A Journey of PVC saber hilt making

[Saso Is-kor]

So after making a ton of practice PVC sabers with virtually no style whatsoever for the hilt itself I decided to try and experiment with PVC as a medium for creating actual prop sabers. Sabers that will mostly be used for display but can be worn during costuming when an actual bladed saber is either not allowed or is just not feasible. I've been cranking one out about every 3 weeks or so, this thread is where I'll post up the photos of them as they are completed.

PVC is basically my answer when you have a saber addiction but can't really afford an actual saber. Added bonus that you get to create the weapon yourself so there is unlimited possibility and when you finish it feels like it's totally yours.

My first foray into this craft is a Sith inspired design right here. I dubbed it the "Blood Channel."



The core is your basic Schedule 40 one inch outer diameter PVC, with the larger parts made of 1 and 1/4 inch outer diameter PVC. Basic end cap pommel dremeled down for a more rounded shape plus a nice red leather wrap. The crystal chamber (I actually call it more of a "crystal window") is made with a red quartz piece with a red LED inside on the pommel side of the window. A little EVA foam and chopstick bars completes the look of what is supposed to be the inner exposed guts of a saber.





Close up of the emitter. It has a little bit of Vader inspiration with the angled cut. Blade "plug" is just simple craft foam, might switch that out at some point for something a bit more sinister looking. The grooves were made with the dremel, and the weathering was simply achieved by applying metallic silver as a base coat then a few coats of flat black and a good scratching with some steel wool.

More to come...

[tx_tuff]

Looks good and sounds like you had fun making it. I like the crystal window.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[Matt Nihilus]

This looks great, very cool design! 

[Lady Agana Kath]

Very nice! Can I request a closeup of the crystal chamber?

[TheDutchman]

Wow Saso that's incredible!  I love your design!  Whenever I see someone's custom creations I am in awe of the craftsmanship; yours is no different: outstanding work!

[Saso Is-kor]

Very nice! Can I request a closeup of the crystal chamber?

Sure can, I'll get on that today.

Thanks for the kind comments, y'all.

[Saso Is-kor]

Here you are Lady Kath,

The inside of the crystal window. The Eva foam looks a little rough, probably time for a new coat of paint and some clear coat. This was more or less my beta saber as I was figuring it all out from scratch.



And this is what it looks like deconstructed. Because the batteries of the LED eventually need to be changed I had to make it so that the entire "guts" of the saber could come out. The saber hilt actually comes apart in between the chunky portion just below the slanted emitter for easy access. You can see how incredibly simple the build is. I love stuff that is easy to construct but still looks pretty cool.

[BoridrenDurist]

Awesome saber there is that a real crystal?

[Saso Is-kor]

Awesome saber there is that a real crystal?

Indeed it is, it's quartz but treated somehow to make it red colored. I think it might be some sort of red dye process because the small fissures in the crystal look like liquid worked it's way in so they look a bit like blood arteries. I got it from a seller on Etsy.

[Lady Agana Kath]

Very nice Saso, thanks for the close up pics.

[Therion Jinn]

Looks really good.
PVC hilts are how I got started building my own sabers

[Saso Is-kor]

Looks really good.
PVC hilts are how I got started building my own sabers

That is so cool, I've seen many of your custom sabers and they are utterly fantastic. Maybe one day I'll get to that level.

[Therion Jinn]

That is so cool, I've seen many of your custom sabers and they are utterly fantastic. Maybe one day I'll get to that level.

I still see myself as having a ways to go yet.
There are tricks I don't really have the equipment around me to do and do right.
Time and practice.
Bearing in mind that I've also been building models of various types for a couple of decades

[TheDutchman]

Here you are Lady Kath,

The inside of the crystal window. The Eva foam looks a little rough, probably time for a new coat of paint and some clear coat. This was more or less my beta saber as I was figuring it all out from scratch.



And this is what it looks like deconstructed. Because the batteries of the LED eventually need to be changed I had to make it so that the entire "guts" of the saber could come out. The saber hilt actually comes apart in between the chunky portion just below the slanted emitter for easy access. You can see how incredibly simple the build is. I love stuff that is easy to construct but still looks pretty cool.

That's incredible Saso!  LOVE the pics!  I would like to see more!

[Saso Is-kor]

So Round 2, this one is the "Rampart", a Jedi saber.

I've decided that as I crank out new sabers I'm going to be experimenting with different techniques and designs for each and every one. This one has what I kind of thought was an Old Republic vibe to it with the aggressive looking emitter and coloring. It has a little bit of Bellicose inspiration in there, especially with the long and wide grooves on the pommel. I used a double wrap of leather on this one and spaced it out to give it a more rustic appearance like it's been replaced a few times with different pieces. Standard crystal window like you saw on the Blood Channel but this is clearly a blue blade saber with the crystal lending itself to that.



Bit of a close-up of the window, this crystal reflects the light much better than the red one (also because the blue LED is brighter.)



The emitter end, I made a few mistakes with the hacksaw while I was cutting the angle so I pulled the classic "make your mistakes look like battle damage." lol



And what it looks like on the backside. All business in the back, the party is in the front.