LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Firean

Ridire Firean

Sr Member
Episode I : A NEW GIFT

A long time ago in a field far,
far away....

It is a period of exceptional generostity.
Rebel collectors, sending from a hidden base,
have won their first victory against
the daunting challenge ahead.

During the first cleaning, a Rebel technician
managed to separate not one, but two windvanes,
from the ultimate prop, the Hales Grenade,
a corroded relic from WWI with enough rust
to destroy an entire thread ring.

Persuaded by forces unknown, Chris
Teecrooz boxed and sent the elusive
parts, custodian of good will throughout
the galaxy, to begin anew the mighty quest....

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Some excerpts from my thank-you email to Chris....


I'm surprised by how light weight the grenade body is. And by how much nicer it is in person, it's going to clean up great I think! That thing sure doesn't photograph well does it!? The pictures made it look as though it was missing more of the cubes than it really is. Other than the threads, she's in pretty decent shape for having been through 100 years out in whereever it was found. Probably through two World Wars, that's amazing. Speaking of which, do you know anything about it's provenance?

I think I'll tackle the sulfur looking stuff on the firing pin of the one windvane first. In part to make sure I'm calm when addressing the grenade body and don't go too far too fast and make a mistake cleaning it. And also because it looks a wee bit dangerous.

I finally got word back from another shop in Britain with a Hales Grenade, too risky to ship to the USA he said, so, I'm ever more thankful that you've given so generously something that I think I'll have a dreadful time acquiring on my own.

I've got a lead on an ANM2 booster... for $950.00. I 'bout fell out of my chair when I read that quote in my email. I don't know how you guys have done it.

Found three sets of Armitage Shanks faucets two days ago... all really close, but not quite correct.

So, I'm a lookin'! It's tiring though. My eyes usually hurt after scrolling the internet for the better part of a day. It's no wonder everyone who has completed their Real-Parts-Obi Wan Kenobi-Lightsaber seems to have a euphoric jubilation about presenting their prop to the world on TheRPF and elsewhere.

I look forward to the day it is my opportunity to do so too. And to tomorrow when I have enough energy to begin my W.I.P. thread.

Thank you for the first step up the mountain! This is a wonderful start to a very special journey.



I received my special gift last night after an overly long day at work and after dinner spent most of the night 'till about 3:23AM this morning continuing my research on how to clean rust from steel and corrosion from brass. Thanks to Dustin's @newmagrathea video series which I watched several weeks ago, I had a pretty decent idea of how to procede and began to formulate my game plan for today as I began to nod off in front of the computer. I stumbled off to bed hoping for a good night's sleep. Of course when I woke up this morning at 8:30AM having to pee, I went to the bathroom and never seemed to have made it back to bed. So, there went the "make sure you're fully rested" part of the plan. Instead, I ended up in the basement with all of the Hales Grenade parts, my trusty ol' repurposed sharpened dental pick, a bottle of vinegar, a couple of glass jars, a bottle of Wright's All Purpose Brass Polish, a can of Copper Glo, a can of BON-AMI, and a can of NEVER-DUL. Ya know, after standing around in a cold basement for 4-5 hours in nothing but sock-feet, a long-sleeve t-shirt and boxers... I thanked the Force that the doorbell rang, and I finally had a chance to put some pants on when I came back upstairs. Maybe T.M.I., but hey, if you've been there, you know what I'm talking about, and I'm probably more beat right now than I was when I got home last night. I did get a lot done though!

The grenade body cleaned up lickadee split! Yep, started right in on it first, totally "scrubbing" the plans made last night. Maybe a half hour of picking at it to clean off the rust clumps that had accumulated in between the cubes, a quick steel bristle brush brushing, then over to the tub basin to scrub it with an old toothbrush and some vinegar. Stained the Sith out of the toothbrush! But cleaned the steel grenade body surprisingly well.

