Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber/Display stand

Luke the Belter

Luke the Belter

Well-Known Member
The finished saber you can see in this post: http://www.therpf.com/f79/prop-newb...mber-pic-heavy-206607/index2.html#post3220750

Hi there,

this is my first post in this community…
So be nice, would you?
I saw Star Wars the first time when I was twelve and I’m a fan from the first moment I saw Luke’s lightsaber on the cinema-screen.

After 15 years of being a fan, my girlfriend embolded me to renew my hobby.
And so get my hands on a real vintage Graflex IV. My holy grail.

BILD4601.JPGBILD4603.JPGBILD4598.JPGBILD4596.JPGBILD4605.JPGBILD4610.JPG

I will convert it into the first lightsaber I ever saw. The Luke ANH lightsaber he got from Obi-Wan.
I already got the pieces and have to assemble everything.

  • T-Tracks are from Marv
  • Original Bubble-Strip from Exactra 20
  • The D-Ring is from Amazon and has the right dimensions
The D-Ring-Clip is made by me. I followed the instructions found on the RPF (thanks Sym-Cha)

BILD4618.JPGBILD4626.JPGBILD4632.JPGBILD4637.JPGBILD4676.JPGBILD4677.JPGBILD4635.JPG

I will post some pics when it is finished.

In addition to the outer appearance, I want to build a Crystal Chamber from found parts and some bought parts like the electronic, LEDs, crystals and the acrylic glass I used.
I started with nothing except my imagination and some suggestions I got from reading some threads here on the RPF.

I cutted some discs out of acrylic glass and sanded the edges, drilled some holes and stuck them together with some metal-pins I found. I use blue high power LEDs together with a 9V battery.

BILD4641.JPGBILD4648.JPGBILD4651.JPG


LED test.

BILD4652.JPGBILD4653.JPGBILD4656.JPGBILD4657.JPG

One side finished.
For the other side of the crystal chamber I sanded some of the acrylic-discs down to this.

BILD4658.JPGBILD4660.JPGBILD4661.JPG

The two parts combined...

BILD4662.JPG

More than 24 pics per post aren't allowed, so I have to "double-post".
 
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Re: Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic heavy)

Some LED tests.

BILD4667.JPGBILD4666.JPGBILD4665.JPG

There will be another LED on the other side for the second crystal.

Then I wanted to have a nice way to turn the power on and off.
So bought some micro push-buttons.

BILD4671.JPG

One of these will be set under the red graflex-button like this...

BILD4670.JPGBILD4674.JPG

... it's possible to press the push-button by using the graflex-button.

Then my problem was that these push-buttons doesn't turn the LEDs on permanently.
So I bought a modul in an electronics-shop that converts the push-button into a switch.
It's called an "Operating Sequence-converter". I bought it in the Conrad online-shop.

BILD4673.JPG

Again I will post some pics when I make further progress.

So what do you think?
 
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Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Wow, that`s it just wow....I`m not experienced enough to give direction or any helpful feed back, Oh wait you weren`t looking for any lol. Love this saber will have one someday made of original parts, but for now I`ll just love my Force Fx Vader. Holy Grail build for a lot of us I think :)


however I`ll be watching this thread with great enthusiasm.


For me Vader will always be my first memory of Star Wars as he stepped through the smoking hole cut by the entry team of Stormtroopers on the Tantive 4
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

you killed it with the electronics! In a good way! Using the red button was a great idea and I love the Chassis, nice work!
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Hi there,

that's indeed a wonderful lightsaber you've created ... wow and a crystal chamber as well ... so cool! Looking forward to your work in progress ... and are you going to sand those Exactra 20 bubbles so they will fit underneath or will you choose to just 'clamp' them between the sides of it? And I just noticed you've got the all round version of the bubbles* too which are quite rare, so you only need to sand a little of underneath to be able to 'clamp' them in between the edges of the grafex clamp.

Chaim

* http://www.therpf.com/f79/lightsaber-calculator-bubbles-new-discovery-73545/
 
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Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

That's a gorgeous Graflex. I can't wait to see more on the crystal chamber.

I'd like to make a crystal chamber myself, so this is very helpful. :thumbsup
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Thanks for the nice words.
Sym-Cha: I will Sand the Bubbles a little bit down. I want them to fit underneath the sides of the clamp.
I've read the thread of the all-round Bubble but didn't realized that the Bubbles in my possession are of this type. Thanks for pointing this out.
The Schlitzie: I never thought that it would turn out very well, because it's my first conversion. But I'm happy with it so far. If you have some questions about the crystal chamber and materials I used...please ask away.
 
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Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

That's a great looking Graflex. What did you use for all the little brass parts, like the ones holding the blue LEDs? How did you cut your acrylic disks? Looking forward to more progress!
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

The brass pins I used: I don't know exactly what they are. I found them on a "junkyard".

There are two pieces which could stick together like this...
BILD4678.JPGBILD4679.JPG

As you can see there are spaces left of aprox. 4mm as the acrylic glass dimensions I used.

I cut the acrylic glass with a metal-handsaw, and sand it down with nail-polisher my girlfriend uses for making acrylic/gel fingernails.

The parts I used to put the LEDs in or on the other side the crystal are found parts out of store.
The first one is to hold a doorstopper on the wall:

BILD4680.JPGBILD4681.JPG

On the other side the crystal holder is something to attach a gashose. I cut one side and used it as crystal holder. THe other side you can see hear:

BILD4682.JPGBILD4683.JPG

I think, that I will finish the crystal chamber next week.
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Very cool. Are you going to be adding a soundboard and blade LED?
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

yeah those 'round' bubbles are not in every Texax Instruments Exactra 20 ... only the ones with the much darker view window usually have them ... just be careful when adding them into the clamp ... don't put to much pressure on the clamp lever ... they can snap and break.

Chaim
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Robiwon said:
Very cool. Are you going to be adding a soundboard and blade LED?
Click to expand...

I don't think so. I've thought about it, but I wanted to let the interiority intact. So I will think about it, when I'm done with this conversion. I planned it for display only, so there is no need for blade and sound ;)
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

I finished the crystal chamber...

So here are the pics.

I wanted the Graflex glass-eye to shine blue, too. So I set an LED behind the glass.

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Then I did the wiring.

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There are lots of pics from the LED test.

BILD4693.JPGBILD4702.JPGBILD4703.JPGBILD4704.JPG20140217_175055.jpg20140217_175209.jpg20140217_175039.jpg20140217_175224.jpg20140217_175200.jpgBILD4694.JPG20140217_174947.jpg20140217_175008.jpg20140217_174957.jpg

I'm very happy how the lighting looks and a little proud with myself.

Hope you like it.
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

yep ... indeed I like it ... very much :)

Chaim
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Bravo! That's fantastic and well done! Go and build some more chambers and offer them:thumbsup
I would make them kinda more "compact" and the crystal tips more closely together:)
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Great job!! Impressing, I really think you should improve with an effect board and a blade! Once you start with sabers it's addictive!! Beware!:D
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Seconded! Make more! :devil That turned out awesome.

Andymac84 said:
Bravo! That's fantastic and well done! Go and build some more chambers and offer them:thumbsup
I would make them kinda more "compact" and the crystal tips more closely together:)
Click to expand...
 
Re: Prop Newbie Vintage Graflex Conversion to ANH Lightsaber/Crystal Chamber (Pic hea

Congrats Luke the Belter: your lightsaber is awesome!
 
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