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Post by Jay Tee Erricck on Aug 12, 2006 22:05:22 GMT -5
I'm hoping to have a Jedi Knight outfit done in time for Celebration IV (4). I'm moreso concerned about the lightsaber, the leather (or faux leather?) belt, boots & other non-clothing elements of the outfit. Having put some thought into the lightsaber, I was hoping to actually build my own hilt. I think the whole exchange between Vader & Luke in ROTJ made me think it would be best for me to actually build my own hilt rather than send a design to a company for them to build it for me. However, I was also considering buying the blade, from Parks Sabers for example, and then putting the blade into my custom/self-built hilt. I am wondering if anyone else here in The Jedi Assembly has done this and, if so, you could share some advice / insight. I'm going to pose some questions about lightsaber blades in that part of these forums as well if I can't find the answers already posted. May the Force be with you. Jay Tee www.rebellegionhawaii.com |
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Post by Olos Nay on Aug 13, 2006 2:05:31 GMT -5
I myself have electronics from www.corbinscomponents.com/ to light a polycarbonate blade (with a special diffuser filter from the same guy). I like building my own saber and would say: if you can, proceed that way. It is tons more rewarding then having someone make it for you. |
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Post by Starkindler (The Naked Jedi) on Aug 13, 2006 11:47:58 GMT -5
you may find all you need at www.thecustomsabershop.comhow 2 build from parts either all hardware or using parts sold there.....either EL or LED blades and sound too. |
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Post by Ldi-Ovef Te_Azi on Aug 13, 2006 15:33:48 GMT -5
i myself dont use a lighted blade, i just use pvc for my stunt blade because it is strong and it is really cheap. but i just went to home depot to get all the parts, i got the design from big yellow box.
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Post by Jay Tee Erricck on Aug 13, 2006 20:33:09 GMT -5
Greetings, Jedi. [bows] Thank you very much for the replies. It is both calming and daunting to have so many different options. I guess, for me, one challenge would be to decide which path to take. Personally, my priority is to have a blade that I can actually strike with & not worry too much about it breaking. Thus, I'm guessing an EL blade is probably best, yes? I've heard many great things about the durability of EL blades. Of course, having a blade that is bright & visible (even in daylight) is desirable but I would still prefer durability over that. Whenever fellow costumers meet up, regardless of whether or not they are Good Side or Bad Side agents, the usual inclination is to connect saber blades, especially for photo opportunities. That's the mindset I have in wanting a durable blade. I think I'll check out all the sites you have all recommended & make my decision from there. Thanks so much for your support. May the Force be with you. Jay Tee www.rebellegionhawaii.comP.S. To the moderators, I realize this post reply may seem like it belongs more in the "Lightsaber Blades" portion of these forums. For this error, I apologize. |
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Post by Olos Nay on Aug 13, 2006 21:33:01 GMT -5
I guess, for me, one challenge would be to decide which path to take. Yes, DEFINATELY the big challenge - deciding what path to go, then study it good. Before I did my saber, I studied the diverse choices that was offered at that point, then made a choice, then studied that option further more, making design decisions. this took about 2 months. Then I gathered parts from here and there for about a month and a half, and I finally built the thing in a few weeks. I stronly suggest you start by "doing your homework" and getting info on what's your going to do. Personally, my priority is to have a blade that I can actually strike with & not worry too much about it breaking. Thus, I'm guessing an EL blade is probably best, yes? I've heard many great things about the durability of EL blades. I have to strongly disagree with that. While EL is sturdier then the "multiple led design" e.g. MR FX sabers, it is not the "best" option out there. EL is a long string of EL cable set in a (generally) 3/4 inch polycarbonate tube with a diffuser. The key here is that there is a lot of weight IN the blade. My saber setup is a 1W luxeon led chiming in a diffused 1 inch polycarbonate blade. Less weight in the blade, sturdy as hell. As long as the blade is well attached to the hilt, nothing to worry. The good sides of EL are: 1- better battery life - will cost less to operate. 2- No heating - simple to design. 3- change the blade & you get a new color. The good sides of Luxeon led are 1- Very light - better resemblance to how a lightsaber is described in litterature. 2- Very bright - at 1W luxeon I have the same brightness as a MR FX saber, the 3W and new K2 are even brighter. 3- nothing in the blade - it is sturdier then anything, as even in the event that you actually break the polycarbonate tube, your electronics is untouched. Of course, the electronics is VERY different, but if you get a blade filter and driver from Corbin's Components, you even have the extension / retraction effects, and lock&clash effects. here is a picture of my lightsaber at last halloween at work -- note that in bright artificial + some natural daylight, and a flash, we still see the blade being green bright.  As I said, it depends on your needs and you only can decide what type you want. For example, I want to put a saber in my hallway for a nightlight. I will go EL and NOT luxeon, as it will stay on all night and I want to avoid overheating it & keep power consumption low. Read on what's available, get the info, make your own opinion, decide your own path, make your own saber. You'll be proud of it no matter what. |
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Post by Jay Tee Erricck on Aug 14, 2006 20:34:57 GMT -5
Greetings, Olos Nay. [bows] Thank you for the further feedback & information. You make a compelling argument (for lack of a better word) in favor of Luxeon. I'm glad you list the pros of each, though. I am starting from practically zero in terms of lightsaber knowledge. It is my understanding that EL blades have the electronics & color elements within them whereas the Luxeon blades are colored by the "gel" disc affixed to the top of the hilt. The Luxeon blades are therefore colorless on their own? Or am I wrong in thinking this? Both kinds have their appeal. A lighter (Luxeon) blade sounds appealing. I'm going to continue taking in information before I make a final decision on how to approach all this. Thank you for your continued support. And, May the Force be with you. Jay Tee www.rebellegionhawaii.com |
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Post by Olos Nay on Aug 14, 2006 21:45:45 GMT -5
Thansk Jedi Jay Tee.
