Advanced-Light Weaponry

[himiko sabbrawrra]

I just got an e-mail from them.. They have the saber I want for 98.00 but it would take over 14 weeks to get it made unless I want to speed the process up for an extra 25-35 dollars. Depends how fast they can speed it up

[tanzanlinnear]

To be honest, I'd be wary of any company that is prepared to take money to get something ahead of the queue... Money won't make them physically work any faster, it'll just mean they do your design ahead of someone elses, and if they're prepared to do that for you, that means that it's just as likely someone else will pay them and get jumped in front of you

[himiko sabbrawrra]

hmmm. Good to know. I will keep in mind with them. I know they have been around for a few years.

[tanzanlinnear]

They have, and the quality of the sabers they produce is incredible, as is their attention to detail. (I'd actually be interested in seeing original concept art displayed with the finished sabers, so I could see how closely they stick to a customer's requests) My 'gripe' (doesn't really bother me that much ;D) with people buying sabers, is that I've always felt that a Jedi should always make their own saber (unless it's a gift) no matter how poor the outcome might look, as that's always been said to represent the final test of a Jedi's skill, but I do understand that not everyone has access to engineering tools, or the skills and time. My concern about their 'express service' is admittedly not based on any reports I've heard, just the simple logic that the situation describes, ie someone pays them more, they will move the design up the queue, ergo, if someone pays even more, they get moved further up the queue, leaving the first design back where it was (and probably no refund of the 'bribe') By all means purchase from them, the quality of their work is beyond question, but any attempts to 'jump the queue' may come off worse... After all, Master Yoda said that the Dark Side was easier, quicker and more seductive

[himiko sabbrawrra]

LOL! Yes I know.. I actuallt had tired to make my own once before but I don't have the proper tools. I also have a partialy disabled right hand and that dosen't help me any. I am not making excuses. If I had someone to teach me and had access to a machine shop for that by all means I would love to make one. I am going to get one of these from them though. Just for the sake that it's something diffrent and I am just adding up to my collection as well.

[tanzanlinnear]

That's fair enough I think the right tools are definitely essential to the kind of saber you can make... If you have a drill and a hacksaw, you could probably make a reasonable saber like Anakin's ATOC saber (only cutting straight/diagonal lines) To make cuts lengthwise down the tube (like the top of Obi-Wan's TPM/ATPC saber) you'll again, need a drill (for the beginning and end guide holes) a hacksaw for any cuts across the pipe, but also a rotary tool like a dremel to make the rough lengthwise cuts, and also a set of small hand files to file the rough cuts back to where you want the 'finished line' to be. (Takes almost as long as cutting the lines, and requires patience ) With those reasonably simple tools, you should be able to make anything from a very basic, to a fairly intricate saber. That said, a saber like Qui-Gon's would require access to professional engineering tools like a milling machine (and possibly a lathe) and those are, understandably, harder to come by In a way, I was lucky, in that my dad used to be an F1 engineer, so had those kind of professional tools at home, and that gave me a good insight into making metal sabers. When I moved out though, I was reduced to hacksaws and dremels, which has restricted what I can physically make. The best advice I can give is to use found parts where ever possible, which can be used as they are (or with slight modifications) to keep the metal working to a minimum. If you have any questions about making sabers, feel free to PM me, and I'll advise you as best as I can

[Starkindler (The Naked Jedi)]

it's also possible that the little "Extra" they ask for advancing a saber's productionis to pay someone to do the work after hours.....thus allowing them to keep their planned schedule and provide some specialized service for those wanting it. (just a thought )

[himiko sabbrawrra]

That may be too. That actually might be the case in that.

I'll keep in mind. it's just I have no place to use the tools here so I am fairly limited. If I ever got the chance to stay with one of you all ever that had acess to this type of stuff I would love to learn how.

[tanzanlinnear]

starkindler said:

it's also possible that the little "Extra" they ask for advancing a saber's productionis to pay someone to do the work after hours.....thus allowing them to keep their planned schedule and provide some specialized service for those wanting it. (just a thought )

That's a possibility, but I still think if someone was to pay more for their 'express' design than someone else paid, I still recon the first design would get knocked back in the queue

[tanzanlinnear]

himiko said:

That may be too. That actually might be the case in that.

I'll keep in mind. it's just I have no place to use the tools here so I am fairly limited. If I ever got the chance to stay with one of you all ever that had acess to this type of stuff I would love to learn how.

Without a word of a lie, I made my lightsaber on the floor of the hall of my apartment, and had about four feet of width and maybe a four foot space in front of me with the various bits spread out... Simple hand-tools really don't take up much room (and are pretty essential for other day to day DIY and repairs about the home...) Something I forgot to say before, was that I didn't actually use a drill to make my holes, I put the drill bit in the end of my rotary tool and used that, so if it's a choice of buying one or the other, I'd say go for the rotary tool as it's much more versatile

[himiko sabbrawrra]

Well even with all the tools i could get my hands on I haven't been able to make a lightsaber yet.. I am not good with working with tools.

[tanzanlinnear]

It's just a skill, same as drawing or sewing, all it takes is time and practice If anything, do small DIY projects where you can get used to using the tools and finding out the best way for you to use them where the outcome isn't so important, and just build up from there Take the third saber down, for example... (please excuse the poor picture)

All I did there was cut a diagonal line on a small section of pipe and superglue it onto a slightly narrower section of pipe, and I had the main body of a saber similar to Anakin's. The 'clamp' was simply an inch length of PVC pipe that I cut at the top so it would stretch around the metal and slide into place, and some purchassed grips. You can't get much simpler than that
[Edit to fix pic]

[Starkindler (The Naked Jedi)]

I'm having a RandomSaber made mostly because the quality is so much higher than I can make on my own.
I have made two Yoda sized sabers now and another about 10" for my daughter that still needs to be painted...it looks good and will look VERY good when finished.
I am also going to make two Style VIII sabers (Big YEllow Box) for my Brother and I that I expect to look great! (these two are possible thanks to a brother Jedi's generosity)

[Olos Nay]

I've got to be with tanzanlinnear on this one... with minor skills, no room, a little time and some material, you can make incredible lightsabers.

Mine was done in front of my computer with a hand drill, a dremel and hardware store parts.
The emiter shroud is in fact a 1$ pepper shaker

there are rubber O-Rings underneat for the shape, I got it in the plumbing section


The knobs are from computer shops

I got sliding door metal parts and cut them in an angle, and put them in place with bolts


and added a Covertec Clip knob to put it on my belt

Result, people ask me where I bought it...


Now... when you buy it somewhere, its kinda neat as a toy, but that's it.
when you build it (the real path of the true Jedi,) then you are really proud of it. It makes a more interesting conversation piece.

[himiko sabbrawrra]

I know.. iI really want to make my own too. But even still I don't know what to get .. I mean I know where.. *confused*

Mabey if I was with one of you sometime and could take me to go and help me pick parts out for my first one.. that would be better for me.. I need someone to teach me for the first time around and then after that I can do it. It's just the way I learn things