I set that aside after a rinse and dry and began to try and separate all the windvane parts from themselves. I hit them with a mixture of vinegar, Wright's, and Copper Glo, starting slowly with it on a toothbrush to see what effect it might have on loosening the corrosion holding the cotter pin sleeve in place. That has to come off first, so that the windvane blades can spin off of their threaded section, exposing the two steel pins that hold the firing pin in place. I slowly tried twisting the sleeves left and right and up and down, more like wiggling them, to loosen up whatever it was that was preventing them from turning and sliding off out of their slots in the windvanes' necks. The first one, the one with the wrench marks on the windvane neck, and the ring around the blades still intact, wasn't having any part of letting go of its cotter pin. Once I was able to tap it free with the toothbrush it came apart fairly easily with a bit of tug after I felt the hidden tab find its slot to freedom. The ochre colored, sulfur looking one, it's cotter pin came right out no problem but the sleeve wouldn't budge! I studied the sleeve from the other windvane and determined it only needed to turn an eigth of an inch and it would be aligned with the slot to pull it off, but it was only moving 1/32" at best. I continued to clean it and drizzle it with solution with the toothbrush, and gave up on it for a bit before becoming frustrated and took the grenade body up to the garage to WD-40 it. HA! I guess I did make it upstairs before the door rang, it was even colder in the garage though, I don't know how I could have forgotten that!!! Anywho, I wrapped it up in the paper towel I was guarding against overspray with and left it out there to soak in the oil. I had brought up the ochre windvane parts and WD-40'd them too to see what effect it would have on loosening whatever it was within its sleeve that was preventing the sleeve from coming off. Don't ask me how, I don't think it ever did turn that last 1/8", but when I pulled on it and it came off! I shook the windvane as I had the other one, basically attacking the steel pins from within using the firing pin as a tally-whacker and knocked both pins loose. Brought the windvane parts back downstairs and continued to clean them with the Wright's Brass Polish and Copper Glo.

Boy howdy! Do those old firing pins shine up nice and bright! I wish the entire grenade had been made out of brass!!! This part of the project would be complete if it was. Well, no, I take that back. The "protected" parts of brass have cleaned up like they're brand new, the exposed parts are being a pain in the "brass"! Something tells me they weren't very careful with the metallurgy when forging (yes I know it's a wartime grenade - but still) the metals used in the windvane neck and blade ring. They're brass, best I can tell, but there's some copper in there too. Or at least there was some copper ore in the ground that they were buried in because there's green corrosion on both parts that's a doozy to get off.

Speaking of which, I need to go check on the broken one, (OH yeah, I forgot, before I got the sleeve off of the ohcre colored windvane, I noticed while cleaning it that the threaded section that goes into the grenade body isn't perpendicular to the windvane trunk. The more I cleaned it I discovered a crack where the trunk meets the "plate". So, that sucks a bit, I had planned to use that one in my build. Maybe I can heat it and knock it back to square?) as it's still downstairs in the solution jar.

O.K. off to do that and finally get a shower, I kinda smell like vinegar, ammonia and Copper Glo.

Thank you again Chris @teecrooz for starting me off with the first piece of my REAL PARTS OBI-WAN KENOBI LIGHTSABER BUILD!!!! It feels so cool to say that.
 
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Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

Bogarting this spot for later once I've had dinner and gotten cleaned up so that I can post up some more of today's photos...

O.K. It's later!... Thanks @halliwax ! ...and for slippin' in there before me somehow. ;)~

So, here's those pics of Day 1's progress...

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So, there you have it... The end of Day 1.
 
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Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

Interested in seeing how that grenade cleans up. I bet it's going to look great after some work. You must be psyched!
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

I'm glad it all arrived safely! The frag section should clean up nicely. I did a preliminary rust/100 year old dirt removal and was surprised at how well it was going. You could solder that windvane back together pretty easily if you wanted to salvage it.

Looking forward to seeing what you can do with it and the ther parts you find along the way.

Since you mentioned it, a long time ago there was a cast brass grenade replica that was cast from a real one. I have one in the basement. :)
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

Congratulations, man. Like Chris said, that windvane will be right as rain with a hit of silver solder in there once it's all cleaned up. Love this saber so much... :cheers
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

Congratulations!

It's a crazy journey but the hunt is fun and you'll forge new friendships along the way.

It is an incredible feeling to complete one and hold it in your hand.

While your family and friends may not get it, you have a support group here!

Cant wait to see your completed grail.
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

Once you start down the dark path... forever... will it dominate your destiny ;)
I know! IT'S MY BIGGEST FEAR! Or at least it's the thing my wallet is most afraid of.

Interested in seeing how that grenade cleans up. I bet it's going to look great after some work. You must be psyched!
Totally! Stoked even!