I am in favor you keep on getting info before starting to acquire anything.
Yes, I like the luxeon setup, that is what I originally decided as the best for me, and this is over a year ago when the luxeon lightsaber was still new.
The luxeon leds come in a variety of color. Some people do like you said take a white one and add a colored filter, but you actually loose some of the led's brightness. Now if you want to go royal blue, its actually better as the royal blue luxeon leds are not as bright as the others, but the cyan, green and red orange are actually pretty bright.
the "don't look straight to the light" kind of bright. (really)
You are right, the blade is uncolored. You can swap blades with other luxeon sabers without changing your color. To change the color, you need to change the led. I know that thecustomsabershop has a "quick change" system that is interesting (their blade holder / luxeon heatsink are great too) so there is still a way to change your blade color quickly if you want to.
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Post by Jay Tee Erricck on Aug 15, 2006 7:25:34 GMT -5
Greetings, Olos Nay. [bows] I have decided on a green saber blade. Of that, I am whole-heartedly sure. I know TJA is a costuming organization, not a role-playing one, but having majored in screenwriting, my imagination is one that tends to run wild. Thus, I already thought up a little bit of back story for my "character" if you will. Here it is as it appears on the rebellegion.com website: 'Rebel Commando Jay Tee Erricck served the Alliance in the Battle of Endor. During this mission, he took notice of the monk-like Luke Skywalker who his fellow troops rumored to be a Jedi Knight. Jay Tee had heard of the historical Jedi but had doubted they ever truly existed. Impressed by Skywalker's centeredness & his powerful aura (the Force), Jay Tee later befriended Commander Skywalker & petitioned to study the ways of the Force to become a Jedi like his new hero. Under Luke Skywalker's wisdom, Jay Tee would go on to become one of the rebuilding Jedi Order of the New Republic!' Anyhow, I digress. Green it will be. The rest is still to be determined. My hilt is of a rather simple design but a sturdy one, methinks. I can post the sketches I've done or send them to you if you'd like to see them. May the Force be with you. Jay Tee www.rebellegionhawaii.com |
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Post by Olos Nay on Aug 15, 2006 9:28:32 GMT -5
Please do post. If you prefer email, PM me and I'll give you my email address.
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Post by Jay Tee Erricck on Aug 16, 2006 21:25:36 GMT -5
Greetings, Olos Nay. [bows] Please give me a few days to round up what preliminary drawings I have. I may be able to have my friend/website co-ordinator, Pac-El, post the sketches on my website www.rebellegionhawaii.com . I will be in touch to let you know. May the Force be with us. Jay Tee |
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Post by Olos Nay on Aug 16, 2006 23:41:52 GMT -5
NOTE: the type of blade electronics you will decide to put up in the hilt is to be considered when designing the hilt.
when I made my saber, I wanted metal grips. I also decided to go with a luxeon blade - if you haven't noticed yet, those luxeon led does heat up quite a bit unless they are heatsinked, and I had acquired an aluminium disc for that purpose. Needing to hold the sink in place, I used the bolts from the metal grips, trough the hilt main tube.
What I am trying to say is that you should plan in the early stages how the inside of your saber is going to be.
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Post by Jay Tee Erricck on Aug 23, 2006 2:06:19 GMT -5
Greetings, Olos. [bows] Does this mean, if I want to have a rubber grip inside my hilt (underlaying the outside metal shaft), a Luxeon blade would be impractical due to the heat? Once I get the sketches of my lightsaber up, perhaps this question will make more sense......... May the Force be with us. Jay Tee www.rebellegionhawaii.com |
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Post by Starkindler (The Naked Jedi) on Aug 23, 2006 18:57:38 GMT -5
properly heatsinked it should not be a problem.....
I too plan to build an LED saber as soon as $$ permits.
So far I have built a Lego saber, Two Yoda sized padawan sabers, a BYB hardware saber, and have a custom machined Randomsaber...
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2saberjedi
Message Board Member
in Darkness we are the lite
Posts: 161
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Post by 2saberjedi on Aug 23, 2006 22:11:12 GMT -5
i myself would love to build my own hilt the only sabers i have are the hasbro sabers but i hope that i can get some help building a saber like u wanna do good luck
im srry i have no clue how to help u but u have good wishes from me to build the saber
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