Show your custom Lightsabers!

Gosh these sabers look sick. I'm finishing up a Canon saber, there's a full thread for it back in the Star Wars section!
 

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Oh, I've been stalking that thread for awhile! The builds by you, Scott D, Veektor, Dr. Talyn, and Anubis are what pulled me out of a multi-year lurk mode. Well-- that and seeing the Graflex in TFA.
 
The TFA Graflex officially brought me out of a ten year prop building hiatus. Customs are still my favorite part of my hobby, though. It's cheaper, anyway. :cool
 
Yeah, I'm not a cosplayer, or a screen-accurate collector. I'm mostly interested in creative building and modifying for the sheer zen-ness of it. I just like camera-ready hero props with a set of challenging parameters.

I was doing sabers back in the 90s. Early 2000s I switched over to model spaceships, but it was a lot harder to kitbash than I realized. Around 2005 I switched it up to woodworking, but I was slowwww. Took me several years to build the furniture in my office. Last couple years it's been about painting Nerf guns, which has been crazy satisfying. They all look like Star Wars or Mass Effect props. Now, it's back to lightsabers!

Not sure what comes next. I'm working on this retro-future project currently, I may try to build some of the props for it. AFTER a dozen lightsabers or so. I have my priorities...

On a quick trip at the moment, but looking at my first sabers, I really want to tweak the Heiland. And if I want my kid to be happy I better paint the PVC saber stat.
 
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SethS said:
Hey guys-- apologies for the cross post-- wasn't sure if people read the new members thread and THIS thread is the one that made me join RPF.. so I wanted to say hello.

My whole story is here:
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=83912&page=429&p=3878478&posted=1#post3878478

The short version-- I bought a box of flashguns for $25 in 1994. I was a Star Wars fan and a photo major in college so I knew what to look for. I found a graflex in a box of flashguns. I actually just wanted it, but the guy selling would only part with the whole box of "junk."

So I had a Graflex saber with some poorly approximated attachments, this was back when we thought the t-track was windshield wiper blades. Anyway-- when the SW tech journal came out I realized I had Heilands to use as a basis for a Vader saber (this was pre MPP discovery). They were prized possessions for years-- especially after the SE and PT happened. Somebody stole the Vader, and during a move the Graflex went into the box.

After TFA re-ignighted my son's interest in Star Wars I dug out the graflex, ordered up some much better t-track and a bubble strip to finally make the graflex screen accurate. (mostly, there's a problem for another thread).

Anyway-- the reason I am posting HERE is to say thank you to everyone who's done an awesome saber based on an old flash gun. I really dislike the PT style lightsabers, so to see new and original sabers following the same design cues and aesthetics of the OT really excites me. To that-- I called up my mom and sure enough, that box full of flashguns that I forgot about because they weren't a graflex or heiland, is still in her basement where I left them 16 years ago. She's sending them to me now, and I HOPE they are awesome and I can join in the fun here. I'm PRETTY sure there's a Canon Y in there, which, according to ebay, is the new hot model to mod.

So thanks! Pics soon!
Click to expand...

Great Story man, wish I had the offer of paying $25 for a box of flashguns now, haha.

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Scott D said:
Finished this one last week and it was a genuine challenge. Click the link for the full story, along with some build-up pictures.

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=254035

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums...ection/IMG_20160115_213302380_zpss7jodp2a.jpg

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums...ection/IMG_20160115_213338669_zpsitm2knca.jpg

I mentioned in the other thread that I had built 12 custom Lightsabers in 2015. Actually it was 13. :eek I made a group picture. I wonder what will happen in 2016...

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums...on/IMG_20160118_175750058_HDR_zpsdotsttov.jpg
Click to expand...

It amazes me on how you have so many flashgun parts to make these sabers with. These look so good, always a great job
 
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IMG_20160126_170253.jpgIMG_20160126_170209.jpg
This is my very first ever made Lightsaber! It's totally made out of plumbing stuff. Not yet finished, but I think I'm on a good way!
Since this is the first ever project, I won't add any electrical stuff in it, but use it as a kind of prototype for my next projects!
There's only a few things I want to add and a few details need to be made! Just drilled some holes in the bottom golden part until now!
The costs for this until now are about € 28,- so it's a very cheap project!
 
