Spirit of Ob1- Luke V3 Run, Mods- Paint apps-Electrical-Ideas-Questions thread!.

I used 0000 Steel Wool to take the shine off the aluminum. I wanted a uniform and single direction grain in the metal from the steel wool so I spent a lot of time rotating the saber in one direction with a pad of steel wool cupped in my hand and wrapped around the section of the saber I was trying to dull.

Once the finish on the aluminum was where I wanted it, I used Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black on the body of the clamp and on the saber. I would dab a q-tip in water, touch it to a paper towel to remove excess water, then dip in the Aluminum black and apply to a small section of the saber. I had to quickly wipe this off with a paper towel and repeat until I got the finish I wanted. Letting it become overly black and then polishing it out didn't work very well, so it took some trial and error to get each section the way I wanted it. It doesn't show up very well in the photos, but there is enough contrast between sections of metal to make it interesting.

To turn the copper section a brass color, I used a chemistry experiment where I boiled zinc metal strips in a water and zinc sulfate monohydrate solution. Placing the copper section in the boiling solution for 10-15 minutes while the copper was in contact with the zinc strips plated the copper with a silver color. Holding it over an oven burner after it was out of the water and dry turned the silver a brass color. It is a very thin layer of brass color so it isn't possible to polish it after this process unless you are very careful. I used a glass beaker to boil the chemicals. All of the supplies can be ordered from Amazon. I wore gloves, eye protection and a mask over my nose and mouth to keep from breathing the fumes. I reheated it with a culinary torch later on in an attempt to add some intense heat marks to different areas of the copper/brass. This deepened the brass finish a little, but didn't do much else to add character.

My saber doesn't look anything like the saber this run was based on, but I got pretty close to what I was going for. I'm happy with the results.

ImperialShuttleShared1.jpg

ImperialShuttleShared2.jpg

ImperialShuttleShared3.jpg

ImperialShuttleShared4.jpg


Here is a link to a YouTube video explaining the brass chemistry experiment. https://youtu.be/_g_ml8tAnWE
The key is to use zinc sulfate monohydrate powder with water. There are other videos that say you can use sodium hydroxide (pure lye soap) to create the solution, but I found that method to be far too hazardous and ended up taking the sodium hydroxide to a chemical disposal site because it was basically a WMD. Things start to get real when you read the warnings that say any contact with skin will result in burns that require a trip to the hospital, and that it explodes if you aren't careful when you add it to water. The zinc sulfate monohydrate powder was very safe and didn't try to eat through my kitchen counters.
 
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Is anyone applying aluminum tape to and painting the copper section? (It sounds like it). If so any tips on how you applied the tape? How did you keep it from creasing and how did you deal with the notch in the center? Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hey guys just wanna share a video my son and his friends made with the lightsaber, check it out!

https://www.prophecystudio.com/isha...333ee9ea4256a3&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-j1h9y5xv#

Nicely done.

As for my build, I kind of went with a hybrid look.

The copper tarnished on me so I buffed it back to a high polish using a buffing wheel. I then sealed the copper with a clear topcoat to prevent further tarnishing.

The inside build, I'm going with a Green laser. That, along with a Pico Crumble Light and some switches, It should prove to be a nice build when it is done.

here is the Basic chassis concept and dryfitting of all the parts together.

3D%20Picture%201.jpg

3D%20Picture%202.jpg





20170507_111605.jpg

20170507_111612.jpg

20170507_111633.jpg

20170507_111640.jpg


I still need to do a whole lot of soldering and painting.
 
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Nicely done.

As for my build, I kind of went with a hybrid look.

The copper tarnished on me so I buffed it back to a high polish using a buffing wheel. I then sealed the copper with a clear topcoat to prevent further tarnishing.

The inside build, I'm going with a Green laser. That, along with a Pico Crumble Light and some switches, It should prove to be a nice build when it is done.

here is the Basic chassis concept and dryfitting of all the parts together.

[url]http://www.moesizzlac.com/assets/images/Camera%20Phone%20pics/Lightsaber%203/Thumbnails/3D%20Picture%201.jpg[/URL]
[url]http://www.moesizzlac.com/assets/images/Camera%20Phone%20pics/Lightsaber%203/Thumbnails/3D%20Picture%202.jpg[/URL]




[url]http://www.moesizzlac.com/assets/images/Camera%20Phone%20pics/Lightsaber%203/Thumbnails/20170507_111605.jpg[/URL]
[url]http://www.moesizzlac.com/assets/images/Camera%20Phone%20pics/Lightsaber%203/Thumbnails/20170507_111612.jpg[/URL]
[url]http://www.moesizzlac.com/assets/images/Camera%20Phone%20pics/Lightsaber%203/Thumbnails/20170507_111633.jpg[/URL]
[url]http://www.moesizzlac.com/assets/images/Camera%20Phone%20pics/Lightsaber%203/Thumbnails/20170507_111640.jpg[/URL]

I still need to do a whole lot of soldering and painting.
Wow, that a HUGE tri-ring!

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
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That's always the toughest part for me...adding bling. I can make a functional internal chassis sure but to make it look nice, that's where I struggle. Your initial design looks very nice canister. Cheers.
 
So are we calling this a V3 or a Shared Stunt? The project run thread was labeled the shared stunt, but this mod thread is titled V3. I think this is the shared, not the V3. They aren't the same, are they? Pretty sure I already know the answer, but I'm also happy to bump this thread since it was such an awesome project run. Just couldn't be more thrilled to own one.
 
And is there any chance we will see a crystal chamber project run for this saber?

I would love to see that, or even a turn-key drop in electronics chassis as a project run. I might be dreaming on that one, but the saber itself is already a dream come true so why not?
 
So are we calling this a V3 or a Shared Stunt? The project run thread was labeled the shared stunt, but this mod thread is titled V3. I think this is the shared, not the V3. They aren't the same, are they? Pretty sure I already know the answer, but I'm also happy to bump this thread since it was such an awesome project run. Just couldn't be more thrilled to own one.

i think its called both
 
People call it "v3" because the "v2" is also a shared stunt. :) The only reason I can think of for it having a higher number than "v2" is because of its later discovery/discussion in the prop community/hobby - because both existed during the same time in movie production. And "v2" seems to be because the cave saber (aka "hero" that wasn't) would be a logical "1"

Maybe some new names can catch on... Black chipped saber for v2. Hole-Clamp-Copper-Neck for v3.
 
People call it "v3" because the "v2" is also a shared stunt. :) The only reason I can think of for it having a higher number than "v2" is because of its later discovery/discussion in the prop community/hobby - because both existed during the same time in movie production. And "v2" seems to be because the cave saber (aka "hero" that wasn't) would be a logical "1"

Maybe some new names can catch on... Black chipped saber for v2. Hole-Clamp-Copper-Neck for v3.

i vote for "cow spot saber" as it reminds me of a cow
 
Here's a build-up I just completed for fellow member Bill Fimm.

The GRAFLEX clamp came to me with the holes drilled right-side up, per his preference, so that portion will look inaccurate as to the clamp orientation:

URL=http://s942.photobucket.com/user/MJA010174/media/26EAE5DA-E52F-4172-BB2A-5149CFAC5D58_zpszwxx0k8v.jpg.html]
26EAE5DA-E52F-4172-BB2A-5149CFAC5D58_zpszwxx0k8v.jpg
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