dot.

automatic punch
yoda5.jpg


drill
yoda6.jpg


transfer safety switch, and epoxy that sucker in
yoda8.jpg
 
here is a picture using the scavenged bolsey flash.

the safety switch is in line with the screw hole at the top. so this is how you can draw a straight line down a cylinder/tube with angle iron. the iron is outside right now so this miter box will suffice
1f1e9b432bb08997fff9101cb100a785.jpg


again, i marked with tape first and double checked with the angle iron.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Just finished up my personal version, tried to do an exact mirror image of the Praco. I forgot to drill one tiny hole behind the "safety switch" on the clamp. I'll get to that eventually!

Also, this time I used a brass 4-40 screw for the PEM nut.

e3018f03b29aed8ab0dc4ceb840fb216.jpg

549d96f20d2b083de0f1feab70f3a9e7.jpg

46a9b5148b6599a1c29eb30674d62fac.jpg

87e82b3008f2daeb86a06e4cae00db5b.jpg

a504685ee45c87f5ba100dff257dfef4.jpg

337db5fc8e1fb8c1d573dedcbcf7c3b4.jpg

b24690f0017f9eddebd67ce0c75b9cdb.jpg

f4bd696a7950d2f81b1d75aab626d7e6.jpg

7bfc61acecd93870103db20be2b6e7ba.jpg


Question: Are my grips too long?
 
beautiful job! i like the color choice! i think the grips look perfect. very clean flash!! mine has a few scratches here and there, yours looks like it just came off the assembly line! very nice job
 
Thanks! Yeah, it's certainly the cleanest Bolsey I've come across, and it included the hole-free straight knurled endcap! I was real excited about that.

I did use a minimal amount of Maas polish to shine her up a bit, though.
 
I was able to re purpose a brass screw from my Bosley to fasten the PEM. Your saber is looking quite fine indeed. Beautiful work here.
 
Thanks! I have 2 bolsey's that I want to convert, just I can't find the courage to drill the holes. I'm not that experienced, and don't have the tools at this moment. But, I'll get to it! At this moment, I'm gathering all the components, just missing the grips :)

like Dann said ( my names dan as well :p ) threaded rod works best. i noticed while looking at photos it looks like brass rod. lucky for me, when i bought my praco on eBay it was in a lot of vintage flashes and probably the only reason why i scored it for 22 bucks. along with the praco came some random flashes, this one here i took out one of the brass connection towers and lucky enough, the thread on the other end fit my pem nut so thats how i locked it in
http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y323/lightningdan/yoda saber/yoda11.jpg

the crappy part about my build is the pem nut.. i have the right nut BUT there was a pervious screw there to hold the pracos plastic mid band up top. when i looked at most pictures it seems like the pem nut needs to be lower on mine... i oblonged the hole but couldnt go as far as needed because the nut isn't big enough to cover the larger hole.. so i was stuck being able to move it MAYBE 1/16th lower.. to me it doesnt look right but hopefully no one will pick it up
http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y323/lightningdan/yoda saber/pracojet1.jpg


http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y323/lightningdan/yoda saber/yoda12.jpg
 
Thanks! I have 2 bolsey's that I want to convert, just I can't find the courage to drill the holes. I'm not that experienced, and don't have the tools at this moment. But, I'll get to it! At this moment, I'm gathering all the components, just missing the grips :)

don't be afraid ;) u can get a automatic punch at harbor freight for 2.99, that is the easiest way. that way the drill bit won't slip off when drilling

you can also get a piece of aluminum angle iron cheap at lowes or home depot. be sure to bring the flash with you so you can make sure it fits inside the angle iron just right to draw the lines


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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