Lightsabers & Blasters How can I build my own lightsaber?

Read both relevant threads and you'd know. EL doesn't have the power up/down effect. LEDs can only have it if you use Corbin's driver.

It's not that anyone hasn't thought of a carabiner before, but merely never mentioned it. It's nice if it's going to hang on your belt but you can't quick draw. Before I put a blade in my vader I used a carabiner since it was just a costume display thing.

randomsabers sells a d-ring hanger but I'd be afraid of my saber coming off doing anything active.

 

I found a web site with instructions on how to build a lightsaber

 

Nice, which one of a million did you find?

 

Okie dokie, here's a new question (this one's been bugging me for quite some time)...

When putting your blade into your hilt, I don't think I quite understand how it's not flying back out every time you swing/hit something. I know that you put it in a blade holder and I know you secure it via thumbscrew (by the by, do you use one thumbscrew or two?), but does that measly little thumbscrew always hold it in place? Is there just something I'm missing here?

On a side note, I took the advice I read on this forum about the $8 Walmart sale on sabers and grabbed my local store's very last "generic Sith" saber. Sweet deal, and now I have my sound chip.

 

Well, the "Professional" saber makers, like Parks and Lightech, only use one thumb screw. There is enough friction with the screw pressing tightly against the blade to keep from coming out.

Some people like to give the blade what they think is extra security and will drill a hole in the blade for the thumb screw to actually seat into, but I'm afraid that it will ruin the integrity of the blade, weakening it there and maybe causing it to be more likely to break in that spot.

I've never had problems using only one thumb screw that just presses against the blade. But the hilt material, or blade holder that it goes through, needs to be thick enough so that there can be at least a couple of threads to hold the thumb screw. Then you just need to check it periodically and retighten it, in case is starts to loosen while you are dueling.

 

@Jedi-Loreen: Nifty. I plan on getting one of Tim's sink tube blade holders (once he makes them, that is), so I doubt I'll have much to worry about in the holder department.

Thanks for the tips and advice, all!

 

Good luck. Make sure you show off your saber, after you build it, in the "Your Lightsaber" thread, whatever page it's buried on by now.

Or if it's an EL saber, in my tutorial thread, or the LED thread, if it's that kind.

 

Well, to be honest, I still have lots of questions I need to ask, but I'm still missing quite a few components, so until I get those, I'm stuck.

One thing I will go ahead and ask about, though, is the sound module business. I've been reading through this forum and through Strydur's "sound" thread on his forum (over and OVER), and I'm still completely lost. This electronic jargon simply eludes me, I'm afraid.

I've got the Hasbro "sith" module now in my possession. My goal is to have the LED and the sounds all turn on at the touch of one button. How to do that, though, is a mystery. Most of the diagrams I've seen are either too small to read or too confusing for me to follow. I don't fault anyone for this, as it's my own misunderstanding; it just seems that no one gives a simple straight answer when it comes to any sort of wiring.

Allow me to elaborate on my confusion for a moment. 1) The wiring... I'm using a 4AAA as my power source, along with its respective transistor for the LED, but as for how to wire sound into it, no idea; 2) Apparently you're supposed to "mount" the sound electronics inside (i.e. the speaker, motion sensor, etc.), but how? I've seen the "film canister" method, which looks promising, but where in the hilt is it supposed to go? On the bottom, just on top of the battery, where? Does one particular place distribute sound better than another? 3) Will my particular power source end up frying my sound module? Or better yet, drain my batteries within a minute?

I realize I'm asking a lot, and perhaps I just need to do it and find out the hard way, but I simply don't have the extra funds to go buy replacement parts if I happen to blow up my saber.

Any of you gurus out there that've done an LED saber with sound, can you help a guy out?

 

Well if you can't see it then for some reason the link didn't show up. wtf?

 

Anyway everyone I am gonna build my 1st lightsaber this weekend and when I am done I will post it on here. My question is how do I post a picture on the web after I get it scaned on to the computer? Remeber this is my 1st saber and remember that it isn't going to light up or anything fancy it is just going to be a metal
hilt and a spray-painted PVC pipe as the blade (If it's strong enough.). Also what kind of pipe should I use for the hilt?