That's some kind of a pipe diameter reducer, where I predrilled some holes in every cm all around! and a black seal-ring and a pipe-ending-graft! Sorry for my english! And I'm no plumber, so I don't even know the correct words for the parts in german! ;-)
 
Realized that since the PVC saber was going to sit next to real ones on the shelf, I'd better paint it if I wanted the kid to accept it. And given how metal the real ones were, no way a quick silver spray coat would cut it-- so I went dark and weathered...
pvc_c.jpg
 
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AnubisGuard said:
Finished another saber yesterday, from a 2-cell Minicam flash, King Sol clamp, Novus 820 calc bubbles, 3d printed grips and neck from Shapeways, and a shroud and neck detail from a 2-cell Heiland. The "guts" were detailed with a brass sprinkler part from Lowes.

View attachment 568953 View attachment 568952 View attachment 568954

The Shapeways parts were given multiple coats of Plasti-Kote automotive filler primer, sanded smooth, and painted. The Heiland shroud was stripped, sanded to give it a brushed finish, then tinted with a light coat of Testors smoke clear to match the nickel plate of the flash body, then clear coated for protection.

View attachment 568951 View attachment 568956

The belt hanging loop is a small leatherwoking buckle from Michaels, attached to the flash body with a metal strap taken from the flash's battery contacts. The buckle was aged by soaking it in toilet bowl cleaner and salt. Grips are attached with super glue and seven 8-32" stainless steel socket head screws, drilled and tapped.

View attachment 568955

A family portrait:

View attachment 568957


Finally, a saber I've had sitting around for a while. Built from a sink faucet knob and a stack of random lamp and plumbing parts picked up at a Habitat For Humanity, all stacked onto an aluminum candlestick I found at Goodwill 10+ years ago. The candlestick looks handmade, like somebody turned it on a lathe in shop; there's no manufacturer's info on it or anything.

View attachment 568958 View attachment 568959 View attachment 568960
Click to expand...

How happy was your shapeways experience? Can I ask what you used to build them with in terms of software?

I have several two-cells that might have new life thanks to an extension like you crafted. I just got a 3D printed clamp that I ordered to test the legit-ness of.
 
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I couldn't resist...

I wanted to tinker more with my 94 custom. Those grips aren't coming off unless I want to drill out the rivets.. I actually like the grips. They are unique. Still don't super love the endcap, but it also isn't coming off easy.

I replaced the clamp that was once there with a new one-- 3D printed. Not sure if I dig it or not. Used a red edge card-- but bubbles may look better. Really wanted to add a wire-- but I bought too big of a gauge and it looked janky. So I used this thing instead and I think it;s pretty awesome.

This is definitely bigger and more busy than I'd usually like-- but I kinda like it in a overly-agressive badguy sort of way...

custom1A.jpgcustom1B.jpg
 
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This is something I've been poking at for a couple years now. The main components are a Mountz CL-7000 (something or other variant) electric screwdriver and a Graflex slave flash I was lucky enough to find at a craft store. I've hollowed it out and installed some electronics I got from Adafruit, a Trinket 5v, a group of Neopixels and the battery with USB charger. At some point I'm going to put some LEDs in the control block for the power controller board to show charging/charging/charge full/batt low but that's going to be for another build pass on it. The control block was made from a Graflex field camera's focus rail, a PCB from an autofocus lens I gutted for parts and a handful of random parts.
The only part left to work on for this pass is to get the micro USB charge port integrated into the screwdriver's power and control cable connector. It's been great to mess with when I'm between projects or need a break.
 
Queadlunn said:
View attachment 583891View attachment 583890View attachment 583893View attachment 583892

This is something I've been poking at for a couple years now. The main components are a Mountz CL-7000 (something or other variant) electric screwdriver and a Graflex slave flash I was lucky enough to find at a craft store. I've hollowed it out and installed some electronics I got from Adafruit, a Trinket 5v, a group of Neopixels and the battery with USB charger. At some point I'm going to put some LEDs in the control block for the power controller board to show charging/charging/charge full/batt low but that's going to be for another build pass on it. The control block was made from a Graflex field camera's focus rail, a PCB from an autofocus lens I gutted for parts and a handful of random parts.
The only part left to work on for this pass is to get the micro USB charge port integrated into the screwdriver's power and control cable connector. It's been great to mess with when I'm between projects or need a break.
Click to expand...

This is a cool idea. Well done.
 

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