give me some ideas please!

[Argento]

please, if some one can give me an idea on how to make the emmiter switch, cause i don know what to use.
i used a little squared red plastic button for my first lightsaber, but now i want do use something "cooler", rounded and.... i dont know what else
PLEASE, SOME ONE HELP ME ON THAT!!

[KaiRhann]

Hey, Argento. Thought I'd chime in with some suggestions.

I have used the following things for activators on my sabers...

-Push button switches (found at Radio Shack and so forth)....you can use just the button portion if you don't need/want the "clickie" action of the switch. Simply drill a hole large enough for the button to fit snugly, and epoxy in place. Note, most of my sabers (those just as hilts, not having blades) have wooden cores...I do this so that they are nice and solid, and you have something for screws to "bite" into, also helps when installing things like buttons and LED's...

-Brass lamp finalles. These are found in the lighting section of hardware/home improvement stores. They are normally brass, and look like a little knob. They are used to retain ceiling light globes. These screw onto little hollow posts, found right next to them in the hardware store. You can see one like this on my "child size saber" and my "double saber" on my site. The images are not thumbnailed, but you can click and drag them into your address bar for full size view...

-Most recently, I used a doorbell chime button. The one I used was solid brass. I only used the button portion of the doorbell, so that makes it a very expensive option. But, for that saber I wanted an oblong, rounded button. Brass doorbells run about $20 to $30, so, in the future, I plan to simply make the buttons from scratch. Doorbell buttons come in rounds, oblongs, and rounded rectangles...pretty good looking if I may say so...

As a note, one thing that I like on my saber's activator, is simply a plate that fits around the button, just to dress it up a bit...I make these from (usually) the same pipe as the outer casing of the saber...

There are a world of items you could end up using...I tend to collect bins full of "junk" from electronics and whatnot...you never know when a piece will turn out to be "perfect" on a project...

Hope that's some help...

~Kai Rhann

[Argento]

thanks!!
i think i will buy the push button (just as i did in my previous saber), but this time a rounded one
by the way, i live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and there r not Radio Shak stores here . No problem with that , u didnt know. Anyways, i went to a "Home Depot" similar store, but they didnt have push buttons!! ( what a cr**)

oh, by the way, now that u mentioned it..... how do u make the saber blade? a broom stick? or a transparent colored PVC tube??

tnx again, and ur sabers ROCKS!!! ;D;D

[KaiRhann]

Glad to be of some help, my friend. Hopefully you have similar stores where you live...

As to blades, I personally (usually) use dowell rods (wooden rods) but you can use various things: broom/mop handles, plastic pipes, acrylic rods/tubes or any number of similar items. I use dowell rods with a diameter of 3/4" (.75 inches)...

Thanks...

~Kai Rhann

[Argento]

ur wellcome
the question now is: what kind of show is Radio Shak ?? hehehhe

i also come with the idea of using broom handles as a blade for the saber but i dont know how to make the top look rounded
u use wooen rods for ur blades? arent those too heavy? and dont they look like wood even painted??

[KaiRhann]

As for the weight of the dowell rods: no. Very light. I'm used to swords (anything from a rapier to a claymore).

My lightsaber hilts usually weigh about 1 pound, sometimes a little heavier. A dowell rod weighs, perhaps, half-a-pound (? never weighed one)...so the weight of the hilt counter balances it.

Rounding the tips...easily done with a rasp, a file, or a craft knife, then sanded smooth.

As for the painted blade still looking like wood--yes, to a degree. But, I mostly use them for photo reference and practice. Nothing looks quite as cool as a EL blade (polycarbonite blade with Electroluminescent material inside)...Like the ones from Parks Sabers and Lightech Industries...

~Kai Rhann

[Argento]

hehehe, but how much does it costs?
lol
anyways, i finished my lightsaber today. as soon i can get a webcam ill show it to you
tnx cause u helped me a lot! ;D

ah, i wanted to ask : what kind of SHOP (not SHOW as i wrote before LOL ) is Radio Shak ?? hehehhhehehe

i would like to see some pics of your sabers with blades!!

[KaiRhann]

Ah...SHOP. Lol... Okay. Radio Shack is a shop that sells electronic supplies. Stuff for making your own electronic projects at home.

The only pics of my sabers with blades have been altered with "special effects"... on my homepage...

~Kai Rhann

[Argento]

KaiRhann said:

The only pics of my sabers with blades have been altered with "special effects"... on my homepage.../quote]

wich is............. ? LOL

[Roize]

Buenos Diaz Argento,

You can try to go to computer accessories store and look for switches there. You might have to do some minor work on them though. See my home page here:
community.webshots.com/user/roize1968
then look st my second light saber. The blade igniter and the blade lenght control are all from existing materials from computer accessories stores. Patience my freind...in time you will know what to do...

May the force be with you.
Jedi Knight Roize.

[ALDAN JII]

this may help, on one of my many saber hilts, i used a doorbell push button, it has wires, and if connected right, you could light the dinger button of the door bell application, i found this part at my local retail store(wal-mart) for under $2.00. i hope this helps you out some,

on my other saber hilts i used plain aluminum u chanel, cut it to about two inch lengths, filled the void after applying it the rounded surfaces of the saber hilts, a 3 foot section should run about $4.00 at you local hardware store, again i hope this also helps.