You could solder that windvane back together pretty easily if you wanted to salvage it.
They're both pretty nice. The other one has a big dent in it, but it's otherwise more intact than the split one. I'll totally repair the split once it's all cleaned up! Now if I can just figure out what removes obsidian and kryptonite, besides brute force, I think I'll be all set. :D

Looking forward to seeing what you can do with it and the ther parts you find along the way.
Me too!

Since you mentioned it, a long time ago there was a cast brass grenade replica that was cast from a real one. I have one in the basement. :)
Any pics? Sounds sparkly!!!

Congratulations, man. Like Chris said, that windvane will be right as rain with a hit of silver solder in there once it's all cleaned up. Love this saber so much... :cheers
Thank You! It's too bad they don't make brass solder, eh?!

Congratulations!

It's a crazy journey but the hunt is fun and you'll forge new friendships along the way.

It is an incredible feeling to complete one and hold it in your hand.

While your family and friends may not get it, you have a support group here!

Cant wait to see your completed grail.
Thanks! Any donations from the support group are greatly appreciated. ;) HA! Seriously though, I totally feel what you're saying. Even the Roman's MK1 (which might be a misnomer, I found a site that says this Hales is a MKIIIA, but whatever) is something to behold, and to be held! Speaking of which, I have another photo to take. hmmm.

That's really exciting. You've almost caught up to me on real parts for this saber. :)
Caught up? I only need one last part. How many do you have now?








Just kidding!!! I suppose I do have two parts if I steal one of my GRAFLEX's clamps. Fooey, I can't do that. Add another part to the list....

1. Hales Grenade. check
2. GRAFLEX clamp. eBay if I feel like getting butt-hurt ;)
3. Browning ANM2 Booster. know where one is but hesitant to pull the trigger this month.
4. Ti EXACTRA 19/20 bubble strip. eBay again.
5. Transistors. there's a bunch of circuit boards on eBay with tons of transistors on them, how do I pick which one to get?
6. Armitage Shanks Handwheel. getting close, just need a seller in Britain willing to ship to America... and for them to be selling the correct model.
7. Rolls Royce Derwent Jet Engine updated MK8 or an MK9 Female Balance Pipe. how much is a lottery ticket these days?
8. Mystery Cone Nut, Threaded Rod, Flange Nut. dunno, hardware store, hardware store.


O.K. off to bed. You know it's that time when you're like "Man, why is my vision so hazy?", and you realize it's the light from your computer moniter shining through your eyelashes because you don't have your eyes opened all the way! Good night everybody!
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

I would honestly hop on that booster right now. That part was harder for me to find than a whole jet engine...
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

I'm getting that sentiment from Chris too. If it had all 3 pieces: Booster, Bearing Nut, and Flash Hider, I think $950 would still be a lot but I could justify it in my mind... somehow. ;)

As it is only the Booster and Bearing Nut, it's not so easy for me.

Anywho, here's a fun photo from just now!...

A Glimpse Into The Future - One REAL PART Obi-Wan Kenobi Lightsaber - Ridire Fíréan 3-31-2017.jpg
 
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Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

I've got a couple things you don't.

1. Hales Grenade - Check
2. GRAFLEX clamp - Check sort of, I could steal one off an unused graflex I have (I'm not going to though)
3. Browning ANM2 Booster - You got me there, I have no leads or money to spend on this
4. Ti EXACTRA 19/20 bubble strip - Check
5. Transistors - Check
6. Armitage Shanks Handwheel. Check
7. Rolls Royce Derwent Jet Engine updated MK8 or an MK9 Female Balance Pipe - I have a lead
8. Mystery Cone Nut, Threaded Rod, Flange Nut - Check, you can get it from Roman or a hardware store
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

Hey newmagrathea ! What'd you go with for your transistors? I keep forgetting if they're Ti or IBM.

If anyone has dimensions or part numbers for them I'd sure appreciate the info! Otherwise I'll probably end up buying a bunch of useless old motherboards and then I'll be wasting money that should be going to the next correct part.

Oh, and if anyone has both a Bearing Nut and a Flash Hider for the Browning ANM2 Booster, I'd love to know if the washer parts with the little holes around its circumference are the same diameter on both. If anybody could help Chris by answering this question for me I'm sure he'd be grateful, I don't want to feel like I'm pestering him for all the answers, I know he's busy with work and family. Or if you just have one, and someone else has the other, I'd love to hear the answers from you both!