Anyway here is the link to that site: http://www.wilcoxusa.net/saber/step-by-step.htm

 

Scratch most of what I said above, I went back over the sound thread again, and this time something clicked.

My only remaining questions are:

-Where in the sound/LED wiring system does the resistor fit in?
-Will my 4AAA power source fry the sound card?

Oh, and one more thing, kind of unrelated... I've seen the term "momentary switch" thrown all over the place, but it seems that it means different things to different people. That is, it doesn't seem to be the same thing depending on who's talking about using it. My guess is that it's a switch that only powers something while it's being depressed, and powers off once released. If that's so, it seems a strange way to power a lightsaber... Can someone please clarify?

 

What kind of batteries do most fx sabers run on? I've heard 3AAA, but when I checked ebay for Mace Windu fx sabers I found 6AA, does this mean an older generation or something?

 

Yup, the newer ones run on 3AA and the older ones like the Windu have 6AA.

 

So umm...yeah what kind of pipe should I use for the hilt of my saber?

 

Thanx Hack. So I guess they don't make ROTS Mace Windu sabers, do they? Maybe I should go with the Anakin instead, blue wouldn't hurt + I've already got the Ani costume... even better! Still like purple, but if I get the luxeon upgrade sometime in the future (perhaps a very long time from now) it'd need to be a newer one, plus Ultra SWG doesn't have purple, just blue.
[-[_][]/=============== Anakin, if you couldn't tell.

 

You do know that Mace WIndu's ROTS lightsaber is the same as his AOTC lightsaber right? Another thing Sith Lords of the Old Republic used purple lightsabers FYI. (Just mentioning.)
Hello? What type of pipe should I use for the hilt of my lightsaber???

 

I thought you said you found a tutorial site, in another thread? Didn't it say what type of pipe to use?

Have you been to any other tutorial sites? This is such a basic question that I'll let you find the answer yourself, or let someone else answer.

But I'll ask this, do you want a metal, or plastic (like PVC) hilt?

 

The site you mentiond is on this very page.Also it says PVC.
And I want a metal hilt.

Also everyone that wants to make a replica of Kyle Katarn's lightsaber here is a link: http://drkf.8m.com/starwars/kyletutorial.htm

 

@darthnave: You know, if you'd bother to look through these threads and actually read and research, you'd find the answer to your question about a hundred times over instead of using 3 posts to ask the same question... geez.

Most hardware sabers are made from 1.5"OD X 12" long sinktube found at your local Home Depot or Lowe's. Otherwise you'd use PVC and paint it.

Now start reading these threads! There's practically a library-full of knowledge here, and if that doesn't work, practice your Google Fu.

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Now, about my own questions above, I've hunted down the answer to basically all of them (at least, I think I did...). So disregard that last post of mine. Thanks to all for your help and knowledge.

 

Sorry if anyone here noticed I get a little....how should I put this....impatient .

 

Instead of using PVC,(or PVX), wood or some such try using SILOFLEX. It is High Density PolyEthylene (HDPE)and absolutely will not break. I've been clubbing SCA people with a sword of the stuff for years (full contact). You can bend it but it will not break. It's next to the black-iron pipe at Lowes. Be good for blaster barrels too. Why paint something black when you can buy it that way?

 

Boy, I'll say. And I did realize Windu's saber is the same, I meant like a newer generation with only 3AA's. Good links BTW.

 

You mean as the blade right? 'Cause I was gonna get some PVC and spray paint it yellow for my blade if the stuff you are talking about is that good then maybe I will get that. How much does it cost?

 

@navarre1095: That stuff sound quite cool! You say it's by the black-iron pipe... what section is that (i.e. plumbing, hardware, etc.)? Same as the PVC, maybe?

 

What could I use to replicate Luke's ROTJ's lightsaber neck? I need the answer ASAP for I am making my 1st lightsaber this week. And if you don't know just say "I don't know."