Saber Forum

All right, next up on the bench is a custom lightsaber hilt.
I'm naming it "Kyrathalia's Deathcry" after my Sith Sorceror in Star Wars: The Old Republic

It's going to be built using metal parts from The Other Guys' Modular Hilt System, electronics from Ultrasabers, and the pommel is a shower faucet handle from the Home Depot.
Blade will be a bright orange when I'm done

To get started, I mapped out the basics of the hilt design using TCSS MHS Builder
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-01.jpg)

Once the parts arrived, I roughed out how the layout of the hilt would look in real life
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-02.jpg)

A quick look at all of the components going into this build
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-03.jpg)

Because of the way some of the parts were engineered, and with the LED module being already wired for a quick disconnect, I needed to modify the TCSS heat sink by opening up two of the side holes
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-04.jpg)

Made an adapter from a nylon fitting that allowed me to connect the handle piece to the blank pommel section. This was all connected rather solidly with some JB Weld
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-05.jpg)

Got the holes drilled and tapped for the covertec wheel in the grip, and blade retention screws in the emitter.
Also got the hole opened up for the switch housing.

The grip was partly masked off, as well as the thread section of the choke. These were then primered with flat black Krylon primer.
A coat of Testors Graphite Dust was added, and then they were hit with a coat of Kyrlon Crystal clear
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-06.jpg)
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-07.jpg)

Next up is a whole lot of electrical work

Youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBiDhLULNv0

Update on the buildup of "Kyrathalia's Deathcry"

Prior to installing the switch, I used my Dremel to make an inscription just above it.
The inscription, in Aurabesh font, reads "Peace is a lie," the first line of the Sith Code.
I printed it out on some blank decal paper and laid it on to act as a guide for the work.
That done, I scrubbed off the rest of the decal paper, and then highlighted the inscription with a black wash.
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-08.jpg)

For the pommel, I opted to paint it up like a gem held in a metal mounting.
I painted the clear areas with a transparent orange, and then painted the 'claw' with Vallejo dark grey primer followed by Tamiya's Chrome Silver
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-09.jpg)

Began wiring up the guts, including a trio of red LEDs for lighting up the pommel.
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-10.jpg)

LIGHT test!
Initially, I had the wiring for my illuminated switch reversed. I fixed that and got ALMOST everything working.
Sadly, despite installing a resistor, my wiring job resulted in blowing the LEDs for the pommel
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-11.jpg)

I sanded down the raised areas on the grip prior to assembly, along with adding some other sanding on the choke to add some weathering.
Got her all assembled, and then fired her up again.
We now have a finished lightsaber with a blazing orange blade

Finished build pics
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-12.jpg)
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-13.jpg)
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-14.jpg)
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-15.jpg)
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq45/quaralane/Star_Wars/Kyrathalias%20Deathcry/kyrathalias-deathcry-16.jpg)

Youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgzb2EiyD_k

TJ your saber is BADASS!  LOVE seeing the process from inception to execution!  Your mods are incredible  :D. Fantastic job!  I love the details: from the Aurabesh script to your DIY pommel (a faucet handle!?  I NEVER would have suspected had you not told us  ;).  Looks amazing!

Wow, that looks awesome man, well done!

When I first saw the shower faucet fitting I was like "meh" and then I saw what you did with it! Oh man, that's amazing! You really made that into something that looked professional and special. Great work on your saber!

Very cool idea, and hilt. I love that you chose Orange for the blade color. Great choice.

Thank you very much, guys.
It was a bit nerve-wracking when it came to the electronics, but nice to build something I could truly call my own.

My original plan had been to build the hilt completely from scratch, but I figured the MHS parts would make life a LOT easier.
The shower handle was found during the initial parts shop run, and I really liked it for a pommel.

Fiery Orange was one of the few colors I hadn't seen a lot of, but it was also the color the character uses in The Old Republic

Just an idea, but if you want to see a better looking FO, you could try getting li-ion with a buckpuck. Mixed colors tend to have higher demands than single colors, so it might help the look and brightness of it to have a more powerful and efficient battery system.

Actually, it's running Li-ion and a buck puck

How did I miss this yesterday?  This is really awesome, great work.  I especially like what you did for the pommel.

Hey nice work! I never in a million years would have considered a faucet handle. It really turned out good the claws on it worked well.

The original Obi-Wan Kenobi saber prop carried by Sir Alec Guinness had a faucet handle pommel.

Interesting I didn't know that. Now he's one with the force.

Thanks for the comments, guys.
The claw look on the pommel kind of came to me as I was trying to figure out just what I was going to do with the look of it.
Of course, it HAD to wind up orange to match the blade

This is one very cool saber. Masterful work sir. Absolutely fantastic.

Thanks, Malik. This was my first full build, but I still have love for the saber

Jinn, did you ever figure out how to wire up and light the pommel?

TJ, just saw this, and I think the faucet handle pommel is probably the coolest mod I've seen in a very long time.  Coloring it, using the contours to "make" a claw over the embedded "crystal", and lighting it is simply brilliant!

Love it all around, my friend!  Well done!

Super cool! The shower handle is pure genius.

I could probably do something akin to what I did with the Wrath. Main issue is just not enough space for a good setup inside the pommel
My big regret is not ebing able to get that lit up, but it screamed claw to me when I saw it at the hardware store
Thanks