I had set the REAL GRENADE down on a ruler this morning to get a quick "Yep it's 1.5" " and ran to fetch my Romans MK1 and swap the parts to take that picture. The FX LED nut fell right into place in the REAL WINDVANE, but I had to loosen the GRAFLEX clamp out several turns to get it over the REAL GRENADE. Once the clamp edge was out of the way it screwed right into the FX center cage. There's no way though that the bubble strip would even touch the other side of the clamp. Did you guys do anything special to make a REAL GRAFLEX CLAMP fit over a REAL GRENADE and have it hold a bubble strip? I didn't want to scratch my Romans clamp with the REAL GRENADE by forcing it down inside the clamp.

One last question, because I'm confused, there are A.S. HANDWHEELS that are chrome, and some that are amber colored. Are all of the handwheels plastic, and some of them are chromed? Or are some of the chromed ones actually metal instead of plastic? I remember reading that some of the handwheels have different holes (square versus round) beneath the "H" or "C" cap, does that have any bearing on metal/plastic or chromed/amber?
 
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Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

It's on an IBM board. I haven't removed them from the board just yet.

Hey @newmagrathea ! What'd you go with for your transistors? I keep forgetting if they're Ti or IBM.

If anyone has dimensions or part numbers for them I'd sure appreciate the info! Otherwise I'll probably end up buying a bunch of useless old motherboards and then I'll be wasting money that should be going to the next correct part.

Oh, and if anyone has both a Bearing Nut and a Flash Hider for the Browning ANM2 Booster, I'd love to know if the washer parts with the little holes around its circumference are the same diameter on both. If anybody could help Chris by answering this question for me I'm sure he'd be grateful, I don't want to feel like I'm pestering him for all the answers, I know he's busy with work and family. Or if you just have one, and someone else has the other, I'd love to hear the answers from you both!

I had set the REAL GRENADE down on a ruler this morning to get a quick "Yep it's 1.5" " and ran to fetch my Romans MK1 and swap the parts to take that picture. The FX LED nut fell right into place in the REAL WINDVANE, but I had to loosen the GRAFLEX clamp out several turns to get it over the REAL GRENADE. Once the clamp edge was out of the way it screwed right into the FX center cage. There's no way though that the bubble strip would even touch the other side of the clamp. Did you guys do anything special to make a REAL GRAFLEX CLAMP fit over a REAL GRENADE and have it hold a bubble strip? I didn't want to scratch my Romans clamp with the REAL GRENADE by forcing it down inside the clamp.

One last question, because I'm confused, there are A.S. HANDWHEELS that are chrome, and some that are amber colored. Are all of the handwheels plastic, and some of them are chromed? Or are some of the chromed ones actually metal instead of plastic? I remember reading that some of the handwheels have different holes (square versus round) beneath the "H" or "C" cap, does that have any bearing on metal/plastic or chromed/amber?

- - - Updated - - -

Also, just saw this for Transistors

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=274999
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

Here you go!
 

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Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

DING! DING! DING! WINNER! WINNER! CHICKEN DINNER!

THANKS CHRIS! You're AWESOME!!!

On one hand I'm glad they're the same, on the other...now I have a tough decision to make. Empty gap with a Bearing Nut, or filled gap with a Flash Hider????
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

Oh that's easy, you don't need either. We don't know if either was under the clamp. Just use a Roman spacer to make everything nice and tight without damaging the parts you can see.

I think the reason you had to loosen the clamp is because there is still a little bit of rust buildup on the base of the grenade. If you do a little more cleanup on the bottom ring, you should be able to tighten it again.
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

DING! DING! DING! WINNER! WINNER! CHICKEN DINNER!

THANKS CHRIS! You're AWESOME!!!

On one hand I'm glad they're the same, on the other...now I have a tough decision to make. Empty gap with a Bearing Nut, or filled gap with a Flash Hider????

It's all preference... I used the bearing in my build because I wanted to use as many original parts as possible... otherwise I would have just used one of Roman's connectors...

Here's my build thread to give you an idea: http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=231549&p=3914877&viewfull=1#post3914877
 
Re: LIGHTSABER - OBI-WAN KENOBI - REAL PARTS BUILD - THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN!~Ridire Fi

I would third the sentiment on jumping on the booster. A booster is not something to be passed up. Sure there are still some out there, but I have searched extensively for them and they are a worthy third of the impossible OB1 found part trinity.

I can't recommend enough to not hesitate too long on the booster.
 
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